Two dominant backs in Kingston Welch and Shoddy Pergee are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Cherokee Braves will challenge the Albemarle Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Having both just faced considerable losses, both teams are looking to turn things around.
Cherokee is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 47 points two weeks ago, they were much more limited against Robbinsville on Friday. They had to suffer through a 54-7 loss at the hands of the Black Knights. While losing is never fun, the Braves can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 315th, while the Black Knights are ranked 149th).
Meanwhile, it's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 50-13, which was the final score in Albemarle's tilt against South Stanly on Friday. The defeat continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their meetings with the Rowdy Rebel Bulls: they've now lost three in a row.
Cherokee will have to contain Aj Butler as he made an impact in Albemarle's last game. He rushed for 82 yards and one TD.
Albemarle's loss dropped their record down to 4-6. As for Cherokee, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-7.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Cherokee has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 150.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Albemarle struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 194.1 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Cherokee strolled past Albemarle when the teams last played back in November of 2018 by a score of 38-19. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Braves since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
