Two dominant backs in Brycen Morris and Jaiden Moore are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. After each having a week off, the North Paulding Wolfpack and the Hillgrove Hawks will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:00 p.m. on the 14th. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 959 yards in their previous games.
Hillgrove will be up against a hot North Paulding squad: the team just extended their winning streak to four. The Wolfpack came within four points of losing the streak, but they secured a 28-24 W against Marietta.
One reason for the win was North Paulding's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for 3.5 sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Paul Dabbelt, Dylan Murakwani, and Jayden Coker, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Hillgrove took on South Cobb on Thursday. The Hawks blew past the Eagles, posting a 48-8 win. Considering the Hawks have won eight matchups by more than 27 points this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
North Paulding better focus on containing Jabari Green and Zion Williams as the pair were huge in Hillgrove's win. Green threw for 82 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 85.7% of his passes, while Williams rushed for 27 yards and three touchdowns. What's more, Green racked up 42 rushing yards, the most he's had since back in November of 2024.
Hillgrove's run defense was locked in: South Cobb could only muster -1.5 yards per carry. The team can thank Caiden Gaddy for the heroic effort on defense: he. Hillgrove didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 10.6.
Hillgrove's victory bumped their record up to 8-2. As for North Paulding, their win bumped their record up to an identical 8-2.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. North Paulding has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 254.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Hillgrove struggles in that department as they've been averaging 231.2 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything went North Paulding's way against Hillgrove when the teams last played back in October of 2023, as North Paulding made off with a 47-21 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wolfpack since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
