Week 6 Picks (Gotta Thursday game!)

[Slasher Killer]

Asheville Christian at Ashe County


For some odd reason these two are playing tonight so I gotta post this early just for this one.. Of course lol.

Ashe is off a break after a tough MA game, but despite it their season has started very well for them, as they are 3-1 and will be heading into conference play with a winning record for the first time as a 3A. Shows how much they have improved since the realignment. This game will be very important to their momentum heading into conference play. The senior QB has played lights out this year so far as he's been fired up to return after that injury, and their defense has had 2 shutouts which hasn't happened for them in a long time. All in all they are just happy to be playing someone different, past 2 years they had to play Watauga twice which is never good. This Asheville team has seen better days indeed, lost to a solid Covenant Day team last week and has one win over a lowly Jefferson Academy team. As long as Ashe shows up mentally focused and ready it should be a good night for the Huskies, who could be going into NW 4A/3A play with momentum and a win streak for the first real time next week vs a young Alexander Central team they can play with.

 

[Slasher Killer]

Rest of the picks will be up tomorrow morning!

I still consider Ashe part of the area so that's why I include them here. Atkins not so much but Ashe yes.

 

[RexReally]

I'm not sure Ashe wins a conference game. Freedom and Alexander Central are a toss up in my books.

 

[Slasher Killer]

I'm not sure Ashe wins a conference game. Freedom and Alexander Central are a toss up in my books.

Alexander Central I feel will be close as well, they are young and honestly didn't impress me on the WC tape I watched, I do agree with those two. The talent Ashe has now played all 3 well on JV in 2021 so I don't expect it to change. With how good the QB's playing they got a shot.

 

[Slasher Killer]

Starmount at MA

Ahh yes the game of the area many have waited for all year. Starmount’s the best they have been in a while record wise and MA’s been 3 solar systems away from everyone this year, so it’s a tale we’ve not seen in this rivalry in a while. Starmount hasn’t won vs the Bears in 4 years as MA’s just shot up in talent since then while Starmount stagnated. However for the Rams to truly compete they got a lot of work to do still. Firstly and most importantly they need to keep their emotions in check way better than they have been. Getting 7 personal fouls thrown on your team is never good at any level, it’s honestly flabbergasting to ponder on. They were able to get away with it as it was a 42-0 game but in a game like MA that is asking to be routed and it definitely will happen. Also their defense still has yet to be fully consistent vs athletic teams. Starmount got it’s first shutout of the season last week, however it followed a game where they gave up 12 to North Wilkes of all teams. If Starmount wants to truly contend they got to find consistency on that side of the ball.

This will be the last real test MA’s defense will get until November at least and I do think the Rams will score at least once on them. Two times maybe? Maybe. But again that relates to consistency, Starmount has got to be more focused and less emotional. MA’s team is like a bunch of machines, they don’t get that way.



West Wilkes at ES

Big game in Pilot tonight, way more than people realize in fact. East is off a rest week as they needed one after a WAY too close matchup vs South Stokes 2 weeks back, ES has got to improve on defense to contend. Performances like that won’t get them anywhere. A lot of attention will be on their defense tonight as they face a more wide open than many expect West Wilkes team, who survived a surprisingly close thriller vs Forbush in Millers Creek last week that needed OT to end. Both of those teams played like 2 lost mangy dogs fighting for a golden bone to the W, the Blackhawks did just enough to get there but honestly it was a performance neither team can be impressed with. West still has a lot of question marks and issues to fix if they truly want to contend in Foothills play. This week will show a lot of that in regards to if they have fixed it or not.

This one can go either way honestly, I just think East has played the harder fought contests this year better and that does mean a difference. The South game showed they can handle things going wrong and handle speed well. They also have a shutout on defense which West hasn’t dreamed of doing yet as they got it on WS. WW hasn’t really had an impressive win yet, Elkin outhearted them in the 2nd half but ran out of time, and the last one was a bare win in a thriller. They have yet to have a game where they truly dominated, and it won’t happen this week. It's hard to play in Pilot, unless you have the talent and poise to match.

If West is the team they wish to be they will find a way to make it close, I just don’t see it yet.



N Stokes at Elkin

Last proved to be a close affair for the Elks like I expected, not many figured they would have hung with South Stokes but after seeing both I figured they would. Elkin was more physical than South, they just couldn’t overcome their speed and their own mistakes. It looks like Elkin’s original QB is injured according to the Elkin paper, so that really changes their offense. Wood designed it originally to be option focused and with Pardue injured they can’t do it, so it’a a more traditional setup. North Stokes meanwhile got their main RB back and he made a difference in the last game as they unexpectedly played Patrick County really hard in a game they let slip out from them. But with their offense at full blast I think it will make this matchup way more closer than anyone expects.

It can go either way honestly, I just think Elkin’s a little better and has the depth edge. They played SS last week with everything against the wall I don’t think they won’t here either. Whoever’s line can establish itself first and solid wins and I think Elkin’s is better there.



S Stokes at E Wilkes

The Sauras finally managed to break into the win column last week off a rather not so solid win over an Elkin team that outhit them, South just made more of the breaks. South’s still not there to putting a solid across the board effort together yet, and things won’t get any easier moving forward as they make a nice haul to Ronda to play the Cards who are fresh off a bye after a rough end to their non con slate. They let WC run over them but managed to not give up that many points either, it was just East’s errors that helped decide the day. Like their HC has always said they have got to get better at starting games if they want to contend for 3rd in this conference. This game will be one of their first real tests as they face South with their speed advantage.

