West Iredell hasn't had much luck against Hickory recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Warriors will host the Red Tornadoes at 7:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few points on average (West Iredell 11.7, Hickory 11.7) so any points scored will be well earned.
It's never fun to lose, and it's even less fun to lose 41-14, which was the final score in West Iredell's tilt against East Lincoln on Friday. The defensive woes were uncharacteristic for the Warriors, who until this contest were averaging 11.67 points allowed.
Despite the loss, West Iredell got top-tier performance from Amario Spence, who rushed for 123 yards and two scores while picking up 7.7 yards per carry. Spence also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, picking up a sack and making two total tackles.
While West Iredell came up short, they sure didn't make it easy for East Lincoln: they limited their QB to completion percentage of just 43.8%. The team can thank Gabriel Harshman for the heroic effort on defense: he. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for West Iredell; they were averaging 61.8%completion percentage earlier this season, but in their last three games they've fallen to only 61.8%.
West Iredell didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Harshman and Jaquan Wasson.
Meanwhile, Hickory had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 43.8 points) and they went ahead and made it six on Friday. They strolled past the Blue Devils with points to spare, taking the game 38-21. The victory almost wasn't to be: the Red Tornadoes were down 21-7 in the second quarter.
West Iredell better keep an eye on Jaheem Jenkins. He was instrumental in Hickory's win, rushing for 174 yards and four TDs. Those four rushing touchdowns gave Jenkins a new career-high.
Hickory's win bumped their record up to 6-1. As for West Iredell, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-2.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. West Iredell has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 184.7 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Hickory struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 179.6 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
West Iredell took a serious blow against Hickory in their previous matchup back in October of 2024, falling 76-10. That game was all but decided by halftime, at which point the Warriors were down 55-7.
