Robbinsville at East Surry
New debut for the new look Cards tonight in Pilot as they host a very good Robbinsville team who swallowed them up on the mountain last year. However the Black Knights have graduated some very good seniors and will be debuting a new ID tonight as much as the Cards are, hence why I didn’t pick a winner here. I know very little about either team, I know Robbinsville loves to run and are very physical. East I don’t know anything yet, they’ve been a mystery to me all this summer. I know the kids they bring back are very physical and play hard despite not being as athletic as the previous few teams.
We will have a lot of answers addressed here tonight, but at the moment I don’t want egg in my face either. I got a feeling it will be a lot closer than many expect here.
Alleghany at Surry Central
The new look Trojans will be taking their drive down the mountain to Dobson to play traditional opening rival Surry Central. These two have played on and off for ages dating back to the Alex Mebane era in the early 90’s and have always had some really fun matchups as they are both a lot alike in terms of their players and playing style. This year it’s looking like a matchup that might not be that close, but again it’s hard to tell with these two. On paper Alleghany looks more at a disadvantage as they lose a very good senior class and lost their HC to retirement. In comes a new head man who’s changed their offense back to the Wing T which they ran in the previous decade which the Trojans naturally are fit for. There will be an adjustment pattern for the returning kids which is a pretty good amount (lost 12 from last year and return 19 if they all come out.) Central meanwhile is in a spot where they return a bunch of very good seniors and have a lot of momentum, it doesn’t happen very much there. They have one of the best QB’s they’ve had in a long time in Jewell and a bunch of solid skill players. However they face their own issues too. This group struggled to be solid on defense and their junior class depth isn’t very good, at one point they struggled to have 1-2 kids out, now they are around a handful but not good for their future. They will be reliant on JV aged kids for depth so the seniors have to stay healthy.
I’ve seen footage of both teams and honestly I just think SC will be hard for Alleghany to handle here. They are both more experienced and have a lot more to play for here. Alleghany won solidly last year up on the mountain and SC will want a redemption. I think they will get it here, but I won’t be surprised if it’s way close than I expect too. These two play weird sometimes.
Elkin at North Wilkes
The new dawn of the coaching change has finally faded for the Buckin’ Elks, as Baker’s had a change of speed and style, a change of the scene with no regrets. But time will tell if he’s truly the man for the job or not as he has to prove a lot in a hurry. He has one of the most senior heavy squads I’ve ever seen as he has 22 players and 17 of them are seniors, so they are expected to get things done in a hurry, or else their window will be slammed on their hands.
North Wilkes meanwhile is mired in an 11 game losing streak after a decade long streak of winning seasons which has been beyond unusual historically for the Hays Vikings. NW’s in a dry streak with some very low classes in terms of talent, and they are still not out of that hole. They’ve struggled at all levels and it’s not gotten better. However maybe I’m just an optimist but I think this game can potentially be more interesting than most expect.
I’ve seen the Elks in person, and I’ve seen film of NW’s scrimmage. Neither team does truly stick out to me one way or another, they both have their issues with their good points, but I think NW may have a chance to hang around in this game if they play their best and Elkin struggles. Elkin is having a hard time running their offense, at least they did when I seen them. Baker’s evolved them to a spread pistol set after decades of being I and shotgun based, and they just aren’t running it that well. Their line is also very stocky and not the biggest, NW definitely has that edge. They have a good sized kid on the DL I don’t recal seeing last year and he gave Avery county fits at their scrimmage last week.
It’s gonna be a ugly ground and pound type game here, and I think the squad with the least mistakes will pull it out. While I do think NW will perform much better, I think Elkin’s just the more talented team and that senior experience will help them out of the hole here. However I expect it to be a close and ugly game because neither’s fully there yet.
Forbush at North Forsyth
In what went from a blowout series in the WPAC days to what is now a hard hitting rivalry to open the year, the Forsyth Vikings have finally turned the corner after the Bush dominated for the first few years. Last year’s game was quite ugly as the Vikes rolled into East Bend and ran at will over the Falcons as they struggled to do anything which proved to be a fatal omen for the birds to overcome. What followed was a really dire streak as the line’s youth proved to be fatal vs older teams and their skill players struggled to overcome it. The Vikes meanwhile had their usual offensive woes, but their defense looked good here and it stayed the same the rest of the season. This year the Falcons roll into Winston with a desire to right the ship. The line is the Bush’s strength this year as their skill players from last year have almost all left. QB is gone to college as is their best WR. We all know what happened to their best athlete and the drama has turned toxic for the birds. I think that will play a genuine role in how their season will go. They will either get closer as a result of the drama, or it will drive a wedge in their team as not having Taylor around will seriously hurt their chances at being productive on offense. As a result they are gonna be more of a ground and pound team.
NF meanwhile has the natural speed edge, and honestly I’d rate WIlliams as a better defensive coach than anyone on the Bush’s staff. NF is a hard place to play and I think it will bite the birds here. However these two have played some real thrillers on JV the past few years so anything could go here. I wouldn’t be surprised for an upset here either.
Starmount at Trinity
Not much to say here.. Starmount’s on the verge of a truly fun year and poor Trinity is in the way as their first victims. They may score a few times but I just don’t see them handling Starmount’s offense well at all. Enough said.
South Stokes at West Stokes
The underrated Stokes county rivalry here strikes a new era as both teams welcome new HC’s. West hit the lottery from one state champion to another, while South is rebuilding after another failed experiment last season. West comes into this game with a need to prove theirselves with a statement, while South is struggling to find their new Air Raid ID after losing their QB in the scrimmage. Things won’t get any easier this week as they face a West team with tons of speed and way more depth, and they can only hope to make it out of this one with some optimism for the eventual future and not that much of an egg on their face compared to last year.
Chatham Central at North Stokes
The Danbury Vikes start their season at home with one of their favorite rivals in Chatham Central. These two programs are very similar, they’ve struggled for any success in their histories (N Stokes has had more consistency over time out of the two,) and them playing in a series has been a dream match for me as I’ve always wanted to see these two play consistently. The past 2 years have been fun if you love rough and dreadful ball. Last year the Vikes won in a absolutely ugly game where no one wanted to win and it took 4 OT’s to determine the winner, which proved to be N Stokes’s 1 triumph in a rough year.
This year CC makes the long haul up to play a fired up N Stokes team which has actually a few more players than Elkin has and some senior experience. No idea what to expect out of CC, but they always have some speed. N Stokes has got to be ready to thud on offense, and I think they will. Could be another ugly one this year but that’s the beauty of this series.
