Football Recap: Gavin Bullock Leads West Johnston's Defense on Friday

West Johnston and Harnett Central pushed the score to 37-34 the last time they played Harnett Central, but on Friday defenses reigned supreme. The Wildcats walked away with a 14-6 win over the Trojans. The victory continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Trojans: they've now won five in a row.

The critical scores for West Johnston came from Gavin Bullock and Tanner Roof.

West Johnston's run defense was locked in: Harnett Central could only muster 0.6 yards per carry. The team can thank Bullock for the heroic effort on defense: he. West Johnston hasn't allowed more than 2.6 yards per carry in three consecutive games.

Gavin Bullock

Total Tackles

10/10/25 @ Harnett Central	20
10/03/25 vs Triton	5
09/26/25 @ Lee County	8
09/19/25 vs Union Pines	8
09/12/25 vs Clayton	10
+ 4 more games

West Johnston didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Bullock, Gavin Roberts, and Chrystian Cokley picked up one apiece. Bullock has been hot for a while, having also posted five or more total tackles the last nine times he's played. He got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.

Despite the loss, Harnett Central still got an impressive performance from Asher Pullen, who picked up 104 receiving yards and one score.

The win was their first on the road , bumping their record up to 3-4. As for Harnett Central, their defeat ended a five-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 4-3.

West Johnston didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next contest, a 28-23 loss against Southern Lee on the 17th. As for Harnett Central, they also wasted no time getting back out on the field and have already played their next matchup, a 33-19 defeat against Lee County on the 17th.