The Forsyth Panthers will face off against the Strafford Indians at TBD on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, everything came up roses for Forsyth at home against Willow Springs as the team secured a 65-20 victory. Given Forsyth's advantage in MaxPreps' Missouri football rankings (they are ranked 130th, while Willow Springs is ranked 296th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Forsyth can attribute much of their success to Braxton Gross, who rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Gross really tore up the turf during one magnificent 72-yard run. Another player making a difference was Rolly Fisher, who rushed for 54 yards and two touchdowns.
Forsyth's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB three times. Leading the way was John Goodwin and his two sacks.
Meanwhile, Strafford had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 34 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They blew past Houston 35-13.
Silas Morton was a one-man wrecking crew for Strafford as he rushed for 287 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 13.7 yards per carry. Morton hasn't dropped below 100 rushing yards for four straight games. Another big playmaker for Strafford was Bradlee Mullins, who returned a punt for a touchdown.
The win makes it two in a row for Forsyth and bumps their season record up to 7-2. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 0-10 Willow Springs and 2-8 Central. As for Strafford, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Forsyth strolled past Strafford in their previous meeting back in October by a score of 42-28. Will Forsyth repeat their success, or does Strafford have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
