The Fike Demons will challenge the South Johnston Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both will really light up the scoreboard.
Fike took a loss when they played away from home on September 6th, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They walked away with a 39-32 victory over West Johnston. The Demons' offense stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most points they've scored all season.
Cameron Pittman was his usual excellent self, rushing for 98 yards and three touchdowns on only nine carries, while also throwing for 208 yards and two touchdowns on only 16 passes. The bulk of those rushing yards came from one huge play: a run that gained an incredible 84 yards. Josiah Artis was Pittman's top target, picking up 91 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Fike's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged four passes before it was all said and done. It was truly a group effort as Braylen Loftin, Zy'Quan Hines, William Monk, and Monk picked up one apiece. Another thorn in West Johnston's side was Jahre Richardson, who picked up a sack and made 14 total tackles.
Meanwhile, South Johnston took their game at home on Friday with ease, bagging a 35-7 win over Smithfield-Selma. Given the Trojans' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 153rd, while the Spartans are ranked 329th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Holt Langston continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 189 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 8.2 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. Tyler Williams was another key player, rushing for 43 yards and a touchdown.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to South Johnston's defense and their four sacks. Leading the way was Isaac Barefoot with two. Mason Weaver was another major factor on D, picking up a sack and making nine total tackles.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, South Johnston was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 326 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
The victory got Fike back to even at 2-2. As for South Johnston, their win bumped their record up to 3-1.
Thursday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Fike has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 179.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like South Johnston struggles in that department as they've been averaging 209.2. It's looking like Thursday's match might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Fike skirted past South Johnston 15-13 in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. Will Fike repeat their success, or does South Johnston have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
