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NW 3A/4A kick starting thoughts/predictions/etc

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Burkeforreal

Well-Known Member
Aug 21, 2006
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Well it's all right around the corner with 7on7s and full pad practices. This was one of the longest threads going on last season and figured I'd kick it off. Could be one of the more interesting conf finishes this year with some great unpredictable competitive games. Stronger conf to watch in area unlike the one Hibriten sets in for now lol.

Expecting Freedom to run the tables on this one at least this year. Alexander Central should make things interesting. South Caldwell might not make it back to form they kept for a while. Never know what Watauga will throw at ya. Thoughts and predictions and any interesting updates?
 
beamer24 said:
Freedom
Watauga
Alexander Central
West Caldwell
McDowell
Hickory
South Caldwell
St. Stephens
Click to expand...


Appreciate ya Beamer. Million dollar question is why Watauga? I could be wrong but thought someone said something bout Watauga losing a lot to graduation. I give ole Butch the benefit of the doubt and give AC a close 2nd if not a fairly easy 2nd. I wouldn't sleep on Hickory if coach can bring respect and energy and get the deep pool of athletes walking those halls to come out.
 
Watauga is so well coached I put them in top 3 as well.
Hickory could surprise, Mcdowell will be at bottom with
Stephens and South Caldwell.
 
beamer24 said:
Freedom
Watauga
Alexander Central
West Caldwell
McDowell
Hickory
South Caldwell
St. Stephens
Click to expand...

Mark this down y'all. I wanna free hotdog from a cool poster if I nail this right in Nov/Dec lol.

Freedom- new look, new coach, always packing heat with athletes and new coach will know how to use em'. Will be a jaw dropper if a conf school takes em down. Games aren't played on paper.
Alexander Central- if Butch has a lot returning(only if he has a lot returning) could be a nice battle for 2nd.
Watauga- ok I'll go on a limb on this one
Hickory- on a limb, athletes do wonders if coached right.
West Caldwell- their best shot at this spot.
McDowell- hadn't known the titans to have anything in years. This year no different but someone fill me in if I'm wrong and why.
South Caldwell- new coach, a lot returning but ALOT to learn and fix from last years vast rebuilding ordeal.
St Stephens- should finish middle of pack or better in a lot of sports but not football. IDK, might surprise us and finish above the bottom.
 
Last edited:
patsfball said:
Watauga is so well coached I put them in top 3 as well.
Hickory could surprise, Mcdowell will be at bottom with
Stephens and South Caldwell.
Click to expand...

Watauga is well coached your right. No doubt in my strong ancestry grounds of Boone. Woulda been the school my mom and aunt attended if built sooner. A lot sooner. Showing my age ha ha.

I wasn't too big on their defense. Some years they were known for defense. If their defense improves and offense stays same caliber as last year, should take AC down no problem. That's if those factors hold. Hopefully for their sake, they picked up a few sharp defensive players from last years jv team. If last years defense was a lot more solid, Hibriten wouldn't been no problem. Or any team for that matter except whoever was still deep in playoffs.

What's interesting for this conf as far as a preseason outlook is for 2nd place down no school will be a pushover gimmie. No North Lincoln, North Iredell or West Iredell for Butch and the Tater town crew this year.
 
Watauga, Alexander and West Caldwell could go in any order. Hickory could surprise but I think it will be 2 years before there is big improvement.
 
I remember Mike Helms last year at Freedom... beat the
wheels off Alex Central! 5 td passes in first half.
 
Russell Stone will have Hickory competitive this year and will be contending for conference C-Ship next year. By third year lookout, they will be back on top in state.
 
Sportsnut17 said:
Russell Stone will have Hickory competitive this year and will be contending for conference C-Ship next year. By third year lookout, they will be back on top in state.
Click to expand...
I have to agree. I think he can turn things at Hickory.
 
What did Hickory lose as far as any major talent and what do they have coming back?

For Hickorys sake I hope they hold on to a coach, I don't know if the kids or the boosters club gets on the back of whoever coaches. Harper and Helms didn't stay long for a reason.
 
Burkeforreal said:
What did Hickory lose as far as any major talent and what do they have coming back?

