The Starmount Rams will play host again on Friday to welcome the East Wilkes Cardinals, where kickoff is scheduled at 7:00 p.m. Both have allowed few points on average, (Starmount: 3.3, East Wilkes: 14.5) so any points scored will be well earned.
Starmount is headed into the match after thoroughly thrashing Carrboro: they outscored them in every quarter. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that Starmount blew Carrboro out of the water with a 55-6 final score. The result was nothing new for the Rams, who have now won six matchups by 43 points or more so far this season.
Starmount's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kinston Crater led the charge by rushing for 150 yards and a touchdown on only 14 carries. That's the most rushing yards Crater has posted since back in November of 2023. Another player making a difference was Colton Allen, who picked up 81 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Starmount was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 334 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, East Wilkes was not the first on the board last Friday, but they got there more often. They snuck past Elkin with a 15-10 victory. Given the Cardinals' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 177th, while the Buckin' Elks are ranked 359th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
East Wilkes can attribute much of their success to Phoenix Blackburn, who rushed for 71 yards and two touchdowns, and Colt Stowe, who rushed for 77 yards on only five carries. Stowe's longest rush was for an incredible 71 yards.
East Wilkes didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Aiden Irwin and Austin Nash.
Starmount's win bumped their record up to 6-1. As for East Wilkes, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-1.
Friday's contest might be decided in the on the ground. Starmount has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 239.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like East Wilkes struggles in that department as they've been averaging 276. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Starmount against East Wilkes when the teams last played back in October of 2023, as the squad secured a 35-6 win. Will Starmount repeat their success, or does East Wilkes have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
