The Hickory Grove Christian Lions will head out on the road to face off against the Covenant Day Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 55-12, which was the final score in Hickory Grove Christian's tilt against Asheville School (Independent) on Friday. While losing is never fun, Hickory Grove Christian can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 230th, while Asheville School (Independent) is ranked 102nd).
Hickory Grove Christian's defeat shouldn't obscure the performances of Anthony Hawkins, who rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown, and Gavin Thompson who rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown on only seven carries.
Covenant Day fell on hard times earlier this season, but after back-to-back wins it seems like their luck might finally be changing. They managed a 20-14 victory over High Point Christian Academy on Friday.
Jaelan Pile was the offensive standout of the match as he rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown on only 11 carries, and also threw for 18 yards and a touchdown while completing 100% of his passes. Pile was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 54 yards. Jakota Hase also deserves a shout-out for his two touchdowns.
This is the second loss in a row for Hickory Grove Christian and nudges their season record down to 8-2. Those losses could be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 12.5 points per game. As for Covenant Day, their victory bumped their record up to 5-5.
Everything came up roses for Hickory Grove Christian against Covenant Day in their previous matchup back in September as the team secured a 42-7 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Hickory Grove Christian since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
