After each having a week off, the Houston County Fighting Irish and the Jo Byrns Red Devils will dust off their jerseys to take on one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Houston County is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering McKenzie just ended the team's five-game winning streak last Friday. They took a blow against the Rebels, falling 42-13.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Tristen Hooper, who picked up 114 receiving yards and a touchdown. He showed off some serious burst, cutting upfield on a catch for 59 yards. Houston County also got a significant boost from Preston Mitchell, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 89 yards.
Meanwhile, a win for Jo Byrns just wasn't in the cards last Friday as the squad wasn't able to take the lead at any point. They had to suffer through a 48-13 loss at the hands of Harpeth. The Red Devils haven't had much luck with the Indians recently, as the team's come up short the last two times they've met.
Jo Byrns' loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Amari Cotton, who picked up 131 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and Luke Miller, who threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns on only 17 passes. Miller's passing game has become a key predictor of Jo Byrns' success: the team is 2-1 when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 0-5 otherwise.
Houston County's defeat dropped their record down to 6-2. As for Jo Byrns, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's match: Houston County has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 350.8 total yards per game. It's a different story for Jo Byrns, though, as they've been averaging only 229.1. Will Houston County be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will Jo Byrns flip the script?
Houston County won a game that couldn't have been any closer when the teams last played back in October of 2023, slipping by Jo Byrns 15-14. The rematch might be a little tougher for Houston County since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
