Starmount at MA
The game of the week for sure.. This one is quite a quandary for me to pick. On paper and in my head Starmount’s the favorite. They have more kids coming back as well as some very good younger players. MA meanwhile is a lot younger and are in a transition year. The superstars from the Holder era are almost gone and they have to figure things out. The QB situation looks iffy too, one side says he’s done but the other says he’s okay. Hard to tell with the Bears. MA being at home’s a nice boost for them and I think it will help them but I see Starmount playing hard much like last year. It could go either way. MA needs Smith to be all he can be while the younger kids can grow up and fit their roles. Starmount meanwhile needs to step up on defense and keep MA’s O off the field.
East Wilkes at East Surry
One has to wonder why EW keeps this series going.. ES has the talent advantage and the edge, but much respect to EW for keeping it on. This game more than anything is to battle prep them for later.. The Pilot Cards just have too many weapons for the Ronda boys to handle. Could the game be somewhat closer this year? Perhaps, I see EW scoring at least once to three times, but I see ES scoring way more. Either way not much excitement here for either side.
Elkin at Surry Central
This game is another hard one to pick. On paper it looks like Elkin should run away as they have dominated Central the past 2 years but this year may be more closer than we think. Central’s the most experienced it has been in a while as they have a lot of seniors, plus a very talented sophomore class will be up who played everyone hard last year in WPAC JV play. Elkin shouldn’t rest on their laurels here, they won’t win it by scoring just getting a quick advantage they may have to play a whole game this year. Elkin’s supposed to have more size than usual so we will see if that pays off. If Elkin wins by less than 12 or even gets upset they may be more down to earth then we expected, but if they run away they will be the 1A team to watch in the MVAC to knock the Rams off the perch.
South Stokes at West Stokes
It’s the battle of the masters in King tonight as Diamont and UpChurch face off again. No longer does he have to play his old school, now it’s just vs his old coach. The drama and publicity ultimately outweighs what will happen here, West should roll quite easy. South’s still figuring things out fully and needs some time to get it going. However if South somehow plays the game close then Diamont will have a moral win.. They are a few weeks away from taking off potentially as the schedule gets easier. West meanwhile needs to prove their are legit with a dominating win. They did it last year as Smith and Brown tore everyone to shreads along with Parsons. This year the QB’s spot is more open and not so experienced so they gotta find more ways to be productive. South presents that but they will not roll over to the Wildcats by any stretch.
South Davidson at North Stokes
The new season begins for the Danbury Vikings at home in a very winnable contest with longtime rival South Davidson. The Wildcats are in a similar boat as they are having their own issues to overcome at the moment so it’s gonna become a tale of attrition for both schools. Ultimately I think N Stokes just has more talent and experience. The 10th grade group N Stokes has is it’s best in a long time along with the seniors. South has some good kids but I think experience and more of a sense of togetherness will help North out, South just hasn’t had enough time to jell yet.
If it’s very close or South upsets here I will be surprised.
North Forsyth at North Wilkes
UPSET ALERT.
As of right now I think North Forsyth has a very good chance of upsetting North Wilkes and bringing an end to that year and a half long losing streak. The real question is why did Chipman and North Wilkes schedule this game? Despite their record last year this is a total mismatch for North Wilkes.. I guess he wants them to be experienced vs speed but in terms of a season opener it’s the worst possible pick. If NW can’t stop Atkins’s pass they won’t be able to vs North Forsyth either. That scrimmage wasn’t a great omen at all for the Hayes Vikings.
However when push comes to shove NF isn’t 100% perfect. Their offensive lineplay still isn’t great, they are very weak vs the pass, and their run game isn’t great at all. They had to pass it all the time last year and finished negative yards rushing in a few games. If NW’s line shows up ready to play it might be a thriller. That’s NW’s biggest sin last week as Chipman called them out for not being hyped.. Maybe that would do the trick?
Forbush at West Wilkes
The Blackhawks open a new era tonight in Millers Creek as they host longtime foes Forbush in a very interesting contest. On paper it looks like the ‘Bush should be the favorites due to their younger talent but when you bring into prior play West played North Iredell really hard in that scrimmage and tied them, that makes it more interesting. I think the Bush will win it out late but I wouldn’t be suprised if West stays around.. This could be an upset if they play their cards right. The Falcons just haven’t impressed me yet.
Wilkes Central at North Iredell
In what has become an annual rivalry game the Eagles make the decent haul to Olin to open the season vs the Raiders. Last year NI pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year knocking off heavy favorites WC to the start of a much improved year. This year NI is about in equal standing with the Eagles and it should bring about another fun game. WC is at a disadvantage with their #’s, they only had 18 at the scrimmage and it’s hard to say how many will be ready in the first game. NI’s #’s aren’t great either, so it could become a game of attrition. I think NI just has better coaching and some better players.. However it could go WC’s way if they play their cards right. I see Morrison getting the rock a lot.
