After last week’s jumbled up schedule and rainy weather, a sense of normalcy has returned to this last Friday night in September for the Johnston County prep football teams.
But while the weather has calmed down, the pressure ratchets up with more conference games looming.
Spring Creek (0-5) at North Johnston (2-3)
This is the Gowan Roofing JoCo Sports Game of the Week, and it’s also Homecoming night in Kenly. Don’t forget that you can listen live and for free here at jocosports.com or at jococountry.com starting at 6:45.
The Panthers are a couple of plays away from being a 4-1 football team, but they’d settle for getting back to .500 tonight by winning the Neuse Six opener.
The Massey Index is, er, unimpressed by Spring Creek and has tabbed North as a 41.5-point favorite. You don’t get to pick your Homecoming opponents in high school, but if you could, the Gators would be at the top of most lists.
Fuquay-Varina (1-4, 0-2 GN4A) at Cleveland (5-0, 2-0 GN4A)
The Rams will look to run their record to 6-0 when the Bengals come calling tonight. Our friends on 102.3 will have this one on the air, and if the Massey Ratings are to be believed, they may be in for the same kind of night we might see in Kenly.
The Rams are a 34.5-point favorite tonight and have won three in a row in this series, including a narrow 21-13 win in a downpour at Fuquay-Varina last season.
I look for reasons to post Jackson Byrd’s ridiculous stats, and this seems like a good spot. He’s completing 70.8 percent of his passes for 1,207 yards, 10 TD and 5 INT. He’s also got 141 yards and five more scores on the ground.
No word on whether or not he serves Gatorade during the timeouts as well.
Clayton (4-1, 2-0 GN4A) at Southeast Raleigh (3-2, 1-1 GN4A)
The Comets are one bad quarter away from being perfect, but they’ll settle for a 4-1 start and a pair of Greater Neuse 4A wins to start the league campaign.
The computer has Clayton as a 28.5-point favorite, and Scott Chadwick’s squad will try to make it three in a row against the Bulldogs. Southeast Raleigh holds a 9-5 overall edge in the MaxPreps era, however.
The Comets don’t post their season stats anywhere that I’ve found, but check out this nugget:
Not bad for your quarterback.
South Garner (2-3, 0-2 GN4A) at Corinth Holders (2-3, 1-1 GN4A)
If there was ever a pivot-point game, we’ve got one tonight in Wendell. A win for the Pirates would put them in the upper reaches of the Greater Neuse 4A standings and, not to look too far ahead, there are more gettable games on the schedule between here and the postseason.
It’s not hyperbole to suggest that a win could potentially wind up leading to a postseason berth. First things first, however, as the Titans will be looking to rewrite their own story and make a playoff push of their own.
The computer has Corinth Holders as a 21.5-point favorite, and if Martin Samek’s squad can run the football and play defense like it did last time out, that prediction may just come to pass.
Smithfield-Selma (0-5, 0-2 QC 3A) at Fike (2-3, 1-1 QC 3A)
The Spartans are still looking for their first win of the season as they journey up I-95 to tangle with Fike.
While the Golden Demons have split a pair of nailbiters with South and West Johnston to start the league slate, Smithfield-Selma is still struggling to find its way.
The Massey number (-22.5) is closer than I expected, and the Spartans have been playing hard enough to sneak up on someone.
Still, it’s a steep hill to climb.
East Wake (1-4, 1-1 QC 3A) at West Johnston (4-1, 2-0 QC 3A)
The Wildcats hammered Southern Wayne on Thursday, then came back on Monday and played two-and-a-half quarters and an overtime session before edging Fike on a field goal.
That marathon work has them in a tie for first place in the Quad County 3A with Hunt. While that game is set for Oct. 20, there’s work to do first.
East Wake provides the opposition, and the 1-4 record hides the fact that the Warriors have played a tough schedule and have two losses by 10 points or less.
The computer knows, setting the predicted margin at just 14.5 points. I like West a lot, but the Wildcats need to be wary of a letdown after Monday’s big win.
South Johnston 3-2, 1-1 QC 3A) at C.B. Aycock 4-1, 1-1 QC 3A)
Here’s another pivot-point game, as two teams with .500 conference marks will begin a march in a new direction tonight.
South was about eight yards away from beating Fike, but instead finds itself in a four-way tie for third in the league standings. The Golden Falcons are in that mix, too, but their 4-1 mark overall has come against some softer opposition.
It’s hard to get much tighter than the Massey number of 1.5, and that’s what the Trojans are favored by tonight in Pikeville.
Princeton (3-2) at Eastern Wayne (2-3)
If it seems like Princeton has been on the road for a month, you’re not far off. The Bulldogs played a home game on Sept. 1 and haven’t been back on the home field turf since, dropping a pair of road games to Richlands and Clinton.
The Massey ratings have the Bulldogs as an 18.5-point favorite, and this certainly feels like a “get right” game for Travis Gaster’s bunch.