The South Jones Braves will be playing in front of their home fans against the North Pike Jaguars at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. South Jones comes in on a streak of failing to score more than seven points in their last four games, a trend the squad is of course eager to reverse.
Last Friday, South Jones was beaten by Florence 42-7. While losing is never fun, South Jones can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi football rankings (they are ranked 180th, while Florence is ranked 49th).
Meanwhile, North Pike was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap on Friday as they fell 13-9 to Brookhaven.
South Jones' defeat was their third straight on the road, which dropped their overall record down to 2-8. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 13.7 points per game. As for North Pike, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost four of their last five contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-6 record this season.
South Jones barely slipped by North Pike when the teams last played back in October of 2018, winning 35-34. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was North Pike's Alijah Martin, who rushed for 244 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 15.3 yards per carry, and also threw for 225 yards and a touchdown while picking up 10.7 yards per attempt. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be that much easier for South Jones to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
