Football Game Preview: Hurley Northstars vs. Chequamegon/Butternut/Mercer

The Hurley Northstars will head out on the road to take on Chequamegon/Butternut/Mercer at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Chequamegon/Butternut/Mercer took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Hurley, who comes in off a win.

Hurley is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 58-32 margin over Washburn on Friday. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Northstars' offense, which had struggled in the games prior.

Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 50-20, which was the final score in Chequamegon/Butternut/Mercer's tilt against Athens on Friday. Chequamegon/Butternut/Mercer has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Hurley will have to contain Mason Paholke as he made an impact in Chequamegon/Butternut/Mercer's last game. He rushed for 161 yards and two scores on only ten carries. Paholke is becoming a predictor of Chequamegon/Butternut/Mercer's success: when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns the team is 2-1 (and 0-3 when he doesn't).

Chequamegon/Butternut/Mercer's defeat dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Hurley, their victory bumped their record up to 4-2.

Hurley strolled past Chequamegon/Butternut/Mercer in their previous meeting back in October of 2024 by a score of 44-26. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Northstars since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.