West Stokes at Mount Airy
A battle of the titans but also a battle of the uncertain as both have a lot of questions to be answered. Can MA's youth hold them in close matchups with other teams, and is West
the real deal or over advertised? Both had their faults shown in spades last week as MA let a suprise win slip thru their hands and West let a very low underdog upset them with an
old school offense. Both have a ton to prove but on paper West should be the favorite due to their athletes and experience so they get the nod here. If MA's QB issue doesn't get
any better then the run will be almost a certanty and that could prove quite hard to use to their benfit. West meanwhile needs to find their new QB and make the offense more producitve.
Something's gotta give here.
Starmount at East Surry
Surry Central at East Wilkes
In what could be a close matchup it's teacher vs student for the 2nd time. Last year East spanked Central in Ronda however this year it could go either way. Central wasted quite
a few chances vs Elkin last week in the red zone and let a close one slip away, while East was humiliated by East Surry, and had to rely on special teams for points. On paper Central
is the favorite however given East's history of random upsets I wouldn't be surprised if one occurs. But I think Central's gonna be too strong for the Cards who badly need a spark.
South Stokes at Walkertown
Diamond Dave had one of his career highlights last week as he overcomed a 40 point predicted defcit and won by a TD over his student. This proves his run should be rather fruitful
for the Sauras who desperatly need the boost. However things won't be getting easy for them at least this week as they head to Walkertown to play a very hard to figure Wolfpack squad.
They won their opener last week but it came very late and was as much of a case of Lexington letting the victory slip to the rocks. Walkertown's a very big size with some chubby kids on
the line but they run a real cliched offense which is gimmicky and requires solid defense, this will be another great test for South. Walkertown also has the depth edge, they have a solid
10 or so more kids than South and that might be everything. South needs to do like last week and keep the ball in their hands as long as they can. I expect this one to be more closer
than figured, South won the JV game so it might be a sweep.. I'll go with Dave here. WT hasn't impressed me much.
North Moore at North Stokes
The Danbury Vikes had a solid but not perfect opener last week however the win proved to be what they needed to keep the boys going. However this week they face a different test
as they face a very athletic yet down NM team in the middle of a coaching change. NM's game was cancelled last week so they have no game under their belts and they are quite an unkown
quanitty. So as a result this will be the game I skip this week. I'd rate N Stokes the favorite but if NM's as athletic as always I see it being a barn burner.
West Caldwell at North Wilkes
Last week the Vikes slammed down their flag to symbolize they are now here and ready to fight for the top spot. But in order to consistently claim that they got to be able to take care
of business consistently, that's been a weak point of Chipman's run minus 2013 as in a few years, especially 2016 they let a couple of close ones slip away. This is a game that can be
quite close if they don't come ready to play like last week. West is very athletic despite it's problems all over the place to downgrade their pluses. They have a new HC who is very old
school and they are in the triple option which can be their ace in the hole. With NW not being a solid defense a majority of the time they expect to have the ball in their hands quite a bit
and keep NW off the field, if their plan fails then I see NW scoring at will as their offense is really potent. I just think NW has more momentum and I'll go with them here. This game will
show if they have a hard time accepting success or not. If NW comes 100% lasered in I don't see West outhitting them. West's always been a dominator of NW historically so a win will do North
some good.
West Wilkes at Avery County
Alexander Central at Wilkes Central
Watauga at Ashe County
Alleghany at Grayson Co, VA
Last week's opener was a rough one for the Trojans who came to Toast with high expectations of an upset. However that ended as NS's pass game settled in early and Alleghany's offensive plan
was broken down after one successful drive. Alleghany's line struggled to hang with North's speed on defense, and their defense never adapted to the pass allowing it to be exploited quite a bit.
Their QB also went down with bad cramps stalling their offense. To call the opener a nightmare's an understatement, but the Trojans have proper incentive for revenge this week as they play Grayson
who is one of their main rivals. Last year they stomped Alleghany pretty good and was one of the few who did, but on JV Alleghany won a close game so I expect a close game. I think Alleghany pulls the upset here, Grayson was good but lost a lot of kids going into this year. They too are young, Alleghany just has the better youngsters.
Carver at HP Andrews
The Yellow Jackets had their best opener in quite a few years last week as their return to the Wing T looked much solid vs a bunch of mountain boys. Carver got a 20 point lead in the 1st
quarter behind their 10th grade RB and never looked back while Madison looked very incompetent. This week brings a different story as they take the short drive to High Point to face a much
improved HP Andrews squad. HPA rolled over McMichael last week and looked solid on what film I've seen of them, they are more competently coached than they have been in a long time. This
makes them more dangerous than they have been too. Historically Carver dominated the series in their good ole' days however those are long gone and I see HPA rolling here, momentum's on
their side. I see Carver maybe scoring a few points with that RB but HPA's just more solid of a team. More kids too always helps.
