The Palmer Tigers will head out to challenge the Anselmo-Merna Coyotes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Palmer has struggled recently with four defeats in a row, while Anselmo-Merna will arrive with three straight victories.
Palmer is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Central Valley on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Tigers had to suffer through a 52-6 loss at the hands of the Cougars. The Tigers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 46-6.
Meanwhile, Anselmo-Merna hadn't done well against Twin Loup recently (they were 0-7 in their previous seven matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Coyotes enjoyed a cozy 46-27 win over the Wolves.
Palmer better keep an eye on Dane Duryea. He was instrumental in Anselmo-Merna's win, rushing for 295 yards and three TDs while picking up 7.8 yards per carry. Duryea's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 125 rushing yards.
Anselmo-Merna's run defense was locked in: Twin Loup could only muster 3.1 yards per carry. The team can thank Drake Doss for the heroic effort on defense: he. Anselmo-Merna's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 4.53 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 6.73 on average over their last five games.
Anselmo-Merna's record is now 6-1. As for Palmer, their loss dropped their record down to 2-5.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Palmer has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 160.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Anselmo-Merna struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 250.4 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything went Palmer's way against Anselmo-Merna in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as Palmer made off with a 48-22 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Duryea, who rushed for 73 yards and a pair of scores, and also threw for 86 yards and one touchdown. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Tigers still be able to contain Duryea? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
