The Mendenhall Tigers improved to 2-1 in district play after a statement win over the Quitman Panthers last week.
The Tigers played true complimentary football with their offense producing 398 yards and scoring 24 points, while the defense held a Quitman offense featuring Dandy Dozen Akylin Dear to 7 points.
It was a complete game for the Tigers, who led from start to finish. It was the best passing performance to date for freshman quarterback Ty Davis, who went 10-14 for 250 yards and three passing touchdowns to help lead his team to victory. His chemistry with receivers Henry Funches, Vincent Dixon, and Cameron Smith has noticeably improved as the season has progressed. This has led to back-to-back games where the offense has scored 24 or more points.
Henry Funches went over 100 yards receiving for the third consecutive game while scoring a touchdown. Cameron Smith had over 90 yards receiving and a touchdown, and Dixon also added a touchdown.
The Tiger defense was as formidable as ever, creating turnovers and limiting Quitman to short gains. An interception late in the first half saw the Tigers lead 12-0 at halftime. Quitman was not able to put together a scoring drive until seven minutes into the fourth quarter when they cut the lead to 12-7 after a 7-yard rushing touchdown.
Davis and the offense answered the bell on their next possession, picking up three first downs before punching in a 12-yard rushing touchdown to pull ahead by two scores. The Tiger defense snuffed out any chance of a comeback by completely shutting down the Quitman offense. Josh Davis and Kendell Walker made big plays on the defensive line to help seal the game.
The Tiger offense took over with 4 minutes left in the game and put together a final scoring drive to move the game out of reach. Efficiency from the offense kept the clock running on their final drive, which ended in a passing touchdown to put the Tigers ahead 24-7.
With the win the Tigers improved to 4-3 and are currently second place in the district standings.
Head Coach Chuckie Allen said, “This was one of our best games. We were able to move the ball on offense and our defense made plays. We showed a lot of progress, and we still have a lot of work to do.”
The Tigers will face Louisville this Friday night at 7 p.m. in a non-district matchup at home.
