The Piedmont Panthers will head out to square off against the Montgomery Central Timberwolves at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Piedmont will head into Friday's match ready to turn things around: they lost a close one when they played last Friday but unfortunately for them the defeat they were handed on Friday was a bit more commanding. They came up short against South Iredell, falling 41-17. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 294th, while the Vikings are ranked 131st).
Despite the loss, Piedmont got top-tier performance from Nathaniel Gagnon, who rushed for 255 yards and a touchdown while picking up 9.4 yards per carry. With that strong performance, Gagnon is now averaging an impressive 123 rushing yards per game.
Even though they lost, Piedmont was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 295 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've posted since was before the start of last season.
Meanwhile, Montgomery Central put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They claimed a resounding 46-6 victory over Orange at home. The game marked the Timberwolves' most dominant win of the season so far.
Montgomery Central's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged two passes before it was all said and done. The picks came courtesy of Iziah Davis and Knavi Harris.
Piedmont dropped their record down to 1-3 with that defeat, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Montgomery Central, their victory bumped their record up to 4-0.
Friday's contest might be decided in the trenches. Piedmont has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 150.5 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Montgomery Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 185. It's looking like Friday's matchup might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Piedmont won a match that couldn't have been any closer when the teams last played back in September of 2023, slipping by Montgomery Central 14-13. The rematch might be a little tougher for Piedmont since the team 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
