After each having a week off, the Central Eagles and the Landrum Cardinals will shake off the cobwebs and challenge one another at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Central has three straight victories, Landrum has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Last Friday, Central took their contest with ease, bagging a 38-7 win over North Central. Considering the Eagles have won seven games by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Dwayne Louallen Jr and Ashten Wilson were among the main playmakers for Central as the former rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries and the latter rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.5 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave Wilson a new career-high in rushing yards.
Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 290 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 179 rushing yards in three consecutive matches.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Central's defense and their four sacks. Sean Davis was especially locked on to North Central's QB and sacked him twice.
Meanwhile, Landrum came up short against Chesnee last Friday and fell 44-34.
Despite the defeat, Landrum had strong showings from Ty Foster, who threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns on only 19 passes, and Aj Medvar, who picked up 126 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The bulk of those receiving yards came from one huge play: a catch that gained an incredible 64 yards. Landrum also got a significant boost from Aidan Kelley, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 88 yards.
Landrum didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Kirby Gentry and Hayden Martindale. Landrum got some further help from AJ Lindsey: he made 19 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Central's victory was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-2. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 31.2 points. As for Landrum, their loss dropped their record down to 5-4.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the on the ground. Central has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 191.1 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Landrum struggles in that department as they've been averaging 223.3. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Central against Landrum in their previous meeting back in November of 2018, as the squad secured a 28-0 win. Does Central have another victory up their sleeve, or will Landrum turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
