Football Game Preview: South Stokes Sauras vs. Cherryville Ironmen

The South Stokes Sauras will head out to square off against the Cherryville Ironmen at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

South Stokes easily dispatched Winston-Salem Preparatory Academy two weeks ago, but unfortunately both the margin and the ultimate result were a different story in this one. The Sauras fell just short of North Stokes by a score of 14-12 on Friday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Sauras have suffered since September 5, 2024.

South Stokes' defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. Ethan Newsome was the real danger to the passing game, picking up two interceptions all by himself.

Meanwhile, after only seven points in their last game, Cherryville made sure to put some points up on the board against Bessemer City on Friday. The Ironmen enjoyed a cozy 50-33 win over the Yellow Jackets. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Ironmen's offense, which had struggled in the games prior.

Cherryville's win came from a few key players South Stokes will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Javarius McElhaney, who rushed for 152 yards and four scores. Elijah Proctor was another major influence, as he rushed for 38 yards and ran in a TD.

South Stokes' defeat dropped their record down to 4-6. As for Cherryville, the victory got them back to even at 5-5.