The Watauga Pioneers will take on the Hibriten Panthers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Watauga will be coming into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
Last Friday, everything came up roses for Watauga on the road against Alexander Central as the team secured a 49-21 victory. The Pioneers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four matchups by 26 points or more this season.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Watauga was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 416 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in October of 2023.
Watauga didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Maddox Greene and Dillon Zaragoza. Greene also set a new season high mark in rushing yards with 200.
Meanwhile, Hibriten came up short against Ashe County on Friday and fell 46-38.
Despite the defeat, Hibriten got top-tier performance from Avin Crawford, who rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 carries. Crawford is becoming a predictor of Hibriten's success: when he posts at least two rushing touchdowns the team is 2-1 (and 0-3 when he doesn't). Speaking of playmakers, who could forget Landon Baker, who went all the way with a kickoff return for a touchdown.
Watauga's win was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 6-0. As for Hibriten, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-4 record this season.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Watauga has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 284.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Hibriten struggles in that department as they've been averaging 189. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Watauga took their victory against Hibriten in their previous meeting back in October of 2023 by a conclusive 41-21. In that matchup, Watauga amassed a halftime lead of 27-7, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
