Pearl-Cohn is 8-1 against Marshall County since September of 2017 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Firebirds are taking a road trip to square off against the Tigers at 7:00 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Pearl-Cohn comes in on eight and Marshall County on seven.
Pearl-Cohn is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 35-21 win over Crockett County.
Pearl-Cohn's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Omarion Starnes led the charge by rushing for 83 yards and one TD on only eight carries, while also picking up 68 receiving yards. LJ FUNK was another key player, having thrown for 269 yards and two touchdowns.
Robert Williams Ll
| 11/14/25 vs Crockett County | 9 |
| 11/06/25 vs Battle Creek | 3 |
| 10/30/25 vs Liberty Creek | 6 |
| 10/24/25 vs White House | 6 |
| 10/10/25 @ Greenbrier | 5 |
| + 6 more games |
Another reason for the win was Pearl-Cohn's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for six sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Robert Williams Ll and Mikhai MOSHAY, who racked up four sacks between them. With that strong performance, Williams Ll is now averaging an impressive 5.2 total tackles per game. JAYLEN PARKER was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 14 total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Marshall County really took it to Dyer County for the full four quarters, racking up a 41-14 victory. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven games by 27 points or more this season.
Marshall County found their leader in sophomore Tot Gardner, who rushed for 261 yards and four scores while picking up 9.7 yards per carry. Gardner is becoming a predictor of the Tigers' success: when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns the team is undefeated (and 2-3 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Thompson, who threw for 212 yards and one touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Marshall County was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 338 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Pearl-Cohn's record is now 8-4. As for Marshall County, their record now sits at 9-3.
Friday's contest will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Starnes and Gardner. Starnes just won't slow down this season and has run in 10 touchdowns while averaging 72.1 rushing yards per game. Gardner has been a dominant force too and has run in 21 touchdowns while averaging 88.9 rushing yards per game.
Pearl-Cohn didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against Marshall County when the teams last played back in November of 2024, but they still walked away with a 27-21 win. Will the Firebirds repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
