Football Preview: Hickory Ridge Ragin' Bulls vs. Mooresville Blue Devils
The Hickory Ridge Ragin' Bulls will head out on the road to take on the Mooresville Blue Devils at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hickory Ridge is looking for their season's first win.
Hickory Ridge is likely headed into the match with a focus on the second half, which is when things went downhill against A.L. Brown on Friday. The contest between Hickory Ridge and A.L. Brown wasn't particularly close, with Hickory Ridge falling 31-14.
Despite the loss, Hickory Ridge had strong showings from David Johnson, who rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown, and Joell Wooten, who picked up 109 receiving yards. The dominant performance gave Johnson a new career-high in rushing yards. Speaking of playmakers, who could forget Ezekiel Kelly, who went all the way with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Mooresville over Cox Mill in every quarter on their way to victory on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Mooresville blew Cox Mill out of the water with a 55-0 final score. Given the Blue Devils' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 28th, while the Chargers are ranked 152nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Mooresville's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Malachi Gwyn led the charge by rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown on only six carries. Another player making a difference was Brody Norman, who threw for 199 yards and two touchdowns on only 18 passes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Mooresville was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 255 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 165 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
Mooresville's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged four passes before it was all said and done. It was truly a group effort as Kamelo Little, AJ Graham, Darian Reid, and Reid picked up one apiece. Graham is also on a roll when it comes to interceptions, as he's now snagged at least one in the last three games he's played dating back to last season.
Hickory Ridge's defeat dropped their record down to 0-5. As for Mooresville, their record is now 3-1.
Hickory Ridge came up short against Mooresville in their previous meeting back in September of 2023, falling 42-35. Can Hickory Ridge avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
