The Mendenhall Tigers suffered a tough home loss against the Quitman Panthers last Friday. The game was essentially for the district championship, but the Tigers struggled to find their footing from the start and lost 35-54.
It was an uncharacteristic performance from the Tiger defense, but it could be explained due to the number of injuries the unit has suffered. Since the start of the season the Tigers have lost starting defensive ends, middle linebacker Davin Chung, and recently outside linebacker Tra Whitlock. These losses coupled with starting a young secondary have presented some issues on this side of the ball at times. The defensive unit is still effective and will be back to form as their depth players continue to gain more experience.
Offensively the Tigers have been showing some improvement as the season progressed and it was evident early in this game against the Panthers. It was a tale of two halves for the Tigers as they struggled to move the ball with consistency in the first half and trailed 7-14 entering the third quarter. Quarterback Tayton James found his rhythm in the third quarter and rekindled his chemistry with receiver Marcus Allen. The pair began to connect on deep throws and after each completed pass their confidence continued to grow. Success was infectious and James began to spread the ball around to Cameron Smith, Myles Womack and others.
The Tigers and Panthers began trading touchdowns as both defenses struggled to get stops. Quitman took a direct approach with direct snaps to their running back Akylin Dear, who navigated his way through the heart of the Tiger defense for several long runs and touchdowns. The Tiger offense found much of their success through the air. Quitman struggled to keep up with the Tiger receiving corps and Mendenhall’s players won most of the 50-50 balls through sheer will.
The Tigers trailed 28-34 at the start of the fourth quarter. They struggled to put together stops and Quitman began to widen the gap as the quarter continued. The final score was 35-54. Tayton James enjoyed one of his best statistical games as a passer completing 20 of 37 attempts for 393 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. An ankle injury hampered his ability as a runner. Jay Ulmer led all running backs with 11 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown. Marcus Allen led the receivers with 8 catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns. Cameron Smith followed with 5 catches for 104 yards.
The Tigers will have a break from district play this week but run into another tough matchup this Friday as they travel for a State Championship rematch to face the Louisville Wildcats on the road.
