The Stanhope Elmore Mustangs will square off against the Wetumpka Indians at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Stanhope Elmore is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They were the clear victor by a 47-21 margin over Rehobeth on Friday. The team's explosion on offense also rewarded the Mustangs with their most commanding win of the season.
Arthur Mcqueen was his usual excellent self, rushing for 420 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 20.0 yards per carry. His longest rush was for an incredible 85 yards. Another rusher making a difference was Damarrian Barnes, who rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.2 yards per carry.
Another reason for the win was Stanhope Elmore's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. In that department, Kamran Anderson was the leader with three. He is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last seven games he's played dating back to last season. Kendarius Grear was another major factor on D, making eight total tackles (2.0 for loss) and defending a pass.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Stanhope Elmore was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 645 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 178 rushing yards in eight consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Wetumpka entered their tilt with Park Crossing on Friday with three consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with four. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Thunderbirds 42-9 at home. With the Indians ahead 29-9 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
Wetumpka wouldn't let Park Crossing keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force three fumbles. It was truly a group effort as Justin Godwin, Clenangelo Peake, and Walter Myrick picked up one apiece. Godwin also punched in two rushing touchdowns, which is notable because Wetumpka is undefeated when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 2-3 otherwise. Wetumpka got some further help from Kelby Walker: he picked up a sack, made 15 total tackles (2.0 for loss), and defended a pass.
Stanhope Elmore pushed their record up to 4-4 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. As for Wetumpka, their win bumped their record up to 5-3.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Stanhope Elmore has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 367.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Wetumpka struggles in that department as they've been averaging 193.4. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Stanhope Elmore lost to Wetumpka at home by a decisive 56-42 margin in their previous meeting back in October of 2023. Will Stanhope Elmore have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
