Football Game Preview: Asheville Cougars vs. North Buncombe Black Hawks + How To Watch

Asheville is a perfect 9-0 against North Buncombe since October of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Cougars will be playing at home against the Black Hawks at 7:00 p.m. Asheville has given up an average of 35.5 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Asheville is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They secured a 41-35 W over Erwin on Friday. The Cougars haven't had any issues with the Warriors recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.

Tay Williams

Passer Rating

10/17/25 vs Erwin	156
09/12/25 vs Asheville School (Independent)	154.9
08/22/25 vs East Rutherford	152.7
08/29/25 @ Dobyns-Bennett	115.4
10/03/25 vs T.C. Roberson	87.5
+ 3 more games

Asheville found their leader in sophomore Tay Williams, who threw for 313 yards and two TDs while completing 77.8% of his passes, and also punched in three rushing scores. Williams' passing game has become a key predictor of the Cougars' success: the team is 3-1 when his passer rating is 100 or higher, but only 0-4 otherwise.

Meanwhile, North Buncombe was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They were outmatched by A.C. Reynolds and fell 47-7. While losing is never fun, the Black Hawks can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 303rd, while the Rockets are ranked 69th).

Asheville's win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 3-5. As for North Buncombe, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.

Everything came up roses for Asheville against North Buncombe when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 67-0 victory. Do the Cougars have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Black Hawks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.