Khalil Harrell
| 09/12/25 @ Cherokee | 230 |
| 09/05/25 vs South Paulding | 94 |
| 08/29/25 @ Harrison | 77 |
| 08/22/25 @ East Paulding | 33 |
| 08/15/25 vs Parkview | 69 |
Cherokee came into Friday's game looking for another win against North Paulding, but Khalil Harrell wouldn't allow it. The Wolfpack strolled past the Warriors with points to spare on Friday, taking the game 59-43 for which the team can thank Harrell, who rushed for 230 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 14.4 yards per carry. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 100.6 rushing yards per game.
One reason for the win was North Paulding's imposing defensive line, which managed to get into the backfield for 4.5 sacks. Cherokee's QB won't forget Wesley Rakestraw anytime soon given he sacked him twice. Rakestraw also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with nine. Brandon Lentz got in on the action too, converting a pick into a touchdown.
When it comes to explaining why Cherokee lost, don't look at Brandon Hamilton. Despite the final result, he rushed for 237 yards and three TDs on only 15 carries. Hamilton's longest rush was for an incredible 88 yards. Another player making a difference was Jack Ruban, who picked up 181 receiving yards and one score.
The victory made it two in a row for North Paulding and bumps their season record up to 4-1. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 48.5 points over those games. As for Cherokee, their loss was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-4.
Coming up, North Paulding will welcome North Cobb at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 934 yards in their previous games. As for Cherokee, they will have a little extra prep time after the defeat as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Etowah at 7:30 p.m. on the 26th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