Ashe County at Avery County
The Huskies open their season on the road vs Avery in what has become a border rivalry. Last year Ashe went off and put Avery away early and had some scoring fun. This year I see that as being some motivation for the Vikings as Ashe scored all over them all the time making them look bad. Ashe is much younger this year and Avery will be a little more experienced, it could be a lot closer. I think Ashe is ultimately too good for the Vikings, but this game is their last chance for a couple of games to have some growing pains. They can’t have them vs Watauga, or Hibriten.
Central Davidson at Bishop
This game could be one of the funnest in the area as it’s a battle of the haqrd knocks teams. CD comes in with higher #’s than before and a return to the wing based offense which did CD a lot of good at the start of the decade. They will be stronger and hungrier this year as a result. Bishop meanwhile is in the middle of a transition and needs a great start to make their year work better. Both teams have nothing to lose here, the question is which one wants it more. I think CD has more incentive to play and may have the edge here. This is one of their easier games and they gotta have. Bishop meanwhile has nothing to lose so they can have more fun. I see this one going either way.. I just feel good about CD.
Walkertown at Lexington
I know little about both teams so I”m skipping this one.
WS Prep at Asheville School
Prep’s taking a long journey to the mountaintop to play a very on the rise Asheville school team. Prep is kind of the underdog here as AS had a great year for them last year as they went 7-5 and return a good number of kids. However Prep will have the athlete advantage and that might very well be the difference maker. Question is who will win the lines.. Whoever does that will have the overall edge. I see Prep’s DE getting some good hits, and with the Lyons kid back from North Forsyth they have a playmaker at wideout who can torch AS.
West Iredell at Atkins
Atkins will host West Iredell in what could be a very close matchup. WI hasn’t really set the world on fire the past few years despite a great HC and solid coaching. However their depth is more consistent as is their experience. Atkins meanwhile is a lot lower in depth but has some solid experience however they aren’t used to winning or know how to do it much. The people in the stands in Winston better be ready to see some passing as both teams love to do it.. It’s gonna be a pass-a-thon. I think WI’s lineplay may be the difference, for as good as Atkins did on the line vs North Wilkes they couldn’t stop them from coming off the edges. Not good.
Madison at Carver
Carver is at home as they host from a long ways away the Madison County Patriots. The first of two matchups vs 2 mountain based teams, Carver is expecting to use their speed to outman the Patriots. However Madison has more kids, more experience, and way more size than the Yellow Jackets have. If Madison can break the lines then Carver will have a hard time. Their speed is all they got but if Madison can get the edge then it will be a rough night for the Jackets. They have two 300 pounders on both sides of the line, Carver doesn’t. Might be some tough sailing for one school, question is which one?
The game of the week for sure.. This one is quite a quandary for me to pick. On paper and in my head Starmount’s the favorite. They have more kids coming back as well as some very good younger players. MA meanwhile is a lot younger and are in a transition year. The superstars from the Holder era are almost gone and they have to figure things out. The QB situation looks iffy too, one side says he’s done but the other says he’s okay. Hard to tell with the Bears. MA being at home’s a nice boost for them and I think it will help them but I see Starmount playing hard much like last year. It could go either way. MA needs Smith to be all he can be while the younger kids can grow up and fit their roles. Starmount meanwhile needs to step up on defense and keep MA’s O off the field.
East Wilkes at East Surry
One has to wonder why EW keeps this series going.. ES has the talent advantage and the edge, but much respect to EW for keeping it on. This game more than anything is to battle prep them for later.. The Pilot Cards just have too many weapons for the Ronda boys to handle. Could the game be somewhat closer this year? Perhaps, I see EW scoring at least once to three times, but I see ES scoring way more. Either way not much excitement here for either side.
Elkin at Surry Central
This game is another hard one to pick. On paper it looks like Elkin should run away as they have dominated Central the past 2 years but this year may be more closer than we think. Central’s the most experienced it has been in a while as they have a lot of seniors, plus a very talented sophomore class will be up who played everyone hard last year in WPAC JV play. Elkin shouldn’t rest on their laurels here, they won’t win it by scoring just getting a quick advantage they may have to play a whole game this year. Elkin’s supposed to have more size than usual so we will see if that pays off. If Elkin wins by less than 12 or even gets upset they may be more down to earth then we expected, but if they run away they will be the 1A team to watch in the MVAC to knock the Rams off the perch.
South Stokes at West Stokes
It’s the battle of the masters in King tonight as Diamont and UpChurch face off again. No longer does he have to play his old school, now it’s just vs his old coach. The drama and publicity ultimately outweighs what will happen here, West should roll quite easy. South’s still figuring things out fully and needs some time to get it going. However if South somehow plays the game close then Diamont will have a moral win.. They are a few weeks away from taking off potentially as the schedule gets easier. West meanwhile needs to prove their are legit with a dominating win. They did it last year as Smith and Brown tore everyone to shreads along with Parsons. This year the QB’s spot is more open and not so experienced so they gotta find more ways to be productive. South presents that but they will not roll over to the Wildcats by any stretch.
