The Alexander Central Cougars will head out to square off against the Burns Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Alexander Central will be strutting in after a victory while Burns will be coming in after a loss.
If Burns heads into halftime all tied up, they better play a good second half: that's when Alexander Central took over last week. Alexander Central walked away with a 28-19 win over North Iredell on Friday. Given the Cougars' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 124th, while the Raiders are ranked 263rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Jeremiah Whitaker had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 213 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 carries. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 107 rushing yards per game. Wade Queen also deserves a mention for his punt return touchdown.
Alexander Central was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 386 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as North Iredell only rushed for 267.
Meanwhile, Burns lost 41-20 to Kings Mountain on Friday. The defeat continues a trend for the Bulldogs in their matchups with the Mountaineers: they've now lost seven in a row.
Despite their loss, Burns saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Marshall McGowan, who rushed for 51 yards and a touchdown, and also threw for 168 yards and a touchdown on only 13 passes, was perhaps the best of all. Kenyon Surratt was McGowan's top target, picking up 88 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Alexander Central now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Burns, they now have a losing record at 1-2.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Alexander Central has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 267.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Burns struggles in that department as they've been averaging 231. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Alexander Central was taken down by Burns 50-7 in their previous meeting back in September of 2023. Thankfully for Alexander Central, Jeremiah Norris (who rushed for 238 yards and four touchdowns on only 11 carries, and also picked up 44 receiving yards and a touchdown) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
