Football Game Preview: Carolina Forest Panthers vs. Fort Dorchester Patriots

Carolina Forest is 0-4 against Fort Dorchester since August of 2015 but things could change on Friday. The Panthers will challenge the Patriots. Carolina Forest knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past seven games -- so hopefully Fort Dorchester likes a good challenge.

Carolina Forest's defense heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed last Friday. They blew past Conway 49-0. Considering the Panthers have won eight contests by more than 21 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.

Meanwhile, with a playoff win on the line, Fort Dorchester rose to the challenge on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 24-21 win over the Wildcats. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Patriots have posted since August 29th.

Carolina Forest better keep an eye on Mykell Warthen. He was instrumental in Fort Dorchester's win, rushing for 86 yards on only 11 carries, while also picking up 31 receiving yards. Warthen really tore up the turf during one magnificent 70-yard run.

On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Fort Dorchester's defense and their four sacks. Thomas Wamer was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself. Another thorn in Lexington's side was Savon Garrett, who picked up a sack and made 13 total tackles (3.0 for loss).

Carolina Forest pushed their record up to 9-1 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. The road victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 50.7 points over those games. As for Fort Dorchester, their win bumped their record up to 5-6.

Carolina Forest lost to Fort Dorchester on the road by a decisive 39-21 margin in their previous matchup back in November of 2022. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.