Football Recap: Forest Hills Takes Down Smoky Mountain in a Playoff Battle + How To Watch

Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Forest Hills walked away with it. They came out on top against the Smoky Mountain Mustangs by a score of 40-28 on Friday. Given the Yellow Jackets' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 130th, while the Mustangs are ranked 263rd) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Noah Furr

Passer Rating

11/07/25 vs Smoky Mountain	104.9
10/30/25 @ Monroe	39.6
10/24/25 @ Anson	98.4
10/17/25 vs West Stanly	92.5
10/03/25 vs Mount Pleasant	62.2
+ 2 more games

A big part of Forest Hills' victory came down to the chemistry between Noah Furr and his top target Demarion Hough. Furr threw for 118 yards and two TDs while Hough picked up 67 receiving yards and one score. What's more, Furr racked up 104.9 passer rating, the most he's had since back in September. Cam Winnegan made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.

Despite the loss, Smoky Mountain still got an impressive performance from Rylee Smith, who rushed for 246 yards and four touchdowns. Smith's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fourth straight game with at least 158 rushing yards.

Forest Hills' win bumped their record up to 9-2. As for Smoky Mountain, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost seven of their last eight matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-8 record this season.

Forest Hills will take on Franklin at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The Panthers will roll in looking for their sixth straight victory, something the Yellow Jackets surely won't give up without a fight. Smoky Mountain does not have any more games scheduled as of now.