The Albemarle Bulldogs will venture away from home to take on the Union Academy Cardinals at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Albemarle is no doubt hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses.
Albemarle is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Mount Pleasant on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Albemarle came up short against Mount Pleasant, falling 30-8. While losing is never fun, the Bulldogs can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 298th, while the Tigers are ranked 136th).
Despite the defeat, Albemarle had strong showings from Zyion Geiger, who picked up 128 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Dre Davis, who threw for 171 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, Union Academy posted their closest victory since October 27, 2023 on Friday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Lake Norman Charter , sneaking past 13-10.
Union Academy's defense stepped up as well, laying out David Wignot. five times. The heavy lifting was done by Breshen Bennett and Michael Hughes, who racked up all five sacks between them. Hughes is also on a roll when it comes to total tackles, as he's now made five or more in the last 17 games he's played dating back to last season.
Most of the squad's points came courtesy of special teams, who contributed seven in total. Paxton Derrick launched a 47-yard bomb between the uprights, which ended up accounting for the difference in the game.
Albemarle's loss dropped their record down to 2-6. As for Union Academy, their win bumped their record up to 5-3.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Albemarle has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 153 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Union Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 176.2. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Everything came up roses for Albemarle against Union Academy when the teams last played back in October of 2023, as the team secured a 38-6 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Albemarle since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
