Football Preview: Monroe Redhawks vs. Piedmont Panthers
Monroe has gone 7-0 against Piedmont recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Monroe Redhawks will be playing at home against the Piedmont Panthers at 7:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Monroe has seven straight victories, Piedmont has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
If Monroe beats Piedmont with 55 points on Friday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two contests with that exact score. Monroe claimed a resounding 55-0 win over Anson at home. Considering the Redhawks have won six matchups by more than 24 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Monroe had a senior duo take command as Kaegan Chambers threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 passes and Zion Lindsey rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries. That's the most rushing yards Lindsey has posted since back in November of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Jamir Jackson, who rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown on only five carries.
Monroe didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jordan Young and Donte Craig. Another thorn in Anson's side was Yoel Deleon, who made seven total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Monroe was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 264 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 210 rushing yards in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Piedmont fell victim to Forest Hills and their airtight defense on Friday. They took a blow against the Yellow Jackets, falling 49-0. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 306th, while the Yellow Jackets are ranked 104th).
Monroe's victory was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-0. As for Piedmont, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's game: Monroe has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 367.3 total yards per game. It's a different story for Piedmont, though, as they've been averaging only 235.1. Will Monroe be able to march up the field at their leisure again, or will Piedmont flip the script?
Everything came up roses for Monroe against Piedmont in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as the team secured a 58-0 win. Does Monroe have another victory up their sleeve, or will Piedmont turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
