Two dominant backs in Daylan Maxwell and Demetrius Dowdy are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. After each having a week off, the Jackson County Panthers and the Winder-Barrow Bulldoggs will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Winder-Barrow will be up against a hot Jackson County squad: the team just extended their winning streak to five. The Panthers blew past Apalachee 67-0 last Friday. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Panthers just coasted through the last quarter.
Jackson County found their leader in sophomore Maxwell, who rushed for 163 yards and three scores while picking up 7.4 yards per carry.
Jackson County was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 254 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 204 rushing yards in five consecutive games.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Winder-Barrow, who bounced back after a loss on the road back in September. They took their contest last Friday with ease, bagging a 49-8 victory over Loganville. The Bulldoggs have beaten the Red Devils the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Red Devils has come to flipping the script.
Winder-Barrow's win came from a few key players Jackson County will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Marquon Gresham, who rushed for 35 yards and a pair of TDs. Giovanni Tuggle made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Jackson County's record now sits at 6-1. As for Winder-Barrow, the win got them back to even at 4-4.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Jackson County has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 231 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Winder-Barrow struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 246.5 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Jackson County strolled past Winder-Barrow in their previous meeting back in October of 2024 by a score of 27-10. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