For Hickorys sake I hope they hold on to a coach, I don't know if the kids or the boosters club gets on the back of whoever coaches. Harper and Helms didn't stay long for a reason.
Click to expand...

It doesn't matter, look at Coach Stones record at Byrd in Fayetteville, be sure to look at before and after records he has a knack at relating to all kids, regardless of their background. He will win there, give it 2 years, 3 max and he will be contending. I feel sure Hickory has athletes. I have had 3 kids play for him and seen how he handles players. He has taken over troubled programs before. My kids played 15 to 20 years ago.
 
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Ah, could it be another Tom Knotts Calibure coach. That'd be great for Hickory community. If he gets a big thing going we might see some of Foards n St Stephens better players coming over to get on board. Looking forward to seeing the progress even though I'm not a Hickory fan.
 
Hickory could be the sleeper. Talent level isn't close to what it used to be but they do have a few athletes to make things interesting
 
Champ_24 said:
Hickory could be the sleeper. Talent level isn't close to what it used to be but they do have a few athletes to make things interesting
Click to expand...

That 96' Hickory team just came outta nowhere. Surprised there wasn't any NFL signifies 5 years or so later on that team. Maybe there was I dunno.
 
Illuminati704 said:
Who are these teams playing out-of-conference that could give some indications of a measuring stick?
Click to expand...
Freedom plays Shelby
West Caldwell plays Hibriten
Hickory plays Statesville, Newton Conover and Hunter Hiss
A.C. and Watauga both have pretty easy non conference games.
 
beamer24 said:
Freedom plays Shelby
West Caldwell plays Hibriten
Hickory plays Statesville, Newton Conover and Hunter Hiss
A.C. and Watauga both have pretty easy non conference games.
Click to expand...

any Butch Carter coached team is going to play a cupcake non-con schedule.....he likes to pick on the little guys.....which is kind of ironic.
 
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HHSgoodFAN said:
I got
AC
Watauga
Freedom
West Caldwell
McDowell
Hickory
South
Saint
Click to expand...

Well Pats I guess Freedom gonna have to earn respect. Someone not quiet sold on the Freedom rebirth movement lol.

I wouldn't go putting AC at the top. I respect Butch and crew and the run game but can't see them raising the conf crown. Not this year anyway. If Watauga brings the same offense WITH an improved defense( a must) then I can see Watauga taking it but as for now I'm pretty sold on the energy taking place at Freedom and what the new coach has going.
 
Re Watauga from the Watauga Democrat:

Watauga’s offense, which lost eight starters from the 2016 edition that averaged 51 points per game, has its work cut out for it. The Pioneers lost quarterback Hamilton Castle, fullback Evan Suggs and wingback Corey West to graduation. The trio provided 97 percent of the Pioneers’ scoring from last year.

Watauga also lost three of its starting offensive linemen from last season.

http://www.wataugademocrat.com/spor...cle_2d7a420a-7a8e-5db1-8937-42a7420bf643.html

That is a lot to replace.
 
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wolfbanker said:
Re Watauga from the Watauga Democrat:

Watauga’s offense, which lost eight starters from the 2016 edition that averaged 51 points per game, has its work cut out for it. The Pioneers lost quarterback Hamilton Castle, fullback Evan Suggs and wingback Corey West to graduation. The trio provided 97 percent of the Pioneers’ scoring from last year.

Watauga also lost three of its starting offensive linemen from last season.

http://www.wataugademocrat.com/spor...cle_2d7a420a-7a8e-5db1-8937-42a7420bf643.html

That is a lot to replace.
Click to expand...

I'm even more sold on Freedom taking the crown. That's a bit too much talent lost to graduation to do much with this year. Losing an accurate QB can be a huge blow all by itself.
 
