Harnett Central has been away from home for two games now, but on Thursday they'll finally make their return. They will welcome the Westover Wolverines at 7:00 p.m. Harnett Central knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with 31 points or more in their past four matchups -- so hopefully Westover likes a good challenge.
Harnett Central is headed into the contest having just posted their biggest victory since September 15, 2023 on Friday. They claimed a resounding 42-6 win over Western Harnett on the road. Given the Trojans' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 167th, while the Eagles are ranked 366th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Landon Culbreth continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, picking up 54 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 72 yards and a touchdown. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. Ethyn Muhammad was another key player, rushing for 104 yards and a touchdown on only 13 carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Harnett Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 239 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Westover entered their match against Pine Forest on Friday without any home losses, but there's a first time for everything. Westover fell just short of Pine Forest by a score of 24-22. The loss continues a trend for the Wolverines in their matchups with the Trojans: they've now lost nine in a row.
The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Nasir Wells, who rushed for 111 yards on only 14 carries. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his third straight game with at least 111 rushing yards.
Harnett Central's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Westover, their defeat was their first of the season and also makes their record 3-1.
Harnett Central didn't have too much breathing room in their game against Westover in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, but they still walked away with a 20-14 win. Will Harnett Central repeat their success, or does Westover have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
