Football Preview: Harlem Bulldogs vs. Aquinas Fightin' Irish
The Harlem Bulldogs are taking a road trip to face off against the Aquinas Fightin' Irish at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Harlem had to skate by with only a three-point margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 34-point drubbing they dealt Hephzibah on Friday. The Bulldogs really took it to the Rebels for the full four quarters, racking up a 41-7 win. The contest marked the Bulldogs' most dominant victory of the season.
Mercer Barton
| 10/03/25 vs Hephzibah | 3 |
| 09/12/25 @ Baldwin | 2 |
| 08/22/25 @ Washington-Wilkes | 1 |
| 08/15/25 vs Greenbrier | 1 |
| 11/05/24 vs Academy of Richmond County | 1 |
| 10/31/24 @ Cross Creek | 3 |
Harlem's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Mercer Barton, who threw for 192 yards and three TDs. That's the most passing touchdowns Barton has posted since back in October of 2024. A healthy portion of Barton's aerial production (93 yards to be exact) went to Jayden Futrell, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Special teams also deserves some recognition, posting 11 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Joseph Clark, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, while Aquinas put up plenty of points on Friday, the same can't be said for Cross Creek. The Fightin' Irish breezed past the Razorbacks to the tune of 41-0. Given the Fightin' Irish's advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 124th, while the Razorbacks are ranked 404th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Harlem better keep an eye on Christian Kates. He was instrumental in Aquinas' win, rushing for 110 yards and three scores on only nine carries. Colin Nixon was another key signal caller, throwing for 157 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 73.3% of his passes.
Aquinas pushed their record up to 5-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 9.0 points on average over those games. As for Harlem, their record is now 5-1.
Harlem came up short against Aquinas in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, falling 12-7. Can the Bulldogs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
