Football Game Preview: Tuscola Mountaineers vs. East Henderson Eagles + How To Watch

Tuscola is a perfect 6-0 against East Henderson since October of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Mountaineers are taking a road trip to face off against the Eagles at 7:30 p.m. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses for Tuscola and 15 for East Henderson dating back to last season.

Tuscola is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against Brevard on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Mountaineers were outmatched by the Blue Devils and fell 36-3. While losing is never fun, the Mountaineers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 185th, while the Blue Devils are ranked 44th).

Sam Trantham

Rushing Yards

10/24/25 vs Brevard	192
08/29/25 @ Cherokee	176
09/05/25 vs South Caldwell	147
09/26/25 @ Smoky Mountain	129
09/12/25 vs North Henderson	98
+ 4 more games

Despite the defeat, Tuscola got top-tier performance from Sam Trantham, who rushed for 192 yards while picking up 7.4 yards per carry. Trantham has become a key player for the Mountaineers: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least 100 rushing yards, but 1-4 otherwise.

Meanwhile, East Henderson had to suffer through a 56-6 loss at the hands of Pisgah. The Eagles were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 49-0.

East Henderson's loss dropped their record down to 0-9. As for Tuscola, they now have a losing record of 4-5.

Everything came up roses for Tuscola against East Henderson in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 37-7 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Mountaineers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.