The Red Springs Red Devils will head out on the road to take on the Purnell Swett Rams at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 62-26, which was the final score in Red Springs' tilt against Gray's Creek on Saturday. While losing is never fun, the Red Devils can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 370th, while the Bears are ranked 162nd).
Despite the loss, Red Springs got top-tier performance from Taquan (TJ) Ellerbe, who picked up 135 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Ellerbe was no stranger to the big play, connecting with a big catch that went for 65 yards. Red Springs also got a significant boost from Jakelsin Mack, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 93 yards.
Meanwhile, after only seven points in their last match, Purnell Swett made sure to put some points up on the board against Fairmont on Saturday. Purnell Swett blew past Fairmont 40-12 on the road. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Rams have posted since August 18, 2023.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Purnell Swett was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 202 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in September of 2023.
On the defensive side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Purnell Swett's defense and their 5.5 sacks. In that department, Ethan Sampson was the leader with 2.5. His also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, picking up 2.5 sacks and making three total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Red Springs' defeat was their fourth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 0-2. As for Purnell Swett, the win also got them back to even at 1-1.
Red Springs suffered a grim 33-13 defeat to Purnell Swett in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. Can Red Springs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
