1.Mount Airy
The Granite Bears are off their bye week and into the conference period feeling rather good. They have homecoming coming up this week against North Stokes so they are expecting to show out; especially after not playing North Stokes last year. MA however has a very dire streak coming up of lower end teams. They won’t face a complete team again until East Surry in the finale. The ? is can the Bears play solid ball and stay healthy?
2.East Wilkes
The Ronda Cards got a taste of badly desired revenge last week as they humiliated West Wilkes at their own game for beating them last year. East is rolling in their opening games but this week will be more of a challenge for them as they face a surging Starmount team. Starmount used to own this series for ages but East’s came on in recent years. However this is a different Starmount team than there’s been. I think East should be fine but they cannot overlook the Rams.
3.Wilkes Central
Despite a closer game than what many figured vs. North Wilkes Central rolled to a solid win last week as Boles had the game of his career vs. his old team. This week they face Elkin for homecoming; a team that has some athletes for once but Central cannot overlook the Elks because they are dangerous especially after playing Ashe close.
4A.East Surry
The Pilot Cards are rested and they will be starting conference play with homecoming vs. Bishop in what should be a nice win for the Cards that they badly need. However Bishop’s a team that is surging theirselves after 2 straight wins so the Villains aren’t a team to overlook. However Bishop struggles with running backs especially vs. North Wilkes so it may be a good night for Ray.
4B.North Surry
Last week the Hounds returned home for their home conference opener and homecoming and had quite the defensive show. Walkertown ended up with under 150 yards of total offense on the night and at least 80 or 90 of it was on the 2nd string; so the starters gave up only 50 yards or so. That’s a crushing win for the ‘Hounds who needed a defensive statement. This week North hosts Surry Central in the Battle of Red Brush which is always a hard hitting affair regardless if a team’s down or not. Central barely beat North last year in a very windy and cold mess down in Dobson; the returning players for North badly want this win but it could be another test for North’s D with Pilacios in the backfield. This will be North’s last home game for two weeks so they want to leave with a nice showing.
4C.West Stokes
The Wildcats had a huge task ahead of them as Carver has tended to be very tough at home in the past. Despite giving the Jackets a lead at one point West just grounded down and wore out Carver all night and took command in the 2nd half. That’s a win for West as it’s a shot back after last season but it’s also a good thing for the WPAC conference as a whole because Carver’s dominated in home games since entering the conference. However West can rest on their laurels. They got their bye this week and have Atkins at home in the resuming of a solid rivalry that dates back 12 years. But more on that next week.
7.Starmount +1
The Rams are a rolling these past few weeks. After a rough start they have turned it around very impressively these past few games. They look like the Starmount’s of old and have been playing like them; but can they keep it going in crunch time? They face their biggest challenge of the year since the opener as they have East Wilkes this week who is an offensive juggernaut. This will be a solid test to see where their defense is at because East is scoring at will. Even if they do lose here they could come out feeling better and be more motivated as a result.
8.North Wilkes -1
The Vikings of Hays are reeling after 2 straight losses; however it’s not so bad after a more respectable loss. But this week will be a huge test for the Vikings as they play Ashe who are grooving after 2 straight wins and being out of the non conference slate. Ashe is getting hot on offense while they defense is improving but not at a solid rate. This will be a test mainly for NW’s defense as they need to be able to shut Ashe’s wide open attack down while grounding Ashe down a good majority of the night. That’s never an easy task. North managed to do it last year but that was when Ashe was more demoralized; they aren’t so this year. It could be another high scoring affair with a last minute win perhaps.
9.Ashe County +1
The Huskies came from behind with a solid comeback vs. a determined Elkin squad. Offensively Ashe is rolling again; however defensively they are still giving points up but it’s enough to have not mattered yet. This week it will matter as they face one of the best rushing attacks in the conference. Last year they were dominated by NW; however this is a different Ashe team. I expect a thriller here.
10.Forbush -1
The Falcons had the week off after the huge win over Carver; however this week they travel down to Atkins for a first time matchup vs. the Camels during their homecoming. However this is more of a test for Forbush to see how they handle sucess. Last year they didn’t after their win over Starmount and was all over the place the rest of the year. Atkins isn’t a slouch like they have been. They have enough athletes to give Forbush fits and they are well coached for what they run. It could be a barn burner perhaps in Camel country if Forbush doesn’t come ready to play.
11.Elkin +2
The Elks had their best conference performance of the season and offensive performance as they came from behind to take the lead vs. the Huskies. However they ran out of gas when it mattered and gave up two huge scores back to back to kill their chances. Why raise them two spots then? Well despite the loss it was a good performance for the Elks; one that they needed to build confidence. However it won’t get any easier for them as they go to Moravian Falls to go against Wilkes Central.
