I don’t suppose it’s any great secret that some football programs like to schedule games on the Thursday before Labor Day to get a little more down time.

Hurricane Idelia had other plans, it seems, pushing the would-be Thursday games back to Friday. I guess the old saying is true: “one often meets his destiny on the path taken to avoid it.”

Anyway, now that we have the philosophy sorted…

Week 3 schedule

Cleveland (2-0) at West Johnston (2-0) (JoCo Sports Game of the Week), 7 p.m.
South Johnston (1-1) at Corinth Holders (1-1), (102.3 FM Game of the Week), 7 p.m.
Wakefield (0-2) at Clayton (1-1), 7:30 p.m.
North Johnston (2-0) at Midway (1-1), 7 p.m.
Rosewood (0-2) at Princeton (2-0), 7 p.m.
Smithfield-Selma has a bye

The rock and the hard place

West Johnston came into the 2023 campaign hoping to turn the corner as a program, and with back-to-back wins to kick off the year, the Wildcats are running hard in that direction.

The competition gets a bit tougher this week, however, as equally unbeaten Cleveland makes the arduous 4.3-mile trek down Polenta and Raleigh roads Friday night.

The Massey Ratings are not buying the Wildcats’ resurgence — or perhaps it’s just really high on Cleveland. The super computer doesn’t talk much, but it did spit out a 36.5-point line for this one in favor of the Rams.

Week 3 is the point where the index starts improving a bit, but I’m a little higher on the West Johnston defense than that. Now, the competition is a factor, but the Wildcat defense has been solid thus far this season, and should be able to at least slow down the potent Rams attack.

Ironically, I think this one will be decided more by the West offense and the Cleveland defense. A big night from Dane Trum would help immensely.

A pivot point

Either Corinth Holders or South Johnston is going to leave Wendell with a 2-1 record after this county clash.

The Pirates’ win at Broughton last week earned it some love from the Massey Index, as they are a 20.5-point favorite. Still, South Johnston will be feeling confident after doubling up Triton on the road last week.

Corinth Holders had success running the football last week, piling up almost 280 yards at 7.7 yards per carry, while South struggled to stop the run against Triton (258 yards allowed, 7.8 yards per carry).

That sounds like a battle worth watching.

Being a goldfish

Ted Lasso teaches us to be a goldfish, or to have a very short memory in the face of adversity. After losing an 18-point, third-quarter lead against Holly Springs last week, Clayton would do well to heed that advice ahead of its date with Wakefield.

The computer is calling Clayton a 27.5-point favorite this week, and if the Comets come out goldfish-like (and perhaps a little angry), I could certainly see this one turning out that way.

Time for a test

North Johnston is sitting pretty at 2-0 after a hard-fought win over Rosewood last time out, but the Midway aerial circus will provide an even stiffer challenge Friday. Tripp Westbrook has thrown for 686 yards and seven TDs in two games, but scoring hasn’t been the issue for Midway. Stopping folks, on the other hand, very much has.

The Raiders have allowed 116 points in their two games, which is not very good. Still, the Massey Ratings have them as a 26.5-point favorite.

That might be a tad high, but it will be a good measuring stick for North nonetheless.

Rolling on

It took a come-from-behind effort for Princeton to knock off Harnett Central in Week 2, but things might not be quite as dramatic against Rosewood this week.

The Bulldogs are a 26.5-point favorite, and have won 10 of the last 11 meetings in the series.