Chapel Hill and Henderson are an even 5-5 against one another since October of 2014, but not for long. The Chapel Hill Bulldogs will head out to square off against the Henderson Lions at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Chapel Hill is looking to tack on another W to their six-game streak on the road dating back to last season.
Things were looking good for Chapel Hill after they put the first points on the board on Friday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They took a 20-14 hit to the loss column at the hands of Pine Tree. While the Bulldogs didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Pirates 7-0 in the first quarter.
Chapel Hill might have lost, but man, Malik Gee was a machine: he rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown while picking up 7.4 yards per carry, and also threw for 133 yards and a touchdown. Those 118 rushing yards gave Gee a new career-high. A healthy portion of Gee's aerial production (80 yards to be exact) went to Maliek Brown, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Chapel Hill didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Ke'Rion Green. He also made five total tackles, which is notable because Chapel Hill is 5-1 when he posts at least three total tackles, but 1-2 otherwise.
Meanwhile, after a string of five wins, Henderson's good fortune finally ran out last Friday. They fell 35-25 to Pine Tree.
Henderson might have lost, but man, Jesstin Starling was a machine: he rushed for 190 yards and a touchdown. Starling's rushing production has been exceptional as that marked his fifth straight game with at least 119 rushing yards.
Chapel Hill's defeat dropped their record down to 6-3. As for Henderson, their loss dropped their record down to 6-2.
Friday's contest will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Rickey Stewart and Starling. Stewart has put up some stellar numbers this year, and currently owns excellent season averages 118.2 rushing yards per game this season. For his part, Starling has averaged 154.6 rushing yards per game this season.
Everything came up roses for Chapel Hill against Henderson in their previous meeting back in October of 2023, as the team secured a 63-24 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Chapel Hill since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
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