The McMinn County Cherokees's homestand will continue as they prepare to take on the Powell Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
McMinn County is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They blew past Howard Tech 49-0 at home last Friday. Given the Cherokees' advantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee football rankings (they are ranked 144th, while the Hustlin' Tigers are ranked 292nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
McMinn County found their leader in underclassman Luke Lawson, who threw for 296 yards and five touchdowns on only 13 passes. Those 296 passing yards set a new season-high mark for Lawson. The team also got some help courtesy of Marshall Goodner, who picked up 104 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
One reason for the win was McMinn County's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for 5.5 sacks. Leading the way was Javonte Parker with two. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last four games he's played dating back to last season. Another thorn in Howard Tech's side was Cameron Miller, who picked up a sack and made eight total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Powell had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 32.8 points) and they went ahead and made it seven on Friday. Everything went their way against the Bobcats as they made off with a 34-8 victory. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won seven matches by 25 points or more so far this season.
McMinn County now has a winning record of 5-4. As for Powell, their win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-1.
McMinn County lost to Powell at home by a decisive 28-14 margin in their previous meeting back in October of 2023. Will McMinn County have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
