Football Game Preview: North Stars vs. South Spartans + How To Watch

A classic North v. South matchup is on the schedule. The North Stars will head out to face off against the South Spartans at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (North has four straight victories, South has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

North is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing East Bakersfield: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Stars blew the Blades out of the water with a 47-7 final score. The Stars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matchups by 22 points or more this season.

Robert Rodriguez

Rushing Yards (Career)

10/17/25 vs East Bakersfield	143
09/04/25 @ Delano	91
09/26/25 vs Boron	80
10/09/25 @ Tehachapi	78
08/29/25 vs Atascadero	51

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead North to victory, but perhaps none more so than Robert Rodriguez, who rushed for 143 yards and two scores on only ten carries. Those 143 rushing yards gave Rodriguez a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Bradley Dockery, who threw for 145 yards and a pair of touchdowns on only 12 passes.

They were just one part of a punishing run game: North was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 284 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 156 rushing yards in seven consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, South scored the most points they've had this season on Thursday, but it wasn't enough. They received a blow as they fell 42-28 to Mira Monte.

North will have to contain Beto De Haro as he made an impact in South's last game. He rushed for 73 yards and two TDs on only ten carries, and also threw for 191 yards and a pair of touchdowns. A healthy portion of that aerial production (80 yards to be exact) went to Michael Wilson Jr, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.

South's defeat dropped their record down to 1-7. As for North, their win bumped their record up to 6-2.

North won a game that couldn't have been any closer in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, slipping by South 27-26. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Spartans' Josh Encinas, who threw for 364 yards and three TDs while picking up 15.2 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 48 yards. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Stars to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.