It'll be a Battle of the Bugs Hornets dukes it out withthe Vernon Yellowjackets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Cottondale is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
Cottondale will head into Friday's match hoping to keep the good times rolling: they proved they can win big on October 4th (they won by 29) but last Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged Liberty County out 56-53. 56 seems to be a good number for the Hornets as the team scooped up a win with the same number of points in their previous game.
It was another big night for Jocarian Garrett, who rushed for 338 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 11.3 yards per carry. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his 18th straight game with at least 100 rushing yards dating back to last season. The team also got some help courtesy of Tramond Collins, who gained 108 total yards and three touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Cottondale was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 410 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 267 rushing yards in 18 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Cottondale didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Treyshon Nettles and Alex Bellamy.
Meanwhile, Vernon came into Friday's game having lost four straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They walked away with a 16-9 victory over Central on Friday.
Vernon can attribute much of their success to Caden Hammack, who rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown, and Tristan Pugh, who picked up 49 receiving yards. That's the most rushing yards Hammack has posted since back in October of 2023.
Cottondale's win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-0. As for Vernon, their record now sits at 2-6.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Cottondale has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 491.1 total yards per game. It's a different story for Vernon, though, as they've been averaging only 149.9. Will Cottondale be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will Vernon flip the script?
Everything came up roses for Cottondale against Vernon in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 56-14 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cottondale since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
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