Football Preview: Wheeler County Bulldogs vs. Hawkinsville Red Devils
The Wheeler County Bulldogs will take on the Hawkinsville Red Devils at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Wheeler County will bounce into Friday's match after beating Dooly County, who they hadn't topped in four consecutive meetings. Wheeler County took their contest at home on Friday with ease, bagging a 45-16 win over Dooly County. Winning may never get old, but the Bulldogs sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Wheeler County's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Alvin Ricks led the charge by rushing for 195 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 9.8 yards per carry. That's the most rushing yards Ricks has posted since back in October of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Justin Culver, who rushed for 201 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.6 yards per carry.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Wheeler County was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 495 rushing yards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved they're rushing yard total in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Hawkinsville never let their opponents score two weeks ago. They claimed a resounding 31-0 victory over Rutland at home. The score at the end of the third wound up being the final score as the Red Devils just coasted through the last quarter.
Nieem Blair continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries. His longest rush was for an impressive 59 yards, which helps to explain his lofty yards per carry total.
Another reason for the win was Hawkinsville's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for five sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Johnathan Solomon and Harlem Phillips, who racked up four sacks between them.
Wheeler County's record now sits at 4-1. As for Hawkinsville, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 3-1.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Wheeler County has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 305.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Hawkinsville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 234.2. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Wheeler County came up short against Hawkinsville when the teams last played back in October of 2023, falling 33-27. Can Wheeler County 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
