Preview: Hawthorne Hornets vs. West Port Wolf Pack

The undefeated Hawthorne Hornets (3-0) will take on West Port Wolf Pack (0-4) at 7:30 p.m. in Hawthorne for some Friday night football.

Hornets

The Hornets are coming off a dominant win last week at Newberry, taking down the Panthers 48-7.  While their three-headed monster at quarterback and offensive weapons have been wreaking havoc, it’s the defense that’s been the story in their 3-0 start. 

The Hawthorne defense has allowed just 1 offensive touchdown this season. Let me say that again; in three games, there has been a singular offensive touchdown scored against the Hornets. That has got to be a proud point for Head Coach Cornelius Ingram and Defensive Coordinator Dustin Adkins. 

When asked about where he feels his team is after last week’s win, beyond just the 3-0 record, Coach Ingram indicated, “I’m pleased, but there’s so much more that we can do. On the defensive side of the ball, we’ll continue to get stops. I’m not worried about that. We have so many guys who can play.” Clearly, this Hawthorne team is not satisfied. Despite their hot start, it’s going to take a lot more to quench their thirst for a state championship after ending up as last year’s runner-up. 

Ingram concluding, “We’ll continue to grow. We’ll continue to get better.”

See the full interview here.

Wolf Pack

After starting their season with three downright awful performances, getting outscored by a whopping 80-0 by their first three opponents, the West Port Wolf Pack played their best game of the season last week losing to the Forest Wildcats 15-12. 

They will look to ride the momentum of their best outing yet, albeit a narrow loss, into Hawthorne tomorrow.

What to Expect

Looking at this game, it takes no statistician to see a mismatch. Hawthorne, a team that does not get scored on, taking on a West Port team that has had trouble scoring just spells trouble.

The Wolf Pack will be looking for their first win of the season in what would be a huge upset for Ingram and his Hornets. Hawthorne, on the other hand, will be looking to extend their undefeated record to 4-0. 

Be on the lookout for big games from Hawthorne RB Brian James and QB Cornelius (CJ) Ingram Jr. James will be coming off of 3 TD and nearly 200-yards rushing in what may likely end up having been his breakout performance for this season. CJ Ingram, the youngest of the three in the Hawthorne quarterback room, may get significant run this week if things get out of hand quickly. This game could end up being a crucial one in his development as the future of this program. 

At the end of the day, on paper, this game appears to be in Hawthorne’s favor. However, if the history of sports teaches us anything, it’s that any team or person can win any game at any time.

Crazier things have surely happened.

For full game coverage and live game updates, follow @zackaryweisss on Twitter.