The Northeastern Eagles will square off against the Pender Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Northeastern is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They breezed past South Columbus to the tune of 56-21. Given the Eagles' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 105th, while the Stallions are ranked 235th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Da'Mari Mcneill
| 11/14/25 vs South Columbus | 174 |
| 09/12/25 @ Wilson Prep | 133 |
| 08/29/24 vs J.H. Rose | 125 |
| 09/20/24 @ First Flight | 110 |
| 08/23/24 vs Bertie | 76 |
Northeastern can attribute much of their success to Da'Mari Mcneill, who gained 216 total yards and two touchdowns, and Zak Ishman, who threw for 322 yards and four TDs while completing 81.8% of his passes. The dominant performance also gave Mcneill a new career-high in rushing yards (174). Northeastern's leading receiver Uzziah Harney was Ishman's top target yet again, picking up 104 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Northeastern was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 265 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Special teams also deserves some recognition, posting 14 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Harney, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, a well-balanced attack led Pender over Hertford County in every quarter on their way to victory on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that the Patriots blew the Bears out of the water with a 60-0 final score. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point the Patriots had established a 54-point advantage.
Northeastern better keep an eye on ZyQuan Murphy. He was instrumental in Pender's win, rushing for 197 yards and four scores on only 15 carries. With that strong performance, Murphy is now averaging an impressive 103.3 rushing yards per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Zeke Williams, who rushed for 135 yards and one TD.
Northeastern pushed their record up to 8-3 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 44.4 points over those games. As for Pender, their record now sits at 10-1.
We should be in store for an exciting game as Northeastern and Pender have no problem gaining yardage. The Eagles have been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 368.9 total yards per game. However, it's not like Pender struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 480.2 total yards. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
