Thanks to a quirk of scheduling, we have something of a rarity in Johnston County high school football this evening. There’s only one game on the schedule involving a county team.

Having enjoyed a bye week in Week 3, Smithfield-Selma will pick up their proverbial spears and shields and take its home field for the first time in 2023 when the Jordan Falcons swoop into town.

It’s the JoCo Sports Game of the Week, and in the spirit of media cooperation, I’ll mention that it might be on 102.3 FM as well.

On paper, it’s not the ideal setting for such a media blitz. The Falcons lost by four at Cardinal Gibbons in their season opener, but have since toppled Southern Alamance and Heritage to arrive at Tucker Stadium with a 2-1 record.

Meanwhile, the homestanding Spartans have been outscored 106-6 in losses to South Garner and Westover. The Massey Ratings have taken this into account, and spit out a Jordan -31.5 number.

So, the odds are long for our local team this evening. But they were the same for Leonidas, the most famous Spartan of them all, at the Battle of Thermopylae where he guarded a pass with 300 Spartans against a force of around 120,000 men.

It’s a tale of bravery that has endured for more than 2,300 years, and it’s one that can offer hope to Smithfield-Selma this evening.

Maybe the ending will be a bit better for this bunch of Spartans…