Atkins lost against Melbourne back in November of 2023, and unfortunately they wound up with the same result on Friday. The Atkins Red Devils and the Melbourne Bearkatz were almost perfectly matched up, but the Atkins Red Devils suffered a 42-41 defeat. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Friday (40), the Red Devils still had to take the loss.
Atkins' loss came despite strong showings from Mason Martin and Jaden Martin. Mason gained 191 total yards and two touchdowns, while Jaden rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown on only 15 carries. With that strong performance, Mason is now averaging an impressive 109 rushing yards per game.
Even though they lost, Atkins was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 323 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 208 rushing yards in seven consecutive matchups.
Atkins' loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 5-2. As for Melbourne, their win bumped their record up to an identical 5-2.
Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Atkins will face off against Quitman at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Atkins knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past four contests -- so hopefully Quitman likes a good challenge. As for Melbourne, they will challenge Yellville-Summit at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Melbourne is facing Yellville-Summit at the right time seeing as Yellville-Summit is stuck on a four-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
