Laney hasn't had much luck against Hoggard recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Buccaneers will head out on the road to challenge the Vikings at 7:00 p.m. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, Laney didn't have too much trouble with Topsail as they won 27-9. Given the Buccaneers' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 112th, while the Pirates are ranked 282nd) , the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Ryan Gallagher looked great while leading his team to the win, throwing for 166 yards and two TDs while completing 79.2% of his passes. Kilby Theiss-Dixon was in the mix too, providing Laney with two scores.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Laney proved: they limited Topsail to a paltry 2.5 yards per carry. The team can thank Jacob McPherson for the heroic effort on defense: he. Laney's run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 4.03 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 4.2 on average over their last three games.
Laney's defense also made the game a nightmare for the opposing QB, racking up seven sacks. Leading the way was Kwmane Allen with two. Preston Hall was another major factor on D, picking up a sack, making four total tackles (3.0 for loss), and defending two passes.
Meanwhile, Hoggard put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They blew past Topsail 52-12. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by 24 points or more this season.
Laney better focus on containing David Hunter and Matthew Boring as the pair were huge in Hoggard's win. Hunter gained 158 total yards and three touchdowns, while Boring rushed for 59 yards and three touchdowns on only seven carries. The dominant performance also gave Hunter a new career-high in rushing yards (126).
Hoggard's record now sits at 7-0. As for Laney, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
Laney was dealt a bruising 48-14 loss at the hands of Hoggard in their previous matchup back in September of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Boring, who threw for 291 yards and four TDs. Now that the Buccaneers know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