North Forsyth at Reagan
NF had a hard night last Friday as North Wilkes thoroughly out hit and out game planned them from start thru the 3rd quarter. NF found itself late in the 4th but they waited way too long to get going and wasted a solid shot at a win. Without the W it will start a rough stretch where they will take it on the chin for a while. Up first is a jamming Reagan squad with a very solid senior class and a undefeated JV squad last year, momentum is very on their side in terms of being a program. This should be a very lopsided matchup in what proved to be once very hard fought series (I'll never forget seeing these two teams brawl like crazy at a 7 on 7 6 years back, it was crazy.) However those days are long gone as NF doesn't have the ponies to hang with the Raiders. NF's goal should be to stay healthy and make it to the bye week.
CSD at Bishop
Last week proved to be a nightmare as Bishop looked horrendous vs a very fired up Central Davidson squad who ran for nearly 550 yards on the Villains, it was a horrible re-debut for Jones,
who looks to have his hands full this year. It doesn't get any easier as they host a unknown CSD squad whose matchup with North Moore was cancelled last week. CSD had a very solid
11th grade class last year with plenty of depth, so I see that being the main ace in their books. CSD's pass game I see being too overwhelming for them to handle, so CSD should roll
here unless Bishop wakes up on D and plays hard.
Atkins at Chatham Central
Atkins was humiliated on Monday night as West Iredell did what they pleased and shut the Camels out while Atkins threw 4 picks and had a state record broken. There's nowhere
to go but up for the Camels as they have a very winnable game vs Chatham Central who also was humiliated. CC is very similar in terms of numbers and the low standing to Atkins
overall. However CC has one Ace in the hole that may prove very troublesome for the Camels: their QB is really good for a small 1A team. Moore is a 3 year starter and has over
4,000 pasing yards, he passed that level last week vs Eastern Randolph where he threw for over 200 yards. If the Camels couldn't stop West Iredell who also throws it I see them
having a hard time vs the Bears. Question is can Atkins's line hang with CC's? Right now I don't see it being enough for Atkins, CC rolls here.
A battle of the titans but also a battle of the uncertain as both have a lot of questions to be answered. Can MA's youth hold them in close matchups with other teams, and is West
the real deal or over advertised? Both had their faults shown in spades last week as MA let a suprise win slip thru their hands and West let a very low underdog upset them with an
old school offense. Both have a ton to prove but on paper West should be the favorite due to their athletes and experience so they get the nod here. If MA's QB issue doesn't get
any better then the run will be almost a certanty and that could prove quite hard to use to their benfit. West meanwhile needs to find their new QB and make the offense more producitve.
Something's gotta give here.
Starmount at East Surry
Surry Central at East Wilkes
In what could be a close matchup it's teacher vs student for the 2nd time. Last year East spanked Central in Ronda however this year it could go either way. Central wasted quite
a few chances vs Elkin last week in the red zone and let a close one slip away, while East was humiliated by East Surry, and had to rely on special teams for points. On paper Central
is the favorite however given East's history of random upsets I wouldn't be surprised if one occurs. But I think Central's gonna be too strong for the Cards who badly need a spark.
South Stokes at Walkertown
Diamond Dave had one of his career highlights last week as he overcomed a 40 point predicted defcit and won by a TD over his student. This proves his run should be rather fruitful
for the Sauras who desperatly need the boost. However things won't be getting easy for them at least this week as they head to Walkertown to play a very hard to figure Wolfpack squad.
They won their opener last week but it came very late and was as much of a case of Lexington letting the victory slip to the rocks. Walkertown's a very big size with some chubby kids on
the line but they run a real cliched offense which is gimmicky and requires solid defense, this will be another great test for South. Walkertown also has the depth edge, they have a solid
10 or so more kids than South and that might be everything. South needs to do like last week and keep the ball in their hands as long as they can. I expect this one to be more closer
than figured, South won the JV game so it might be a sweep.. I'll go with Dave here. WT hasn't impressed me much.
North Moore at North Stokes
The Danbury Vikes had a solid but not perfect opener last week however the win proved to be what they needed to keep the boys going. However this week they face a different test
as they face a very athletic yet down NM team in the middle of a coaching change. NM's game was cancelled last week so they have no game under their belts and they are quite an unkown
quanitty. So as a result this will be the game I skip this week. I'd rate N Stokes the favorite but if NM's as athletic as always I see it being a barn burner.
