The Hickory Ridge Ragin' Bulls will challenge the A.L. Brown Wonders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Hickory Ridge will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each matchup than the last.
Hickory Ridge hadn't beaten Cox Mill on the road since September 18, 2015 but that history sure didn't bother them on Friday. The Ragin' Bulls had just enough and edged out the Chargers 23-20.
A big part of Hickory Ridge's win came down to the chemistry between Braden Barberio and his top target Luke Untereker. Barberio rushed for 32 yards and one TD while Untereker picked up 64 receiving yards and one score.
Wins are hard to come by when you can't run the rock, something Hickory Ridge proved: they limited Cox Mill to a paltry 1.9 yards per carry. While four picked up at least six total tackles, Bryson Kimble stood above the rest. He made six total tackles (4.5 for loss) and defended two passes. Hickory Ridge's ground attack was stronger, having averaged 3.6.
Hickory Ridge didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. It was truly a group effort as Camden Rice, Joshua Blackmon, and Justin Walker picked up one apiece. Another thorn in Cox Mill's side was Kimble, who made six total tackles (4.5 for loss) and defended two passes.
Meanwhile, the third road contest was the charm for A.L. Brown, as they earned their first away victory of the season. They took down Central Cabarrus 39-21 on Friday.
Hickory Ridge better focus on containing Lemar Grier and AJ Settles as the pair were huge in A.L. Brown's win. Grier rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns, while Settles rushed for 147 yards and a pair of TDs while picking up 8.6 yards per carry. The bulk of those rushing yards came from one huge play: a run that gained an incredible 79 yards.
Hickory Ridge's win bumped their record up to 3-4. As for A.L. Brown, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
Hickory Ridge lost to A.L. Brown at home by a decisive 31-14 margin in their previous matchup back in September of 2024. Thankfully for the Ragin' Bulls, Mekhi Herron (who rushed for 110 yards and one score) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
