Football Game Preview: Hobbton Wildcats vs. Lakewood Leopards + How To Watch

Hobbton and Lakewood are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2017, but not for long. After each having a week off, the two teams will shake off the rust and duke it out on Friday.

Hobbton is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering North Duplin just ended the team's six-game winning streak last Friday. They fell 20-14 to the Rebels. The matchup was a 7-7 toss-up at halftime, but the Wildcats couldn't quite close it out.

Amir Tate

Rushing Yards

10/17/25 vs West Columbus	234
10/06/25 @ East Bladen	167
09/12/25 vs Rosewood	134
09/19/25 vs East Columbus	124
09/05/25 @ Dixon	116

Hobbton might have lost, but man, Reginald Thompson was a machine: he rushed for 221 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Thompson's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fourth straight game with at least 102 rushing yards. Hobbton also got a significant boost from Amir Tate, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 80 yards.

Meanwhile, after only seven points in their last game, Lakewood made sure to put some points up on the board against East Columbus last Friday. The Leopards claimed a resounding 36-0 win over the Gators. Considering the Leopards have won three contests by more than 25 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Hobbton's loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 6-4. As for Lakewood, their record now sits at an identical 6-4.

Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Hobbton has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 323.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Lakewood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 187.1 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.

Hobbton was able to grind out a solid victory over Lakewood when the teams last played back in October, winning 20-7. Do the Wildcats have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Leopards turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.