The Gaffney Indians will venture away from home to face off against the Northwestern Trojans at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Gaffney sitting on four straight victories and Northwestern on 12.
Gaffney is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 21-7 win over T.L. Hanna.
Jaiden McDowell had an outrageously good game as he rushed for 121 yards while picking up 7.1 yards per carry, and also caught a touchdown. Those 121 rushing yards gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jayvon Gilmore, who threw for 113 yards and three touchdowns.
Gaffney wouldn't let T.L. Hanna keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Gaffney can thank Shedrick Sarratt and Josh Corry for forcing both of them.
Meanwhile, Northwestern faced Greenwood in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. Northwestern blew past Greenwood 35-6. Considering the Trojans have won nine matches by more than 28 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Finley Polk continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, throwing for 244 yards and two touchdowns, while also punching in a touchdown on the ground. A healthy portion of Polk's aerial production (105 yards to be exact) went to Jayden Nichols, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
Northwestern pushed their record up to 12-0 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 41.5 points. As for Gaffney, their record is now 10-1.
The upcoming contest will be a clash of competing strengths. Gaffney has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 176.8 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Northwestern has preferred to attack from the air: they average 278.4 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Friday? There's only one way to find out.
Gaffney might still be hurting after the 49-24 loss they got from Northwestern in their previous matchup back in September of 2023. Thankfully for Gaffney, Turbo Richard (who rushed for 114 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries) 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
