The North Mac Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Pana Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are still undefeated after three-games, but that won't be the case come Friday.
Last Friday, North Mac beat Litchfield/Mt. Olive 26-14.
The critical scores for North Mac came from James Graves, Jacob Bickel, and Payne Mclean.
North Mac was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 334 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 264 rushing yards in three consecutive matchups.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to North Mac's defense and their four sacks. Leading the way was Trent Hundertmark with two. Hundertmark is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least five every time he's taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, everything came up roses for Pana on the road against Southwestern on Friday as the team secured a 55-6 victory. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 198th, while the Piasa Birds are ranked 414th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Wyatt Kile was nothing short of spectacular: he threw for 166 yards and two touchdowns on only eight passes, and also rushed for 30 yards and a touchdown. Cash Lynch was Kile's top target, picking up 84 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Pana's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Lynch and Sam Sims.
North Mac's win ended a four-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 3-0. As for Pana, their record now sits at 3-0.
Friday's game might be decided in the trenches. North Mac has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 341 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Pana struggles in that department as they've been averaging 156.3. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
North Mac took a serious blow against Pana when the teams last played back in September of 2023, falling 55-20. Can North Mac avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
