The Lakewood Leopards will face off against the North Johnston Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Lakewood gave up the first points last Friday, but they didn't let that get them down. They won a match that couldn't have been any closer, slipping by Red Springs 27-26. The 27-point effort marked the Leopards' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Nakai Owens was the offensive standout of the contest as he rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown on only five carries.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Lakewood was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 205 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 205 rushing yards in three consecutive matchups.
Lakewood wouldn't let Red Springs keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Lakewood can thank Reed Ammons and Dashaun Carr for forcing both of them.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask North Johnston). They blew past Hobbton 56-34 on Friday. With the Panthers ahead 36-13 at the half, the match was all but over already.
It was another big night for Kaleb Pone, who threw for 286 yards and five touchdowns while picking up 11.4 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 185 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.7 yards per carry. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 110.8 rushing yards per game.
Lakewood pushed their record up to 4-1 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. As for North Johnston, the victory got them back to even at 2-2.
Monday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Lakewood has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 245.8 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like North Johnston struggles in that department as they've been averaging 205. It's looking like Monday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything went Lakewood's way against North Johnston in their previous matchup back in September of 2023, as Lakewood made off with a 28-8 win. Will Lakewood repeat their success, or does North Johnston have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
