Cardinals hold off Naaman Forest 24-14 and set up an area-round meeting with DeSoto

Melissa's winning streak reached seven games Friday night, and the next opponent, DeSoto, has won nine in a row.

The Cardinals beat Garland Naaman Forest 24-14 at Kenny Deel Stadium in a Class 5A Division I bi-district playoff game, according to MaxPreps. Melissa is now 8-3. Naaman Forest, which went 4-2 in its district and was third, finishes 7-4.

The 10-point margin was Melissa's tightest win since mid-October, when it edged Frisco Reedy 41-35. In its last two regular-season games the team beat McKinney North 49-27 and Frisco Liberty 71-0.

A turnaround season

The Cardinals started 1-3 after losses to Denton Guyer, Rockwall and Frisco Lone Star, the last of those a 35-30 district game in late September. They have not lost since, finishing second in the district at 6-1. Melissa has scored 521 points this season, according to MaxPreps.

DeSoto waits in the area round

Melissa's next opponent is DeSoto, which beat North Mesquite 72-6 at home Thursday night. The Eagles are 9-2 and won their district at 7-0, outscoring Cleburne and Mansfield Legacy by a combined 159-0 in their final two regular-season games.

DeSoto's two losses came in the first two weeks of the season, on the road at St. Thomas Aquinas and at Allen. It has won nine straight since, including a 21-20 decision over Duncanville in September.

The date, time and site of the area-round game had not been announced as of early Saturday.

Sources

maxpreps.com

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