A feisty cat fight will be fought when Tigers takes on the Portal Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Claxton is out to stop a five-game streak of losses at home dating back to last season.
Having struggled with 11 defeats in a row dating back to last season, Claxton finally turned things around against Savannah on Friday. They breezed by the Bluejackets on the road to the tune of 42-8. The Tigers' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Jontarrius Calhoun was his usual excellent self, rushing for 206 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 7.6 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards.
Claxton didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Averi Phillips and Junior Waller. Another thorn in Savannah's side was Dereon Brewton, who picked up two sacks and made eight total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Claxton was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 325 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, a win for Portal just wasn't in the cards on Friday as the squad wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They had to suffer through a 38-3 loss at the hands of Emanuel County Institute. The contest marked the Panthers' lowest-scoring game so far this season.
Despite the loss, Portal had strong showings from Harold Washington, who gained 117 total yards, and Samari Mcbride, who rushed for 61 yards.
Claxton's first victory this season bumped their record up to 1-7. As for Portal, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-4 record this season.
Claxton didn't have too much breathing room in their match against Portal in their previous meeting back in October of 2021, but they still walked away with a 20-15 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Portal's Elijah Coleman, who rushed for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Claxton to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
