The Collierville Dragons will square off against the Bartlett Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Collierville's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last four contests.
Collierville's defense heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They took their matchup with ease, bagging a 58-0 victory over Arlington. The Dragons have beaten the Tigers the last seven times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Tigers has come to flipping the script.
Collierville got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Emanuel Palmer out in front who picked up 77 receiving yards and three TDs. Brayden Sanitbanez was another key signal caller, throwing for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 88.9% of his passes.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Collierville proved: they limited Arlington to a paltry 2.1 yards per carry. The team can thank Matthew Salazar for the heroic effort on defense: he. Collierville didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 7.4.
Collierville's defense didn't let Rod Lucas., get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for three sacks. The team can thank two different players for their defensive prowess: Christian Swift and Marshall Smith Jr, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Meanwhile, Bartlett gave up the first points last Friday, but they didn't give up any more after. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Houston, sneaking past 17-14. The score was all tied up 7-7 at the break, but the Panthers were the better team in the second half.
Bartlett's win came from a few key players Collierville will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Patrick Sadler, who threw for 124 yards and one TD on only six passes, and also rushed for 47 yards.
Collierville now has a winning record of 3-2. As for Bartlett, their victory bumped their record up to 2-3.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Collierville has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 226.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Bartlett struggles in that department as they've been averaging 169.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Collierville was able to grind out a solid win over Bartlett when the teams last played back in September of 2024, winning 29-19. Will the Dragons repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
