Football Game Preview: Hendersonville Bearcats vs. Madison Patriots + How To Watch

Two dominant backs in Jordan Buford and Ivan Blankenship are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Hendersonville Bearcats will be playing at home against the Madison Patriots at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Hendersonville's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season.

Last Friday, Hendersonville blew past Mitchell, posting a 34-7 victory. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Bearcats just coasted through the last quarter.

Gianni Jacobs

Rushing Yards (Career)

09/19/25 vs Mitchell	72
11/15/24 @ Bunker Hill	50
08/23/24 vs North Henderson	38
09/05/25 @ North Henderson	31
09/12/25 vs Erwin	19

Hendersonville relied on the efforts of Gianni Jacobs, who rushed for 72 yards and one score on only ten carries, and JaRon Ward, who rushed for 63 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Those 72 rushing yards gave Jacobs a new career-high.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: Hendersonville was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 234 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 214 rushing yards in three consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, Madison entered their game against Mountain Heritage on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Patriots were beaten by the Cougars 52-20. While losing is never fun, the Patriots can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 344th, while the Cougars are ranked 97th).

The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Blankenship and Ervine Rodriguez. Rodriguez had a great game and rushed for 178 yards and three TDs while picking up 10.5 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Blankenship was balling out in the loss, rushing for 127 yards on only ten carries, while also catching one score.

Madison's defeat dropped their record down to 3-3. As for Hendersonville, their win bumped their record up to 4-1.

Everything came up roses for Hendersonville against Madison in their previous meeting back in September of 2016, as the team secured a 66-31 victory. Will the Bearcats repeat their success, or do the Patriots have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.