Two dominant backs in Terence Gaines Jr and Caleb Wynn are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Parker Thundering Herd will face off against the Oxford Yellow Jackets at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Parker comes in on eight and Oxford on 13.
Parker is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They put the hurt on Muscle Shoals with a sharp 35-10 win. Considering the Thundering Herd have won nine matchups by more than 20 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Gaines Jr continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 139 yards and two touchdowns on only 12 carries. Clarence Taylor did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 99 receiving yards.
Parker was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 285 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 156 rushing yards in 13 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Oxford narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Fort Payne 28-26.
It was another big night for Jay'Lin Taylor, who picked up 161 receiving yards and four touchdowns. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 104.3 receiving yards per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Mason Mims, who threw for 278 yards and four touchdowns.
Oxford's win was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-0. Those good results were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 13.1 points per game. As for Parker, their record now sits at 12-1.
We should be in store for an exciting game as Parker and Oxford have no problem gaining yardage. Parker has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 408.4 total yards per game. However, it's not like Oxford struggles in that department as they've been averaging 381.5. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them.
Parker was able to grind out a solid victory over Oxford in their previous meeting back in November of 2023, winning 21-14. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Oxford's Jaydon Thomas, who rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown, and also picked up 34 receiving yards. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Parker to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
