Football Preview: Alexander Central Cougars vs. Mooresville Blue Devils
Alexander Central hasn't had much luck against Mooresville recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Alexander Central Cougars will square off against the Mooresville Blue Devils at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, Alexander Central was able to grind out a solid victory over Ashe County, taking the game 27-18. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cougars.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Alexander Central to victory, but perhaps none more so than Wade Queen, who rushed for 47 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 97 yards and a touchdown on only seven passes. That's the most rushing yards Queen has posted since back in August. Another back making a difference was Maurice Howell Jr., who rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Alexander Central didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Adian Baity and Jaheim Redmond.
Meanwhile, Mooresville waltzed into their game last Friday with seven straight wins... but they left with eight. They strolled past the Wildcats with points to spare, taking the game 35-20.
Brody Norman continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 118 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries, while also throwing for 186 yards and three touchdowns. 82 of those passing yards were hauled in by Dominic Morin, who also brought in two receiving touchdowns.
Mooresville's defense stepped up as well, laying out Kaden Craft. seven times. The heavy lifting was done by DJ Turner and Kamdon Gillespie, who racked up 4.5 sacks between them. With that strong performance, Turner is now averaging an impressive 5.1 total tackles per game. Another thorn in Lake Norman's side was Jamari Farmer, who picked up a sack and made 12 total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Mooresville pushed their record up to 9-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those victories were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 9.4 points per game. As for Alexander Central, the victory got them back to even at 5-5.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Alexander Central has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 226.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Mooresville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 199.8. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Alexander Central suffered a grim 35-14 defeat to Mooresville in their previous matchup back in October of 2016. Thankfully for Alexander Central, Donshel Jetton (who rushed for 188 yards and a touchdown while picking up 11.1 yards per carry) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