I do think EW will pull it out here though. Their lineplay has been pretty solid and they didn’t play the worst against WC despite the score, they made them earn every single point and they will do the same with South. South has yet to outhit a team they’ve played yet and until they find and master that ability on the line it won’t amount to much for them besides scoring some points.

East has had more heart so far and fought to earn some tough wins, that SC win was huge for them. I think that will give them an edge here combined with how they play, I just don’t see South stopping it for consistent spurts.

 

[Slasher Killer]

N Wilkes at W Central


Last week the Eagles truly showed the team they are in Toast as they struggled to match NS’s physicality and their offense couldn’t get going at all until late in the game, but by then NS had a solid lead and WC couldn’t match up score for score. Their offense isn’t designed for that and when your outhit in it, it’s doesn’t make for a quality night. They got overly emotional and were out of wack a lot of the night, and the staff could never truly recover them mentally from it. Not a good conference debut for Cannon at all. NW meanwhile had a low point as a program dating back for a long time, as they let two games they had won in the first half slip away in back to back nights. JV they let a massive lead slip into an OT loss, on Friday they were up by 10 only to get shutout in the final 2 quarters, it wasn’t pretty. NW did it without their HC who was up at a ceremony in Pennsylvania oddly enough, which made the game even more bizarre. Still can’t believe he would do that.. But I digress.

This county matchup is now an affair of teams needing a comeback as the Eagles return home to Moravian Falls for homecoming. WC plays usually better at home, and they got a perfect draw as they host the Vikings who can’t seem to find any momentum at all. They have improved over the past 2 weeks but then they manage to have a performance like last week’s, it’s not good for morale. They need a good outing tonight or it will be a long year ahead for them. Things won’t be getting any easier for the Vikes either ahead so if they want to do anything they gotta do it this week.

But I just don’t see it. WC will be too fast for NW to handle, and the added homecoming element makes any home team play better.




Morehead at W Stokes


Last week the Wildcats managed to do just enough to get out of big ole’ Simeon with a win vs a improving HP Andrews squad. However if they want to be able to contend in their conference and get a higher playoff seed they are going to have to find consistency in the next few weeks in a hurry as they face some real athletic defenses and some solid defensive minded HC’s especially next week. This week will be their last real easy game for a little bit as they host a down and out Morehead squad for Homecoming. Morehead’s program is in utter nuke mode after a nightmare of a head coach replacement process, it took deep into the summer to find someone and the program’s very behind the 8 ball and it shows on both nights. However they have played their inner county rivals awfully hard and were less than 7 point losses vs Rockingham County and McMichael last week. So West definitely cannot afford to sleep here in this game.

If West’s offensive woes pop up once again it may be a closer game than we think it would be. Morehead has always managed to play with West since 2021, and are a thorn to them. But like with WC it’s homecoming and the Wildcats shouldn’t need any motivation.




N Forsyth at McMichael

The Winston Vikings managed to make it out of the matchup with their heads held high last week as they managed to make it a very respectable 28-7 loss to Reidsville last week despite being favored to lose much worse. This was also with HC Williams not on the sideline due to the death of his father, it coulda been very easy for the Vikings to fold early but instead they played it close the entire way, it was only 12-0 at the half. It shows signs that the Vikings are back and are for real in this conference. They cannot be overlooked.

Up this week is a long hall to McMichael for them to face the Phoenix. They are off a close win over Morehead from last week. The Phoenix’s record is quite deceiving as they are 3-2 yes, but their 3 wins are all over teams with either 1 win or 0 wins, besides their first win it wasn’t too sexy the other 2 nights. They haven’t impressed me much yet besides that RB they have.

It’ll be great test for both teams' defenses here, I’m just sold more on NF’s. They have excellent team speed and size off a solid senior class, but they play very well as a unit and have faced a way harder schedule. NF’s now in the more competitive portion of their schedule and I expect it to start off well tonight.








HP Andrews at Walkertown

Andrews let one slip away last week but they are showing every week that their program is on the comeback. Walkertown’s season has been very wacky, they went with a super hard non conference schedule and have gotten destroyed for their efforts but are off a bye. This is a important game for both schools, whoever wins this one gets some serious momentum. Walkertown needs it more after that murder’s row, but that’s not just gonna instantly happen. Andrews I think is just fundamentally better and has shown more heart, they coulda easily bent to West Stokes last week but didn’t. Walkertown’s efforts vs Salisbury and ND left way more to be desired. This will either be a nice win for Andrews or a close affair, I just think they are ahead of the curve more.

Bishop at Carver

Big night for both of these teams as Bishop takes the short trek to Carver to play a Carver squad who desperately needs a win here. This is their last great chance at getting one until WS Prep in the finale, so if they have any hopes at all of getting a playoff spot then they need to win right here tonight. That being said I’m just not so certain on that. Their offense has struggled to produce all year and their defense can’t seem to stop anything yet. Bishop meanwhile is on a three game losing streak however 2 of those 3 loses were games they shoulda won, especially the one point loss to Wheatmore. However despite those losses Bishop looks so much improved than as of recent years, Coach Holcomb’s already showing his magic and has improved them a ton from last year where they only won once. They will win more than one this year, in fact their conference schedule looks much better than it has for them to do so. This would be a great start.

If Bishop wins tonight they will be in uncharted territory as Carver’s won both of the conference matchups so far in the Catawba Shores. They have much more to lose than Carver does. It could be either surprisingly close or surprisingly a comfortable margin for the Villains. There’s not much margin for error here.



WS Prep at PL Prep