It’s already time for Week 5? I swear I just did the football preview, and now the season’s almost half over.
So, soak in the moments, I guess. We certainly had a few last week. There was a Game of the Year contender, a surprise or two and some cases of cream rising to the top.
Also, we’re having a good time with the podcast this season. We’re recording a new episode later today, but go get caught up on that, will you?
Now, let’s dig in to this week’s slate:
Princeton at Midway
Records: Princeton 3-1, Midway 3-1
Recent action: You might have heard about Princeton’s 48-46 win over North Johnston last week, and if you read our week four report, you also noted that Midway dropped a 14-12 decision to South Johnston on the same night.
Massey Rating spread: Princeton -1.5
Media Watch: NFHS ($)
Breakdown: The opening roll in the mud for the Swine Valley 2A/3A for both of these sides features a bit of positive history for the Raiders, who have won 11 of the 14 games in this series in the MaxPreps era (2004-present). Princeton has won the last two, which were played in 2017 and 2018.
The Massey number has had a few weeks to get dialed in, and the fact that it spit out a near-pick ’em is instructive. Still, I think this is a matchup that favors Princeton.
Holt Langston had 187 yards and a score for South Johnston against this Midway side last week, and nobody runs the football like Princeton. The Bulldogs have 1,402 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground in four games, paced by Teo McPhatter’s 898 yards and 14 scores.
The health of Austin Lewallen is a concern, since McPhatter’s workload is gargantuan as it stands. The other concern is Midway quarterback Tanner Williams, who has 687 yards and five touchdowns through the air so far this season. The Bulldogs can be had on the back end, and he’s shown flashes of being able to do that.
Prediction: Princeton 30, Midway 20.
South Johnston at Harnett Central
Records: South Johnston 2-1, Harnett Central 2-1
Recent action: South Johnston edged Midway, 14-12, last week while Harnett Central had a bye
Massey Rating spread: Harnett Central -8.5
Media Watch: none
Breakdown: Despite their relative proximity, these schools have only met five times since 2004, with Harnett Central’s Trojans holding a 4-1 edge over the Johnston County variety of ancient Greek warriors.
The Carolina Pines 6A opener for both squads serves up a pair of 2-1 squads eager to put their best foot forward. The common opponent is Smithfield-Selma. South knocked off SSS, 7-2, in a defense-dominated season opener while Harnett Central held off a furious Spartan (more Greeks) rally, 30-28, on Sept. 5.
So, what can we learn from that? That football is weird, I guess. Harnett Central has a talented, if somewhat turnover prone, quarterback in Koby Howard (616 passing yards, 6 TD, 8 INT) and a stable of decent backs led by Roshwan Towson (261 yards, 3 TD).
I’m not as high on their defense, which has allowed 62 points in the last two games.
Meanwhile, the return of Holt Langston has boosted what has still been a pretty pedestrian offense for South Johnston. Tyler Williams was back at quarterback in the Midway game and was a turnover-free 7-of-15 for 81 yards and a score.
A little more from him to go with a good ground game and a defense that has been excellent all season, and the local Trojans might just be a player in the Carolina Pines this season.
Prediction: South Johnston 21, Harnett Central 14
American Leadership Academy at East Carteret
Records: ALA 3-1, East Carteret 0-4
Recent action: ALA was on the wrong end of a 48-14 result against Wake Prep, while East Carteret fell to Swansboro, 34-28, in overtime.
Massey Rating spread: East Carteret -8.5
Media Watch: none
Breakdown: When the Massey computer picks you as a favorite, as it did for ALA last week, and you lose, it holds a grudge. That explains the spread for this one.
Still, despite the 0-4 record, the Mariners have been improving. They lost to Arendell Parrott on the last play of the game on Sept. 5 before being stopped at the one-yard line in overtime on fourth and goal against Swansboro.
On paper, the Patriots seem like the superior team. But it will be interesting to see how they respond to the adversity of losing the way they did last week. There’s a small matter of the 133-mile bus ride to Beaufort to contend with as well.
I described the South Johnston/Midway game last week as a Robert Frost game, or if you didn’t do the assigned reading, a game that determines the course of a season.
Perhaps the offense takes a little better care of the football, and a passing game emerges to take the load off Anthony Jimenez (812 rushing yards, 11 TD). And maybe the defense bounces back from last week’s effort.
That’s a lot of ifs, isn’t it? I’m not ready to jump off the bandwagon yet, but I did grab a new seat a little closer to the edge.
Prediction: American Leadership Academy 35, East Carteret 30
Eastern Wayne at North Johnston
Records: North Johnston 3-1, Eastern Wayne 3-1
Recent action: North Johnston lost to Princeton, 48-46, while Eastern Wayne fell at Middle Creek, 59-36
Massey Rating spread: Eastern Wayne -23.5
Media Watch: NFHS
Breakdown: The opening game of the Three Rivers 4A slate might be the one that decides the champion. West Craven might have a little to say about that, but for me, these two teams have looked the part so far in 2025.
