The Wheeler Wildcats will take on the North Paulding Wolfpack at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
On Friday, Wheeler beat Etowah 34-24. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Wildcats.
Brock Adams had another great game (as he tends to do), rushing for 97 yards and three touchdowns. He didn't just play on offense: he also made one tackle and defended one pass in addition to snagging an interception. Patrick McCollough was another key player, throwing for 161 yards on nine of 18 attempts.
Wheeler didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Etowah to a completion percentage of just 44%. That dominant aerial defense primarily came from four players: Adams, Jajid Alleyne, Bolt Odutola, and Braylon Ford, who each logged one passes deflected. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for Wheeler; they were averaging 60.8%completion percentage earlier this season, but in their last three contests they've fallen to only 60.8%.
Wheeler's defense didn't let Zeke Douglass, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for five sacks. That dominant display was truly a team effort as five different players picked up one apiece.
Meanwhile, North Paulding was able to grind out a solid win over Etowah last Friday, taking the game 33-20. Given the Wolfpack's advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 49th, while the Eagles are ranked 153rd) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
North Paulding found their leader in sophomore Darian Smith, who rushed for 109 yards and a pair of scores on only 12 carries. Those 109 rushing yards set a new season-high mark for Smith. The team also got some help courtesy of Kingslee Simpson, who picked up 58 receiving yards and two TDs.
Wheeler's victory bumped their record up to 3-5. As for North Paulding, their win bumped their record up to 5-2.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Wheeler has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 185.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like North Paulding struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 263.7 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Wheeler couldn't quite get it done against North Paulding in their previous matchup back in October of 2024 as they fell 22-14. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Wolfpack's James Skelly, who rushed for 85 yards and three touchdowns. Now that the Wildcats know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
