Hickory is on a 19-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while North Lincoln is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Hickory Red Tornadoes will host the North Lincoln Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. One thing working in Hickory's favor is that they have posted at least 31 points every time they've taken the field this season.
Hickory is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They took down Crest 63-48. The defensive woes were uncharacteristic for the Red Tornadoes, who until this contest were averaging 13.15 points allowed.
Brady Stober was his usual excellent self, throwing for 478 yards and six touchdowns while completing 73.9% of his passes, and also rushing for 32 yards. Jamien Little was Stober's top target, picking up 235 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Hickory didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Brett Rowland. Carter Toney was another major factor on D, making 22 total tackles (2.0 for loss) and defending a pass.
Meanwhile, North Lincoln beat Ashbrook 20-10 on Friday. The 20-point effort marked the Knights' lowest-scoring match of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
North Lincoln's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Landen Agee, who rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown on only ten carries. The team also got some help courtesy of Shannon Wingate, who rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown.
North Lincoln was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 255 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 177 rushing yards in 23 consecutive matchups dating back to last season.
North Lincoln's victory bumped their record up to 12-1. As for Hickory, their win bumped their record up to 13-0.
Friday's game might be decided in the on the ground. Hickory has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 174.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like North Lincoln struggles in that department as they've been averaging 330.4. It's looking like Friday's contest might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Hickory against North Lincoln when the teams last played back in October, as the squad secured a 60-25 victory. Does Hickory have another victory up their sleeve, or will North Lincoln turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
