Well week 1 came in with a bang and left us feeling very entertained that’s for sure. We got to see a lot about some of the teams around and some not so much. I’ll be able to do a full poll now considering that. Let’s get started:
1.Mount Airy +/- 0. 28-7 Win over Starmount; next up at West Stokes
The Granite Bears had a comfortable win over the Rams; however Holder wasn’t very impressed with the Bears output. This week’s gonna be a better benchmark for MA as they play rival West Stokes in their early season battle for supremacy. MA leads 5-3 in the series dating back to 2009.
2.East Wilkes Cardinals +3. 36-20 Win over East Surry; next up at Surry Central.
The Ronda Cards proved to be the birds of Prey on Friday of the Cardinal variety with a dominating performance in Pilot. They still have two more games left with the birds. This week the Cards are out for revenge in Dobson vs. the young Golden Eagles.
3. Wilkes Central. -1. 21-0 Win over North Iredell; next up at home vs. Alexander Central.
WC had a solid yet not epic win over North Iredell on Friday. I’m sure many were disappointed in the lack of offense but on plus they got a shutout which is great to build confidence for their defense. This week an on the rise Alexander Central squad’s in town for a renewal of their series which dates back to the WNCHSAA days. This will be the start of Central’s increased challenges in non conference along with Watauga. How the Eagles fare in these 2 games will show their destiny for the year ahead.
It took me a while to rate the next 3 squads; I couldn’t so I decided to lump all three into 4th place.
4A. East Surry. +/-. 36-20 loss to East Wilkes; next up at home vs. Starmount.
The Pilot Cards had a disappointing go Friday night. They couldn’t stop the East Wilkes offensive juggernaut and despite putting points up they couldn’t catch up. I think while it hurts the Pilot boys short term long term it might open their eyes and make them better come November. However in the present they got to prep for a more competitive Starmount team coming to Pilot. Last year East struggled with them down in Boonville; it seems Johnson always preps his teams for the Cards. This game will be a better benchmark for the Pilot boys than the EW game which was a really a playoff game week 1.
4B.North Surry +1. 25-6 win over North Forsyth; next up at Elkin.
Originally I was gonna put North in 4th place by theirselves due to the magnitude of their win on Friday. Not only did they open the season with an endowment win but it’s North’s first varsity win over a big Forsyth school since beating RJR in the 1981 season opener as well as their first win over a 3 or 4A since 2000. That’s huge for the program. It was a stout defensive effort from the ‘Hounds all night; offensively it was solid but the muddy field slowed the offense down. North has on paper the least hardest contest but it could be a trap game for the ‘Hounds considering Elkin’s win and how North played in 2015 for a half. I expect North to take this week more serious this go ‘round.
4C.West Stokes +1. 35-14 win over South Stokes; next up at home vs. Mount Airy.
The Wildcats had a solid opener vs. county rival South Stokes in a game that was closer than the score indicated. South played hard for a half but ultimately the breaks and the skill player advantage won the day for the Wildcats. By default this is the easiest opener for any of these 3 schools but it’s not really that way at all. West’s offense took off like they wanted but they will receive a greater test this week as MA comes to Pinnacle. These two schools are battle hard and have become one of the area’s best rivalries since West’s glory run in 2011. Expect another hard fought game this year.
7. North Wilkes +/-. 40-6 win over Bishop McGuiness; next up at South Stokes.
The Vikings had a solid yet not much publicized much win over a rebuilding Bishop squad in the opener. It was everything someone expected from the Vikings; Grimes gets the ball over and over besides some theatrics from the QB. Nothing really flashy here just classic ground and pound football. This week brings NW’s first real challenge of the season:a ready to prove theirselves South Stokes squad. They return to Walnut Cove hungry for a win after a much closer effort vs. West Stokes. Last season South had a solid chance to beat the Vikings but the Sauras got too emotional and fell off the rails allowing the Vikes to escape. This year; maybe not. NW better not come in expecting it easy or else it may be a rough ride back to Hays.
