Slash's Area Picks Week 1

[Slasher Killer]

Well I decided to bring back something I loved to do years ago and do my weekly area picks again. I missed it I really did. It’s gonna be simple with some descriptions. I’m not picking a score thread but I’ll either pick a winner or call it a washout (No pick,) in hard situations. I mean to do this earlier but it's been a busy day on my end so forgive me.

To be unbiased I will not be picking North Surry’s games here but everything else is fair game. Anyways let’s get going:




GOW:

Ahh yes the battle of the birds. A contest that myself and everyone has hyped for over a year is finally here. The question is though will all the hype be worth it?

The Cards of Pilot will be at home with a jam packed crowd and the rival Cards will be sure to bring a Haul over from Ronda. It’s gonna be a slam bam atmosphere for the start but the ? is will both sides be able to handle it? ES has way more experience in these games due to the MA games; for EW this is the biggest game this group’s had since the 2015 playoffs but a lot of these kids weren’t called up. EW’s youngins also have the stigma of being undefeated since JV. That is in danger right here with this game. How could they handle a potential loss or even the stage? It’s gonna show a lot in just 4 quarters.

As for what to expect I will break it down quite simply. I expect the edge to be fought over in the trenches. One hallmark of a Diamont coached squad is the lineplay; they always fight very hard and intend on dominating the other side. ES’s line is more proven; from what I understand EW’s line is far younger and somewhat smaller in size. However that isn’t so dire for the Ronda Cards as it means they can be fundamentally solid and make some moves. I expect it to be a war all night with the big boys. Offensively both teams are the same with their love of the run despite doing it in different sets. Diamont’s always been an I diehard while Adkins loves the tricky dicky offenses. Adkins is so in depth with the option that he runs pitch outs at 7 on 7’s. ES will rely on Ray at RB all night which isn’t a bad idea; while EW will rely on their 3 year QB and their RB’s along with their 3 year WR. Both teams have dynamite at their disposal.

So what’s my judgement?:


VERDICT: Washout. This one’s too hard to call for me. On paper the Cards of Ronda may have a skill player edge in talent and versatility but The Cards of Pilot are more experienced in big time games and will probably have more size. However EW has a tricky enough offense to make it close and run the clock off if they even get a 1 point lead.

It’ll go 2 ways for either squad: a thriller win or a blowout. Whichever one will show the whole state one or both possibly means business.

 

[Slasher Killer]

Other Games:



Starmount at Mount Airy:

After a solid win streak for several years to start the decade Starmount’s fallen off against their longtime rivals as of late. The game is both’s endowment game which means this is the only time either sees each other every year making it more tougher.

Last year Starmount just quite simply didn’t have anything last year for the Bears. MA was just too fast for them and passed and ran all over and around them. It was a bad omen for the Rams who had their worst season in a decade while MA had their best season in almost a decade; it was like a momentum switch. This year the series is back to Mayberry for what looks to be a much better game. MA returns some solid skill kids but have ? marks all over to make them a team to ponder on. Starmount will be much more older this time as the kids who took their lumps last year will be much older this time around. They will have a ton of upperclassmen as a result and it may pay off in the longrun for the Rams.


Judgement: Mount Airy. Starmount will make it more of a game this time but MA has too many athletes for Starmount to handle in the long run. Unless something wacky happens I see it being a comfortable win. If the former situation happens given the history all bets are off.




Elkin at Surry Central:


The only inner Surry matchup of the week will feature two programs which has had their fates flip as of this decade. Elkin always used to dominate Elkin a lot of the time now Central’s won the last 2 games since Elkin had their surprise year in 2014. Last year it was no contest as Elkin didn’t have any answers for the Eagles. This year Elkin has the more established team as Central will be having a new product out on the field. It’s really hard for me to predict this one. SC has a ton of ? marks while Elkin does too but I know what to expect out of them more.

Elkin has to improve on both sides they weren’t impressive at all on either side. They will have an athletisicm edge somewhat but that won’t be enough to beat Central unless their line comes ready to thud them. Elkin did beat these kids on JV a couple of seasons ago so it’s possible for them to win it but they gotta play perfect assignment ball. I just don’t see it but who really knows when these two hook up.

