Football Preview: Western Harnett Eagles vs. Pine Forest Trojans
Western Harnett hasn't had much luck against Pine Forest recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Western Harnett Eagles will face off against the Pine Forest Trojans at 7:00 p.m.
Western Harnett is headed into Thursday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their 14th straight game dating back to last season on Friday. They were dealt a 42-6 defeat at the hands of Harnett Central. While losing is never fun, the Eagles can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 366th, while the Trojans are ranked 168th).
Meanwhile, Pine Forest narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Westover 24-22. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Trojans.
Pine Forest can attribute much of their success to Jaidon Moore, who rushed for 24 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 113 yards and a touchdown. Moore got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 50 yards.
Western Harnett's loss dropped their record down to 0-4. As for Pine Forest, the victory got them back to even at 2-2.
Thursday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Western Harnett has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 181.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Pine Forest struggles in that department as they've been averaging 165.5. It's looking like Thursday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Western Harnett was dealt a bruising 59-0 defeat at the hands of Pine Forest in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Pine Forest's Jamari Jones, who rushed for 93 yards and three touchdowns on only seven carries. Now that Western Harnett knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
