McEachern and Hillgrove are an even 5-5 against one another since November of 2015, but not for long. The Indians will head out to face off against the Hawks at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are still undefeated after seven games, but that won't be the case come Friday.
On Friday, McEachern was fully in charge, breezing past Pebblebrook 51-14. The final result isn't all that surprising considering the Indians' considerable advantage in MaxPreps' Georgia football rankings (they are ranked eighth, while the Falcons are ranked 204th).
Henry Pullen
| 10/10/25 vs Pebblebrook | 2 |
| 10/03/25 @ Harrison | 2 |
| 09/19/25 vs Paulding County | 3 |
| 09/12/25 vs Campbell | 2 |
| 08/29/25 @ Marietta | 2 |
| 08/22/25 vs North Cobb | 2 |
McEachern relied on the efforts of Calvin Pittman Jr, who threw for 165 yards and three touchdowns while completing 88.9% of his passes, and Henry Pullen, who rushed for 67 yards and a pair of scores. Pullen has been hot, having also posted two or more rushing touchdowns the last six times he's played.
Meanwhile, Hillgrove's rock-solid defense showed up for the team's fourth consecutive shutout on Friday. They never let Campbell get on the board and left with a 54-0 win. The Hawks pushed the score to 39-0 by the end of the third, a deficit the Spartans had no chance of recovering from.
Hillgrove's win came from a few key players McEachern will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Donovan Mack, who rushed for 48 yards and one TD, and also threw for 120 yards and one touchdown while completing 80% of his passes. Ian Wilcox helped out on the ground, rushing for 89 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Hillgrove was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 246 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 181 rushing yards in six consecutive games.
Hillgrove's defense made their presence known, laying out the QB five times. In that department, Jameson McCollough was the leader with two sacks. Hillgrove received some extra help from Demetrius Heywood, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
McEachern's record is now 7-0. As for Hillgrove, their record now sits at an identical 7-0.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. McEachern has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 300.9 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Hillgrove struggles in that department as they've been averaging 228.3 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's matchup turns into a tough fight on the ground.
McEachern came up short against Hillgrove in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, falling 30-23. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Hawks' Jaiden Moore, who rushed for 249 yards and three scores on only 13 carries, and also picked up 34 receiving yards. Now that the Indians know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