8. West Wilkes +1. 45-17 win over Forbush; off week 2.
The Blackhawks blew a lot of folks minds with a dominating first half performance as they dropped 35 on Forbush to a comfortable win at home. But it didn’t surprise me that much. West is an under the radar squad in the MVAC; they could determine the conference by how they play. They return a great back in Ortiz so I expect them to be solid. They have the luck of an early bye but it’ll help them when they finish their non conference slate up with potentially 3 solid wins for them before they hit the grinder off the bat with the top Wilkes squads. They will have a winning season though as long as they stay on this path.. Making the Charlotte Observer’s prediction look silly.
9. Forbush -3. 45-17 loss to Forbush; at home vs. North Iredell.
The Falcons had a rough go last week to put it mildly. They gave up 35 points in the first half vs. West Wilkes and struggled to put points up besides two random runs and a botched punt off West’s part. It’s easy to say that got some improvements to make but it’s hard to say that this will be a recurring trend or not. Zane Johnson was “unavailable,” for the game and it showed big time. Will he be out for the long term or will he return and give a boost to the Falcons? This week they play their non con rivals in North Iredell who have had their share of wacky contests over the years. I have a feeling this will be another one of those.
10.South Stokes +1. 35-14 Loss to West Stokes; at home vs. North Wilkes.
The Sauras had a mixed bag of an opener vs. their western rivals. They played solid and with them for a half before dying out due to death and a skill advantage. However not all is dire for the Sauras. They have some hope that they can play perhaps and will return home this week for a contest with North Wilkes. This will be a needed test for South’s defense as they hope to make it a focal point for them in the next time to come. Their offense has to be able to produce as well; there isn’t much of a skill player advantage this time besides at RB and QB. I expect another down to the wire contest like last season where South played really a step higher than NW did and passed it all over them; only to let it go it late when their emotions got out of hand. South can possibly pull it off this year if they do what they need to do. If not the rest of the non conference slate will be much more to the Sauras favor.
1.Mount Airy +/- 0. 28-7 Win over Starmount; next up at West Stokes
The Granite Bears had a comfortable win over the Rams; however Holder wasn’t very impressed with the Bears output. This week’s gonna be a better benchmark for MA as they play rival West Stokes in their early season battle for supremacy. MA leads 5-3 in the series dating back to 2009.
2.East Wilkes Cardinals +3. 36-20 Win over East Surry; next up at Surry Central.
The Ronda Cards proved to be the birds of Prey on Friday of the Cardinal variety with a dominating performance in Pilot. They still have two more games left with the birds. This week the Cards are out for revenge in Dobson vs. the young Golden Eagles.
3. Wilkes Central. -1. 21-0 Win over North Iredell; next up at home vs. Alexander Central.
WC had a solid yet not epic win over North Iredell on Friday. I’m sure many were disappointed in the lack of offense but on plus they got a shutout which is great to build confidence for their defense. This week an on the rise Alexander Central squad’s in town for a renewal of their series which dates back to the WNCHSAA days. This will be the start of Central’s increased challenges in non conference along with Watauga. How the Eagles fare in these 2 games will show their destiny for the year ahead.
It took me a while to rate the next 3 squads; I couldn’t so I decided to lump all three into 4th place.
4A. East Surry. +/-. 36-20 loss to East Wilkes; next up at home vs. Starmount.
The Pilot Cards had a disappointing go Friday night. They couldn’t stop the East Wilkes offensive juggernaut and despite putting points up they couldn’t catch up. I think while it hurts the Pilot boys short term long term it might open their eyes and make them better come November. However in the present they got to prep for a more competitive Starmount team coming to Pilot. Last year East struggled with them down in Boonville; it seems Johnson always preps his teams for the Cards. This game will be a better benchmark for the Pilot boys than the EW game which was a really a playoff game week 1.
