Strom Thurmond is on a six-game streak of home wins, while Keenan is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Strom Thurmond Rebels will take on the Keenan Raiders at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Strom Thurmond knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past six contests -- so hopefully Keenan likes a good challenge.
With a playoff game on the line, Strom Thurmond rose to the challenge on Friday. They claimed a resounding 49-7 win over Landrum at home. Considering Strom Thurmond has won eight matchups by more than 25 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Strom Thurmond had a senior duo take command as Chris Barnes rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries and Quan Edmond threw for 172 yards and three touchdowns while completing 81.8% of his passes. Edmond has been hot recently, having posted three or more passing touchdowns the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Blocker, who rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown.
Another reason for the win was Strom Thurmond's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Leading the way was Eric Clark and his two sacks.
Meanwhile, Keenan had just enough and edged Ninety Six out 24-21 on Friday.
Keenan got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Desmond Washington out in front who threw for 196 yards and two touchdowns on only 17 passes, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Another player making a difference was Evan Artemus, who rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Their wins bumped Strom Thurmond to 9-2 and Keenan to 5-5.
Strom Thurmond strolled past Keenan when the teams last played back in November of 2022 by a score of 21-6. Does Strom Thurmond have another victory up their sleeve, or will Keenan turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
