The McMichael Phoenix will challenge the Morehead Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. McMichael has given up an average of 32.2 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Things were looking good for McMichael after they put the first points on the board on Friday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They lost 50-26 to Southwestern Randolph. The Phoenix were up 14-0 in the first quarter but couldn't hold on to the lead.
McMichael might have lost, but man, Kai Tart was a machine: he threw for 303 yards and four touchdowns, and also rushed for 56 yards. The Phoenix's leading receiver Brayden Dalton was Tart's top target yet again, picking up 74 receiving yards and a pair of TDs.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Morehead). They won a game that couldn't have been any closer, slipping by Bartlett Yancey 14-13.
The critical scores for Morehead came from JuhNahzae Perkins and Kamari Giles.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Morehead was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 211 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2024.
Morehead's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-5. As for McMichael, they dropped their record down to 2-3 with the loss, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: McMichael has been excellent in the air this season, having averaged 267.8 passing yards per game. It's a different story for Morehead, though, as they've been averaging only 27.2 passing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant passing game?
McMichael took a serious blow against Morehead when the teams last played back in September of 2024, falling 27-0. Thankfully for the Phoenix, Braxton Carter (who rushed for 114 yards and one score on only 11 carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
