Two dominant backs in Zane McCraw and Rylee Smith are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The West Henderson Falcons will square off against the Smoky Mountain Mustangs at 7:00 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 game.
West Henderson is likely headed into the contest with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against Pisgah on Friday. The Falcons lost to the Bears at home by a 41-26 margin. The Falcons' defeat signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Despite the loss, West Henderson had strong showings from Cade Young, who threw for 137 yards and three touchdowns, and Asa Ostman, who picked up 34 receiving yards and a pair of TDs. Zach McMinn was in the mix too, providing the Falcons with one score.
Meanwhile, Smoky Mountain played a tough matchup on Friday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were dealt a 54-12 defeat at the hands of Brevard. While losing is never fun, the Mustangs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 222nd, while the Blue Devils are ranked 37th).
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Smith and Braylon Thompson. Thompson had a solid game and rushed for 74 yards and one TD. Meanwhile, Smith was balling out in the loss, rushing for 225 yards and one touchdown while picking up 7.3 yards per carry.
West Henderson's loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 4-2. As for Smoky Mountain, they now have a losing record of 3-4.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. West Henderson has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 161.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Smoky Mountain struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 263.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
West Henderson ended up a good deal behind Smoky Mountain in their previous meeting back in November of 2024, losing 47-28. Can the Falcons avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