Of course, these teams met every year in the Neuse 6 days, and Eastern Wayne won them all, including a 22-6 win in Kenly last fall. The Warriors went on to win the Neuse 6, and finish 10-3 before falling to Whiteville deep in the playoffs.
Some key figures are back in quarterback Izeiah Oates (589 passing yards, 7 TD and 196 rushing yards, 4TD) and running back Tykel Battle (213 yards, 3 TD). They’ve got talented receivers, too, in Levi Evans and Jeremiah Faison.
This is a strength-on-strength game, since the North Johnston offense, led by dual-threat Kaleb Pone (355 passing yards, 5 TD, 465 rushing yards, 8 TD) has been very good all season. Meanwhile, the Warrior defense, fresh off allowing 59 points to Middle Creek, hasn’t been as good as its offense, and if there’s a path to victory for the Panthers, it will be paved with the offensive side of the ball.
I want to be a county homer here, but I just can’t do it.
Prediction: Eastern Wayne 34, North Johnston 30
Rolesville at Corinth Holders
Records: Corinth Holders 2-1, Rolesville 1-2
Recent action: Both teams had a bye last week
Massey Rating spread: Rolesville -34.5
Media Watch: Hudl (not always the best feed)
Breakdown: The Cap 8A opener for both teams features a litmus test for the Pirates of Corinth Holders. Don’t let the 1-2 record fool you, Rolesville is good. Providence Day (4-0) and Mallard Creek (3-1) both hold top-five spots in HighSchoolOT’s 704 football rankings (and Rolesville is 6th in the 919 rankings this week, too).
The Rams are, or least want to be, the bullies of Cap 8A, and they’ll have a point to prove in Wendell on Friday.
Corinth Holders took the week off after a 31-14 win at home against South Garner, so they’ll be rested and ready for what will be a challenge. The Pirates leaned hard on their ground game in that win, but they might need to be a little more diverse in this one.
Prediction: Rolesville 35, Corinth Holders 14
Union Pines at West Johnston
Records: West Johnston 1-2, Union Pines 2-1
Recent action: West Johnston fell to Clayton, 55-2, while Union Pines had a bye
Massey Rating spread: Union Pines -26.5
Media Watch: Our friend Chris Hooks and the Curtis Media crew (102.3 FM and jocofootball.com) and NFHS
Breakdown: The Carolina Pines opener for these schools is set for Friday night, and West Johnston will be looking to put a sputtering non-conference slate in the rear-view mirror as the Vikings make the trip over from Moore County.
Bryan Till, an old friend of mine from my Fayetteville Observer days, is in his second year at the helm in Cameron, and he led the Vikings to the playoffs last fall. They appear to have picked up where they left off, with a narrow, 21-16, loss to Pinecrest serving as the only blemish on their record.
He’s 40 games over .500 as a high school coach for a reason, and Union Pines looks to be a team on the rise. West Johnston wants to stop that momentum, and lay down its own marker in the newly minted conference.
I still love the Wildcats’ defense, but injuries have hit the skill positions on offense hard so far in 2025, and until I see a bit more from that side of the ball, I’m hesitant to go out on thin limbs.
Prediction: Union Pines 28, West Johnston 7
South Garner at Smithfield-Selma
Records: Smithfield-Selma 1-3, South Garner 2-2
Recent action: Smithfield-Selma knocked off Southern Wayne, 42-7, while South Garner fell at Hunt, 40-22.
Massey Rating spread: -34.5
Media Watch: NFHS
Breakdown: The Massey number is emphatic, but these are a couple of teams heading in opposite directions. SSS is coming off a win, and the week before, was a missed two-point try from taking Harnett Central to overtime. The Titans, meanwhile, have dropped two straight since a 2-0 start.
The common opponent is West Johnston, with South Garner winning that game, 20-0, back on August 22 and SSS falling to the Wildcats, 26-0, a week later.
So, while I’ll stipulate that the Titans are favored, I’m not so sure on the five-touchdown number.
Prediction: South Garner 35, Smithfield-Selma 21
Fuquay-Varina at Clayton
Records: Clayton 3-1, Fuquay-Varina
Recent action: Clayton tripped up West Johnston, 55-2, while Fuquay-Varina clipped Willow Spring, 20-7
Massey Rating spread: Clayton -27.5
Media Watch: Our pal Wesley Outland and the gang at CRN and Hudl
Breakdown: Fuquay-Varina has actually won eight of the 13 meetings between these schools since 2004, but the Comets have won four of the last five, including a 24-9 win last fall.
The Bengal defense has been stout since a 37-7 loss at Middle Creek to start the season, allowing just nine points in the last three games. The flip side of that coin is that those three opponents (Apex, Triton and Willow Spring) are a combined 3-8.
I expected Clayton to be fired up after that loss to Hoggard, and it certainly was last week. I’d be surprised if that energy didn’t carry over to this game.
Prediction: Clayton 38, Fuquay-Varina 14
Note: Cleveland is on a bye week