The Quitman Bulldogs will challenge the Melbourne Bearkatz at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Quitman's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last three matches.
Quitman took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They put the hurt on Yellville-Summit with a sharp 40-14 win. With the Bulldogs ahead 32-8 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
Jordon Moore-Payne was his usual excellent self, rushing for 123 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.7 yards per carry, and also throwing for 164 yards and three touchdowns while completing 84.6% of his passes. He also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, forcing two fumbles and making 15 total tackles. Jamare Lovelace was Moore-Payne's top target, picking up 75 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Quitman wouldn't let Yellville-Summit keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Moore-Payne was the leader in that area as all came courtesy of his dominant performance. Quitman got some further help from Braiden Riley: he picked up two sacks and made six total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Quitman was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 242 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Melbourne has relied on a stalwart defense averaging 12.25 points allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Friday. They had to suffer through a 36-3 loss at the hands of Salem. That makes it the first time this season the Bearkatz have let down their home crowd.
The victory got Quitman back to even at 2-2. As for Melbourne, their defeat was their first of the season and makes their record 3-1.
Everything came up roses for Quitman against Melbourne in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the team secured a 55-20 win. Does Quitman have another victory up their sleeve, or will Melbourne turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
