Leesville Road has won seven straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Cardinal Gibbons has won seven straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Leesville Road Pride will welcome the Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Leesville Road is headed into the game after thoroughly thrashing Athens Drive: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Leesville Road blew Athens Drive out of the water with a 44-6 final score. Given the Pride's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 41st, while the Jaguars are ranked 230th), the result on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leesville Road's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but AkShar Barnes led the charge by rushing for 67 yards and three touchdowns, while also picking up 44 receiving yards. Barnes is on a roll when it comes to rushing touchdowns, as he's now punched in two or more in the last three games he's played. Another signal caller making a difference was Deiondre Goldston, who threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Gibbons never let their opponents score on Friday. They blew past Broughton 56-0. That 56 point margin sets a new team best for the Crusaders this season.
Kendall Scotton had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries, and also picked up 40 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. Gannon Jones was another key player, throwing for 177 yards and two touchdowns while completing 78.3% of his passes.
Leesville Road's win bumped their record up to 9-0. As for Cardinal Gibbons, their victory bumped their record up to 7-1.
Friday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Goldston and Jones. Goldston has put up some stellar numbers this year, and currently owns excellent season averages 263.9 passing yards and has 30 passing touchdowns on the season. For his part, Jones has averaged 245.5 passing yards and has 22 passing touchdowns on the season.
Leesville Road came up short against Cardinal Gibbons in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, falling 33-23. Will Leesville Road have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