West Caldwell at North Wilkes
Last week the Vikes slammed down their flag to symbolize they are now here and ready to fight for the top spot. But in order to consistently claim that they got to be able to take care
of business consistently, that's been a weak point of Chipman's run minus 2013 as in a few years, especially 2016 they let a couple of close ones slip away. This is a game that can be
quite close if they don't come ready to play like last week. West is very athletic despite it's problems all over the place to downgrade their pluses. They have a new HC who is very old
school and they are in the triple option which can be their ace in the hole. With NW not being a solid defense a majority of the time they expect to have the ball in their hands quite a bit
and keep NW off the field, if their plan fails then I see NW scoring at will as their offense is really potent. I just think NW has more momentum and I'll go with them here. This game will
show if they have a hard time accepting success or not. If NW comes 100% lasered in I don't see West outhitting them. West's always been a dominator of NW historically so a win will do North
some good.
West Wilkes at Avery County
Alexander Central at Wilkes Central
Watauga at Ashe County
Alleghany at Grayson Co, VA
Last week's opener was a rough one for the Trojans who came to Toast with high expectations of an upset. However that ended as NS's pass game settled in early and Alleghany's offensive plan
was broken down after one successful drive. Alleghany's line struggled to hang with North's speed on defense, and their defense never adapted to the pass allowing it to be exploited quite a bit.
Their QB also went down with bad cramps stalling their offense. To call the opener a nightmare's an understatement, but the Trojans have proper incentive for revenge this week as they play Grayson
who is one of their main rivals. Last year they stomped Alleghany pretty good and was one of the few who did, but on JV Alleghany won a close game so I expect a close game. I think Alleghany pulls the upset here, Grayson was good but lost a lot of kids going into this year. They too are young, Alleghany just has the better youngsters.
Carver at HP Andrews
The Yellow Jackets had their best opener in quite a few years last week as their return to the Wing T looked much solid vs a bunch of mountain boys. Carver got a 20 point lead in the 1st
quarter behind their 10th grade RB and never looked back while Madison looked very incompetent. This week brings a different story as they take the short drive to High Point to face a much
improved HP Andrews squad. HPA rolled over McMichael last week and looked solid on what film I've seen of them, they are more competently coached than they have been in a long time. This
makes them more dangerous than they have been too. Historically Carver dominated the series in their good ole' days however those are long gone and I see HPA rolling here, momentum's on
their side. I see Carver maybe scoring a few points with that RB but HPA's just more solid of a team. More kids too always helps.
North Forsyth at Reagan
NF had a hard night last Friday as North Wilkes thoroughly out hit and out game planned them from start thru the 3rd quarter. NF found itself late in the 4th but they waited way too long to get going and wasted a solid shot at a win. Without the W it will start a rough stretch where they will take it on the chin for a while. Up first is a jamming Reagan squad with a very solid senior class and a undefeated JV squad last year, momentum is very on their side in terms of being a program. This should be a very lopsided matchup in what proved to be once very hard fought series (I'll never forget seeing these two teams brawl like crazy at a 7 on 7 6 years back, it was crazy.) However those days are long gone as NF doesn't have the ponies to hang with the Raiders. NF's goal should be to stay healthy and make it to the bye week.
CSD at Bishop
Last week proved to be a nightmare as Bishop looked horrendous vs a very fired up Central Davidson squad who ran for nearly 550 yards on the Villains, it was a horrible re-debut for Jones,
who looks to have his hands full this year. It doesn't get any easier as they host a unknown CSD squad whose matchup with North Moore was cancelled last week. CSD had a very solid
11th grade class last year with plenty of depth, so I see that being the main ace in their books. CSD's pass game I see being too overwhelming for them to handle, so CSD should roll
here unless Bishop wakes up on D and plays hard.
Atkins at Chatham Central
Atkins was humiliated on Monday night as West Iredell did what they pleased and shut the Camels out while Atkins threw 4 picks and had a state record broken. There's nowhere
to go but up for the Camels as they have a very winnable game vs Chatham Central who also was humiliated. CC is very similar in terms of numbers and the low standing to Atkins
overall. However CC has one Ace in the hole that may prove very troublesome for the Camels: their QB is really good for a small 1A team. Moore is a 3 year starter and has over
4,000 pasing yards, he passed that level last week vs Eastern Randolph where he threw for over 200 yards. If the Camels couldn't stop West Iredell who also throws it I see them
having a hard time vs the Bears. Question is can Atkins's line hang with CC's? Right now I don't see it being enough for Atkins, CC rolls here.
