Happy Friday and welcome to Week 6, Sampson County Football Fans. Some area schools may be dodging some showers and storms this evening, but, let’s remain optimistic and hope the weather cooperates for tonight’s games. Locally, we have three teams at home this week with Hobbton hosting North Stokes, Union hosting Swansboro, and in our “Nissan of Clinton Game of the Week,” Lakewood will host James Kenan. The other three county schools will all head out of county with Clinton having the longest trip of the night over to Concord to face off against Central Cabarrus, Harrells traveling up to Raleigh to take on North Raleigh Christian, and Midway staying somewhat nearby as they drive up to Spring Creek.
Let’s dive in and take a look at the matchups! (But first, yes I realize there are two nearly-identical logos, but, hey – I didn’t choose them!)
Hobbton vs North Stokes
After taking quite a stunning loss last week to rival Midway, Hobbton is going to be itching to get back into the win column. In order to accomplish that, however, the Wildcats are going to have to get past the Vikings of North Stokes High School. Similar to Hobbton, North Stokes got off to a solid 3-0 start, however, they’ve seen the skids put on as the Vikings have lost two-straight: one to West Stokes, 53-0, and the other to Patrick County out of Virginia, 28-14. Team stats for North Stokes are incomplete but the teams they have beaten combine for an 1-11 overall record. That doesn’t exactly scream dominating. Making matters worse, West Stokes has just one win this season while Patrick County is 2-2. Personally, I think the Wildcats are the better team and I look for them to secure the win and get back to their winning ways. Game time at Hobbton is 7 p.m.
Harrells at North Raleigh Christian
The Crusaders are a team that can certainly still string together an impressive season, despite having suffered consecutive losses. They are 3-2 entering this game against the Knights and, honestly, stand a pretty good chance of getting back into the win column on the road tonight. NRCA enters with a 1-3 record. Among their three losses is a glaring 41-14 loss to a SouthLake Christian team that Harrells already has a pretty dominating win over. Looking at their stats, the Knights have completed 29-of-68 pass attempts for 344 yards. In the rushing department, they have ran the ball 133 times for 489 yards. Leading rushers are Rogerick Ray with 203 yards on 37 attempts, Jackson Maye with 133 yards on 23 carries, and Denny Dunmire with 130 yards on 39 carries. Honestly, I like the Crusaders in this one – I believe they get back in the win column tonight, but, they still have to play the game to make it official. Game time in Raleigh is set for 7 p.m.
Union vs Swansboro
I was quite stunned last week when Union failed to score a point against James Kenan until the latter stages of the game when the outcome was well in hand. I truly thought that game was going to be more competitive but I was wrong. I still think the Spartans can string together a nice little season, and am in no ways counting them out. The road does get tougher, though, and that’s certainly the case tonight when 4-1 Swansboro comes into southern Sampson County for a showdown. Looking at their stats, it looks like Union better be practicing up on their pass defense. Quarterback Damien Flores has completed a whopping 69-of-134 passes for 1,268 yards. Compare that to just 472 yards of rushing. The Pirates love to pass the ball and it’s something they do quite well. Can the Spartans defend it? We’ll find out tonight. Game time at Union is 7 p.m.
Midway at Spring Creek
Midway continues to be an interesting team this season, standing at 4-0 following an impressive win over Hobbton. The Raiders seek to stay undefeated tonight when they travel to take on Spring Creek, which, honestly, should be a probable feat. The Gators are just 1-4 this season and their points for to points against ratio is less than phenomenal, standing at 68 points scored to 211 points allowed. Spring Creek hasn’t entered their stats this season but all signs are pointing to a Raiders victory. Last week, both Midway’s defense and offense looked pretty convincing so as long as they replicate at least some of that performance they should win going away. Game time in Seven Springs is 7 p.m.
Clinton at Central Cabarrus
The Dark Horses hit the road for a long road-trip over to Concord this evening where they are set to battle with the Vikings of Central Cabarrus. The Vikings put their 3-1 record on the line against Clinton’s 3-0 mark. This should be a fun game to keep tabs on as both teams seem to stack up well. Stats are incomplete for the Vikings but what is entered seems to indicate that they will mix up their offense. Clinton, meanwhile, has shown early in the season that they are very capable of putting big scores. This should be a good battle between 3A and 2A. Game time in Concord is set for 7 p.m.
Nissan Of Clinton Game of the Week
In our Nissan of Clinton Game of the Week, the Lakewood Leopards look to find their way back into the win column after suffering back-to-back losses against Midway and South Brunswick. In order to that, they’ll have to find a way to take down James Kenan, who has been surging as of late. The Tigers broke out of a scoreless first quarter last week against Union and raced away to a dominating win of 49-12, but, they Spartans had a hand in helping them by repeatedly leaving them short field position. The Leopards appear to be a more formidable foe and both teams will likely look to run the ball as their primary methods of attack. Occasionally, both teams also like to throw the ball around, but James Kenan holds the edge here by far. Lakewood will have to play a near flawless game if they desire to win this game. Last week against Union, the Tigers were effective in both running and passing the ball so the Leopards defense is going to have to step up. Against Midway, Lakewood competed pretty well and kept things close until turnovers and penalties proved costly late in the contest. Can they clean up their game AND contain James Kenan to give themselves a chance? We’ll find out tonight! Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Be sure to see this weekend’s edition for a full rundown!
