Two dominant backs in Demetrius Dowdy and Josiah Gibbons are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. After each having a week off, the Winder-Barrow Bulldoggs and the Brunswick Pirates will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 925 yards in their previous games.
Winder-Barrow is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Clarke Central two weeks ago (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Bulldoggs were beaten by the Gladiators 59-24. The loss continues a trend for the Bulldoggs in their meetings with the Gladiators: they've now lost six in a row.
Although Winder-Barrow took the loss, they still got scores from Aidan Pendley, London Munoz, and Dowdy.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Brunswick against South Effingham last Friday as the team secured a 46-19 victory. The Pirates might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matchups by 25 points or more this season.
Brunswick's win came from a few key players Winder-Barrow will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Heze Kent, who rushed for 49 yards and one score, and also picked up 49 receiving yards and one touchdown. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in August of 2024. Another player making a difference was Grant Moore, who threw for 157 yards and a pair of TDs on perfect 14-for-14 passing.
Brunswick's run defense was locked in: South Effingham could only muster 1.5 yards per carry. While one picked up at least five total tackles, Markhei Hughes stood above the rest. He picked up two sacks and made five total tackles (3.0 for loss). Brunswick didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 12.9.
Brunswick's defense didn't let Kiran Boggess, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for four sacks. Hughes was especially locked on to South Effingham's QB and sacked him twice.
Brunswick's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-2. The home victories came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 11.4 points on average over those games. As for Winder-Barrow, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-6.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Winder-Barrow has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 232.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Brunswick struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 304.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
