The Jo Byrns Red Devils''s recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their seventh straight loss. They and Houston County were almost perfectly matched up, but Jo Byrns suffered an agonizing 15-14 loss. Jo Byrns was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as Houston County apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in September of 2022.
Houston County's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Malaki Cary led the charge by gaining 88 total yards and a touchdown. Houston County also got a significant boost from Preston Mitchell, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 103 yards.
Jo Byrns' defeat was their fourth straight on the road, which dropped their overall record down to 1-8. Admittedly, the team was facing some tough opposition over that stretch, including 8-1 East Robertson and 7-2 Whitwell (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 69.4% over those games). As for Houston County, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a massive bump to their 4-5 record this season.
Jo Byrns will look to defend their home field on Thursday against Red Boiling Springs. The matchup should be an exciting one, as these teams are ranked near one another in Tennessee (Red Boiling Springs is ranked 311th, while Jo Byrns is ranked 320th). As for Houston County, they will head out on the road to face off against McEwen at 7:01 p.m. on Thursday. McEwen will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each match than the last.