South Davidson at North Stokes
The new season begins for the Danbury Vikings at home in a very winnable contest with longtime rival South Davidson. The Wildcats are in a similar boat as they are having their own issues to overcome at the moment so it’s gonna become a tale of attrition for both schools. Ultimately I think N Stokes just has more talent and experience. The 10th grade group N Stokes has is it’s best in a long time along with the seniors. South has some good kids but I think experience and more of a sense of togetherness will help North out, South just hasn’t had enough time to jell yet.
If it’s very close or South upsets here I will be surprised.
North Forsyth at North Wilkes
UPSET ALERT.
As of right now I think North Forsyth has a very good chance of upsetting North Wilkes and bringing an end to that year and a half long losing streak. The real question is why did Chipman and North Wilkes schedule this game? Despite their record last year this is a total mismatch for North Wilkes.. I guess he wants them to be experienced vs speed but in terms of a season opener it’s the worst possible pick. If NW can’t stop Atkins’s pass they won’t be able to vs North Forsyth either. That scrimmage wasn’t a great omen at all for the Hayes Vikings.
However when push comes to shove NF isn’t 100% perfect. Their offensive lineplay still isn’t great, they are very weak vs the pass, and their run game isn’t great at all. They had to pass it all the time last year and finished negative yards rushing in a few games. If NW’s line shows up ready to play it might be a thriller. That’s NW’s biggest sin last week as Chipman called them out for not being hyped.. Maybe that would do the trick?
Forbush at West Wilkes
The Blackhawks open a new era tonight in Millers Creek as they host longtime foes Forbush in a very interesting contest. On paper it looks like the ‘Bush should be the favorites due to their younger talent but when you bring into prior play West played North Iredell really hard in that scrimmage and tied them, that makes it more interesting. I think the Bush will win it out late but I wouldn’t be suprised if West stays around.. This could be an upset if they play their cards right. The Falcons just haven’t impressed me yet.
Wilkes Central at North Iredell
In what has become an annual rivalry game the Eagles make the decent haul to Olin to open the season vs the Raiders. Last year NI pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year knocking off heavy favorites WC to the start of a much improved year. This year NI is about in equal standing with the Eagles and it should bring about another fun game. WC is at a disadvantage with their #’s, they only had 18 at the scrimmage and it’s hard to say how many will be ready in the first game. NI’s #’s aren’t great either, so it could become a game of attrition. I think NI just has better coaching and some better players.. However it could go WC’s way if they play their cards right. I see Morrison getting the rock a lot.
Ashe County at Avery County
The Huskies open their season on the road vs Avery in what has become a border rivalry. Last year Ashe went off and put Avery away early and had some scoring fun. This year I see that as being some motivation for the Vikings as Ashe scored all over them all the time making them look bad. Ashe is much younger this year and Avery will be a little more experienced, it could be a lot closer. I think Ashe is ultimately too good for the Vikings, but this game is their last chance for a couple of games to have some growing pains. They can’t have them vs Watauga, or Hibriten.
Central Davidson at Bishop
This game could be one of the funnest in the area as it’s a battle of the haqrd knocks teams. CD comes in with higher #’s than before and a return to the wing based offense which did CD a lot of good at the start of the decade. They will be stronger and hungrier this year as a result. Bishop meanwhile is in the middle of a transition and needs a great start to make their year work better. Both teams have nothing to lose here, the question is which one wants it more. I think CD has more incentive to play and may have the edge here. This is one of their easier games and they gotta have. Bishop meanwhile has nothing to lose so they can have more fun. I see this one going either way.. I just feel good about CD.
Walkertown at Lexington
I know little about both teams so I”m skipping this one.
WS Prep at Asheville School
Prep’s taking a long journey to the mountaintop to play a very on the rise Asheville school team. Prep is kind of the underdog here as AS had a great year for them last year as they went 7-5 and return a good number of kids. However Prep will have the athlete advantage and that might very well be the difference maker. Question is who will win the lines.. Whoever does that will have the overall edge. I see Prep’s DE getting some good hits, and with the Lyons kid back from North Forsyth they have a playmaker at wideout who can torch AS.
West Iredell at Atkins
Atkins will host West Iredell in what could be a very close matchup. WI hasn’t really set the world on fire the past few years despite a great HC and solid coaching. However their depth is more consistent as is their experience. Atkins meanwhile is a lot lower in depth but has some solid experience however they aren’t used to winning or know how to do it much. The people in the stands in Winston better be ready to see some passing as both teams love to do it.. It’s gonna be a pass-a-thon. I think WI’s lineplay may be the difference, for as good as Atkins did on the line vs North Wilkes they couldn’t stop them from coming off the edges. Not good.
Madison at Carver
Carver is at home as they host from a long ways away the Madison County Patriots. The first of two matchups vs 2 mountain based teams, Carver is expecting to use their speed to outman the Patriots. However Madison has more kids, more experience, and way more size than the Yellow Jackets have. If Madison can break the lines then Carver will have a hard time. Their speed is all they got but if Madison can get the edge then it will be a rough night for the Jackets. They have two 300 pounders on both sides of the line, Carver doesn’t. Might be some tough sailing for one school, question is which one?
