Atkins was the 34-33 winner over Quitman when they last played one another back in October of 2023, but their luck changed this time around. The Atkins Red Devils took a 52-45 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Quitman Bulldogs on Friday. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Friday (41), the Red Devils still had to take the loss.
When it comes to explaining why Atkins lost, don't look at Mason Martin. Despite the final result, he rushed for 139 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries, and also picked up 41 receiving yards. Jaden Martin was another major influence, as he rushed for 76 yards and ran in a TD.
Atkins didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Kenney Rivas and John Davis. Rivas also made eight total tackles, which is notable because Atkins is 4-1 when he posts at least four total tackles, but 1-2 otherwise.
Even though they lost, Atkins was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 243 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 208 rushing yards in eight consecutive games.
It was another big night for Jordon Moore-Payne, who rushed for 165 yards and four touchdowns, and also threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns for Quitman. The dominant performance gave Moore-Payne a new career-high in rushing yards.
Atkins' record now sits at 5-3. As for Quitman, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Atkins will take on Yellville-Summit at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Atkins' favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last five matches. As for Quitman, they will face off against Mountain View at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Quitman is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 37.9 points per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
