Surry Central at MA
The Bears got tested last week as they had some offensive woes due to various mistakes which have haunted them the past 2 weeks, they have got to improve on that to contend in November. This week they face a rival in SC who’s struggling with their identity quite a bit. Looked like SC may be an offensive force after destroying Alleghany week 1, but they were humbled by the Ronda Cards last week and trailed all through the game. Not what I expected, needless to say I was very surprised by that I expected a 50-40 some game. They are now in the Rocky 4 No Way out esque situation as they make the short trek up to Mayberry to face a MA team desperate to establish itself. Not that the win was awful last week but they gotta do better.
And I think they will. MA’s D will be all over the Eagles and will make their QB’s night rough as possible. No way SC’s O Line can handle MA’s D Line, and I think the game will be settled there.
East Surry at West Stokes
The most angst ridden matchup of the year is here. Gonna be a lot of drama and hard hitting here. East is playing hard like I expected them to do, and West overpeformed quite a bit last week and almost pulled off that surprise but they shot theirselves in the foot. This week is going to be another hard hitting affair, and I just can’t pick a winner here. I don’t know enough really about either team, East’s had 2 big games while West has had 1. I think West is a little more athletic but East’s line is playing really well. It can honestly go either way here and I’m pleading the 5th lol.
Forbush at Starmount
Needless to say it’s been a long week for the Rams after they got denied their game last week I bet the kids have been restless there all week during practice. North Iredell just didn’t want any apparently and refused to make it up. Now incomes Forbush who managed to grab victory from the jaws of defeat last night vs McMichael who are more down and out than that bum in Beverly Hills, they will be on a high off the victory as they haven’t had a non conference one since 2021. However that rush will be very short lived as they will be playing a very fired up and athletic Starmount squad who’s in the best shape heading into this game they have been in a while. This isnt a milquetoast Starmount team of recent times in terms of mental mindset or athletic ability, this team is fast, smart, and fun to watch. Only real thing that might stop them this week are their heads, but in case of a bad start they will overcome it late. Starmount should roll here for that Unifi trophy.
North Stokes at South Davidson
Last week proved to be a respectable outing despite the blowout vs the Villains for North Stokes, their RB had a decent night despite the offense struggling. However for them to truly get out of the hole they have got to find way more consistency on offense than what they have now. Things won’t get any easier as they have the long trek down south to Denton to play the Wildcats of South Davidson. SD’s struggling to adjust to a world without Coach Honeycutt but they’ve had despite 2 loses, 2 very close games so it’s not like they are in a deep world of hurt. They badly need this game because without it they might not get a win. North Stokes however isn’t gonna be a pushover the past 2 years, so I expect this one to a slugfest.
North Stokes is on the up, but SD needs this win way more so I see them pulling it out. However N Stokes may snag it out too, these two play some wacky games.
North Wilkes at East Wilkes
Things are going very well for the Ronda Cards, they have been the class on the field in both of their games the past 2 weeks and have been scoring at will all over the field. On defense they managed to hold a big West Wilkes team to only 6, and that 6 came off a turnover, so they didn’t offensively score. Ronda Cards are much ahead of where they were last year, and if they keep up with this pace they may have a very solid season indeed. North Wilkes meanwhile have went from the penthouse to the outhouse in 2 weeks flat. They broke that long statewide known losing streak vs Elkin in that OT surprise, a freshman scored the winning TD crazily. But last week the same ole North Wilkes team returned as Ashe strolled down the mountain to a 24-0 shutout. They are very hard to tell in terms of which team to expect. They are better than last year yes, but I still think they have a ways to go to being very good.
Big game in Ronda with these two meeting up. I just think right now that this one won’t be a bit close. NW’s big but EW is very physical and loves to hit, and they have an offense set up just for that and it’s jamming hard right now. NW’s never been a defensive school and they won’t be able to shut that down. ? mark is how will NW’s offense produce. If they can it may be close, but if not it’ll be another long night for them. I just don’t think they are that consistent yet to do so.
RS Central at Wilkes Central
Needless to say things aren’t going well for the WIlkes Eagles. They are very, very young on the varsity squad, they only have less than 10 upperclassmen due to players not coming out to play. They had to move up quite a few JV kids to fill the team out. It’s not a fun situation at all, happened to my high school in the early 00’s, you just gotta go out and let them grow into their roles. It’s a patient season, not a fun one at all, but the football purists love it. It’s rough and to the bottom Football, but those who enjoy it make it work. That being said not saying WC’s a pushover either, they have some really good skill players and will be irritating due to their offense. Last week they played Alexander Central hard for a half, but AC’s depth and size just wore them out. They drove on the opening possession for a score and did it 3 times in the 3rd, WC just couldn’t hang.
This week they face a team more to their level in RS Central. They are in a very similar boat but they have a lot of sophmores than freshmen up. They’ve had a harder schedule with 2 4A teams on it. WC hasn’t. This will be a good test to see what WC truly has, I just don’t think they can hang with the older aged kids. But this could be a close one for quite a while. This is a replacement game due to Patton doing JV only. I bet they wish they had them on the schedule still!
Ashe County at West Wilkes
The QB turned out to be just fine for the Huskies after an injury scare vs WC, and they went on to get them a shutout over North Wilkes on their own turf. It wasn’t a pretty game or a high scoring one but Ashe had several big plays in which they turned them to 24 points. West Wilkes meanwhile is battling injury issues and is struggling with it’s offense, but they managed to have an Elkin team in even worse shape and they managed to get a shutout win but struggled mightly on offense in quite a boring affair.
West has always struggled vs the Huskies especially the past term of years. In 21 they got the C word and couldn’t play. In 22 Ashe outsmarted West with the gameplan and pulled out one they coulda lost. Last year they flat out dominated them in every way up on the mountain, that was the game everyone realized West wasn’t gonna rise to the predictions last year. This year they come in with even more pressure on them. West really needs to win here because the next few weeks are gonna be hard, but it’s gonna be no guarantee they can do so. Their best runners are hurt and they are struggling on defense despite the shoutout last week. That was more of a case of facing an inept offensive team. Week 1 they got crushed by the Ronda Cards’s grinder. Ashe’s offense is hard to play against if you don’t have the patience and speed on defense. West is going to have to win in the trenches and make the most of their possessions, but that’s something they’ve not done all year. I just think Ashe is better coached and has more momentum right now. But could it be close than I think, absolutely.
Mitchell at Alleghany
Last week proved to be one long and drawn out experience for the Trojans. A big rivalry game enough is stressful for a team that young, but add to it how close it was and the fact they had to wait and start again the next day, yikes. But the Trojans managed to stop a big late 2 point conversion and survived the tide on an onside kick they let slip to Grayson. The win is big for the Trojans and will help keep them on track as they have a tough slate coming up they gotta get through before competing in the NW for 4th. Up first is one of the better 1A western programs as of late Mitchell. They are on a youth movement but they still have a lot of momentum in that program. However they can’t come down the mountain big headed or else the Trojans will knock it back to them.
I think this could be close due to the nature of their offenses, Mitchell can’t sleep here.
North Forsyth at Atkins
Providence Grove at Bishop
Carver at Parkland
Forrest Hills at Walkertown
