After each having a week off, the Jones Longhorns and the Perry Maroons will dust off their jerseys to face off against one another at 6:55 p.m. on Friday.
Two weeks ago, Jones came up short against Bethany and fell 36-29. The loss was the Longhorns' first of the season.
Jones' loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Acyn Hansen, who threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns while completing 75.9% of his passes, and Coda Harris, who gained 90 total yards and two touchdowns. A healthy portion of that aerial production (82 yards to be exact) went to Carlos Hardeman.
Even if they lost, Jones' defensive line still kept up the pressure with four sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Luke Debusk and Hubert Rideaux, who racked up all four sacks between them.
Meanwhile, Perry was able to grind out a solid victory over Luther two weeks ago, taking the game 21-12.
Perry's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Andrew Kukuk, who rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown, and also picked up 51 receiving yards. Kukuk also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making six total tackles and defending a pass. Tajon Williams was another key player, picking up 89 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Jones' defeat ended a seven-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 2-1. As for Perry, they now also have a winning record of 2-1.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Jones has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 173.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Perry struggles in that department as they've been averaging 169.3. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Jones against Perry when the teams last played back in November of 2019, as the team secured a 49-21 victory. Does Jones have another victory up their sleeve, or will Perry turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
