Football Preview: Hawkinsville Red Devils vs. Wheeler County Bulldogs
The Hawkinsville Red Devils will stay at home for another week and welcome the Wheeler County Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Hawkinsville's defense heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed last Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Rutland 31-0 at home. That 31 point margin sets a new team best for the Red Devils this season.
Nieem Blair was his usual excellent self, rushing for 128 yards and two touchdowns on only seven carries. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in October of 2023.
Hawkinsville was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 272 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 171 rushing yards in 15 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Hawkinsville's defense and their five sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Johnathan Solomon and Harlem Phillips, who racked up four sacks between them.
Meanwhile, Wheeler County came tearing into Friday's game with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 23.7 points) and they left with even more momentum. They claimed a resounding 45-16 victory over the Bobcats at home. Considering the Bulldogs have won three matchups by more than 28 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Wheeler County got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Alvin Ricks out in front who rushed for 195 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 9.8 yards per carry. That high mark didn't come from nowhere: Ricks posted at least 100 rushing yards in the seventh games prior. The team also got some help courtesy of Justin Culver, who rushed for 201 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.6 yards per carry.
Hawkinsville's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Wheeler County, their win bumped their record up to 4-1.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Hawkinsville has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 234.2 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Wheeler County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 305.4. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Hawkinsville didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Wheeler County in their previous matchup back in October of 2023, but they still walked away with a 33-27 victory. Does Hawkinsville have another victory up their sleeve, or will Wheeler County turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
