The New Albany Bulldogs will head out to face off against the Corinth Warriors at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with New Albany sitting on three straight victories and Corinth on four.
On Friday, New Albany blew past Tishomingo County, posting a 52-21 win. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi football rankings (they are ranked 56th, while the Braves are ranked 202nd) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Kylen Knox had another great game (as he tends to do), rushing for 97 yards and three scores on only eight carries. Braden Shettles was another key player, throwing for 156 yards and a pair of TDs.
New Albany's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB three times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Parker Skinner, Tylan Conner, and Jackson Howard, who each picked up one sack apiece. New Albany got some further help from Skinner: he picked up a sack and made nine total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Corinth made easy work of Amory on Friday and carried off a 41-17 victory. Considering the Warriors have won five games by more than 23 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
New Albany better focus on containing Qwuantiver Young and Patrick Crump Jr. as the pair were huge in Corinth's win. Young rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries, while Crump Jr. rushed for 125 yards and one score on only 13 carries. Crump Jr.'s rushing production has been exceptional for a while as that marked his ninth straight game with at least 115 rushing yards dating back to last season. Xavier Young made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
Corinth was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 356 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 207 rushing yards every time they've taken the field this season.
Corinth didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Phildarius Burt and Young. Another thorn in Amory's side was Miyae Holbert, who picked up 2.5 sacks and made five total tackles (4.0 for loss).
New Albany's record now sits at 7-2. As for Corinth, their record is now 6-2.
Thursday's matchup might be decided on the ground. New Albany has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 167.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Corinth struggles in that department as they've been averaging 322.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Thursday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
New Albany didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Corinth in their previous matchup back in September of 2024, but they still walked away with a 19-14 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
