It’s Thursday morning, and as I try to eat the world’s messiest pork chop and gravy biscuit, it occurs to me that I should go ahead and crank out a preview.

After all, two games of local interest are happening tonight.

At the risk of being repetitive, these are crucial games for the postseason hopes for most of our teams — either in terms of seeding or outright entry into the playoffs.

With that said, let’s look at Week 10:

Tonight

Princeton (5-3, 2-1 Neuse 6) at Beddingfield (5-3, 3-0 Neuse 6)

Raise your hand if you picked the Bruins to be in first place in late October. Liars, all of you.

But after a thrilling 21-20 win over Eastern Wayne last week, that’s where Beddingfield finds itself in advance of a visit from the Bulldogs.

The Massey Ratings, which should be getting more accurate by the week, have Princeton tabbed as an 8.5-point favorite with a 65 percent win probability. Right now, the High School OT Playoff Projections ($) have Beddingfield winning the Neuse 6 and Princeton coming in second.

The difference there is about eight seeds, with Beddingfield projected as a 7 and Princeton slotted at 15. The Bulldogs are 2-0 in this series in the MaxPreps era, and a win tonight would create a logjam atop the league standings with Beddingfield, Princeton, Eastern Wayne and North Johnston all having one league loss pending Friday night’s games.

C.B. Aycock (6-2, 3-2 QC 3A) at Smithfield-Selma (0-8, 0-5 QC 3A)

Senior Night comes a night early to Charles Tucker Stadium as the Spartans hope to play spoiler in the Quad County 3A race.

The Golden Falcons are, pardon the pun, flying high after a hard-fought 20-7 win at West Johnston last week, and will be looking to keep the hosts winless in 2023.

The Massey Ratings have Aycock as a 24.5-point favorite, and High School OT has them as the projected 17 seed in the 3A East. So, motivation shouldn’t be an issue.

Friday

North Johnston (4-4, 2-1 Neuse 6) at Eastern Wayne 4-4, 2-1 Neuse 6)

When Eastern Wayne raced past Princeton, 52-15, I thought the Warriors would run away and hide with the Neuse 6 title.

Beddingfield, as previously mentioned, had other plans. So, here we are in a good old fashioned dog fight.

The Massey Index isn’t too upset about last week stumble, picking Eastern Wayne as a 28.5-point favorite. The Warriors are 2-0 in the series during the MaxPreps era as well.

For North Johnston, the Panthers are currently sitting as the projected 28 seed, so another win would go a long way toward solidifying their playoff hopes.

East Wake (2-6, 2-3 QC 3A) at South Johnston (4-4, 2-3 QC3A)

The Trojans enter the home stretch of the 2023 campaign with some work to do on their postseason resume.

As the projected 29 seed, they’re on the playoff bubble. That footing would get a bit more secure with a win against a Jekyll and Hyde Warrior squad that has dropped two in a row by a combined tally of 77-0.

The two teams have split eight career meetings in the MaxPreps era, with East Wake winning last season, 28-13.

Hunt (7-1, 5-0 QC 3A) at West Johnston (5-3, 3-2 QC 3A)

With last week’s setback against C.B. Aycock, the Quad County 3A title is likely out of reach for the Wildcats. And much like their neighbors to the South, their playoff projection by the folks at High School OT is a little precarious as a 26 seed.

Meanwhile, Hunt looks to tighten its grip on the conference title and improve its seeding resume. The computer has this margin at 23.5 in favor of the Warriors, but with a stingy defense and a home crowd, West has a shot at an upset.

Southeast Raleigh (3-5, 1-4 GNR 4A) at Corinth Holders (2-6, 1-4 GNR 4A)

The Pirates are currently on the outside looking in at the projected 4A East field, but a win Friday night in Wendell against Southeast Raleigh would be a giant leap in the right direction.

With five teams projected to be in the field, there could be a spot to be had for Corinth Holders, but two wins in the last two games of the season is just the start of that scenario.

The Bulldogs are a 7.5-point favorite, but have lost three in a row and five of their last six.

Clayton (7-1, 5-0 GNR 4A) at Willow Spring (3-5, 1-4 GNR 4A)

The Comets are neck and neck with Cleveland for the Greater Neuse River 4A crown, and there’s a moderately important game between those teams next week.

But first things first, and that means a trip to face the Storm (both figuratively and literally). The Massey Index leans hard to Clayton (-37.5), and even in the most look ahead spot you can imagine, it’s hard to see anything but a Comet victory.

Garner (5-3, 3-2 GNR 4A) at Cleveland 8-0, 5-0 GNR 4A)

Everything I just typed about Clayton applies here, too. Conference title implications, playoff seeding concerns and a potential to look past an occasionally dangerous opponent.

Garner started strong, but has fallen off as the season has progressed. The Massey spread (-36.5) is calling for a rout, and I don’t think I disagree.

This is the JoCo Sports Game of the Week, presented by Gowan Roofing, and you can listen live and for free at 7:15 p.m. right here on jocosports.com.