Northwest 1A Write Up

[Slasher Killer]

Well I’m finally here with my previews; again apologies for taking a little while but I hope it’s worthwhile. I’m gonna split these up by conference and go from there. Today’s the Northwest, tomorrow or Wednesday hopefully is the MVAC and Saturday or so will be the WPAC in the 2A page if anyone wants that one.

The Northwest this year looks legitly interesting on paper. East and MA are the top 2 like always but when push comes to shove 3 down could one of the more interesting sagas in small 1A. None of the four teams off the bat off the top of my head are really a lock for 3rd place because they all have some legitimate question marks on top of their heads from August 1st on. One team has some really fast cats but they are incapable of finishing a statement game. Another has a legendary coach but their turnout is slow low it negates his momentum or their speed or size. The third was the best of the rest last year but their HC left the building as did most of their players. Then there’s one of the more rootable teams in northwest NC and they look to have the amount of kids and talent to play everyone. As a result of these dramas I cannot fully rate 3 on down.. I have to do something more unique you will see at the end.

SO, so much drama here in this conference that it helps to make up for how awfully set up and sad it really is. The Northwest is one of NC’s longest and best conferences dangit and they deserve better. I hope the state focuses on that in 2020 or 2021 or whenever they decide to be competent and do their jobs for once. There’s no excuse for the Northwest becoming the private school league in the area.. create a conference for them and the Forsyth schools and leave the Northwest alone.

Anyways my thoughts for the the whole realignment BS is worth it’s own post for another day.. but for now let’s get to the fine meat of the matter..

 

[Slasher Killer]

East Surry:



Strengths:

-Large Senior Class

-Solid Skill Players

-Experience in tough games






Weaknesses:


-Lack of the Gosnells.

-Offense will be different as a result

-Younger in several spots

-Target on their backs






SOS:

Challenging. East has a lot of courage to play Reidsville. Minus East Wilkes and Central they don't have any cakewalks looking on paper. Not really saying Central will be one they will be at least more competent, same potentially for EW. There’s not much room for East to sleepwalk here.



My Thoughts:

East will have quite a challenge on their backs this year as they have to start a new journey. No longer can Pilot dream about making it to the title game.. now they have to try to re-do it with everyone hunting them. But they start the season without their ace in the hole Gosnell.. that hurts. However the Cards have kids who can play like Boaz, the kid at WR, the Quincy kid, and Speaks. Question is can the Cards gell thru a tough stretch in non conference time as they face quite a few hard hitting teams before conference hits, and they can build up for MA and the playoffs. East can’t really afford to sleep on the conference slate either.. they did that before and lost to Walkertown and let Prep almost beat them one year. Their situation this year is ripe for the pickings for an upset minded team coming to Pilot.

 

[Slasher Killer]

Mount Airy:



Strengths:

-Returning Skill Players

- Returning QB

-Decent JV Team

-Experienced Coordinators







Weaknesses:

-The Greene's are history

-Line will be younger

-Freshman class rumored to have really low #'s.

-Adkins doesn’t handle pressure well historically.







SOS:

The Bears finally have SC off the schedule and have replaced them with Reidsville.. this will make for MA's hardest non-conference game in decades since Hollingsworth’s era. However MA had to replace them with whoever they could find and that was Alleghany. Not a world winning improvement but a more competitive game than the last 2 Central matchups.







My Thoughts:

MA's looking surprisingly on the up at the moment.. I expected them to have the rebuild year out of the two due to the Greene’s absence but East's looking more like they are at the moment. I’m not saying MA's 100% the favorite at this point but I think the game with East will be closer than we all think. MA could have a better record though due to the non con slate looking less killer and more winnable. That being said their offense looks to be more explosive on paper as they still can throw to some fast kids. Defense returns a few good kids but they gotta replace quite a few too. They are not a 100% lock as they have to grow and improve thru the year without getting hurt on the line and defense as the #’s have to be maintained.

