The Indian Land Warriors and the Northwestern Trojans are set to duel on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Indian Land took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They strolled past Fort Mill with points to spare, taking the game 20-6.
It was another big night for Jamol Horton, who rushed for 161 yards while picking up 7.7 yards per carry.
Another reason for the win was Indian Land's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for nine sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Michael Foster and Leonard Goethe Jr, who racked up six sacks between them. Foster is also crushing it when it comes to total tackles: he's made at least five every time he's taken the field this season.
Indian Land was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 236 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 163 rushing yards in nine consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Northwestern put another one in the bag last Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They took their contest with ease, bagging a 55-7 win over Rock Hill. The Trojans might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matchups by 34 points or more this season.
Finley Polk was his usual excellent self, rushing for 23 yards and three touchdowns, while also throwing for 175 yards and two touchdowns while completing 87.5% of his passes.
Northwestern didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jayden Baxter and Tamarion Watkins.
Indian Land now has a winning record of 5-4. As for Northwestern, their victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-0.
The upcoming match will be a clash of competing strengths. Indian Land has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 207.1 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Northwestern has preferred to attack from the air: they average 283.9 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Indian Land was dealt a bruising 45-14 defeat at the hands of Northwestern in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. Thankfully for Indian Land, Turbo Richard (who rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
