When you have nine schools in a county playing high school football, you’re bound to have a wide array of storylines after the first couple of weeks of any new season. That’s certainly the case for the Johnston County-based squads.
We have contenders, surprise packages and teams looking for answers as we steam into September — and perhaps by Saturday morning we’ll have a little more clarity on who’s who in those categories.
joco sports game of the week
Cleveland being 2-0 is not really newsworthy anymore, in and of itself, but the fact that those wins came against Hoggard and Heritage certainly is. The Rams are using a familiar formula, which is a lot of production from the quarterback position that allows an athletic defense to play with a lead.
Jackson Byrd will be the latest in a string of Cleveland quarterbacks to play on Saturdays, and the ETSU commit has thrown for 519 yards and five scores while rushing for almost 200 more with three additional touchdowns.
If we were nitpicking, and I’m sure Coach Riley is, we’d mention a lower-than-normal completion percentage and a lack of production from the running back position. Some of that, however, is the competition level. Still, it’s something to keep an eye on.
West Johnston is also 2-0 after a come-from-behind thriller against Harnett Central in Week 1 and a much more workmanlike 28-14 win at Western Harnett last week.
The Wildcats have been a rushing juggernaut in the early stages of the campaign, tallying 419 yards on the ground, paced by quarterback Josiah Wells’ 197. That ground game, and a little punch from Wells in the passing game (332 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT), has set the stage for a battle of county unbeatens.
The Massey Ratings, much maligned in this space in recent weeks, has the Rams as a 41.5-point favorite. Cleveland has a 9-2 lead in the all-time series, including the last five (46-0 in 2023).
As mentioned in the subhed, this is the JoCo Sports Game of the Week, and pregame is set for 7:15.
back to work
Foul weather scuttled Clayton’s Week 2 clash with Holly Springs, and now that turns into a Week 3 game, where both teams were to have had a bye.
So the 1-0 Comets, after an interesting off-field week, will get back to it tonight at Wakefield, which has allowed 49 and 47 points in losses to Leesville Road and Southeast Raleigh.
The computer has this one in favor of Clayton by about 35 points, and that seems pretty reasonable to me. Our friends at CRN, as always, will be on the call.
battle with midway
Our friends at Curtis Media (102.3) will be in friendly Kenly for North Johnston’s game against Midway.
Midway has the same 1-1 record as North does, after a blowout win against Hobbton in the opener and a lopsided loss to James Kenan in Week 2.
The Panthers are also coming off a defeat, 27-18, at the hands of Rosewood, and will be looking to sink the visitors from Sampson County. The teams have split six games in the MaxPreps era, and Midway won the most recent one, 40-36, on its home field last fall.
The Massey Index has Midway as a 6.5-point favorite, and since the last two meetings have been touchdown games one way or the other, this one figures to be as well.
another match of local perfection
Another pair of surprise packages get together tonight in Four Oaks when Corinth Holders and South Johnston vie for the right to be 3-0.
The Pirates have been, well, buccaneering — outscoring their foes 74-3 in a couple of convincing wins. They’ve been winning in the most tried and true way, which is running the football well (474 yards, 8 TD) and playing stifling defense. It’s a winning formula.
The computers are impressed, installing Corinth Holders as a 13.5-point favorite, but the Trojans will have other ideas.
After Week 1’s nailbiter with Princeton, South ran its record to 2-0 with a 42-0 demolition of Triton last week. Like the Pirates, South has been running the ball well (413 yards, 6 TD) and playing good defense. Sophomore quarterback Tyler Williams has also acclimated nicely to the varsity level (293 yards, 2 TD, INT).
This is a fascinating game, and one I’m a little sad to be missing. Until I figure out a way to clone myself, however, such is life.
This feels like a touchdown game either way, and at the risk of sounding boring, the team that turns it over the least will likely win.
computer darlings?
After winning as a five-touchdown underdog in Week 1, and following that up with another runaway victory last time out, the American Leadership Academy Patriots are 2-0 and are 19.5-point Massey favorites tonight at Cedar Ridge.
Here’s a clarification that I didn’t think I’d have to make: It’s my understanding that, as an independent member of the NCHSAA, ALA is ineligible for the postseason.
But the new kids on the block are hangin’ tough — and any other number of 80s puns also apply to what’s been one of the surprise stories in this young season.
taking a break
Princeton and Smithfield-Selma are idle this week.