Two dominant backs in Tony Postell Jr and Owen McLaughlin are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Trumann Wildcats will challenge the Southside Southerners at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Trumann has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with four straight losses, while Southside will come in with eight straight victories.
Last Friday, Trumann was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 26-20 to Blytheville.
Despite the defeat, Trumann got top-tier performance from Postell Jr, who rushed for 228 yards and a touchdown while picking up 12.7 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave Postell Jr a new career-high in rushing yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Bradon Whitsett, who rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown.
Even though they lost, Trumann was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 369 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 180 rushing yards in eight consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Southside took their match on Friday with ease, bagging a 50-22 win over Gosnell. The Southerners might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by 24 points or more this season.
McLaughlin continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 166 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.9 yards per carry, and also picking up 74 receiving yards and two touchdowns. McLaughlin is crushing it when it comes to rushing yards: he's rushed for at least 113 every time he's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Trey Allen, who threw for 133 yards and two touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes.
Southside wouldn't let Gosnell keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Brady Wood, Dillon Mcdougal, and Boston Stott picked up one apiece. Another thorn in Gosnell's side was Andrew Plummer, who made 20 total tackles (2.0 for loss) and snagged an interception.
Trumann's loss dropped their record down to 2-6. As for Southside, they pushed their record up to 8-0 with the victory, which was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Trumann has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 321 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Southside struggles in that department as they've been averaging 238.3. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Trumann was dealt a bruising 50-14 defeat at the hands of Southside in their previous meeting back in September of 2021. Can Trumann avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
