After each having a week off, the East Paulding Raiders and the Langston Hughes Panthers will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:00 p.m. on the 14th.
Things were looking good for East Paulding after they put the first points on the board on Thursday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell just short of Villa Rica by a score of 17-14. The Raiders' loss signaled the end of their four-game winning streak.
East Paulding's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Kirk Anthony Thomas, who picked up 94 receiving yards and one TD, and Bode Spence, who threw for 149 yards and one touchdown.
Meanwhile, Langston Hughes put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They breezed past Lovejoy to the tune of 35-7. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked fourth, while the Wildcats are ranked 52nd) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
East Paulding better keep an eye on Qwantavius Wiggins. He was instrumental in Langston Hughes' win, rushing for 143 yards and a pair of scores. Another player making a difference was Darnell Kelly, who rushed for 33 yards and one touchdown.
Langston Hughes' run defense was locked in: Lovejoy could only muster 3.4 yards per carry. The team can thank Russell Simpson for the heroic effort on defense: he. Langston Hughes hasn't allowed more than 5.8 yards per carry in six consecutive contests.
Langston Hughes' defense didn't let the opposing QB, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for four sacks. Kijon Brown-Braxton refused to say out of the backfield, picking up 1.5 sacks all by himself.
East Paulding's record now sits at 6-4. As for Langston Hughes, their record is now 10-0.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. East Paulding has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 149 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Langston Hughes struggles in that department as they've been averaging 245.9 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
East Paulding might still be hurting after the 54-29 loss they got from Langston Hughes in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. Can the Raiders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
