Pender has been away from home for three games now, but on Friday they'll finally make their return. They and the West Columbus Vikings are set to duel. One thing working in Pender's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last three games.
Last Friday, Pender came up short against Whiteville and fell 51-38. The defeat continues a trend for the Patriots in their matchups with the Wolfpack: they've now lost four in a row.
Pender might have lost, but man, Jeremiah Johnson was a machine: he rushed for 298 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.5 yards per carry. That's the most rushing yards Johnson has posted since back in November of 2023. The team also got some help courtesy of Jassiah Hill, who rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown on only six carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Pender was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 434 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 195 rushing yards in eight consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, West Columbus was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They took a blow against East Bladen, falling 43-0.
Pender's defeat dropped their record down to 5-3. As for West Columbus, their loss dropped their record down to 1-6.
Pender was taken down by West Columbus 54-6 in their previous meeting back in November of 2023. Thankfully for Pender, Unique Kelly (who rushed for 23 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 66 yards and two touchdowns) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