 

[Slasher Killer]

The Rest.. oh boy:



WS Prep:



Strengths:

-Sophomore QB has a ton of potential

-DE is getting big time offers

-Fastest athletes in conference

-More kids than the past 2-3 years playing





Weaknesses:

-Loses a decent sized senior class

-Line's always a weakpoint

-Still in need of a statement win








SOS:

Weak. Prep's staying away from Forsyth county games this year which in my opinion is a bad move (they need to be playing Atkins and Carver as they are in the same area and Prep can beat them,) instead there's a few private schools on board and there's Barlett Yancy and Cummings. The most interesting matchup will be vs. East Wilkes as both have a lot to prove and could be x factors in their conferences. Prep has the edge on paper for it but hard to say right now due to Prep’s quiet nature.

The winner of that game will come into conference play with a lot of momentum: if East wins it shows they can play speedy teams and can take a pounding, but if Prep wins it shows they can handle more physical teams and could be a threat in NW play.











My Thoughts:

Prep finally has their shot to make their names this year as the NW #3 spot's right there for the taking. Honestly they should have had it the past 2 years or so but they have had a lot of troubles shaking South Stokes off. The 2017 game was unreal as Prep passed for over 400 yards and out athleted South by miles but they couldn't out hit them.

This year's game will bring a different dimension as they will play Coach Diamont's Sauras.. they will have to face their same demons times two as they have never beaten Coach Diamont either. Same for when they play the other 2 teams.. Bishop's had their number the past few years and N Stokes could be a hot team if they have the pieces in place. Prep's gonna have to work hard and fight for #3 this year. This is their hardest mission ahead of them since starting and one they need to pass to continue on as a program, they gotta break the barrier for good.

They can either succeed or fail miserably, no in between.

 

[Slasher Killer]

Bishop:


Strengths:

-Returning HC in Jones

-Players returning with Experience

-Very competitive Non Con Schedule

-New kids playing




Weaknesses:

-Hard to say if they will have a JV team or not.

-Loss of many senior starters

-Many ? marks on both sides of the ball.





SOS:

Weak.. but it was a good move due to all the ? marks. To play a hard schedule would have been suicide for Bishop with all the turnover. Their opener vs Central Davidson will show what they have. It's a winable game for them but if they lose then it will be a rebuilding year, however a win vs CD will springboard them to a better year than most figure. CD actually has the most to lose in that one as a loss will be humiliating to them this far into their rebuild and might be costly for their HC.



My Thoughts:

Bishop's one of if not the hardest team to figure in the area.. have no idea what in the world to say for them. Their numbers didn’t look very good for a while.. they had only 12 kids on the roster for a bit then all of a sudden it’s exploded in the last week and they have 49. It looks like they will either have a huge varsity roster or be playing JV for the first time in a while and if so that’s a huge win for them off the bat, but honestly it’s too early to say. Max Preps can easily be wrong.

They have a lot of question marks on both sides of the ball though to address, and when you lose that many seniors you got to have them. Defense is the main thing for them to worry about.. last year they had their best D in a long time as besides the MA, East, North Wilkes, and Jefferson Academy games not many people scored on them that much. Offensively they were a well oiled machine and could take care of business quite effectively. Jones looks to be staying in heavy pass look. However a lot of the pieces they used for points last year are gonna and he has to play kingmaker again. He has always had the midas touch for the program but this could be his biggest test.

Right now it’s looking like they could have some size.. they return the big sophomore kid but they also got a transfer kid from Florida at center and nose guard who’s 300 pounds.. they haven’t had anyone that big since when I played if not ever. They also have 2 other kids from other states who have supposedly moved to Kernersville. And if that’s so then things are looking up for the Villains after a dire offseason. But I won’t declare them the favorites just yet they need to put the pads on first. That will prove almost everything in a hurry.

 

[Slasher Killer]

South Stokes:


Strengths:

-Decent sized kids on both levels

-Some speed

-Most important.. Coach Diamont



Weaknesses:

-Participation.

