Football Preview: Bells Panthers vs. Blue Ridge Tigers
Bells is 8-2 against Blue Ridge since October of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. A feisty cat fight will be fought when Panthers takes on the Blue Ridge Tigers at 7:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Bells is headed into the match having just posted their biggest victory since October 27, 2023 on Friday. They breezed by Howe at home to the tune of 44-6. The Panthers' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Bryson Thompson and he. Thompson rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries while he rushed for 174 yards and two touchdowns on only 15 carries. Jaxon Brown's longest rush was for an incredible 78 yards.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Bells was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 505 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 175 rushing yards in 18 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
Bells didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Preston Roachell, Easton Hartline, and Blake Reeves picked up one apiece.
Meanwhile, Blue Ridge hadn't done well against Leonard recently (they were 0-6 in their previous six matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Blue Ridge claimed a resounding 49-21 win over Leonard on the road. The result was nothing new for Blue Ridge, who have now won four games by 20 points or more so far this season.
Blue Ridge had a senior duo take command as Ryder Clayton gained 284 total yards and four touchdowns and Micah Dickerson threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 13.7 yards per attempt. Clayton also set a new season high mark in receiving yards with 141. A healthy portion of that aerial production (101 yards to be exact) also went to Caleb Gaddis, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Blue Ridge's defense and their four sacks. In that department, Jacob Walker was the leader with two.
Bells has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 4-3 record this season. As for Blue Ridge, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-1.
The upcoming match will be a clash of competing strengths. Bells has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 287.9 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Blue Ridge has preferred to attack from the air: they average 276.8 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Everything came up roses for Bells against Blue Ridge in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, as the team secured a 60-21 win. Does Bells have another victory up their sleeve, or will Blue Ridge turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
