Two dominant signal callers in Elan Lipford and Rylan Holley are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Hibriten Panthers will welcome the R-S Central Hilltoppers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
R-S Central will square off against a team with plenty of momentum: Hibriten extended their winning streak to six two weeks ago. The Panthers took their game with ease, bagging a 60-12 win over West Caldwell. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 99th, while the Warriors are ranked 378th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Dk Mitchell
| 10/31/25 @ West Caldwell | 4 |
| 10/24/25 @ Patton | 3 |
| 10/17/25 vs R-S Central | 3 |
| 10/10/25 @ Draughn | 2 |
| 10/03/25 vs Chase | 6 |
| 09/26/25 vs East Burke | 2 |
Dk Mitchell produced another solid effort rushing for 153 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 9.6 yards per carry. He has been hot, having posted two or more rushing touchdowns the last six times he's played. Ashton Woodruff was in the mix as well, providing Hibriten with one TD.
Hibriten's run defense was locked in: West Caldwell could only muster 1.4 yards per carry. The team can thank Elijah Laws for the heroic effort on defense: he. Hibriten didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 7.3.
Hibriten didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Cam Sidden, Grady Beam, and Evan Hollie picked up one apiece. Hibriten received some extra help from Woodruff, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Meanwhile, it's playoff time, and R-S Central had no trouble coming through when it counted. They breezed past Wilkes Central to the tune of 48-6 on Friday. With the Hilltoppers ahead 27-0 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
R-S Central found their leader in sophomore CJ Sparks, who rushed for 80 yards and a pair of scores on only ten carries.
Hibriten's victory bumped their record up to 9-1. As for R-S Central, they now have a winning record of 6-5.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Hibriten has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 175.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like R-S Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 236.5 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Hibriten strolled past R-S Central in their previous matchup back in October by a score of 45-26. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Hilltoppers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
