Two dominant signal callers in Rashad Lynch and Lan Farmer are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Lincolnton Wolves will welcome the Shelby Golden Lions at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Shelby will face off against a team with plenty of momentum: Lincolnton extended their winning streak to six on Friday. The Wolves breezed past Bessemer City to the tune of 57-0. The Wolves' defense has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a point in their last three contests.
The critical scores for Lincolnton came from Trashad Lineberger, Jalaythan Mayfield, Lynch, Peyton Grooms, Rj Lynch, Dailen Adams, Messiah Thompson, and Nehemiah Thompson.
Lincolnton didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jeremiah Thompson and Messiah. Another thorn in Bessemer City's side was Caedon Cash, who made eight total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Shelby got the win against Stuart W. Cramer last Friday by a conclusive 50-29.
Shelby's win came from a few key players Lincolnton will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jamarion Jj Williams, who picked up 120 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also rushed for 32 yards and one score. Jaylen Tate was another key player, rushing for 158 yards.
Shelby was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 242 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2024.
One reason for the win was Shelby's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for seven sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Landon Hollifield and Julius Brooks, who racked up four sacks between them. Hollifield is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made ten or more in each of the last three games he's played.
Shelby's win bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Lincolnton, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Lincolnton has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 200.3 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Shelby, though, as they've been averaging only 81 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Lincolnton might still be hurting after the 41-21 loss they got from Shelby when the teams last played back in November of 2023. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Wolves were down 27-7.
