Preview: Pickerington North Panthers vs. Hilliard Darby Panthers
The Pickerington North Panthers will be playing at home against the Hilliard Darby Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Pickerington North will be looking to keep their eight-game home win streak (dating back to last season) alive.
Pickerington North can now show off six landslide victories after their most recent contest on Friday. They took their matchup at home with ease, bagging a 28-0 win over Westerville Central. Given Pickerington North's advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio football rankings (they are ranked 11th, while Westerville Central is ranked 162nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Dorian Hamilton and Michael Taylor were among the main playmakers for Pickerington North as the former rushed for 59 yards and two touchdowns and the latter rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries. Taylor was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 61 yards.
Pickerington North's defense stepped up as well, laying out the QB four times. Leading the way was Angelo McCullom and his two sacks.
Meanwhile, Hilliard Darby earned a 17-10 victory over Groveport-Madison on Friday.
Hilliard Darby's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Cole Horvath, who rushed for 48 yards and a touchdown, and Kaiden Molnar , who rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown. Sage Kean and his 88 yards on the ground were also a key factor in Hilliard Darby's victory.
Their wins bumped Pickerington North to 10-1 and Hilliard Darby to 6-5.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Pickerington North has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 184.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Hilliard Darby struggles in that department as they've been even better at 238.9 per game. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
