Purnell Swett is on a three-game streak of home losses also dating back to last season, Red Springs a four-game streak of away losses also dating back to last season, but someone's luck is about to change on Friday. The Purnell Swett Rams will welcome the Red Springs Red Devils at 7:30 p.m. Red Springs took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Purnell Swett, who comes in off a win.
Purnell Swett will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up seven points last Friday, then bounced right back against Fairmont on Saturday. Purnell Swett simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Fairmont 40-12 on the road. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Rams have posted since August 18, 2023.
The critical scores for Purnell Swett came from Devon Jacobs and Caleb Goins.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Purnell Swett was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 202 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2023.
Purnell Swett wouldn't let Fairmont keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Purnell Swett can thank Charles Wilkes and Bryton Deese for forcing both of them. Deese's also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, picking up a sack, forcing a fumble, and making two total tackles. Purnell Swett got some further help from Ethan Sampson: he picked up 2.5 sacks and made three total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Red Springs had to suffer through a 62-26 loss at the hands of Gray's Creek. While losing is never fun, the Red Devils can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 370th, while the Bears are ranked 162nd).
Despite the defeat, Red Springs got top-tier performance from Taquan (TJ) Ellerbe, who picked up 135 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Ellerbe was no stranger to the big play, connecting with a big catch that went for 65 yards. Jakelsin Mack was another key player, rushing for 93 yards on only nine carries.
The win got Purnell Swett back to even at 1-1. As for Red Springs, their loss dropped their record down to 0-2.
Purnell Swett took their victory against Red Springs when the teams last played back in September of 2023 by a conclusive 33-13. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Ellerbe, who picked up 180 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Purnell Swett still be able to contain Ellerbe? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
