Two dominant signal callers in Jacob Moore and Koby Howard are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Terry Sanford Bulldogs will square off against the Harnett Central Trojans at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with Terry Sanford sitting on three straight wins and Harnett Central on five.
Last Thursday, Terry Sanford strolled past Pine Forest with points to spare, taking the game 28-14.
Moore was his usual excellent self, rushing for 129 yards on only nine carries, while also throwing for 162 yards and two touchdowns. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 103.5 rushing yards per game. Isaiah Washington also helped with two touchdowns in total.
Terry Sanford was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 279 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 203 rushing yards in three consecutive matches.
Terry Sanford's defense made their presence known, laying out Jaidon Moore. three times. Justice Clifton was especially locked on to Pine Forest's QB and sacked him twice. Clifton is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made six or more in the last five games he's played dating back to last season. Terry Sanford got some further help from Troy Shannon: he made nine total tackles (4.0 for loss).
Meanwhile, Harnett Central made easy work of E.E. Smith on Friday and carried off a 35-12 victory. Given the Trojans' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 144th, while the Golden Bulls are ranked 306th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Harnett Central got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Howard out in front who threw for 171 yards and three touchdowns. Landon Culbreth was Howard's top target, picking up 58 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Harnett 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 Nolan Bullock, Dj Brown, and Charlie Stedman picked up one apiece.
Special teams also deserves some recognition, posting 11 points in total. All came courtesy of Axel Castro-Ceullar: he went 3-for-3 kicking field goals for nine points, and 2-for-2 kicking extra points for an additional two.
Terry Sanford's record is now 4-2. As for Harnett Central, their victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 5-1.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Terry Sanford has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 231.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Harnett Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 149.5. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Terry Sanford took their win against Harnett Central in their previous matchup back in November of 2023 by a conclusive 43-22. Does Terry Sanford have another victory up their sleeve, or will Harnett Central turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