12.South Stokes
South’s rested and ready to go for their homecoming against a first time foe in WS Prep. These two teams are two of the hardest to figure in this conference. South’s better than their record and should have more wins but they just couldn’t seal the deal. WS Prep meanwhile’s very young and in transition. The question here is how can South handle Prep’s athleticism? Prep will be more athletic but South will be more ready to hit. If South shuts Prep down a decent bit and shows up ready to go I see them winning here but if they start off slow it could bite them.
13.West Wilkes -2
14.Surry Central +1
Central finally got their badly needed win last week vs. a motivated Atkins team. However it wasn’t no easy win for them as Atkins hung around for a while and made a game out of it. That was both a good and bad thing for Central. Good in a way to show they had enough will to fight for a win but bad for them to show they have faults in their defense and they let Atkins stay around. This week the Golden Eagles go on the short trip to North Surry to play one of their bigger rivals North Surry who are rolling right now. Central won a thriller last year but North hasn’t forgotten about it. Central needs to come ready to hit or else it could be a long night.
15.Alleghany -1
16.Bishop
17.Atkins +1
After a lopsided conference opener of a loss Atkins turned things around last week as they played like a completely different team in Dobson as they made a game out of it. Atkins offense is still rolling but they gotta be able to get stops on defense to get some wins in conference play. This week they host an unknown in Forbush in a team they’ve never played before. Atkins will have the athlete edge as they are underratedly fast; but Forbush should have the lineplay edge and size. Atkins has got to compete in the trenches and produce points to stand a chance here.
18.WS Prep -1
19.Walkertown
Walkertown got thudded all over the field last week as North Surry came ready to hit and took advantage of the Wolfpack’s youth and inexperience. Walkertown didn’t score until the late stages of the game vs. the 2nd group North defense. It wasn’t the game the Wolfpack was looking for after a close game vs. West Stokes but there is always hope for a turnaround for the Wolfpack. They host Carver at home in a first time matchup. This game’s hard to figure. Carver has more experienced players but speed wise it’s about even. It’s gonna come down to which offense can produce and which defense can get enough stops. Neither for both team has done that. It’s either gonna be a low scoring mess or a high scoring thriller.
20.Carver
21.North Stokes
The Granite Bears are off their bye week and into the conference period feeling rather good. They have homecoming coming up this week against North Stokes so they are expecting to show out; especially after not playing North Stokes last year. MA however has a very dire streak coming up of lower end teams. They won’t face a complete team again until East Surry in the finale. The ? is can the Bears play solid ball and stay healthy?
2.East Wilkes
The Ronda Cards got a taste of badly desired revenge last week as they humiliated West Wilkes at their own game for beating them last year. East is rolling in their opening games but this week will be more of a challenge for them as they face a surging Starmount team. Starmount used to own this series for ages but East’s came on in recent years. However this is a different Starmount team than there’s been. I think East should be fine but they cannot overlook the Rams.
3.Wilkes Central
Despite a closer game than what many figured vs. North Wilkes Central rolled to a solid win last week as Boles had the game of his career vs. his old team. This week they face Elkin for homecoming; a team that has some athletes for once but Central cannot overlook the Elks because they are dangerous especially after playing Ashe close.
4A.East Surry
The Pilot Cards are rested and they will be starting conference play with homecoming vs. Bishop in what should be a nice win for the Cards that they badly need. However Bishop’s a team that is surging theirselves after 2 straight wins so the Villains aren’t a team to overlook. However Bishop struggles with running backs especially vs. North Wilkes so it may be a good night for Ray.
4B.North Surry
Last week the Hounds returned home for their home conference opener and homecoming and had quite the defensive show. Walkertown ended up with under 150 yards of total offense on the night and at least 80 or 90 of it was on the 2nd string; so the starters gave up only 50 yards or so. That’s a crushing win for the ‘Hounds who needed a defensive statement. This week North hosts Surry Central in the Battle of Red Brush which is always a hard hitting affair regardless if a team’s down or not. Central barely beat North last year in a very windy and cold mess down in Dobson; the returning players for North badly want this win but it could be another test for North’s D with Pilacios in the backfield. This will be North’s last home game for two weeks so they want to leave with a nice showing.
4C.West Stokes
The Wildcats had a huge task ahead of them as Carver has tended to be very tough at home in the past. Despite giving the Jackets a lead at one point West just grounded down and wore out Carver all night and took command in the 2nd half. That’s a win for West as it’s a shot back after last season but it’s also a good thing for the WPAC conference as a whole because Carver’s dominated in home games since entering the conference. However West can rest on their laurels. They got their bye this week and have Atkins at home in the resuming of a solid rivalry that dates back 12 years. But more on that next week.
