Hiram is 0-5 against Cartersville since October of 2020 but things could change on Friday. The Hornets will welcome the Hurricanes at 7:30 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Hiram comes in on four and Cartersville on nine.
On Friday, Hiram was able to grind out a solid win over Allatoona, taking the game 34-21.
Hiram's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Amari Lindley, who rushed for 87 yards and one touchdown.
Hiram didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jadyn Daigre and Jory Wardlaw.
Meanwhile, Cartersville never let their opponents score on Friday. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Cedartown 52-0. Considering the Hurricanes have won eight matchups by more than 23 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Hiram better keep an eye on Nate Russell. He was instrumental in Cartersville's win, throwing for 227 yards and five TDs on perfect 8-for-8 passing. Thanks to that big game, Russell is now up to 28 passing touchdowns on the season. Another receiver making a difference was Brady Marchese, who picked up 70 receiving yards and three scores.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Cartersville was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 200 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 200 rushing yards in three consecutive contests.
Special teams was a major factor in the game for Cartersville, racking up 14 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Madoxx Davis, who ran a punt back for a touchdown.
Cartersville's victory bumped their record up to 9-0. As for Hiram, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Hiram couldn't quite finish off Cartersville when the teams last played back in October of 2024 and fell 45-43. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Russell, who threw for 245 yards and four touchdowns while completing 72.7% of his passes, and also rushed for 47 yards. Now that the Hornets know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
