The R-S Central Hilltoppers are taking a road trip to face off against the East Burke Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
East Burke will take on a team with plenty of momentum: R-S Central extended their winning streak to three on Friday. The Hilltoppers blew past Patton 56-7. The Hilltoppers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by 32 points or more this season.
Rylan Holley
| 10/03/25 vs Patton | 160 |
| 09/26/25 @ Chase | 144 |
| 09/19/25 vs Draughn | 26 |
| 09/12/25 @ Chesnee | 46 |
| 08/29/25 vs North Henderson | 129 |
| + 1 more games |
R-S Central got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Rylan Holley out in front who rushed for 160 yards and a pair of TDs on only six carries, and also threw for 133 yards and two touchdowns on only ten passes. With that strong performance, Holley is now averaging an impressive 103.2 rushing yards per game. Jakis Smith was another key player, rushing for 108 yards and one score on only 11 carries.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: R-S Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 370 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2024.
R-S Central didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Tyler Partridge, Hezekiah Joiner, and Elmer Littlejohn picked up one apiece. Joiner has become a key player for R-S Central: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least one interception, but 1-2 otherwise.
Meanwhile, the third road game was the charm for East Burke, as they earned their first away win of the season. They really took it to West Caldwell for the full four quarters, racking up a 48-8 victory. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 32-2.
R-S Central better keep an eye on Carter Bennett. He was instrumental in East Burke's win, rushing for 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while also throwing for 106 yards on 11 of 16 attempts. The dominant performance also gave Bennett a new career-high in rushing touchdowns (two).
East Burke picked up their first road win, bumping their record up to 2-4. As for R-S Central, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. R-S Central has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 259.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like East Burke struggles in that department as they've been averaging 162.5 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for R-S Central against East Burke when the teams last played back in October of 2016, as the team secured a 42-7 win. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Cavaliers' Dakota Fox, who rushed for 170 yards while picking up 8.1 yards per carry. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Hilltoppers to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