7.Starmount +1
The Rams are a rolling these past few weeks. After a rough start they have turned it around very impressively these past few games. They look like the Starmount’s of old and have been playing like them; but can they keep it going in crunch time? They face their biggest challenge of the year since the opener as they have East Wilkes this week who is an offensive juggernaut. This will be a solid test to see where their defense is at because East is scoring at will. Even if they do lose here they could come out feeling better and be more motivated as a result.
8.North Wilkes -1
The Vikings of Hays are reeling after 2 straight losses; however it’s not so bad after a more respectable loss. But this week will be a huge test for the Vikings as they play Ashe who are grooving after 2 straight wins and being out of the non conference slate. Ashe is getting hot on offense while they defense is improving but not at a solid rate. This will be a test mainly for NW’s defense as they need to be able to shut Ashe’s wide open attack down while grounding Ashe down a good majority of the night. That’s never an easy task. North managed to do it last year but that was when Ashe was more demoralized; they aren’t so this year. It could be another high scoring affair with a last minute win perhaps.
9.Ashe County +1
The Huskies came from behind with a solid comeback vs. a determined Elkin squad. Offensively Ashe is rolling again; however defensively they are still giving points up but it’s enough to have not mattered yet. This week it will matter as they face one of the best rushing attacks in the conference. Last year they were dominated by NW; however this is a different Ashe team. I expect a thriller here.
10.Forbush -1
The Falcons had the week off after the huge win over Carver; however this week they travel down to Atkins for a first time matchup vs. the Camels during their homecoming. However this is more of a test for Forbush to see how they handle sucess. Last year they didn’t after their win over Starmount and was all over the place the rest of the year. Atkins isn’t a slouch like they have been. They have enough athletes to give Forbush fits and they are well coached for what they run. It could be a barn burner perhaps in Camel country if Forbush doesn’t come ready to play.
11.Elkin +2
The Elks had their best conference performance of the season and offensive performance as they came from behind to take the lead vs. the Huskies. However they ran out of gas when it mattered and gave up two huge scores back to back to kill their chances. Why raise them two spots then? Well despite the loss it was a good performance for the Elks; one that they needed to build confidence. However it won’t get any easier for them as they go to Moravian Falls to go against Wilkes Central.
12.South Stokes
South’s rested and ready to go for their homecoming against a first time foe in WS Prep. These two teams are two of the hardest to figure in this conference. South’s better than their record and should have more wins but they just couldn’t seal the deal. WS Prep meanwhile’s very young and in transition. The question here is how can South handle Prep’s athleticism? Prep will be more athletic but South will be more ready to hit. If South shuts Prep down a decent bit and shows up ready to go I see them winning here but if they start off slow it could bite them.
13.West Wilkes -2
14.Surry Central +1
Central finally got their badly needed win last week vs. a motivated Atkins team. However it wasn’t no easy win for them as Atkins hung around for a while and made a game out of it. That was both a good and bad thing for Central. Good in a way to show they had enough will to fight for a win but bad for them to show they have faults in their defense and they let Atkins stay around. This week the Golden Eagles go on the short trip to North Surry to play one of their bigger rivals North Surry who are rolling right now. Central won a thriller last year but North hasn’t forgotten about it. Central needs to come ready to hit or else it could be a long night.
15.Alleghany -1
16.Bishop
17.Atkins +1
After a lopsided conference opener of a loss Atkins turned things around last week as they played like a completely different team in Dobson as they made a game out of it. Atkins offense is still rolling but they gotta be able to get stops on defense to get some wins in conference play. This week they host an unknown in Forbush in a team they’ve never played before. Atkins will have the athlete edge as they are underratedly fast; but Forbush should have the lineplay edge and size. Atkins has got to compete in the trenches and produce points to stand a chance here.
18.WS Prep -1
19.Walkertown
Walkertown got thudded all over the field last week as North Surry came ready to hit and took advantage of the Wolfpack’s youth and inexperience. Walkertown didn’t score until the late stages of the game vs. the 2nd group North defense. It wasn’t the game the Wolfpack was looking for after a close game vs. West Stokes but there is always hope for a turnaround for the Wolfpack. They host Carver at home in a first time matchup. This game’s hard to figure. Carver has more experienced players but speed wise it’s about even. It’s gonna come down to which offense can produce and which defense can get enough stops. Neither for both team has done that. It’s either gonna be a low scoring mess or a high scoring thriller.
20.Carver
21.North Stokes
