McMichael and West Stokes are an even 3-3 against one another since September of 2014, but not for long. The McMichael Phoenix will head out to challenge the West Stokes Wildcats at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. McMichael's offense hasn't had much luck over their past three contests, but Friday's matchup will give them a chance to turn things around.
McMichael's offense might be in the hot seat on Friday considering what happened against Reidsville last Friday. They were outmatched by the Rams at home and fell 66-0. While losing is never fun, the Phoenix can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 352nd, while the Rams are ranked 31st).
Meanwhile, while it was all tied up 28-28 at halftime, West Stokes was not quite Reidsville's equal in the second half on Friday. The game between them and the Rams wasn't particularly close, with West Stokes falling 57-41. The Wildcats' loss signaled the end of their five-game winning streak.
West Stokes might have lost, but man, Aydden Cherry was a machine: he rushed for 206 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 9.8 yards per carry. Cherry was no stranger to the big play, taking off on a dash that went for 60 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Lindann Fleming, who rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: West Stokes was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 313 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
McMichael's defeat dropped their record down to 1-6. As for West Stokes, their loss dropped their record down to 6-2.
McMichael beat West Stokes 31-24 in their previous meeting back in October of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was West Stokes' Keyon Rawley, who rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 11.4 yards per carry, and also threw for four yards and a touchdown. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for McMichael to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
