Football Recap: Jazden Brown's Menacing Defense Leads Mendenhall over South Pike

Mendenhall lost to South Pike back in November of 2018, but they didn't allow them the same satisfaction on Friday. The Tigers walked away with a 20-12 victory over the Eagles. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi football rankings (they are ranked 46th, while the Eagles are ranked 138th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

The critical scores for Mendenhall came from Henry Funchess and Jeremy Butts.

Mendenhall's run defense was locked in: South Pike could only muster 3.3 yards per carry. While three picked up at least six total tackles, Josiah Nutall stood above the rest. He picked up two sacks and made six total tackles (5.0 for loss). Mendenhall didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 7.7.

Mendenhall's defense also made the game a nightmare for Dondra Turner Jr., racking up 8.5 sacks. Jazden Brown led the group effort, picking up 2.5 of those sacks all by himself. Jaiwon Williams was another major factor on D, forcing one fumble, making six total tackles (2.0 for loss), and defending one pass.

Turner Jr and Antwaun Adams certainly did their best on Friday to avoid the loss. Turner Jr rushed for 103 yards, while Adams picked up 27 receiving yards and one score.

Mendenhall now has a winning record of 2-1. As for South Pike, they are on a four-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-3.

Mendenhall has already played their next game, a 28-9 win against Florence on the 19th. As for South Pike, they also wasted no time getting back out on the field and have already played their next match, a 58-0 victory against Greenville Christian on the 19th.