Preview: Richlands Wildcats vs. Dixon Bulldogs
The Richlands Wildcats will head out on the road to face off against the Dixon Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Richlands unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Friday. They fell 33-20 to White Oak.
Meanwhile, Dixon started off well but failed to capitalize on an early lead against Croatan. They fell to the Cougars 21-17. Despite 204 more yards than Croatan, Dixon couldn't convert that extra yardage to scores.
Dixon's loss came about despite a quality game from Jziah Hinton, who rushed for 175 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 70 yards and a touchdown while completing 100% of his passes. Hinton is on a roll when it comes to rushing yards, as he's now rushed for 100 or more in the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Brayden Anderson - Sidbury, who gained 100 total yards and a touchdown.
Richlands' defeat dropped their record down to 6-3. As for Dixon, they have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-5 record this season.
Friday's match might be decided on the ground as these two are both standouts in the run game. Richlands has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 171 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Dixon struggles in that department as they've been even better at 251.7 per game. It's looking like Friday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Richlands against Dixon in their previous meeting back in October of 2022 as the team secured a 49-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Richlands since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.