Following an exciting overtime victory over Laney last week, the Hoggard football team knew the celebration would be short-lived with No. 2-ranked New Bern next on the schedule, coming off a dominant performance against New Hanover.
The Vikings will have their hands full as they hit the road tonight to take on one of the top teams in the state. Coach Scott Braswell understands that his guys will need to be near perfect to have a chance for the upset, despite both teams coming into the game unbeaten at 6-0.
“New Bern is one of the most athletic teams in the state and very well-coached,” said Braswell. “When watching them on film, you can see why many think they could win it all this year.”
The Vikings will stick to what they do best on the offensive side of the ball as they’ll try to get the Bears defense on their heels behind quarterback Christian Poveromo. Poveromo has thrown eight touchdowns this year, which included a 39–yard screen pass for the game-tying score late in the fourth quarter last week against the Bucs. Sheldon Cooper and Keevin Thompson will get their fair share of carries for the Vikes as the two have combined for more than 900 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns.
New Bern is loaded with talent and has the ability to put points on the board early and often. The Bears have a core group of players who will be moving on to the division one collegiate level next year in running backs Chandler Powell (Navy), Bra’lon Cherry (N.C.State) and the team’s leading rusher Jacquin Watkins. Quarterback Josh Taylor also is considering a number of schools while averaging more than 200 yards passing in six wins this season.
The biggest challenge for Hoggard will be to mix up the pass and run game to utilize the team’s strength. Protecting the football will be one of the many keys to victory for the Vikes as the Bears returned two interceptions for touchdowns in last week’s 63-34 win over the Wildcats. New Bern moved up a spot this week to No. 2 in the latest AP 4A high school poll.
Kickoff between Hoggard and New Bern is set for 7:30 p.m.
