Football Game Preview: Rolesville Rams vs. Grimsley Whirlies

The Rolesville Rams and the Grimsley Whirlies will compete for holiday cheer at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Rolesville comes in on 13 and Grimsley on 15.

Rolesville is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They walked away with a 38-31 win over Cardinal Gibbons. The defensive woes were uncharacteristic for the Rams, who until this contest were averaging 11.67 points allowed.

It was another big night for Braden Atkinson, who threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 14.5 yards per attempt. That's the most passing yards he has posted since back in October. Jaedon Alford also helped with two touchdowns in total.

Meanwhile, Grimsley and Weddington (ranked 23rd and 36th in the MaxPreps national rankings respectively) squared off in a high-profile match on Friday. Grimsley came out on top against Weddington by a score of 35-23. 35 seems to be a good number for the Whirlies as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of points in their previous game.

Grimsley's win came from a few key players Rolesville will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Kaden Catoe, who picked up 188 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He showed off some serious burst, connecting on a big catch for 55 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Mitchell Summers, who rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns.

Grimsley pushed their record up to 15-0 with the win, which was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 37.8 points. As for Rolesville, their victory bumped their record up to 14-1.

Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Rolesville has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 150.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Grimsley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 244.1 rushing yards. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.

Rolesville lost to Grimsley on the road by a decisive 35-20 margin in their previous meeting back in August. Can Rolesville avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.