Lincolnton is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Hendersonville is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Wolves will welcome the Bearcats at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Two weeks ago, Lincolnton took their contest with ease, bagging a 42-6 win over West Lincoln. The matchup was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Wolves had established a 22-point advantage.
Rashad Lynch
| 10/31/25 @ West Lincoln | 173 |
| 09/12/25 @ Burns | 116 |
| 10/17/25 @ Stuart W. Cramer | 107 |
| 10/25/24 @ Maiden | 88 |
| 10/02/24 vs Newton-Conover | 87 |
Rashad Lynch had another great game (as he tends to do), rushing for 173 yards and one score on only 12 carries, while also throwing for 221 yards and four TDs while completing 76.9% of his passes. Those 173 rushing yards gave him a new career-high.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Lincolnton was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 252 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 179 rushing yards in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Hendersonville walked away with it. Their defense stepped up to hand the Golden Eagles a 50-0 shutout on Friday. Given the Bearcats' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 136th, while the Golden Eagles are ranked 366th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Lincolnton better keep an eye on JaRon Ward. He was instrumental in Hendersonville's win, throwing for 227 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 93.3% of his passes, and also punching in one rushing score. Another big playmaker for they was Gianni Thompson, who returned a punt for a touchdown.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Hendersonville, adding 12 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Thompson, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Lincolnton's record is now 8-2. As for Hendersonville, their record now sits at 9-2.
Friday's contest will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Lynch and Ward. Lynch just won't slow down this season and has thrown 24 touchdowns while averaging 199.4 passing yards per game. Ward has been a dominant force too and has thrown 27 touchdowns (and and only 5 picks) while averaging 197.1 passing yards per game.
Everything came up roses for Lincolnton against Hendersonville in their previous matchup back in December of 2016, as the squad secured a 72-44 victory. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Bearcats' Leon Cooks, who rushed for 206 yards and three scores on only 11 carries, and also picked up 75 receiving yards. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Wolves to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
