Football Preview: South Point Red Raiders vs. North Gaston Wildcats
South Point is 6-0 against North Gaston since November of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The South Point Red Raiders will head out on the road to square off against the North Gaston Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. South Point is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 31.1 points per game this season.
South Point took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Forestview 47-0. Given the Red Raiders' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 39th, while the Jaguars are ranked 235th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
South Point's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Eric Forston, who rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 7.7 yards per carry, and Patrick Blee, who rushed for 92 yards on only 11 carries. Gavin Smith made the highlight reel by snagging an interception and taking it all the way to the house.
South Point was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 381 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 159 rushing yards in 18 consecutive games dating back to last season.
South Point didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Smith and Chanyce Ford.
Meanwhile, North Gaston hadn't done well against Stuart W. Cramer recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. North Gaston strolled past Stuart W. Cramer with points to spare, taking the game 21-7. The victory was some much needed relief for the Wildcats as it spelled an end to their four-game losing streak.
Donnavyn Thorne was nothing short of spectacular: he picked up 84 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
South Point's win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-1. As for North Gaston, their record is now 3-5.
Everything went South Point's way against North Gaston in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, as South Point made off with a 35-14 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for South Point since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