-Kids need reason to believe

-Program needs a shot in the arm.






SOS:

Challenging. Out of the lower ranked schools they have the hardest schedule imo. They don't get much easy wins they have West Stokes and Walkertown off the bat, then Elkin. I see them playing McMichael and Trinity awfully hard though. They will beat South Davidson. I see Dave getting a kick out of the schedule.. he loves the tough games.





My Thoughts:

South is imo the biggest X factor of this conference.. they have a lot of potential to shock people with Coach Diamont on board. He's always had great luck turning things around his first year at schools but here is gonna be his biggest challenge. South's in dire straits with numbers and excitement. His predecessor had to fold the JV team last year and did a You Tube campaign trying to get kids out before he took off.. it's gonna take a little bit to get them going.

The best possible thing for that to happen is for them to win and win as much as they can to get the kids attention. That being said it might not happen early.. later def so. I think they will compete with every school 3 down.. if they can get a few shock wins early they can momentum theirselves to third place.

The Prep game is their most pivotal one in my opinion. It's the first conference game and a solid chance for their statement.. however it's not gonna be easy. Prep will out athlete them in every spot and they have equal the amount of kids. Plus add to it the motivation and revenge factor for Prep, the Sauras are gonna have to hunker down. South better get behind the I-train because they gotta ride it to anything they can get.

 

[Slasher Killer]

North Stokes:


Strengths:

-Solid #'s especially from the seniors and sophomores.

-Very competitive non-conference schedule.

-Sessoms.



Weaknesses:

-#'s aren't great with junior class.

-Got room to grow on both sides.

-Not much recent successes.




SOS:

Weak.. but it's best for them. Playing 3 of NC's lower 1A schools off the bat's genius. Even if West Stokes is on board they have 5 chances of winning.. they haven't had that in a long time. That being said CC, North Moore, and Hobbton is going to test N Stokes. CC has a killer QB, NM has speed despite their flaws, and Hobbton's #'s are up and they are being talked as a surprise team. It’s not gonna be easy. I think they can play all 3 hard though and maybe win one, two, or even all of those games. I see this being the year they get Patrick.. they got lucky in 2017 in Danbury, might be revenge time.








My Thoughts:

I've mentioned it quite a few times the past couple of years but I think this is the year for North Stokes to play with people finally. They have a solid senior class and a really good sophomore class they could combine to be quite good. #'s are up and the schedule's in their favor they could very well win anything from 2-5 games before conference play hits. With how rough the rest of the NW is they could maybe surprise people if they draw the right card.

They gotta stay healthy though and if they could get maybe 40 kids out then that would be a huge win for the program there. The sophomores will have to help carry the load and that’s a lot to ask for in any program but their main players especially that QB have the talent to play people and play them hard. I’ll be rooting quite a bit for the Vikings this year.

 

[Slasher Killer]

Standings and Expected Wins:


1.East Surry (between 6-10 wins)
2.Mount Airy (between 6-10 wins)

A. WS Prep (between 3-9 wins, solid shot at 5-6 or could be 3-4)
B. Bishop (between 3-7 wins best, as low as 1 worst case)
C. South Stokes (as low as 1 or 2 wins or as high as 6 wins)
D. North Stokes (as low as 1 or 2 wins, or as high as 5-6 wins)

 

[Slasher Killer]

I will have the MVAC sometime today or tomorrow..

Again these aren't definite by any stretch.. I don't wanna hear "I told you so," 20 million times.. it's not like I'm psychic and can predict these things months away out of nowhere lol. These are a fun educated guess.. nothing else or are they designed to slight a school.

 

[downeastty]

Great write up. I think it shakes out as follows:

ES
MA
Bishop
Prep
NS
SS

 

[Slasher Killer]

Great write up. I think it shakes out as follows:

ES
MA
Bishop
Prep
NS
SS

Bishop's on the rise after seeing that roster they have.. I didn't have much confidence before that. Jones has a knack finding kids to play. Their opener will tell if they have the talent or not. It's a very winable matchup for them. If they get it together they could win a few before they get to East. If that happens they should get 3 unless Prep turns things around..

