Football Game Preview: Cherryville Ironmen vs. Starmount Rams

The Cherryville Ironmen will take on the Starmount Rams at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Cherryville will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each game than the last.

Cherryville is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They breezed past South Stokes to the tune of 55-12. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 28-6.

Cherryville didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Elijah Proctor.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Starmount). They simply couldn't be stopped two weeks ago as they easily beat Ashe County 56-0. The Rams might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matchups by 22 points or more this season.

Cherryville better keep an eye on Deuce Best. He was instrumental in Starmount's win, throwing for 196 yards and four touchdowns while completing 90% of his passes. The dominant performance also gave Best a new career-high in passer rating (168.8). Jymir Billips helped Best out on the ground, rushing for 72 yards and one score on only nine carries.

Special teams played a big role in the game for Starmount, adding 20 points to the final score. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Ryley Rodriguez, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.

Starmount pushed their record up to 8-2 with the victory, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. Those home wins came thanks in part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 5.9 points on average over those games. As for Cherryville, they now have a winning record of 6-5.

Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Cherryville has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 163.3 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Starmount struggles in that department as they've been averaging 167.7 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.