The Meridian High School football team went toe-to-toe with James Wood for three and a half quarters, but it wasn’t enough as the the Mustangs fell 41-22 at home on Friday night.
Meridian entered its second straight home contest riding a wave of momentum after hanging 60 points on Fauquier on Homecoming night last Friday, but this week’s opponent would be a whole different animal. The Colonels of James Wood, led by dual-threat quarterback Owen Neal, entered the night 4-1 with a 65-6 win over Warren County in their most recent outing.
Both teams found the end zone on their opening possessions, and Meridian got a field goal from Brayden Mellon late in the second quarter to take a 9-7 lead into halftime. The two teams traded scores a few times in the second half, and the Mustangs had a chance after an Abe Ellis touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter brought them within 22-27. But it was not to be.
The Colonels were simply too dominant on the ground, and tacked on a few late scores to put this one away. Neal had his way all evening, gashing Meridian for chunks of yardage with designed runs, and the Mustang defense could only hold up for so long.
“We just ran out of gas,” said head coach PJ Anderson postgame. “We played a great first half, super proud of the effort… but we knew they wouldn’t be easy to keep down.”
The Mustangs drop to 3-3 with the defeat, having alternated between wins and losses through their first six games. Anderson cited the need for Meridian to return to full strength in the health department for this crucial stretch ahead.
“We think we can make some noise in the second half,” he said. “We probably need to win at least three or four more games (to make the playoffs). It’s all about getting healthy.”
The Mustangs will be on a bye week before traveling to Brentsville on October 17th.
