If Salem was feeling good fresh off their 49-0 takedown of Episcopal last Friday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Salem Greyhounds fell to the Atkins Red Devils 40-36. The Greyhounds were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Red Devils apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in September of 2023.
When it comes to explaining why Salem lost on Friday, don't look at Jackson Taylor. Despite the final result, he rushed for 79 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 127 yards and a touchdown. Those 79 rushing yards gave Taylor a new career-high. Dylan Gaskins was Taylor's top target, rushing for 74 yards and a touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Salem was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 304 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 304 rushing yards in three consecutive games.
Leading Atkins to victory were Jaden Martin and Mason Martin. Jaden gained 164 total yards and three touchdowns, while Mason gained 135 total yards and a touchdown. With that strong performance, Jaden is now averaging an impressive 103.7 rushing yards per game.
Salem's defeat dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Atkins, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 5-1.
Salem has already played their next match, a 56-7 win against Yellville-Summit on the 18th. As for Atkins, they also wasted no time getting back out on the field and have already played their next matchup, a 42-41 loss against Melbourne on the 18th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
