Rock Hill hasn't had much luck against Northwestern recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Bearcats will host the Trojans at 7:30 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Friday, Rock Hill strolled past Nation Ford with points to spare, taking the game 30-14. The win continues a trend for the Bearcats in their matchups with the Falcons: they've now won three in a row.
Jonah Young
| 10/10/25 @ Nation Ford | 135.1 |
| 08/22/25 vs River Bluff | 113.3 |
| 09/12/25 @ Hartsville | 111.1 |
| 10/03/25 vs Fort Mill | 98.6 |
| 09/26/25 @ Indian Land | 77.6 |
Devan Erby and Jonah Young were among the main playmakers for Rock Hill as the former rushed for 107 yards and one touchdown and the latter threw for 147 yards and one TD while completing 78.6% of his passes. The dominant performance also gave Young a new career-high in passer rating (135.1).
Rock Hill didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited Nation Ford to a completion percentage of just 48%. Given Young's standout performance, it's clear the Falcons' secondary just wasn't on the same level.
Rock Hill didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Kimari Barber and KT Gill-McDonald. Barber has become a key player for Rock Hill: the team is undefeated when he posts at least one interception, but 2-3 otherwise.
Meanwhile, Northwestern didn't have too much trouble with Fort Mill on Friday as they won 56-40. Given the Trojans' advantage in MaxPreps' South Carolina football rankings (they are ranked fourth, while the Yellow Jackets are ranked 46th) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Rock Hill better keep an eye on Xavier Means. He was instrumental in Northwestern's win, rushing for 182 yards and six scores while picking up 8.7 yards per carry, and also throwing for 267 yards and one touchdown while completing 76.3% of his passes. A healthy portion of Means' aerial production (103 yards to be exact) went to Evan Harrison.
Northwestern's defensive line made their presence known, laying out the QB eight times. It was truly a group effort as Kamerin McFadden, Jeremiah Cannon, Malik Darby, and Kobe Neely picked up two apiece. With that strong performance, Darby is now averaging an impressive 5.4 total tackles per game. Northwestern received some extra help from Nolan McKinnon, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
The victory was their first on the road , bumping their record up to 5-3. As for Northwestern, their win bumped their record up to 7-1.
Rock Hill was taken down by Northwestern 55-7 in their previous meeting back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Bearcats, Finley Polk (who rushed for 23 yards and three TDs, and also threw for 175 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 87.5% of his passes) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
