After each having a week off, the Copper Basin Cougars and the Pickett County Bobcats will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Pickett County took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Copper Basin, who comes in off a win.
While Copper Basin's victory against Lookout Valley wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. In a tight matchup that could have gone either way, the Cougars made off with a 20-19 win over the Yellowjackets. The victory continues a trend for the Cougars in their matchups with the Yellowjackets: they've now won three in a row.

Drew Crowder
| 09/19/25 vs Asheville Christian Academy | 204 |
| 10/03/25 vs Lookout Valley | 104 |
| 09/12/25 @ Rosman | 85 |
| 09/05/25 vs Hayesville | 48 |
| 09/26/25 vs Whitwell | 42 |
| + 1 more games |
Copper Basin's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Drew Crowder led the charge by rushing for 104 yards and one touchdown. Crowder has become a key player for the Cougars: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least 80 rushing yards, but 0-4 otherwise. Nick Bird helped out on the ground, rushing for 83 yards.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Copper Basin proved: they limited Lookout Valley to a paltry three yards per carry. The Cougars' run defense has been on the up-and-up: they allowed 1.53 yards per carry earlier this season, but they've only allowed 8.2 on average over their last five games.
Meanwhile, Pickett County was not able to break out of their rough patch last Friday as the team picked up their 14th straight loss dating back to last season. They had to suffer through a 43-0 loss at the hands of Zion Christian Academy.
Copper Basin's win bumped their record up to 2-5. As for Pickett County, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-7.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps