Football Game Preview: North Mac Panthers vs. Hillsboro Hiltoppers + How To Watch

The North Mac Panthers will take on the Hillsboro Hiltoppers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. North Mac has given up an average of 36.2 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

North Mac is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Carlinville on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Panthers had to suffer through a 64-21 loss at the hands of the Cavaliers. The Panthers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 43-14.

Hank Hammann

Total Tackles

09/26/25 @ Carlinville	8
09/19/25 vs Litchfield/Mt. Olive	5
09/12/25 @ Southwestern	8
09/05/25 @ Staunton/Bunker Hill	5

North Mac didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Chase Millburg and Hank Hammann. Hammann has been hot recently, having also posted five or more total tackles the last four times he's played.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Hillsboro). They were the clear victors by a 44-22 margin over Staunton/Bunker Hill on Friday.

Hillsboro's win came from a few key players North Mac will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Amony Anderson, who rushed for 227 yards and three scores while picking up 11.9 yards per carry. Those 227 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Elijah Patton, who rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns on only ten carries.

Hillsboro was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 488 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 185 rushing yards in nine consecutive games dating back to last season.

North Mac now has a losing record of 2-3. As for Hillsboro, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 2-3.

Everything came up roses for North Mac against Hillsboro when the teams last played back in August of 2024, as the team secured a 34-6 win. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Hiltoppers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.