I got:

1) Freedom
2) Watauga
3) Alexander Central
4) South Caldwell
5) Hickory
6) West Caldwell
7) McDowell
8) St. Stephens

I've always said that when you give Freedom a good coach they should be the best team in the area. They have a very good coach so I'll stick to that. I believe that Watauga ends up better than AC simply because good coaches stop Carter because they know he refuses to throw the ball. I know some will call me crazy but I think SC surprises people. I think because of last year people tend to think they will be bad but they are going back to what won them games in the past. Focusing on defense and an offense that is suitable for the kids they have. Plus they do have some young talent that was forced to play varsity last year. Only helps them this year. Not saying they are going to be world beaters but I think the lower part of the conference is weak and they could beat those teams. Hickory makes some small gains with a new coach and is on the upswing. I think losing Tucker is going to be huge at WC and then McDowell and Saint rounding out the conference.
 
cpark171 said:
I got:

1) Freedom
2) Watauga
3) Alexander Central
4) South Caldwell
5) Hickory
6) West Caldwell
7) McDowell
8) St. Stephens

I've always said that when you give Freedom a good coach they should be the best team in the area. They have a very good coach so I'll stick to that. I believe that Watauga ends up better than AC simply because good coaches stop Carter because they know he refuses to throw the ball. I know some will call me crazy but I think SC surprises people. I think because of last year people tend to think they will be bad but they are going back to what won them games in the past. Focusing on defense and an offense that is suitable for the kids they have. Plus they do have some young talent that was forced to play varsity last year. Only helps them this year. Not saying they are going to be world beaters but I think the lower part of the conference is weak and they could beat those teams. Hickory makes some small gains with a new coach and is on the upswing. I think losing Tucker is going to be huge at WC and then McDowell and Saint rounding out the conference.
Click to expand...

I think the WC under Hickory is questionable, Butch may not be as good as people think and Watauga, even though they have best offensive minded coach in conf can only do so much with a lot of new faces. If Wataugas JVs showed some promise and bring a lot of improved speed and size to varsity this year its POSSIBLE that they pull a second but I'm not banking on it. Of course last years early predictions folks wasn't giving them anything and putting them toward bottom with Saint if y'all remember lol. I became a believer after the Hibriten game that they shoulda won if the defense wasn't lackluster.

Does anyone know about McDowell? You'd think only school in county that if they got kids out and right coaching they could win a few.

I wouldn't put South any closer to the top than I already have. They seem to be the team that had the least senior loss of all of them but if the soph and freshman that got put on spot and played on varsity last year (explains why JVs fell off the map last year)don't Improve in progressive growth(size strength, and game smarts) I don't see them making any kind of noise til next year. Very possible 2018 will involve South, Freedom, and Hickory fighting down to the wire battles for first with AC giving fits but won't be enough to place 3. Now this is all NEXT year. Could be dead wrong bout all that but won't be posting nothing else bout 18' til next July.

For now-
Freedom
AC
watauga
Hickory
WC
SC
McD
STS
 
McDowell has weak football programs feeding them, and things don't get any better once they arrive. The entire county needs an overhaul when it comes to football.
 
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Beamer, was in Lenoir yesterday and saw several Hibriten players. Athletic to say the least.
 
patsfball said:
Beamer, was in Lenoir yesterday and saw several Hibriten players. Athletic to say the least.
Click to expand...
Yep I realize we graduated alot of talent but the cubard is far from empty.
Honestly the trenches are what worry me mainly DL graduated 3 of 4 starters.
 
beamer24 said:
Yep I realize we graduated alot of talent but the cubard is far from empty.
Honestly the trenches are what worry me mainly DL graduated 3 of 4 starters.
Click to expand...

A lot of line to be losing. They'll be ok I've seen em bounce back before for line loss
 
patsfball said:
McDowell has weak football programs feeding them, and things don't get any better once they arrive. The entire county needs an overhaul when it comes to football.
Click to expand...

