Photo by Max Gallagher

By Ryan Moxon — The nationally ranked, undefeated Huskies travel to South Mecklenburg tonight to take on the 3-4 Sabres as they look to improve to 8-0.

Both teams enter the game with undefeated conference records. Hough is coming off a record-setting 72-0 win over Garinger last week, while South Mecklenburg beat West Mecklenburg 45-34. The Huskies scored 44 points against West Mecklenburg in Week 6 while pitching a shutout on defense.

The Sabres’ offensive success has relied heavily on the running game. In the five games in which they’ve rushed for more than 100 yards, they’ve won three and lost another by one point. Junior Naygen Egbert leads the team with 117 rushing yards per game and a team-high 11 total touchdowns. He averages 6 yards per carry.

The Huskies have also showcased a strong running game, topping 100 yards on the ground in five of seven games. The leading trio of Jamarion Morrison, Kaiden Anderson and quarterback Ethan Royal are averaging a combined 117 yards per game.

Hough’s defense has continued to dominate, allowing just 33 points all season and none in the past three games. According to MaxPreps, the team’s 38 sacks are the most in the nation.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Tickets are $11 through GoFan. The game is scheduled to stream live on NFHS Network with a subscription.

Award season

Royal and Hough defensive back Davion Jones are semifinalists for N.C. Mr. Football, which recognizes the state’s top player. The list of semifinalists will be narrowed to three finalists with the winner announced before the state championship games in December.

Hough defensive back Samari Matthews, who now plays at the University of Texas, won the award last year.

Jones is also one of five finalists for WSOC-TV’s annual Big 22 Player of the Year Award, which has been narrowed from the initial list of 22 eligible Charlotte-area players.

Big 22 Voting is open until Oct. 26.