The Braxton County Eagles will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Clay County Panthers at 7:00 p.m. Braxton County is out to stop a seven-game streak of losses at home dating back to last season.
Last Saturday, Braxton County was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 35-29 to Berkeley Springs.
Despite the loss, Braxton County saw an underclassman step up: freshman Logan Payne rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns. Payne didn't just play on offense: he also picked up a sack and made seven total tackles. Braxton County also got help from Elijah Marcum, who showed off his sure hands for 85 receiving yards.
Payne was just one part of a punishing run game: Braxton County was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 244 rushing yards. That's a new trend for Braxton County: they were averaging 48.8 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last five matches they've averaged 148.4.
Meanwhile, Clay County took their game on Friday with ease, bagging a 47-12 victory over Lincoln County. Considering Clay County has won six contests by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
It was another big night for Noah Collins, who threw for 293 yards and five touchdowns, and also rushed for 49 yards and two touchdowns. He is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Jakoby Nichols, who picked up 125 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Clay County didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Collins and Nichols.
Clay County is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 41.3 points. As for Braxton County, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-8.
Braxton County was dealt a bruising 49-6 loss at the hands of Clay County in their previous matchup back in November of 2023. That match was all but decided by halftime, at which point Braxton County was down 28-6.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
