After seven of the eight county schools enjoyed a bye in Week 4, all of our local teams will be back in action tonight.
Let’s run down the slate:
South Johnston (2-1) at Smithfield-Selma (0-3)
This is our JoCo Sports Game of the Week, and the pregame show, featuring former University of Virginia standout and current Edward Jones financial guru Mike Mullins and some other guy, starts at 6:45. You can catch all the action for free here.
This, of course, is the Quad County 3A opener for both teams. So, while we’ve been counting wins and losses for a while now, the results are now even more vital to teams’ postseason hopes.
That’s certainly on South Johnston’s collective mind, as the Trojans have bounced back from a season-opening setback against Princeton to notch back-to-back road wins against Triton and Corinth Holders. An aggressive, opportunistic defense has paved the way, piling up 27 tackles for loss, seven sacks, four interceptions and five fumble recoveries.
That’s a lot of extra possessions for an offense that has shown flashes behind quarterback Riley Adams (544 yards passing, 4 TD, 4 INT) and running back Aiden Williams (199 yards rushing, 2 TD, 130 yards receiving). Adams’ two favorite targets, Connor Lee and Kalib Brown each have 12 catches and a pair of touchdowns.
Speaking of flashes, that’s what the fourth quarter of an otherwise forgettable loss against Jordan featured for Smithfield-Selma.
Two late touchdowns, one passing and one receiving from Jamie Groves, were the silver lining for the Spartans. The Trojans aren’t likely to feature the same sort of size that Jordan did, so the physics at least should be a little more even this week.
The Massey Ratings have the Trojans as a 5.5-point favorite, in large part due to Smithfield-Selma’s rugged nonconference schedule. I’m a big believer in momentum, though, and it’s wearing a green shirt in this one.
Fike (1-2) at West Johnston (2-1)
Elsewhere in the Quad County 3A, West Johnston will kick off the league schedule with a home tilt against the Demons.
West is coming off a loss to Cleveland in nonconference action, but is hosting a Fike squad that has dropped two in a row by a combined score of 97-26.
The Wildcats have also probably noticed that Fike is a bit leaky against the run, having allowed 565 combined yards in those two games against Northern and Southern Nash. It might be a good night for Lucas Fountain, who already has 301 yards and 3 TD on the ground this season.
The Massey Ratings have West as a narrow (-2.5) favorite, but that seems a tad light to me.
Cleveland (3-0) at Corinth Holders (1-2)
You can check this one out on 102.3 FM as the Rams will try to make it nine in a row and 12 of 13 in all-time meetings with Corinth Holders.
Cleveland has been doing Cleveland things, piling up points with a balanced offense while getting just enough stops and turnovers on defense. Of course, last time out against West Johnston, the bend-but-don’t-break defense instead pitched a shutout and allowed a grand total of 61 yards of offense.
The Pirates have bookended a road win at Broughton with losses to Sanderson and South Johnston to start the campaign. The offense has been an issue for Corinth Holders, as it struggles to find the right combination of personnel at the skill positions.
The computer doesn’t think much of the Pirates’ chances, installing them as a 37.5-point underdog. Anything less than Corinth Holders’ ‘A’ game, and that could very well come to pass.
Fuquay-Varina (1-2) at Clayton (2-1)
Our friends from CRM have the call for this Greater Neuse 4A clash. While Clayton could very well be a 3-0 team, were it not for a late stumble against Holly Springs, the Comets will still be plenty confident when the Bengals come calling.
If you take stock in the transitive property as it relates to sports, you will note that both of these schools lost to Holly Springs. While the Bengals were blanked 31-0, the Comets dominated for three quarters before falling late by four.
Look for Fuquay-Varina to try to grind this game out with its ball control offense, but in the end, Clayton should prove to be a little too explosive.
The computer agrees, tabbing Clayton as a 19.5-point favorite.
Princeton (3-0) at Richlands (2-2)
Princeton is the hardest working undefeated team in the area, with its wins coming by eight, six and seven points.
A season-ending injury to Kadyn Haire has elevated Austin Lewallen into the lead back role, and he’s responded as most Bulldog backs do in this modified single wing offense — with eye-popping numbers. The sophomore has 530 yards and nine scores, and all but 15 yards of that has happened in the last two weeks.
Richlands has alternated wins and losses to start the year, and are coming off a 48-0 drubbing of South Lenoir in Deep Run.
The Massey Ratings aren’t impressed, however, installing Princeton as a 19.5-point favorite. Based on what we’ve seen out of the Bulldogs in 2023, that might be a little too high.
North Johnston (2-1) at Hobbton (2-2)
The Panthers have won three straight in this series, but Hobbton is coming off back-to-back blowout wins over Spring Creek and East Columbus. Of course, those teams are a combined 1-7, so a grain of salt may be in order.
Still, going back to the transitive property, both of these schools lost at Midway. Hobbton fell 46-36 in the season opener, while North lost 40-36 two weeks ago.
Assuming the Panthers can keep Cole Weeks (1,081 passing yards, 15 TD) under wraps, they have a shot of going 3-1. The computer isn’t so sure, naming Hobbton as a 5.5-point favorite.