After each having a week off, the Westover Wolverines and the Havelock Rams will shake off the cobwebs and take on one another at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Two weeks ago, Westover didn't have too much trouble with E.E. Smith as they won 28-13. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Wolverines.
Westover's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Richard Vanderhost led the charge by throwing for 141 yards and two touchdowns, while also punching in a touchdown on the ground. Tramell Hankins was another key pass catcher, picking up 71 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Westover wouldn't let E.E. Smith keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Westover can thank Devin Walker and Jaylin Jessup for forcing both of them. Jessup is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least six every time he's taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, Havelock entered their tilt with J.H. Rose two weeks ago with five consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with six. They came out on top against the Rampants by a score of 27-19. Given the Rams' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 19th, while the Rampants are ranked 148th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jonathan Williams continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 241 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 10.5 yards per carry. He showed off some serious burst, cutting through the defense on one rush that went for 59 yards. Lebron Sharpe handled things on the ground, rushing for 113 yards.
Havelock was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 385 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in November of 2023.
Havelock pushed their record up to 9-1 with the victory, which was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those victories were due in large part to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 13.1 points per game. As for Westover, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 7-3 record this season.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Westover has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 152.6 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Havelock has preferred to attack from the air: they average 320.7 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
