The Gretna Hawks will challenge the Dan River Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 971 yards in their previous games.
Dan River is facing Gretna at the wrong time: Gretna suffered their first home loss of the season on Friday and they're likely out for redemption. They were just a hair shy of victory and fell 48-47 to the Colonels. The Hawks gained 203 more yards on the day, but it was the Colonels that made the best use of them.
Gretna might have lost, but man, Rayshaun Logan was a machine: he threw for 449 yards and five TDs while picking up 15.0 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 34 yards and one touchdown.
The home team had won the previous three meetings between Dan River and Chatham, and Dan River kept the tradition alive. The Wildcats took their matchup on Friday with ease, bagging a 42-12 win over the Cavaliers. With the Wildcats ahead 28-6 at the half, the contest was all but over already.
Gretna better keep an eye on Kiyunn Myers. He was instrumental in Dan River's win, rushing for 167 yards and one score while picking up 8.8 yards per carry. They also got help from Daylin Gregory, who showed off his sure hands for 89 receiving yards.
Dan River was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 276 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since back in November of 2024.
Dan River's defense made their presence known, laying out Jacob Vanderhyde four times. O'Bryan Myers refused to say out of the backfield, picking up 1.5 sacks all by himself. Dan River got some further help from Tanner Atkinson: he made 11 total tackles (1.0 for loss) and defended five passes in addition to snagging two interceptions.
Dan River is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 5-5 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 35.0 points over those games. As for Gretna, their defeat was their first in the region, dropping their region record down to 5-1 and their overall record down to 8-2.
Everything came up roses for Gretna against Dan River when the teams last played back in October, as the squad secured a 56-28 win. Do the Hawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wildcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.