Two dominant backs in Rylee Smith and Zane McCraw are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Smoky Mountain Mustangs will host the West Henderson Falcons at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.
Smoky Mountain is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Brevard on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. The Mustangs took a blow against the Blue Devils, falling 54-12. The Mustangs were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 34-12.
The match pitted two dominant backs against one another in Smith and Braylon Thompson. Thompson had a solid game and rushed for 74 yards and one score. Meanwhile, Smith was balling out in the loss, rushing for 225 yards and one TD while picking up 7.3 yards per carry.
Meanwhile, while it was all tied up 13-13 at halftime, West Henderson was not quite Pisgah's equal in the second half on Friday. The game between the Falcons and the Bears didn't end well, with the Falcons falling 41-26. The Falcons' loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Defeat or not, West Henderson got some senior leadership from Cade Young and Asa Ostman. Young threw for 137 yards and three touchdowns, while Ostman picked up 34 receiving yards and a pair of scores. Zach McMinn was in the mix too, providing the Falcons with one TD.
West Henderson's loss was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 4-2. As for Smoky Mountain, they now have a losing record of 3-4.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Smoky Mountain has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 263.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like West Henderson struggles in that department as they've been averaging 161.7 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Smoky Mountain strolled past West Henderson in their previous matchup back in November of 2024 by a score of 47-28. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was McCraw, who rushed for 114 yards and four touchdowns, and also picked up 60 receiving yards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Mustangs still be able to contain McCraw? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
