Football Game Preview: Nitro Wildcats vs. Lincoln County Panthers

The Nitro Wildcats will venture away from home to square off against the Lincoln County Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Nitro has three straight wins, Lincoln County has five straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Nitro is headed into the matchup after thoroughly thrashing Point Pleasant: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Wildcats blew the Big Blacks out of the water with a 56-13 final score. With the Wildcats ahead 35-7 at the half, the contest was all but over already.

EIAN DUFFY was his usual excellent self, throwing for 379 yards and five TDs on only 15 passes. LUKE SHAFER was DUFFY's top target, picking up 144 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Special teams also played a big role in the game for Nitro, adding 14 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of TAKYE PORTER, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Lincoln County fell victim to Wayne and their airtight defense on Friday. They took a blow against the Pioneers, falling 46-0.

Lincoln County's loss dropped their record down to 0-5. As for Nitro, their victory bumped their record up to 5-1.

Everything came up roses for Nitro against Lincoln County in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 61-7 win. In that game, the Wildcats amassed a halftime lead of 31-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.