Preview: Smoky Mountain Mustangs vs. East Henderson Eagles
Smoky Mountain is 8-1 against East Henderson since October of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Smoky Mountain Mustangs will head out on the road to face off against the East Henderson Eagles at 7:30 p.m. Hopefully Smoky Mountain is not getting complacent, as they presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than East Henderson in North Carolina (Smoky Mountain is ranked 175th, while East Henderson is ranked 380th).
Last Friday, Smoky Mountain came up short against Tuscola and fell 34-21.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Jarek Jones, who threw for 168 yards and a touchdown. Isaiah McNeely was another key contributor, rushing for 67 yards and a touchdown on only eight carries.
Meanwhile, this season hasn't been kind to East Henderson, who are still winless after their ninth match. They took a serious blow against Pisgah on Friday, falling 41-6.
Smoky Mountain's loss dropped their record down to 3-6. As for East Henderson, their defeat was their tenth straight on the road (dating back to last season), which dropped their overall record down to 0-9.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Friday's matchup: Smoky Mountain has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 155.8 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for East Henderson, though, as they've been averaging only 63.8 per game. How will East Henderson fare against such a dominant running game?
Everything came up roses for Smoky Mountain against East Henderson when the teams last played back in October of 2022 as the squad secured a 58-18 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Smoky Mountain since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
