The Massaponax Panthers are taking a road trip to take on Independence at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Massaponax has now lost nine straight, leaving the team hunting for their first win since August 30.
Last Friday, Massaponax lost to Riverbend on the road by a 42-28 margin. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Virginia football rankings (they are ranked 117th, while the Bears are ranked 26th).
Despite the defeat, Massaponax got top-tier performance from Gabriel Newby-Morris, who rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries. Those 107 rushing yards gave Newby-Morris a new career-high.
Meanwhile, Independence unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Friday. They took a 27-13 bruising from Briar Woods.
Nick Nassib put forth a good effort for the losing side as he threw for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Massaponax's record is now 1-9. As for Independence, their record is now 6-4.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Massaponax has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 250.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Independence struggles in that department as they've been averaging 214.5. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything went Massaponax's way against Independence in their previous matchup back in August, as Massaponax made off with a 35-12 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Nassib, who rushed for 44 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 165 yards on 12 of 20 attempts. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Massaponax still be able to contain Nassib? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
