Mount Airy and East Surry are an even 5-5 against one another since November of 2016, but not for long. The Granite Bears will face off against the Cardinals at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
East Surry will be up against a hot Mount Airy team: the squad just extended their winning streak to five. The Granite Bears claimed a resounding 62-10 victory over Surry Central. Given the Granite Bears' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina football rankings (they are ranked 95th, while the Golden Eagles are ranked 400th) , the win on Friday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Taeshon Martin
| 08/22/25 vs Starmount | 247 |
| 10/03/25 vs North Surry | 238 |
| 09/19/25 vs St. Stephens | 204 |
| 10/24/25 vs Surry Central | 179 |
| 10/17/25 @ Forbush | 100 |
| + 2 more games |
Taeshon Martin produced another solid performance rushing for 179 yards and a pair of scores on only nine carries. He is becoming a predictor of Mount Airy's success: when he posts at least 80 rushing yards the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't). The Granite Bears also got a significant boost from Cashtyn Revels, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 83 yards.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Mount Airy was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 274 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Surry Central only rushed for two.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for East Surry, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They blew past Forbush, posting a 41-3 win. The victory continues a trend for the Cardinals in their matchups with the Falcons: they've now won six in a row.
Mount Airy better focus on containing Nathan Kiger and JB Davis as the pair were huge in East Surry's win. Kiger rushed for 214 yards and one TD on only 13 carries, while Davis threw for 136 yards and four touchdowns while completing 80% of his passes. With that strong performance, Kiger is now averaging an impressive 110.4 rushing yards per game.
East Surry didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Aidan Harpe and Samuel Freeman. East Surry got some further help from Josh Key: he picked up a sack, forced two fumbles, and made five total tackles (3.0 for loss).
Mount Airy's record now sits at 7-2. As for East Surry, their record is now 4-5.
Friday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: Martin and Kiger. Martin just won't slow down this season and has run in 16 touchdowns while averaging 160.3 rushing yards per game. Kiger has been a dominant force too and has run in 10 touchdowns while averaging 110.4 rushing yards per game.
Everything went Mount Airy's way against East Surry when the teams last played back in August of 2024, as Mount Airy made off with a 28-7 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Granite Bears since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
