Football Game Preview: Harnett Central Trojans vs. Jacksonville Cardinals

The Harnett Central Trojans will head out on the road to take on the Jacksonville Cardinals at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Harnett Central sitting on three straight victories and Jacksonville on nine.

Harnett Central is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 40-37 win over South View. The score was all tied up 13-13 at the break, but the Trojans were the better team in the second half.

Harnett Central's defensive line made their presence known, laying out Jamaal Brown three times. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Trent Haney, Nolan Bullock, and Daivion Parks, who each picked up one sack apiece. Haney was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 18 total tackles.

Meanwhile, Jacksonville made easy work of White Oak two weeks ago and carried off a 34-8 victory. The Cardinals might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by 21 points or more this season.

Harnett Central better focus on containing Amari Pearson and Anthony Washington as the pair were huge in Jacksonville's win. Pearson rushed for 141 yards and a pair of TDs on only 11 carries, while Washington rushed for 107 yards and two scores on only eight carries. Pearson's rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his eighth straight game with at least 100 rushing yards.

Jacksonville was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 331 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in December of 2024.

Harnett Central's record is now 7-4. As for Jacksonville, their record now sits at 9-0.