Two dominant backs in Caden Durham and Taji Atkins are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Duncanville Panthers and Pantherettes are on the road again on Saturday and play against the Westfield Mustangs at 3:00 p.m. on December 2nd. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
With a playoff game on the line, Duncanville rose to the challenge on Saturday. They blew past the Highlanders 49-21 on the road. Given Duncanville's advantage in MaxPreps' Texas football rankings (they are ranked second, while The Woodlands is ranked 39th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Durham was his usual excellent self, rushing for 323 yards and a touchdown while picking up 11.5 yards per carry. Durham has been hot recently, having posted 100 or more rushing yards the last five times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Keelon Russell, who rushed for 52 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries.
Meanwhile, Westfield came tearing into Saturday's match with ten straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 33.8 points) and they left with even more momentum. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Rockwall 77-48 at home. The game was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 57-20.
Westfield can attribute much of their success to Atkins, who rushed for 202 yards and three touchdowns on only ten carries, and Miles Dent, who rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns on only six carries. Atkins is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last eight games he's played. Austin Abram was another key contributor, picking up 102 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Duncanville's victory bumped their record up to 11-1. As for Westfield, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-2.
Duncanville beat Westfield 28-21 in their previous meeting back in December of 2022. Does Duncanville have another victory up their sleeve, or will Westfield turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
