The JoCo Sports Game of the Week, powered by ChiroDuo Mobile Chiropractic, will leave the friendly confines of Johnston County this week and make the short trip to Rosewood for the Eagles (2-1) clash with Princeton.
If you’re a pessimist, you look at Princeton’s 0-2 record and perhaps raise concerns about its pass defense and lack of a kicking game.
An optimist would say that those losses came by a combined three points against bigger schools — and one of those came away from home.
The truth about the Bulldogs lies somewhere in the middle. Where exactly that is, well, this game might help us sort that out.
The Massey Ratings have Princeton as a 20.5-point favorite, which is a bizarre number when you consider the history between these two rivals, separated by 7.7 miles of highway.
Princeton owns a 13-8 lead in the MaxPreps era, including four straight wins (41-34 in 2023), and with the Bulldogs’ recent trend of close games, a three-touchdown margin would be surprising.
Kickoff is at 7, so the pregame show will get underway at 6:40 Friday night (for now, with an eye on the weather).
let’s try again
Clayton and Holly Springs were scheduled to meet on Aug. 30, but some late afternoon shoved this game back into what was to be a bye week for both teams.
Instead, they’ll tangle Thursday night at 7 at Nixon-Fowler Stadium, and our friends at CRN will have the call.
The computers love Clayton (-29.5) in something of a revenge spot after the Golden Hawks rallied from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to take a 32-28 win last season.
The Comets’ new look offense has been potent in the early going, while its defense as done its part as the more experienced unit. Holly Springs, on the other hand, has been up and down in its two games — a loss to Garner and a win against Fuquay-Varina.
It seems like a spot for a Clayton rout, but stranger things have happened on Thursday nights in September.
on the road
The Stanley Williams era hits the road for the first time this week for a spooky, Friday the 13th clash against Jordan.
The Falcons (2-1) handled SSS, 56-14, last fall and the Massey folks think a similar score line is in store for us this time around (Jordan -37.5).
I like the energy and enthusiasm that Williams has injected into the Spartan program, but this is a tall mountain to climb.
speaking of the road
No one does travel like the American Leadership Academy Patriots, who will take their 3-0 record up I-95 to 3-0 Roanoke Rapids Friday night.
Now, after three really comfortable wins, the Pats might face some adversity against the Yellow Jackets, who own wins over Northampton County, Weldon and Pine Lake Prep.
The computers think so, installing the Jackets as a 22.5-point favorite. But ALA is no stranger to making liars out of computer rankings, and it will look to do so again this time around.
that’s it
Everyone else is taking the week off.