The Willow Spring Storm will head out on the road to challenge the Apex Friendship Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Willow Spring will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Willow Spring gave up the first points on Friday, but they didn't give up any more after. They had just enough and edged out Green Hope 24-21.
Ethan Dyk Es
| 08/22/25 vs Triton | 155.3 |
| 10/03/25 vs Green Level | 142.7 |
| 10/10/25 @ Apex | 130.3 |
| 10/17/25 @ Green Hope | 116 |
| 09/29/25 vs Panther Creek | 92.4 |
| + 3 more games |
Ethan Dyk Es continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 273 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 15 passes. His passing game has become a key predictor of Willow Spring's success: the team is undefeated when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 1-3 otherwise. Eddie Mann also deserves a mention for his punt return touchdown.
Special teams also played a big role in the game for Willow Spring, adding 12 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Mann, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Apex Friendship). They blew past Green Level 49-14 last Friday. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Patriots' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 66th, while the Gators are ranked 286th).
Willow Spring better keep an eye on Ethan McGarrigan. He was instrumental in Apex Friendship's win, throwing for 308 yards and four TDs while picking up 15.4 yards per attempt. Those 308 passing yards gave McGarrigan a new career-high. Michael Mallard helped McGarrigan out on the ground, rushing for 91 yards and a pair of scores.
Apex Friendship's run defense was locked in: Green Level could only muster two yards per carry. The team can thank Tyler Goebbel for the heroic effort on defense: he. Apex Friendship's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 4.92 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 3.7 on average over their last three games.
Apex Friendship didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Goebbel and Noah Evenson. Goebbel is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in each of the last five games he's played.
Willow Spring's record is now 5-3. As for Apex Friendship, their record now sits at 7-1.
Willow Spring came up short against Apex Friendship when the teams last played back in September of 2024, falling 21-14. Can the Storm avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
