Preview: Lincolnton Wolves vs. Shelby Golden Lions
The Lincolnton Wolves will head out on the road to face off against the Shelby Golden Lions at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the pair posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Lincolnton walked away with it. They took down North Surry 35-21 on Friday. Given Lincolnton's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 101st, while North Surry is ranked 214th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Khamoni Heath had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 200 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 9.1 yards per carry. Heath's longest rush was for an incredible 80 yards.
Meanwhile, Shelby came tearing into Friday's matchup with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 50.9 points) and they left with even more momentum. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Mount Pleasant 62-14 at home. The result was nothing new for Shelby, who have now won eight matchups by 30 points or more so far this season.
Shelby got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Tristan Tate out in front who rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns on only seven carries. Tate hasn't dropped below 100 rushing yards for three straight games. Lan Farmer was another key contributor, throwing for 269 yards and three touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes.
Lincolnton now has a winning record of 6-5. As for Shelby, their victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-3.
Lincolnton lost to Shelby on the road by a decisive 37-21 margin in their previous meeting back in December of 2015. Thankfully for Lincolnton, Xavier Brooks (who rushed for 279 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 10.7 yards per carry, and also picked up 31 receiving yards) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
