Football Game Preview: Johnston Panthers vs. North Providence Cougars + How To Watch

The Johnston Panthers will square off against the North Providence Cougars at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

Johnston is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Rhode Island's top teams: Classical, who was ranked 13th at the time (Johnston was ranked 16th). The Panthers received a blow on Saturday as they fell 35-21 to the Purple. The Panthers' defeat signaled the end of their five-game winning streak.

Despite the loss, Johnston had strong showings from Ethan Archambeault, who threw for 228 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Yadier Grullon, who picked up 57 receiving yards and one TD.

Meanwhile, North Providence entered their game against Mt. Hope on Saturday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Cougars came up short against the Huskies, falling 35-14.

North Providence's defeat dropped their record down to 4-3. As for Johnston, their loss was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 7-2.

Everything went Johnston's way against North Providence when the teams last played back in September, as Johnston made off with a 34-8 win. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Cougars turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.