Judgement: Central. This game will be a benchmark for both squads. If Central rolls over Elkin easily they will be okay; if not or if they even lose to them then it’s gonna be a rough go. Elkin meanwhile can look good without winning due to their rough season last year.A solid outing and respectable score will boost that community.




South Stokes at West Stokes:

Stokes County will literally be aflame tonight as the 2 powers will be fighting for county control. Besides a rather dominating win in 2012 this game’s been West’s this decade but I expect the last few years to be more competitive. Last year West had the upper hand but South proved to be stubborn and hard to put down in both games for the Wildcats. This year it’s already proved to be close with the JV game last night. I don’t expect any less tonight.

South has the new HC but same systems while West has changed their offense. It’s gonna come down to who can run their systems better. South I very much admired their spirit from what I’ve seen more than last season; I think this team will be a different one. Defensivly they have potential to be solid but can 1 game do the difference? Hard to say; it’s also gonna take West some time to gel with the new faces on O plus the new system.

I expect this one to go 2 ways: 1. South struggles due to the pressure on them, or 2. South shows up ready to go and it’s a thriller to the end. I lean more to the latter.


Judgement: West. This game’s gonna be much more competitive as a whole than it’s been since the win in 2012. West has the skill position advantage in terms of speed but fundamentally South is about equal with them. South’s D needs to come on if they are gonna be better here. If it’s close all night it’ll come down to who has it last but if not I see West running with it. Those new backs on offense will be productive. Even if South loses I expect them to be solid the rest of the year.





Forbush at West Wilkes:

I gotta admit it’s weird not seeing Elkin and Forbush playing. They have played every year since at least 1991 but they dropped the series for now; sad. I guess it happens. Anyways Forbush wanted a solid rival to replace them and in comes West Wilkes. This is West’s first opener with a local squad in a good while and they will be at home for their first matchup with 5 years vs. the Falcons.


Both teams will be new in many ways. Both graduated solid senior classes and both play physical ball control offenses. West was an old school option squad last year while Forbush runs a many run plays out of different offences. Both have intelligent minds in charge of their offense to suit their personal. The question here is which offence will dominate? West can option teams to death if their rivals aren’t disciplined and Forbush can drive anyone nuts if they don’t come ready to hit. It may just come to lucky breaks here.

Forbush is already in the hole according to the Elkin Tribune and Yadkin Ripple. They claim Zane Johnson’s out for this game or as they called it “unavailable.” What I’m wondering is it for the season or just this opening bit? Elkin’s paper worded it kinda interesting. With Johnson out this is gonna be the ultimate test for the Falcons. Can their offense jell with a new QB and without their power back or will West shut them down all night and run away. It’s really going to be hard to say. Last year against North Wilkes their QB sat out but really besides an opening TD from Johnson they couldn’t do anything and it was an ugly night for them. There’s a solid chance that might happen again but who really knows. Maybe it was a freak game.

This is West’s biggest test until conference play; I see them winning their next 3. Forbush has North and East Wilkes as well as Starmount coming. Both really need this opener but Forbush does way more. If they start out bad it could be a rough year for them. But if they win it’ll be a boost for a tough stretch. It’ll just come down to execution.


Judgement: West. Forbush was my original pick with Johnson starting but with him out it flipped everything. I think West will be a little more battle tested due to scrimmaging East Surry and North Iredell in two hard hitting scrimmages. Without Johnson it makes things way tougher for the Falcons while West can have variety due to the option element. Again lineplay’s gonna be key here. If Forbush upsets I won’t be surprised but West I think will take it.





Alleghany at North Stokes:

Ahh this game. It’s been talked about as all summer as Sessoms’s revenge due to his change of venue. I say that’s fair. I expect N Stokes to play a little more harder this game than others considering how his farewell went.

From what I heard (we have film of Alleghany but I haven’t watched it,) they look totally different in what they run but are just as hard hitting. Not a bad thing to hear if your a Trojan fan. The Vikings from what I’ve seen are a little bigger than last year which is a + and overall program numbers are up significantly. They will be a classic Sessom’s squad this year.

