Football Game Preview: Apex Friendship Patriots vs. Panther Creek Catamounts + How To Watch

The Apex Friendship Patriots are taking a road trip to face off against the Panther Creek Catamounts at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Apex Friendship will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.

On Friday, Apex Friendship made easy work of Willow Spring and carried off a 28-7 win. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 21-0.

Ethan McGarrigan

Rushing Yards (Career)

10/24/25 vs Willow Spring	38
08/22/25 @ Broughton	7
10/03/25 vs Apex	6
09/26/25 @ Jordan	6
09/12/25 @ Holly Springs	4

Ethan McGarrigan had a dynamite game, throwing for 249 yards and three TDs while completing 72.4% of his passes, and also rushing for 38 yards. Those 38 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Shondell Smith was McGarrigan's top target, picking up 90 receiving yards and a pair of scores.

Apex Friendship didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Willow Spring to a completion percentage of just 44.4%. The Patriots have been improving in that area: they had allowed a completion percentage of 0.62 earlier this season, but they've only allowed one of 0.62 in their last three games.

Panther Creek hadn't beaten Apex on the road since September 21, 2018 but that history sure didn't bother them on Friday. The Catamounts came out on top against the Cougars by a score of 17-7. Given the Catamounts' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 105th, while the Cougars are ranked 221st) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Apex Friendship better keep an eye on Travis Woodard. He was instrumental in Panther Creek's win, rushing for 277 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 10.3 yards per carry. Woodard really tore up the turf during one magnificent 85-yard run.

Apex Friendship's record now sits at 8-1. As for Panther Creek, their record is now 6-3.

Apex Friendship strolled past Panther Creek in their previous matchup back in October of 2024 by a score of 28-14. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Patriots since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.