The Lone Grove Longhorns will take on the Mannford Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Lone Grove has given up an average of 27 points per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Lone Grove is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Sulphur on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Longhorns were beaten by the Bulldogs 53-21. The Longhorns were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 40-14.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Mannford, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 21-18 victory over Bristow on Friday.
Mannford's win came from a few key players Lone Grove will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jj Hindsman, who rushed for 134 yards and one TD, and also picked up 43 receiving yards and one score. He also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, making eight total tackles (1.0 for loss) and defending one pass. Another player making a difference was Brayden Rodriguez, who rushed for 120 yards and one touchdown on only 14 carries.
Mannford was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 341 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 199 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Mannford didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Max Moore and Cooper Dodd. Another thorn in Bristow's side was Trey Scott, who made 14 total tackles and defended two passes.
Mannford's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-1. Those home victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 35.8 points over those games. As for Lone Grove, their loss dropped their record down to 2-4.
Lone Grove was able to grind out a solid win over Mannford when the teams last played back in October of 2024, winning 35-25. Do the Longhorns have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Pirates turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