This game’s gonna come to line play. If North Stokes can’t control the line it’ll be an easy win for Alleghany but if they show proper resistance then it will be much closer. With the line in shape North Stokes can compete more because they will be fundamentally solid. Alleghany needs to come ready to hit because they are gonna feel it the next day more than likely.

Judgement: Alleghany. I think The Vikings are a year or two away from being competitive under Sessoms but I think they will show improvement all season long. A win isn’t out of the question vs. say Patrick County or if I heard right maybe Bishop. If they get that W it will boost the program so much for next year. The big sophomore class will be a year older and wiser then. Alleghany I think right now’s just more experienced and is feeling the change. However they cannot come in and expect to Waltz over North Stokes. It’ll be much closer.



Wilkes Central at North Iredell:

Wilkes Central’s on the road in northern Iredell in another chapter in the long time rivalry dating back to the old Foothills 3A Conference. North held the more wins back then but WC’s safely had a lead in this series dating back to Funderburke’s final season as he scheduled them back on due to him going there. He left but the series is going strong since. 2 years ago it went to OT before Central put it away.

This year I expect a solid outing from the Eagles on the road. I don’t see this one being close unless NI’s defense does a killer job ala 2015 and makes it close all night. If not it’ll be a comfortable win for the Eagles. They just have too many athletes and can air it as much as run it. NI struggled in the 7 on 7 I seen them. They lost big time to us and even lost to South Stokes. That’s not a good sign for a 3A school. For NI to have a chance they gotta shut Boles and the Freshman back down and force them to pass. Offensively they gotta ball control them to def ala Alleghany last year and make them hurt.

This is gonna be a great test of WC’s defense and will.

Verdict: Central. Their skill players are just too overbearing for NI. Central this year wants it be over as soon as possible due to bad memories from 2015. NI wants to drive them nuts and get them out of sync so they can ball control all night and have momentum. They got a great running offense QB and a solid RB. However I just don’t see them keeping with Central. Forbush however’s gonna be a good game for them.

 

[Slasher Killer]

Bishop McGuiness at North Wilkes:

The scrimmage series between these two have evolved into a regular season series and I like it. These two have been needing to play each other and I hope it become recurring.

There’s a lot of interesting things here. Firstly NW is biting it’s oats right now. A WSJ article about their offense and the Charlotte Observer picked them 2nd in the conference. They are riding high right now however they shouldn’t be too high up. Team morale for them needs to be censored or it will go out of control. Bishop however is in a system change and it’s turnout isn’t great. They really have nothing to lose right now while NW can lose everything.

This game’s gonna be a quick one due to the fact I’m sure there’s gonna be a lot of running. NW’s runs a unique no huddle run based offense with multiple formations. Bishop however is making the transition from the air raid to a more traditional offense. It’s gonna take time for them to re-adjust and with the low #’s they gotta be careful. But so it’s NW’s. Gonna be be interesting to see a lot of multiple starters on both sides.


Judgement: NW. NW ultimately is just too talented for Bishop to handle right now. Grimes and the QB both are great backs and their line’s got size. If they can get the no huddle working and some points up early it’s gonna be a long night for Bishop.




Ashe County at Avery County:

Ashe decided not to renew the North Surry series after 19 years; just one short year of 20 years.bummer. Instead they wanted to renew their rivalry with Avery which is the first time they have played since the late 2000’s and will renew the mountain rivalry games. Nice idea.

Avery has fallen into hard times here lately. A HC change hasn’t paid off yet and a tough conference doesn’t hurt. A move into the MVAC may do them some good but that might not ever happen so instead they need to win their non conference slate to build some confidence. That’s what the Vikings need:confidence. Last year they showed signs of a good team after their comeback vs. North Wilkes however it was just spurts.

The Huskies are very different than in past. Instead they will be young in big spots. The new QB has loads of potential but he needs time to gell to make the O work. However besides the game it’s gonna be a trial by fire. Defensively the Huskies need to keep getting better as their non conference slate after the opener last year wasn’t pretty. I know very little about Avery besides what film I seen vs. NW but I think if NW can play em so can Ashe.


Judgement: Ashe. The Huskies need a boost before they hit their three week stretch of tough games. With a win they can feel better than they would 0-4 before the Alleghany game. Ashe has got to dominate the lines but with their offense i feel the Huskies can benfit.



