The West Columbus Vikings and the Pender Patriots are set to duel on Friday. West Columbus' offense hasn't had much luck over their past five matchups, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
West Columbus' offense might be in the hot seat on Friday considering what happened against East Bladen on Friday. They were outmatched by the Eagles at home and fell 43-0.
Meanwhile, Pender came up short against Whiteville on Friday and fell 51-38. The defeat continues a trend for the Patriots in their matchups with the Wolfpack: they've now lost four in a row.
Despite the loss, Pender got top-tier performance from Jeremiah Johnson, who rushed for 298 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 7.5 yards per carry. Johnson's rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his eighth straight game with at least 121 rushing yards dating back to last season. Pender also got a significant boost from Jassiah Hill, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 80 yards.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Pender was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 434 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 195 rushing yards in eight consecutive contests.
West Columbus' defeat dropped their record down to 1-6. As for Pender, their loss dropped their record down to 5-3.
Everything came up roses for West Columbus against Pender in their previous matchup back in November of 2023, as the squad secured a 54-6 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for West Columbus since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
