Preview: Hilliard Darby Panthers vs. Pickerington North Panthers
Hilliard Darby has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on The Pickerington North Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hilliard Darby will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Ohio Rankings (they are ranked 87th, while Pickerington North is ranked 11th).
Last Friday, Hilliard Darby was able to grind out a solid win over Groveport-Madison, taking the game 17-10.
Cole Horvath and Kaiden Molnar were among the main playmakers for Hilliard Darby as the former rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown and the latter rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown. Sage Kean and his 88 yards on the ground were also a key factor in Hilliard Darby's victory.
Meanwhile, Pickerington North put the finishing touches on their sixth blowout victory of the season on Friday. They blew past Westerville Central 28-0 at home. The match was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Pickerington North had established a 21 point advantage.
Pickerington North's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Dorian Hamilton, who rushed for 59 yards and two touchdowns, and Michael Taylor, who rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries. Taylor was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 61 yards.
Another reason for the win was Pickerington North's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. Westerville Central's QB won't forget Angelo McCullom anytime soon given McCullom sacked him four times.
Hilliard Darby now has a winning record of 6-5. As for Pickerington North, their victory was their eighth straight at home (dating back to last season), bumping their overall record up to 10-1.
Friday's match might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Hilliard Darby has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 238.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Pickerington North struggles in that department as they've been averaging 184.1 per game. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
