vs
| 10/11/24 - Home | 14-35 L |
| 10/06/23 - Away | 14-35 L |
| 10/07/22 - Home | 21-26 L |
| 10/08/21 - Away | 18-14 W |
| 10/09/20 - Home | 27-21 W |
| + 5 more games |
North Central and Pike are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2016, but not for long. The Panthers will take on the Red Devils at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. North Central has given up an average of 41.1 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Things were looking good for North Central after they put the first points on the board on Friday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They were outmatched by Lawrence Central and fell 49-14. The Panthers have struggled against the Bears recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
North Central's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Demetrius Averitte, who picked up 88 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns, and Chase Grove, who threw for 170 yards and two TDs. Averitte's longest reception was for an incredible 70 yards.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Pike, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. Everything went their way against Guerin Catholic on Friday as they made off with a 41-21 win.
Pike's win came from a few key players North Central will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Bobby Thomas, who rushed for 145 yards and a pair of scores on only 15 carries. He also punched in two rushing touchdowns, which is notable because Pike is 2-1 when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns, but 0-4 otherwise. Mychael Lewis also helped with two touchdowns in total.
Pike was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 344 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Pike didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jaylen Griffin and Willie Chapman. Chapman has been hot, having also posted six or more total tackles the last six times he's played. Griffin got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
Pike's victory ended a five-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 2-5. As for North Central, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 2-5.
North Central might still be hurting after the 35-14 defeat they got from Pike in their previous matchup back in October of 2024. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
