Croatan has gone 9-1 against Dixon recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Cougars are taking a road trip to take on the Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Croatan will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each matchup than the last.
Croatan will bounce into Friday's contest after beating West Carteret, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Cougars took their game on Friday with ease, bagging a 49-21 win over the Patriots. Considering the Cougars have won seven matchups by more than 27 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Andrew Boucher
| 10/24/25 vs West Carteret | 264 |
| 10/10/25 @ Richlands | 55 |
| 10/03/25 vs Northside - Jacksonville | 90 |
| 09/26/25 vs Havelock | 96 |
| 09/19/25 @ Swansboro | 143 |
| + 4 more games |
Andrew Boucher was his usual excellent self, rushing for 264 yards and five scores while picking up 10.6 yards per carry. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 117.7 rushing yards per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Kannon McBride, who threw for 134 yards and a pair of touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Croatan was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 290 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since the start of last season.
Croatan didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Riley Robinson and Everett Fitzsimmons.
Meanwhile, Dixon entered their contest against Richlands on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. The Bulldogs lost to the Wildcats at home by a 41-26 margin. The game marked the Bulldogs' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Croatan will need to focus on slowing down JJ Gulat, one of several Dixon players who made an impact when they last played. He rushed for 240 yards and one TD while picking up 10.0 yards per carry, and also threw for 75 yards and one touchdown on only five passes. What's more, he's the contest marked his 15th straight with at least 103 dating back to last season. Sean Delaney was in the mix too, providing Dixon with two scores.
Croatan's victory bumped their record up to 8-1. As for Dixon, they suffered their first home loss, dropping their record down to 5-4.
Friday's game will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Boucher and Gulat. Boucher just won't slow down this season and has run in 21 touchdowns while averaging 117.7 rushing yards per game. Gulat has been a dominant force too and has thrown 2 touchdowns while averaging 20.8 passing yards per game.
Everything came up roses for Croatan against Dixon in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, as the team secured a 51-22 win. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Gulat, who rushed for 255 yards and a pair of TDs while picking up 8.5 yards per carry. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will the Cougars still be able to contain Gulat? There's only one way to find out.