I can remember the days and I'm sure you can too, that people dreaded playing McDowell. Big linemen on both sides of ball, RBs that wasn't flashly but did just enough to get job done, just a bunch of big corn fed boys that could play. That Logan boy in 94' and 95' was impressive. Big, hard to tackle, fast for his size- pretty much a smaller version of Shatley. Sometimes they had speedsters. Sounds like an athletic drought up there kinda like down here in Hildebran an ICard except county wide. Not much work up there like there used to be so not as many familes settleling in and having kids in the area. Sad.
 
cpark171 said:
I got:

1) Freedom
2) Watauga
3) Alexander Central
4) South Caldwell
5) Hickory
6) West Caldwell
7) McDowell
8) St. Stephens

I've always said that when you give Freedom a good coach they should be the best team in the area. They have a very good coach so I'll stick to that. I believe that Watauga ends up better than AC simply because good coaches stop Carter because they know he refuses to throw the ball. I know some will call me crazy but I think SC surprises people. I think because of last year people tend to think they will be bad but they are going back to what won them games in the past. Focusing on defense and an offense that is suitable for the kids they have. Plus they do have some young talent that was forced to play varsity last year. Only helps them this year. Not saying they are going to be world beaters but I think the lower part of the conference is weak and they could beat those teams. Hickory makes some small gains with a new coach and is on the upswing. I think losing Tucker is going to be huge at WC and then McDowell and Saint rounding out the conference.
Click to expand...
West returns 16 starters and u put them that low lol
 
icardcav3 said:
West returns 16 starters and u put them that low lol
Click to expand...

It wasn't me that put em that low but I may have had the same predictions. I figure in new coach,minus Tucker, and strong competition toward the top. If defense holds strong they might surprise.
 
The competition is no better the conference West just came out of so that's not an issue. The only issue is losing Tucker but the backup QB has alot game experience with a couple injury to Tucker the last couple of years
 
Burkeforreal said:
I can remember the days and I'm sure you can too, that people dreaded playing McDowell. Big linemen on both sides of ball, RBs that wasn't flashly but did just enough to get job done, just a bunch of big corn fed boys that could play. That Logan boy in 94' and 95' was impressive. Big, hard to tackle, fast for his size- pretty much a smaller version of Shatley. Sometimes they had speedsters. Sounds like an athletic drought up there kinda like down here in Hildebran an ICard except county wide. Not much work up there like there used to be so not as many familes settleling in and having kids in the area. Sad.
Click to expand...
I do remember the old NW4A days well. Mcdowell is very similar to Watauga in many ways. Same type of athletes, only show in town, etc, etc. The difference is leadership at the top working down, and then other significant folks joining the effort. This is lacking in Mcdowell County.
 
Yeah, I put West that low. Is that a huge shock? You lol like you can justify that they are without a doubt a top team going into the season. With any knowledge you can't say that without a doubt. I think minus the top 3, who knows if any of the rest finish with a winning record? That's why they are predictions. But losing Tucker is a lot bigger than most people act like. The guy was easily the best player on both sides of the ball. Plus a new coach, I see a dip. But for you Cav, I mean Warrior? fans...stop acting like you laugh at that prediction. 2 winning records in the past 13 or so years and you act like it's disrespect not to be mentioned in the top 4. Not saying they will be bad because I know they have some kids coming back like Brooks who have talent. But I still don't see them as a top dog in the conference. Plus if you've seen their feeder schools, they better strike while they are hot cause it gets weak.
 
West will win 7 to 9 games. Boyce is back which he ran for 1400 yards last year the oline is better this year but we will just see who is right. This prediction is about like the prediction last year when people said a 4th place finish which West finished on top but we will see
 
This team is also the same team that lost Tucker in middle School and they went undefeated the year after he left so.
 
I dont get all the love for Watauga. They lost a TON from last years team, way more than WCHS and are certainly no powerhouse.
Freedom was down last year and breaks in a new coach and a new QB, by your though process (CPark) Freedom should be a cellar dweller. Picking SC over WCHS is ludicrous. I dont know anyone who saw those two teams play last year that would pick SC above WCHS. The Warriors and Coach Holman will be just fine. The whole staff from last year returned and you add Coach Holman and Coach Whittenburg in place of Coaches English and DC Coach Reevees. WC will be very ground oriented and opportunistic in the passing game. Fewer big plays and more sustained drives.

Like you said - its your opinion and you have every right to it.

Here is my opinion:
1) Freedom
2) Alexander Central
3) West Caldwell
4) Hickory
5) Watauga
6) McDowell
7) South Caldwell
8) St Stephens
 
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I'd say most didn't know Watauga graduated 99% of there offense from last year.
I didn't.
 
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