Football Game Preview: Jacksonville Cardinals vs. Union Pines Vikings

Jacksonville has won nine straight games at home (dating back to last season), while Union Pines has won nine straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Cardinals will welcome the Vikings at 7:00 p.m. One thing working in Jacksonville's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points in their last four matchups.

Jacksonville is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. In a tight contest that could have gone either way, they made off with a 35-34 victory over Scotland.

Amari Pearson

Rushing Yards

11/21/25 vs Scotland	122
11/14/25 vs Harnett Central	151
10/30/25 vs White Oak	141
10/24/25 vs D.H. Conley	234
10/17/25 @ South Central	172
+ 5 more games

Anthony Washington and Amari Pearson were among the main playmakers for Jacksonville as the former rushed for 128 yards and two TDs on only seven carries and the latter rushed for 122 yards and three scores on only 14 carries. Pearson's rushing production has been exceptional for a while as that marked his tenth straight game with at least 100 rushing yards.

Jacksonville didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of SaRonn Thompson and Domonic Williams. Another thorn in Scotland's side was Jackson Henry, who made 16 total tackles (1.0 for loss).

Meanwhile, Union Pines beat Williams 17-7 on Friday.

Union Pines' win came from a few key players Jacksonville will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Adrian Colon, who rushed for 82 yards and one touchdown, and also picked up 42 receiving yards. Another player making a difference was Hayne Tobias, who picked up 73 receiving yards.

Union Pines' win bumped their record up to 11-1. As for Jacksonville, their victory bumped their record up to 11-0.

Friday's game will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Pearson and Colon. Pearson just won't slow down this season and has run in 28 touchdowns while averaging 156.3 rushing yards per game. Colon has been a dominant force too and has run in 13 touchdowns while averaging 93.6 rushing yards per game.