South last.. that's bold.

 

[SlickRich28120]

I am looking for the bears to be totally different on offense this year slash. With the Greene brothers gone they don’t have the personal to be in the spread. I hear the offense will be a total different look. Compton is gone so that tells me the spread is gone. Loads of talent outside of smith in the backfield This year. With the slew of backs the bears have expect you to see jk as o coordinator, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the bears in the veer, that is what he was successful with at east Wilkes. I could be wrong but I think this bears team is gonna be pretty dog gone good. I predict a 10 - 1 record heading into playoffs. Jv numbers are down a bit, but let’s remember the bears are playing a slew of kids up. I for one am excited to see coach adkins team take the field .

 

[Slasher Killer]

I seen a picture of MA in the I at a 7 on 7 a month or so back on Twitter when you all played South Iredell.. that was a surprise. But not a bad offense to run with the personnel. I honestly expect more option though from MA this year as well as the run; there's too many fast kids not to do so. It's what I would do anyways.. maybe not the option 100% of the time but have some plays in case.

Smith's too good a back to not carry it more than 15 times a game.. it'd be a major waste of talent if they didn't give it to him that much. He could get easily 1,000 yards in the conference games alone excluding East.

 

[Slasher Killer]

I'm gonna move the MVAC writeup to this weekend, probably Friday night or so. I wanna see Ashe first before I finish it. I've seen Elkin too already so that was a help.

 

[downeastty]

South last is bold but what kind of numbers will they have the first year. Prep has the DE and a transfer corner plus a QB with potential but what about upfront on both sides? They have not been good up front and who will catch the ball?

 

[TD-FridayNight]

I'm gonna move the MVAC writeup to this weekend, probably Friday night or so. I wanna see Ashe first before I finish it. I've seen Elkin too already so that was a help.

Looking forward to your continued research.

 

[hammer70_rivals218965]

South last is bold but what kind of numbers will they have the first year.

Really hope Diamont can bring some excitement to South's program and to the community for football. Saw on facebook a month or so ago that they folded their little league program. Hope some parents will step up and get that going again in the next year or so and hopefully back in the Surry/Stokes league that they were in before they went AAU a couple years back. A lot of people put a lot of hard work in that program over the years.

 

[Bear1971]

I hope South Stokes program goes up even though I'm Mt Airy fan they have good coach now but I swear there is kids in my neighborhood I've not seen in 4years that's finally came out of the house thank God I live in NS district

 

[bareman]

Gdawg 10-1..don’t see it...too young in too many places...will be a very good team by seasons end if injury bug stays away.....been blessed w/home run receivers over last several years....will have to share the ball now that Green’s are gone

 

[KW2346]

I'm gonna move the MVAC writeup to this weekend, probably Friday night or so. I wanna see Ashe first before I finish it. I've seen Elkin too already so that was a help.

well slasher how did ashe look?

 

[bareman]

here’s my 2cents on Ashe: watched them vs ES...like their passing game...uses the short/underneath routes well...tall QB...can see downfield....didn’t throw many deep balls...on “D” got beat several times w/homerun ball....DB’s bit on out/up routes...should be tough team in MVC

 

[Thunder_struck8712]

here’s my 2cents on Ashe: watched them vs ES...like their passing game...uses the short/underneath routes well...tall QB...can see downfield....didn’t throw many deep balls...on “D” got beat several times w/homerun ball....DB’s bit on out/up routes...should be tough team in MVC

The fact they can pass the ball so well will lead to at least 5 wins in the MVAC. They should win it outright. The only teams that will present a challenge are Central, and possibly an athletic team like Starmount or Elkin.

 

[KW2346]

I'm gonna move the MVAC writeup to this weekend, probably Friday night or so. I wanna see Ashe first before I finish it. I've seen Elkin too already so that was a help.[/QUOTe

Your killing me man