Football Preview: Seventy-First Falcons vs. Croatan Cougars
After each having a week off, the Seventy-First Falcons and the Croatan Cougars will dust off their jerseys to challenge one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Seventy-First will be looking to keep their 15-game home win streak dating back to last season alive.
Seventy-First's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed two weeks ago. They breezed by Douglas Byrd to the tune of 49-0. The Falcons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine contests by 21 points or more this season.
Seventy-First had a senior duo take command as Deandre Nance rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns and Donavan Frederick rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries. Those 136 rushing yards gave Frederick a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Javonte Whitted, who rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries.
Seventy-First was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 337 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 177 rushing yards in 26 consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Croatan came up short against West Carteret two weeks ago and fell 35-28. The defeat continues a trend for the Cougars in their matchups with the Patriots: they've now lost four in a row.
Despite the loss, Croatan saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Andrew Boucher rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns, and also picked up 72 receiving yards and a touchdown. Boucher was no stranger to the big play, cutting upfield on a catch that went for 53 yards. Another player making a difference was Coleman Davis, who threw for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
Croatan didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Beau Boyd and Boucher. Boucher's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 107 rushing yards.
Croatan's defeat dropped their record down to 6-4. As for Seventy-First, their win bumped their record up to 10-0.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Seventy-First has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 335.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Croatan struggles in that department as they've been averaging 153.6. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
