The Newton-Conover Red Devils will challenge the Bunker Hill Bears at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Newton-Conover will be strutting in after a win while Bunker Hill will be coming in after a defeat.
Newton-Conover had to skate by with only a one-point margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 20-point drubbing they dealt North Lincoln on Friday. The Red Devils were the clear victors by a 42-22 margin over the Knights. Considering the Red Devils have won three contests by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Newton-Conover can attribute much of their success to Timothy Mehalic, who picked up 115 receiving yards and one TD. Mehalic showed off some serious burst, lighting up the secondary with a catch for 60 yards.
Newton-Conover was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 242 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 169 rushing yards in seven consecutive games dating back to last season.
Newton-Conover didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Mehalic and Kenyan Miller.
Meanwhile, Bunker Hill was not able to break out of their rough patch last Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They were outmatched by East Lincoln and fell 57-0. While losing is never fun, the Bears can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 260th, while the Mustangs are ranked 20th).
Newton-Conover's victory bumped their record up to 4-2. As for Bunker Hill, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-5.
Friday's matchup might be decided in the trenches. Newton-Conover has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 268.3 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Bunker Hill, though, as they've been averaging only 44 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Newton-Conover and Bunker Hill were almost perfectly matched up when the teams last played back in October of 2024, but Newton-Conover suffered an agonizing 38-37 loss. Thankfully for the Red Devils, Jason Willis Jr (who picked up 113 receiving yards and one touchdown, and also rushed for 58 yards and a pair of scores) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
