The Dyer County Choctaws will venture away from home to take on the Marshall County Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Dyer County sitting on five straight victories and Marshall County on six.
Dyer County is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They took their matchup with ease, bagging a 52-13 win over Lakeland Preparatory. Considering the Choctaws have won five contests by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Keanthony Barbee continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 255 yards and four scores while picking up 15.9 yards per carry. Landon Daniels was another key player, throwing for 122 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 73.3% of his passes.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Dyer County proved: they limited Lakeland Preparatory to a paltry 3.1 yards per carry. The team can thank Ty Johnson for the heroic effort on defense: he. Dyer County's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 4.98 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 7.97 on average over their last five games.
Dyer County didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off four passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Tayshun Bowers and Johnson. Bowers got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Marshall County was not the first on the board on Friday, but they got there more often. They really took it to Liberty Creek for the full four quarters, racking up a 48-21 victory. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by 27 points or more this season.
Marshall County found their leader in sophomore Tot Gardner, who rushed for 177 yards and four TDs while picking up 11.1 yards per carry, and also picked up 61 receiving yards. Gardner is becoming a predictor of the Tigers' success: when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns the team is undefeated (and 2-3 when he doesn't). Kel Hightower was in the mix too, providing Marshall County with two scores.
Dyer County's record now sits at 9-2. As for Marshall County, their record is now 8-3.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Dyer County has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 150.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Marshall County struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 148.8 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other football content.
