Football Preview: Lake Norman Wildcats vs. Hickory Ridge Ragin' Bulls
The Lake Norman Wildcats will challenge the Hickory Ridge Ragin' Bulls at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Lake Norman's defense has only allowed 14 points per game this season, so Hickory Ridge's offense will have their work cut out for them.
Lake Norman is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering West Cabarrus just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Friday. They fell 23-16 to the Wolverines. The matchup marked the Wildcats' lowest-scoring match so far this season.
Despite the defeat, Lake Norman got top-tier performance from Mozes Morris, who rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries. That's the most rushing yards Morris has posted since back in October of 2023.
Even though they lost, Lake Norman was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 220 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Hickory Ridge was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their eighth straight loss dating back to last season. They took a 32-27 hit to the loss column at the hands of South Iredell. One positive for the Ragin' Bulls, at least, is that this was the most points they've scored all season.
Hickory Ridge's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Joell Wooten, who picked up 147 receiving yards and two touchdowns, and David Johnson, who rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown while picking up 8.3 yards per carry. Wooten was no stranger to the big play, lighting up the secondary with a catch that went for 50 yards. Braden Barberio was another key player, having thrown for 257 yards and two touchdowns.
Hickory Ridge wouldn't let South Iredell keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Hickory Ridge can thank Wade Washington and Cameron Woolcock for forcing both of them. Another thorn in South Iredell's side was Jace Mccallum, who picked up two sacks and made four total tackles.
Lake Norman's loss ended a seven-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 4-2. As for Hickory Ridge, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-7.
Lake Norman took their victory against Hickory Ridge in their previous matchup back in October of 2023 by a conclusive 30-6. The rematch might be a little tougher for Lake Norman since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