Dudley at Carver:

Ahh yes Carver and their murderer's row schedule. For one it’s incredibly daring to run and unless they are great they won’t go 5-0 but in hindsight it’s a great way to battle test a squad. It worked the first three years for Crowell but bombed epically last year. Time will tell how Scales will do. Numbers are up as expected but that’s not guaranteeing anything. It won’t be really until WPAC time to see how both their teams will fare.

This week’s game is their biggest challenge as they play longtime rivals Dudley; fresh down a class. Last year it was just flat out ugly by the end and Mr. Simmons wasn’t holding any back in his predictions. This year’s contest will be a very interesting affair though due to the change for the Jackets. They are brand new and will have a lot of eyes vs one of the state’s powerhouses. No one expects the Jackets to win here but it’ll be a boost for them if their kids play with the Panthers even for a bit. Offensively the wide open sets are gone for a more ball control offense while defensively they are still very hard hitting. Carver’s goal is to ball control here; while shutting Dudley’s studs off enough. It’s not an easy thing to do at all; just gotta wait and see.

Judgement: Dudley. This non con schedule is one of the most brutal in the state for Carver to handle. After this it’s the Forsyth’s, Glenn, and Parkland. The goal isn’t for victories rather Carver wants to survive this and make it out feeling good about theirselves. They can do that by keeping the games from going 40+ and by scoring at least 20. Just gotta wait and see.





Walkertown at Lexington:

An opening endowment game for 2 very not consistent squads last season. 2015 was a great year for both of these squads as Walkertown went almost all the way after a HC change while Lexington finally benefited off some stablity and had a winning season for the first time since the 2009 season. However 2016 was very much dud years for both squads. Walkertown was all over the place last year as they varied from week to week. They got big profile boosting wins over East Surry in the regular season and in the first round over East Wilkes, however Mount Airy and West Stokes humiliated them, and they struggled to beat Atkins and WS Prep. Lexington meanwhile badly underperformed. They let winable games slip away vs Randleman and North Rowan. They made the playoffs but that was that.

This game’s gonna be a athleticism showcase. Both teams have the studs in the skill spots to make some moves and pretty plays but lineplay will be key here. The guys in the trenches will determine the game’s flow and it will very easily come down to which defense line can break on thru to disrupt the other side faster. This game’s hard to pick due to me not knowing much about Walkertown so..


Judgement: Wash. I say this’ll be a high scoring affair combined unless 1 team just can’t hang. With both team’s nature I won’t be suprised.



Central Davidson at Atkins:

And last but not least is what a brutally honest person would call the cellar dweller bowl. This will be both team’s first chance at getting a win in a long time and it’s a genius idea that this one is being held. I think the idea should be explored more for endowment games personally; it would offer schools a chance to break winless streaks.

Anyways this game features two different teams. CD is a team that loves the spread and to pass while Atkins loves to run it at you. Atkins did have to improvise last year by throwing it more to produce points after getting shutout all those times but Atkins’s bread and butter is running it. CD’s had more tougher contests because they were a level higher last year so if i had to pick a battle tested edge I’d go with the Spartans. In terms of pure athletes though I’d pick the Camels. Atkins has always been at least speedy since we played them. 2 years ago when we walloped them they scored twice on us thanks to their speed. The game will come down to the trenches. Atkins has struggled the last two seasons on varsity with their lineplay. On JV last year they put a genuine effort into coaching them to be tougher but time will tell if it will pay off this year. CD has to win in the trenches to stand a chance. They look to have some okay size so does Atkins. Regardless a team’s gonna get a deserving win Friday. Which one?..


JUDGEMENT: I’m going with CD here. They have been waiting a ton of time to go a level lower and they smartly picked it with a solid chance at W for the opener. Central’s gonna be a more stable program a level down; a great program? No but a more consistent one, yes. Atkins I expect to improve as well. There’s a solid chance for them to win here as I mention; I just feel more for CD in my guts. If Central can control the line then Atkins will have a solid night.

 

[Slasher Killer]

Appolgize for the muiltple post the 10,000 letter limit made it tougher.

Hope everyone has a fun evening!