Football Game Preview: SouthWest Edgecombe Cougars vs. East Duplin Panthers + How To Watch

The SouthWest Edgecombe Cougars will face off against the East Duplin Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with SouthWest Edgecombe sitting on three straight wins and East Duplin on six.

SouthWest Edgecombe is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They snuck past Bunn with a 29-24 victory.

Andre Downey Jr

Rushing Yards

11/14/25 @ Bunn	182
10/30/25 vs North Johnston	135
08/29/25 @ Hertford County	126
10/17/25 vs Washington	85
08/22/25 vs Nash Central	82
+ 7 more games

Andre Downey Jr was his usual excellent self, rushing for 182 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 14 carries. SouthWest Edgecombe is undefeated when Downey Jr posts 100 or more rushing yards, but 4-5 otherwise.

Meanwhile, you can't lose the game if you win every quarter, and that was precisely East Duplin's strategy against North Johnston on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that East Duplin blew North Johnston out of the water with a 48-20 final score. Considering East Duplin has won seven matchups by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

East Duplin's win came from a few key players SouthWest Edgecombe will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Aaron Hall, who rushed for 162 yards and three TDs on only nine carries. Those 162 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Shawn Davis also helped out as he racked up 173 rushing yards.

East Duplin was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 380 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.

East Duplin didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Keeshon McKinnie and Dwayne Davis. Another thorn in North Johnston's side was Ayden Lane, who made 14 total tackles (1.0 for loss).

East Duplin's win bumped their record up to 9-2. As for SouthWest Edgecombe, their victory bumped their record up to 7-5.