After both having extra time off, the Pine Crest Panthers and the Lake Highland Prep Highlanders will shake off the rust and duke it out at 6:00 p.m. on Friday.
Back in September, Pine Crest came up short against St. John Paul II Academy and fell 22-15. The Panthers have struggled against the Eagles recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Zach Moss put forth a good effort for the losing side as he rushed for 57 yards and one TD, and also threw for 81 yards and one touchdown.
Even if they lost, Pine Crest's defense still kept up the pressure with three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Jacob Lobis, Xavier Goin, and Brady Andersen, who each picked up one sack apiece. Lobis was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making 11 total tackles.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Lake Highland Prep, who bounced back after a loss on the road back in September. They simply couldn't be stopped last Friday as they easily beat Bishop Snyder 42-6. The Highlanders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by 23 points or more this season.
Lake Highland Prep found their leader in sophomore Talan Henderson, who rushed for 131 yards and a pair of scores on only six carries. Those 131 rushing yards set a new season-high mark for Henderson.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Lake Highland Prep proved: they limited Bishop Snyder to a paltry 2.3 yards per carry. The team can thank Blake Feranec for the heroic effort on defense: he. Lake Highland Prep is a perfect 3-0 when they shut down the run game so well.
Lake Highland Prep pushed their record up to 4-2 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to yards per carry: they averaged an imposing 10.97 yards per carry in those games compared to only 1.23 in the others. As for Pine Crest, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-3.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Pine Crest has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 183 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Lake Highland Prep struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 177.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Pine Crest lost to Lake Highland Prep at home by a decisive 28-10 margin in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Thankfully for the Panthers, Landon Towns (who rushed for 212 yards and four TDs while picking up 12.5 yards per carry) 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.
