The North Star Cougars will face off against the Northern Bedford County Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Northern Bedford County took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on North Star, who comes in off a win.
North Star took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 42-6 victory over Hancock. The game marked the Cougars' most dominant win of the season.
North Star's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Lincoln Paulin, who rushed for 84 yards and one touchdown on only five carries. Will Eshleman was in the mix as well, providing the Cougars with two scores.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: North Star was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 221 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 150 rushing yards in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Northern Bedford County was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their eighth straight loss dating back to last season. They were a single point away from ending the streak, but they lost a 19-18 heartbreaker at the hands of Meyersdale. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
North Star will need to focus on slowing down Ben Clark, one of several Northern Bedford County players who made an impact when they last played. He rushed for 145 yards and one TD. Clark showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 68 yards. Zach Bowers was another key receiver, picking up 82 receiving yards and one touchdown.
North Star pushed their record up to 3-4 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 30.3 points over those games. As for Northern Bedford County, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-7.
North Star might still be hurting after the 28-7 loss they got from Northern Bedford County in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Clark, who rushed for 101 yards and three scores. Now that the Cougars know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
