Photo by Max Gallagher

Nov. 14. Hough returns to the field tonight at home to take on Palisades in the second round of the NCHSAA 8A playoffs. The Huskies (10-0) earned a first-round bye.

The Pumas (8-3) were runners-up in the Southwest 7A/8A Conference and advanced in the first round with a 26-23 win over South Mecklenburg, a team Hough defeated 42-10 during the regular season.

Palisades is led offensively by junior quarterback Cole Hough, who has thrown 17 touchdown passes this season. Nearly half of those have gone to senior wide receiver Terrel Valentine. Senior Jolani Legette leads the team with 74 receiving yards per game, while senior running back Lincoln Wise adds another 82 yards per game on the ground.

Defensively, the Pumas’ strong secondary has recorded 13 interceptions this season, fronted by a defensive line that has totaled 22.5 sacks.

The Huskies took the week off to heal and will get a boost with the return of star receiver Tyran Evans, who missed multiple games at the end of the regular season while recovering from an injury.

Tickets cost $10 on the Go Fan app and the game will be live streamed on NFHS Network. The theme of tonight’s game is camouflage.