Photo by Max Gallagher

By Ryan Moxon — The top-ranked Hough football team hosts Providence Day on Friday night in a sold out game being billed as one of the most anticipated matchups of the season in North Carolina.

Providence Day, the defending 6A champion, enters the game ranked No. 2 in the state after wins over No. 16 Myers Park and No. 22 Rolesville. Hough, the defending 8A champion, has defeated Northwestern, the top-ranked team in South Carolina, and No. 5 Cardinal Gibbons.

Providence Day will likely present Hough with its toughest challenge of the season on both sides of the ball.

The Chargers feature a sizable defensive line and talented backfield that will test Hough quarterback Ethan Royal, who threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score last week. Royal will look to connect with leading receiver Mason Pearsall-Brown against a Providence Day defense that has allowed little room for opposing offenses.

The game also features a highly anticipated matchup between two of the top five-star players in the country: Providence Day wide receiver Braylon Clark and Hough defensive back Josh Dobson. Clark is part of a Chargers receiving corps considered among the best in the state.

Chargers senior quarterback Cole Cater, in his first season as the starter, has completed 70% of his passes and has a 142.2 passing rating to start the season.

The game kicks off at 7 p.m. at Hough. While tickets are sold out, the game will be streamed live on the NFHS Network with a subscription.

Editor’s note: We will continue to publish streaming information advertised for Hough football games. Please note, however, that NFHS Network has failed to stream Hough’s first two games of the season.