4B.North Surry +1. 25-6 win over North Forsyth; next up at Elkin.
Originally I was gonna put North in 4th place by theirselves due to the magnitude of their win on Friday. Not only did they open the season with an endowment win but it’s North’s first varsity win over a big Forsyth school since beating RJR in the 1981 season opener as well as their first win over a 3 or 4A since 2000. That’s huge for the program. It was a stout defensive effort from the ‘Hounds all night; offensively it was solid but the muddy field slowed the offense down. North has on paper the least hardest contest but it could be a trap game for the ‘Hounds considering Elkin’s win and how North played in 2015 for a half. I expect North to take this week more serious this go ‘round.
4C.West Stokes +1. 35-14 win over South Stokes; next up at home vs. Mount Airy.
The Wildcats had a solid opener vs. county rival South Stokes in a game that was closer than the score indicated. South played hard for a half but ultimately the breaks and the skill player advantage won the day for the Wildcats. By default this is the easiest opener for any of these 3 schools but it’s not really that way at all. West’s offense took off like they wanted but they will receive a greater test this week as MA comes to Pinnacle. These two schools are battle hard and have become one of the area’s best rivalries since West’s glory run in 2011. Expect another hard fought game this year.
7. North Wilkes +/-. 40-6 win over Bishop McGuiness; next up at South Stokes.
The Vikings had a solid yet not much publicized much win over a rebuilding Bishop squad in the opener. It was everything someone expected from the Vikings; Grimes gets the ball over and over besides some theatrics from the QB. Nothing really flashy here just classic ground and pound football. This week brings NW’s first real challenge of the season:a ready to prove theirselves South Stokes squad. They return to Walnut Cove hungry for a win after a much closer effort vs. West Stokes. Last season South had a solid chance to beat the Vikings but the Sauras got too emotional and fell off the rails allowing the Vikes to escape. This year; maybe not. NW better not come in expecting it easy or else it may be a rough ride back to Hays.
8. West Wilkes +1. 45-17 win over Forbush; off week 2.
The Blackhawks blew a lot of folks minds with a dominating first half performance as they dropped 35 on Forbush to a comfortable win at home. But it didn’t surprise me that much. West is an under the radar squad in the MVAC; they could determine the conference by how they play. They return a great back in Ortiz so I expect them to be solid. They have the luck of an early bye but it’ll help them when they finish their non conference slate up with potentially 3 solid wins for them before they hit the grinder off the bat with the top Wilkes squads. They will have a winning season though as long as they stay on this path.. Making the Charlotte Observer’s prediction look silly.
9. Forbush -3. 45-17 loss to Forbush; at home vs. North Iredell.
The Falcons had a rough go last week to put it mildly. They gave up 35 points in the first half vs. West Wilkes and struggled to put points up besides two random runs and a botched punt off West’s part. It’s easy to say that got some improvements to make but it’s hard to say that this will be a recurring trend or not. Zane Johnson was “unavailable,” for the game and it showed big time. Will he be out for the long term or will he return and give a boost to the Falcons? This week they play their non con rivals in North Iredell who have had their share of wacky contests over the years. I have a feeling this will be another one of those.
10.South Stokes +1. 35-14 Loss to West Stokes; at home vs. North Wilkes.
The Sauras had a mixed bag of an opener vs. their western rivals. They played solid and with them for a half before dying out due to death and a skill advantage. However not all is dire for the Sauras. They have some hope that they can play perhaps and will return home this week for a contest with North Wilkes. This will be a needed test for South’s defense as they hope to make it a focal point for them in the next time to come. Their offense has to be able to produce as well; there isn’t much of a skill player advantage this time besides at RB and QB. I expect another down to the wire contest like last season where South played really a step higher than NW did and passed it all over them; only to let it go it late when their emotions got out of hand. South can possibly pull it off this year if they do what they need to do. If not the rest of the non conference slate will be much more to the Sauras favor.