NORTHSIDE (3-5, 0-3 1A COASTAL PLAINS CONFERENCE) AT TARBORO (7-0, 3-0 1A CPC)

LAST TIME OUT ON THE FIELD

The Panthers are coming off of a 54-8 loss to South Creek in which the Cougars celebrated homecoming by running for 456 yards and eight touchdowns. South Creek senior Jaylen Short had a field day, running for 234 yards and three scores with a 16.7 yards-per-carry average. James Gorham scored the lone touchdown for Northside with a 60-yard run, but Short came right back with the highlight of the night, an 87-yard scoring run.

THREE THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. How will Northside’s defense hold up against Tarboro? After starting off the season with two shutouts and giving up 18 points in week three, the Panther defense has fallen off a bit. Northside gave up at least 54 points in its past two games, and things won’t get any easier against Tarboro, as the Vikings are averaging 55.0 points a game.

 

2. Can the Panthers get out of their own way? Northside head coach Keith Boyd has harped on the fact that his team has been too sloppy in many games, missing assignments and committing penalties. Playing against Tarboro is challenging enough to begin with, but if the Panthers continue shooting themselves in the foot, they will be in for a rough game.

 

3. Can Northside find a way to bust out for explosive plays? Big plays have been hard to come by for the Panthers this season, but they managed to unleash long plays for touchdowns at times. The most recent was Gorham’s 60-yard touchdown run against South Creek, and Northside will need more plays like that to get on the scoreboard, because sustaining long drives against the Tarboro defense is nearly impossible.