Football Preview: Fike Demons vs. South Johnston Trojans
The Fike Demons will face off against the South Johnston Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Fike took a loss when they played away from home on September 6th, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They came out on top against West Johnston by a score of 39-32. The Demons' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Cameron Pittman continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 98 yards and three touchdowns on only nine carries, while also throwing for 208 yards and two touchdowns on only 16 passes. The bulk of those rushing yards came from one huge play: a run that gained an incredible 84 yards. Josiah Artis was Pittman's top target, picking up 91 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Fike's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged four passes before it was all said and done. It was truly a group effort as Braylen Loftin, Zy'Quan Hines, William Monk, and Monk picked up one apiece. Another thorn in West Johnston's side was Jahre Richardson, who picked up a sack and made 14 total tackles.
Meanwhile, South Johnston blew past Smithfield-Selma, posting a 35-7 win at home. Given the Trojans' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 153rd, while the Spartans are ranked 329th), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Holt Langston, who rushed for 189 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.2 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Williams, who rushed for 43 yards and a touchdown.
South Johnston's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB four times. Smithfield-Selma's QB won't forget Isaac Barefoot anytime soon given he sacked him twice. South Johnston got some further help from Mason Weaver: he picked up a sack and made nine total tackles.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, South Johnston was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 326 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
The victory got Fike back to even at 2-2. As for South Johnston, their win bumped their record up to 3-1.
Thursday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Fike has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 179.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like South Johnston struggles in that department as they've been averaging 209.2. It's looking like Thursday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Fike skirted past South Johnston 15-13 when the teams last played back in September of 2023. Will Fike repeat their success, or does South Johnston have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
