Football Game Preview: Ashley Screaming Eagle vs. New Hanover Wildcats

Ashley hasn't had much luck against New Hanover recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Screaming Eagle will head out on the road to challenge the Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Ashley will bounce into Friday's game after beating North Brunswick, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Screaming Eagle took down the Scorpions 20-6 on Friday.

Bryson Lovelace

Rushing Touchdowns

10/10/25 vs North Brunswick	3
09/26/25 @ Laney	2
09/19/25 vs Topsail	2
09/12/25 @ Fike	2

Bryson Lovelace produced another solid performance rushing for 122 yards and three scores. He is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in each of the last four games he's played.

Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Ashley proved: they limited North Brunswick to a paltry 2.8 yards per carry. The team can thank Adrian Gaines for the heroic effort on defense: he. Ashley's ground attack was stronger, having averaged 4.8.

Meanwhile, New Hanover didn't have too much trouble with West Brunswick on Friday as they won 28-14.

Ashley better keep an eye on Tanahri Johnson. He was instrumental in New Hanover's win, rushing for 68 yards and a pair of TDs, while also throwing for 167 yards and one touchdown. Those 68 rushing yards gave Johnson a new career-high. New Hanover also got a significant boost from Javonie Webb, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 84 yards.

Ashley has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 3-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 26.8 points over those games. As for New Hanover, their record now sits at 3-4.

Ashley didn't have too much breathing room in their matchup against New Hanover when the teams last played back in October of 2024, but they still walked away with a 23-17 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Screaming Eagle since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.