East Lincoln is on a five-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Hickory is on a seven-game streak of away wins (also dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The East Lincoln Mustangs will host the Hickory Red Tornadoes at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
If East Lincoln beats Hickory with 52 points on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two matchups with that exact score. East Lincoln put the hurt on Forestview with a sharp 52-26 victory on Thursday. Given the Mustangs' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 65th, while the Jaguars are ranked 263rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Grant Lawless had a dynamite game for East Lincoln, throwing for 292 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for 62 yards and a touchdown on only five carries. The dominant performance gave Lawless a new career-high in rushing yards. Christopher Daley Ii was another key player, rushing for 96 yards and a touchdown on only 12 carries.
East Lincoln wouldn't let Forestview keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. East Lincoln can thank Brody Hager and Messiah Thompson for forcing both of them. Hager is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last nine games he's played dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Hickory was fully in charge on Thursday, breezing past Cox Mill 69-27 at home. The Red Tornadoes pushed the score to 49-27 by the end of the third, a deficit the Chargers had little chance of recovering from.
Isaiah Lackey had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 160 yards and five touchdowns. Another player making a difference was Brady Stober, who threw for 239 yards and a touchdown on only 19 passes.
East Lincoln's win bumped their record up to 3-0. As for Hickory, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 3-0.
East Lincoln suffered a grim 49-28 defeat to Hickory when the teams last played back in September of 2023. Will East Lincoln have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
