Football Game Preview: Northside Patriots vs. Central Lions + How To Watch

The Northside Patriots are taking a road trip to take on the Central Lions at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Northside has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the matchup with three straight defeats, while Central will come in with nine straight victories.

On Friday, Northside had to suffer through a 49-14 loss at the hands of Jonesboro. While losing is never fun, the Patriots can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked 281st, while the Cardinals are ranked 95th).

Northside's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Alex Tarboro, who rushed for 159 yards and one score, and Jai Jackson, who rushed for 120 yards.

Meanwhile, Central really took it to Griffin for the full four quarters, racking up a 56-21 win. The result was nothing new for the Lions, who have now won seven contests by 35 points or more so far this season.

A big part of Central's victory came down to the chemistry between JR Harris and his top target Avery Tanner. Harris threw for 230 yards and five TDs while completing 76.2% of his passes while Tanner picked up 86 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Thanks to that big game, Harris is now up to 28 passing touchdowns on the season.

Central's win bumped their record up to 9-0. As for Northside, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-7.

Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Northside has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 235.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 206.7 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.

Northside took a serious blow against Central in their previous matchup back in November of 2024, falling 38-7. That contest was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Patriots were down 28-7.