Harnett Central is 0-3 against Pine Forest since October of 2021 but things could change on Friday. The Harnett Central Trojans will head out on the road to square off against the Pine Forest Trojans at 7:00 p.m. Harnett Central is looking to tack on another W to their three-game streak on the road.
Harnett Central will bounce into Friday's matchup after beating Overhills, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. Harnett Central came out on top against Overhills by a score of 26-19 on Friday.
Harnett Central's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Dj Brown, who picked up 124 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Brown is becoming a predictor of Harnett Central's success: when he posts at least two receiving touchdowns the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't). Landon Culbreth did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 80 receiving yards.
Harnett Central wouldn't let Overhills keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Harnett Central can thank Deacon Stewart and Charlie Stedman for forcing both of them. Stewart is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last eight games he's played dating back to last season. William Jones was another major factor on D, making 12 total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Pine Forest got themselves on the board against Triton on Friday, but Triton never followed suit. They blew past the Hawks, posting a 48-0 win at home. That looming 48-0 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Trojans yet this season.
Pine Forest's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jamari Jones led the charge by picking up 97 receiving yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 37 yards and a touchdown. The bulk of those receiving yards came from one huge play: a catch that gained an incredible 58 yards. Another passer making a difference was Jaidon Moore, who threw for 123 yards and two touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Pine Forest was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 238 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 193 rushing yards in six consecutive games.
One reason for the win was Pine Forest's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. In that department, Nasseem Powell was the leader with two. Another thorn in Triton's side was Jahmir Haggard, who picked up a sack and made eight total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Harnett Central's record is now 6-2. As for Pine Forest, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a massive bump to their 5-3 record this season.
Harnett Central couldn't quite finish off Pine Forest when the teams last played back in October of 2023 and fell 10-7. Can Harnett Central avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
