With a playoff game on the line, North Oconee rose to the challenge on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 28-26 victory over the Cartersville Hurricanes. The win was just business as usual for the Titans, who after 13 games remain undefeated this season.
Cartersville's loss came despite strong showings from Brady Marchese and Nate Russell. Marchese picked up 180 receiving yards and three touchdowns, while Russell threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 11.3 yards per attempt. Marchese really caught the secondary sleeping when he pulled down a catch that went for 90 yards. A healthy portion of Russell's aerial production (81 yards to be exact) also went to Jamauri Brice.
North Oconee's victory was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-0. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 43.1 points per game. As for Cartersville, the loss snapped their winning streak at 12 games and leaves them with a 12-1 record.
North Oconee will welcome Blessed Trinity at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few points on average, (North Oconee: 9.8, Blessed Trinity: 11.5) so any points scored will be well earned. Cartersville does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
