For the second time in less than a month, Bell County and Corbin will square off at 7:30 p.m. on Friday in a game that will influence the playoffs. This time around, it’s win or go home as the two teams will meet in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs.

The Bobcats’ bad luck against the Hounds continued in their Oct. 13 meeting on Log Mountain. Corbin picked up their sixth straight victory over Bell in a 42-8 win. During that game, the Bobcats found minor success offensively as the the Hounds held Bell to 22 yards rushing and 57 yards passing.

The Bell defense struggled in the first meeting as well giving up 238 yards through the air and 107 yards on the ground. Corbin’s Cameron Sizemore did most of the damage accounting for 181 yards and three touchdowns on 80 percent passing.

The Bobcats have even worse luck in the postseason with Corbin holding a 2-0 lead in elimination games. Friday will mark the third consecutive year that the two teams have met in the postseason with the Hounds holding 44-8 and 21-14 victories over Bell County.

Little has changed since the two teams met nearly three weeks ago. The Bobcats have won two of their last three games. A victory over Jackson County gave them the No. 3 seed in the district before Harlan County handed Bell a 22-6 loss to end the regular season. The Bobcats defeated Breathitt County 48-8 in the first round of the playoffs last week.

Across the last three games, the Bobcat rushing attack has been on point averaging 270.3 yards per game during that stretch. Colby Frazier and the offensive line have led the rushing attack with the sophomore running back averaging 142 yards and two touchdowns per game.

Isaac Collett and the Bell County passing game has also improved over that span with Collett completing 43 percent of his passes for an average of 87.7 yards per game. He has tallied five touchdowns in the last three games.

Corbin has rattled off three wins since defeating the Bobcats — increasing their current win streak to seven games. The Hounds defeated Casey County 35-14 to earn the district title. They ended the regular season with a 36-21 victory over Knox Central. The Hounds handed Knott County Central a 51-point defeat in the first round of the playoffs.

The Corbin defense has continued its dominance in the past three games especially in the rushing attack. The Hounds have allowed only 41.7 yards per game on the ground. Through the air, they have allowed 188.7 yards passing per game with Knox Central getting the best of them with a 372-yard outing on Oct. 27.

The passing game has been the catalyst for the Corbin offense with the team averaging 229 yards per game. The team has ran for 119.7 yard per game in their last three outings.

Reach Anthony Cloud at 606-302-9090 or on Twitter @AnthonyCloudMDN