Two dominant backs in Parker Reno and Jaheim Pruitt are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Mortimer Jordan Blue Devils are taking a road trip to take on the Hartselle Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Mortimer Jordan will be strutting in after a victory while Hartselle will be coming in after a loss.
Hartselle will face off against a team with plenty of momentum: Mortimer Jordan extended their winning streak to three on Thursday. The Blue Devils enjoyed a cozy 28-14 win over Jackson-Olin. The Blue Devils pushed the score to 28-8 by the end of the third, a deficit the Mustangs cut but never quite recovered from.
Blaze Neely
| 10/23/25 @ Jackson-Olin | 28 |
| 10/10/25 vs Gardendale | -9 |
| 10/03/25 vs Minor | -3 |
| 09/19/25 @ Woodlawn | 4 |
| 09/05/25 @ Homewood | -22 |
| + 10 more games |
Blaze Neely was the offensive standout of the game as he threw for 119 yards and one TD, and also punched in one score on the ground. What's more, he racked up 28 rushing yards, the most he's had since back in September of 2024.
Mortimer Jordan was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 226 rushing yards. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 91.3 rushing yards per game earlier this season, but in their last five matchups they've averaged 195.3.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Mortimer Jordan's defense and their three sacks. Conner Carnes was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself. He also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with eight.
Meanwhile, while it was Hartselle who put the first points on the board on Friday, it was Muscle Shoals who put up more. The Tigers lost to the Trojans at home by a 31-17 margin. The defensive woes were uncharacteristic for the Tigers, who until this contest were averaging 9.89 points allowed.
Mortimer Jordan will have to contain Cain Falciani as he made an impact in Hartselle's last game. He picked up 126 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. Jase Hopper also deserves some recognition as he posted his first receiving yards of the season.
Having lost for the first time this season, Hartselle fell to 8-1. As for Mortimer Jordan, the victory was their first on the road , bumping their record up to 4-5.
Mortimer Jordan suffered a grim 21-0 defeat to Hartselle in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Can the Blue Devils avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
