Football Preview: Morehead Panthers vs. West Stokes Wildcats
Morehead is 0-3 against West Stokes since October of 2021 but things could change on Friday. The Morehead Panthers will be playing in front of their home fans against the West Stokes Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Friday.
Having struggled with 14 losses in a row dating back to last season, Morehead finally turned things around against McMichael on Friday. They blew past the Phoenix 27-0 on the road. The Panthers' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Among those leading the charge was Braxton Carter, who rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Morehead was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 246 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Morehead's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB three times. Quadir Rodgers was especially locked on to McMichael's QB and sacked him twice.
Meanwhile, West Stokes waltzed into their matchup on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They really took it to the Red Raiders for the full four quarters, racking up a 33-0 victory at home. Given the Wildcats' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 81st, while the Red Raiders are ranked 231st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Lindann Fleming continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 132 yards and two touchdowns on only 14 carries, while also picking up 57 receiving yards and a touchdown. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 101.6 rushing yards per game. Another player making a difference was Aydden Cherry, who rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries.
Morehead's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-4. As for West Stokes, their victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-1.
Morehead was taken down by West Stokes 52-6 when the teams last played back in September of 2023. That match was all but decided by halftime, at which point Morehead was down 36-6.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
