The Magnolia Panthers used an open weekend to heal some minor bruises and set the game plan for its next opponent.
Coming off impressive victories over Nashville and Crossett, the Panthers will play their final nonconference game of the season at Wynne Friday night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and it will be Magnolia's first road game of the year.
"We gave the team the weekend off, but now it's time to get ready for the next one. It's going to be a challenge to see how we respond on the road," said head coach Mark King.
The Yellowjackets, who fell to the Panthers 21-7 last season, have had to overcome a lot of adversity just to play some games this season. Former head coach Van Paschal was dismissed last October and interim Clark McBride took over.
Wynne still manage to win nine games before falling to Little Rock Parkview in the second round of the state playoffs.
In March 2022, the city was hit by a tornado that destroyed the the high school and football facilities. Several players eventually left the program, including five assistant coaches. In December, the Yellowjackets named Clay Totty as head coach.
Earlier this summer, Totty said the plans were to get temporary bleachers and a temporary press box by Aug. 1 so Wynne could play some home games.
In Magnolia's convincing victory over Crossett on Sept. 1, Kings said, "Honestly, we were not in sync all night long. I was really disappointed in our offensive performance. We had about 123 yards rushing in the first half, which is way below the standards we set for ourselves. But I was super proud of our defense. They flew around and made some big plays."
The Panther defense came up with two interceptions, a fumble recovery and made several tackles for loss yards. On the flip side, the Panther offense gave the ball over on downs at the 11, fumbled at the 3 and threw an interception.