The Mabank Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Community Braves at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with four consecutive losses for Mabank and three for Community.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 47-6, which was the final score in Mabank's tilt against Kaufman on Friday.
Meanwhile, Community was beaten by Anna 58-6 on Friday. While losing is never fun, Community can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked 745th, while Anna is ranked 90th).
Mabank's defeat was their fourth straight at home, which dropped their overall record down to 1-7. Admittedly, the team was facing some tough opposition over that stretch, including 7-1 Sulphur Springs and 7-1 Anna (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 62.5% over those games). As for Community, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-6 record this season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's contest: Mabank has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 171.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Community struggles in that department as they've been even better at 229.2 per game. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Mabank might still be hurting after the 37-14 loss they got from Community when the teams last played back in October of 2022. Thankfully for Mabank, Quinton Hall (who gained 171 total yards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
