Football Preview: Duluth Wildcats vs. North Gwinnett Bulldogs
Duluth is 0-8 against North Gwinnett since October of 2014 but things could change on Friday. The Duluth Wildcats will welcome the North Gwinnett Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. Duluth is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 34 points per game this season.
Duluth is headed into Friday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Friday. They fell 43-36 to Brookwood. The game was a 21-21 toss-up at halftime, but the Wildcats couldn't quite close it out.
Despite their defeat, Duluth saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jahmir Joseph, who rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries, and also picked up 46 receiving yards, was perhaps the best of all. Another receiver making a difference was Braylon Gray, who picked up 91 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, North Gwinnett put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They snuck past Norcross with a 27-21 victory. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked fifth, while the Blue Devils are ranked 26th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
The critical scores for North Gwinnett came from Jake Godfree, Erik Ronning, Christian Campbell, and Tommy Lafayette.
Duluth now has a losing record at 4-5. As for North Gwinnett, their win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-0.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Duluth has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 167.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like North Gwinnett struggles in that department as they've been averaging 199.3. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Duluth was dealt a bruising 39-10 loss at the hands of North Gwinnett in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. Can Duluth avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
