The Wheeler Wildcats are taking a road trip to challenge the Etowah Eagles at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Wheeler will be strutting in after a win while Etowah will be coming in after a defeat.
Having struggled with three losses in a row, Wheeler turned things around against Cherokee on Friday. They came out on top against the Warriors by a score of 21-8.
Wheeler's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Greg Kendrick led the charge by rushing for 116 yards and one touchdown. The team also got some help courtesy of Patrick McCollough, who threw for 223 yards and a pair of TDs while picking up 10.6 yards per attempt.
Another reason for the win was Wheeler's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. De'Marioan Hurd was particularly dangerous to the passing game, picking up two himself.
Meanwhile, Etowah came up short against North Paulding on Friday and fell 33-20. While the Eagles didn't get the win, they did start the game off strong, beating the Wolfpack 14-7 in the first quarter.
Wheeler will have to contain Zeke Douglass as he made an impact in Etowah's last game. He threw for 194 yards and two touchdowns, and also rushed for 91 yards on only ten carries. Douglass got the majority of those rushing yards when he took off on a run that went for an incredible 54 yards. A healthy portion of Douglass' aerial production (118 yards to be exact) went to Walker Hughes.
Etowah didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Phoenix Caesar and Cooper Hendrix. Caesar has been hot, having also posted at least one defended passe the last five times he's played.
Etowah now has a losing record of 3-4. As for Wheeler, their victory was their first in the region, bumping their region record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 2-5.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. Wheeler has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 174.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Etowah struggles in that department as they've been averaging 179.3 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Wheeler couldn't quite finish off Etowah in their previous meeting back in October of 2024 and fell 16-13. Can the Wildcats avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
