Preview: Laney Buccaneers vs. Middle Creek Mustangs
The Laney Buccaneers will be playing in front of their home fans against the Middle Creek Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Laney will be looking to extend their current five-game winning streak.
Last Friday, Laney didn't have too much trouble with Topsail on the road as they won 26-12. Given Laney's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 44th, while Topsail is ranked 188th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Tyjhere Crudup continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 134 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 8.4 yards per carry. Crudup hasn't dropped below 100 rushing yards for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Kolbe Little, who threw for 290 yards and a touchdown while completing 76.3% of his passes.
Meanwhile, Middle Creek put the finishing touches on their fourth blowout victory of the season on Friday. They blew past Cary 57-8 at home.
Middle Creek got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Michael Beatty out in front who rushed for 127 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 carries. Beatty was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 61 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Braylon Stewart, who picked up 181 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Laney's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which bumped their overall record up to 8-2. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 1-9 West Brunswick and 2-8 South Brunswick (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 32% over those games). As for Middle Creek, they have been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches, which provided a massive bump to their 6-4 record this season.
Laney took a serious blow against Middle Creek in their previous matchup back in November of 2017, falling 43-6. Will Laney have more luck at home instead of on the road?
