Two dominant backs in Calvin Lacewell and Carell Phillips are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Lakewood Leopards will take on the North Duplin Rebels at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Lakewood is headed into the contest after thoroughly thrashing Union: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Lakewood blew Union out of the water with a 55-0 final score. The game marked the Leopards' most dominant win of the season.
It was another big night for Chris Carr, who rushed for 223 yards and three touchdowns on only five carries. His longest rush was for an incredible 79 yards. Dontavius Smith also deserves a mention for his punt return touchdown.
Meanwhile, North Duplin put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They really took it to Bear Grass Charter for the full four quarters, racking up a 48-0 victory at home. The matchup was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Rebels had established a 42 point advantage.
Phillips continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 152 yards and three touchdowns on only eight carries. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 110 rushing yards dating back to last season. Luke Kelly was another key player, rushing for 34 yards and a touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: North Duplin was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 408 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 161 rushing yards in 17 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
Lakewood's record now sits at 5-2. As for North Duplin, they pushed their record up to 5-0 with the win, which was their third straight at home.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Lakewood has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 237 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like North Duplin struggles in that department as they've been averaging 331.4. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Lakewood was able to grind out a solid victory over North Duplin in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, winning 23-15. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was North Duplin's Dujuan Armwood, who rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for Lakewood to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
