Welcome to Week 11, Sampson County Football Fans! The season is beginning to wind down with two regular season games left for our traditional schools while the NCISAA Playoffs get underway down at Harrells. After securing the first-place position in the East Central Conference following last week’s huge win at Wallace-Rose Hill, the Dark Horses travel down to James Kenan where they hope to not suffer a letdown against the Tigers. Locally, Lakewood Hosts Princeton, Hobbton pays a visit to Union, Harrells hosts SouthLake Christian for the second time this season, and in our Nissan of Clinton Game of the Week, Midway hosts Goldsboro. Bundle up, football fans! Tonight’s going to be a cold one. The current weather forecast is: Clear skies and much cooler. Lows in the mid 30s-40.
Let’s dive in and take a peek at Week 11’s showdowns.
Harrells vs SouthLake Christian Academy
The Crusaders have earned their way into postseason play in Division III of the NCISAA Football Playoffs. Division III only offers up four teams so this game is essentially the semifinal of the playoffs. Harrells drew a team that they have already faced once this season: SouthLake Christian Academy. Back on a very hot Saturday in early September, the Crusaders took an impressive 49-12 victory over the Eagles. Early on, it really seemed as though that game was going to be a tight battle, but Harrells drew gradual separation and took home the big win. Now, in a game that will be much colder and under the lights, will the results also be a stark contrast from the first meeting? The Eagles went on to have an impressive season. They are now 9-3 overall and have put up some impressive numbers statistically. They have 280 rushing attempts that have gone for 1,441 yards and 20 touchdowns. They have three different rushers that are capable of carrying the rock: Cooper Wray with 304 yards, Beau Bullerdick with 353 yards, and Bryce Duquesne with 381 yards. The Eagles are also impressive with their passing game, completing 98-of-186 passes for 1,501 yards and 20 touchdowns. Harrells can expect SouthLake to try and mix things up, which didn’t really work out so well in Round 1. Can Harrells secure their spot in the Div. III Championship next week? We’ll find out tonight! Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Clinton at James Kenan
The Dark Horses are now controllers of their own destiny with a legit shot of going undefeated in the East Central Conference. Right now, Clinton has to be thinking of not suffering a letdown following last week’s win at Wallace-Rose Hill. James Kenan is in last place of the ECC at 0-3 and since taking a big loss to Midway in Week 1 of conference play, the Tigers seem to have figured something out. While they lost their next two games, James Kenan was a whole lot more competitive than they were in that 50-20 blowout. While I think it’s unlikely the Tigers spring an upset, the Dark Horses certainly don’t want to sleep on James Kenan. With an opportunity to lockup at least a share of first place in the conference, Clinton will likely look to deliver the knockout punch early and cruise their way to a 4-0 mark with one game remaining. Game time tonight in Warsaw is 7 p.m.
Lakewood vs Princeton
The Leopards will likely have their hands full tonight when the league-leading Bulldogs come into town. Princeton has already taken big wins over other Sampson County foes so it’s quite likely the same will be said tonight. That’s not a dig at Lakewood by any means but the Bulldogs are undefeated and are quite the formidable foe. As has been the case in previous games, this matchup is going to be a battle of running attacks as Princeton and Lakewood both rely heavily on the ground game. It’s Lakewood’s home finale tonight – can the Leopards spring the upset and go out with a bang? Or, will Princeton add another notch to their belts? Game time tonight is 7 p.m.
Hobbton at Union
The Wildcats finally broke back into the win column last week with a win over Lakewood and they look to continue that habit tonight with a road trip down to Union. The Spartans have also been on a skid of their own having lost their lost five. This old battle between inner-county rivals could potentially be a good one but it’s more likely that Hobbton secures it’s second-straight victory. Grayson Rogers and DaCorris Morrison have been a strong duo this season and with Brayden Herring back to add another threat in the passing game, the Wildcats multi-threat offense could thrive tonight. Game time at Union is 7 p.m.
Nissan of Clinton Game of the Week: Midway vs Goldsboro
One week removed from their first loss of the season, the Raiders got back into the win column last week after dramatically rallying for a big win against East Duplin. A win tonight against Goldsboro will guarantee Midway no worse than a third-place finish in the East Central Conference. That would be quite the accomplishment for a team that has routinely been at the bottom of the conference for several years. Before making that happen, though, the Raiders will have to get past the Cougars, who much like Midway, offers up success in both passing and rushing. Quarterback Deontay Hooker has completed 66-of-138 passes for 1,083 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a team, Goldsboro has tallied 80-of-163 for 1,302 and 12 touchdowns. On the ground, the Cougars use a balanced repertoire of ball carriers in their rushing attack. Collectively, they have rushed the ball 227 times for 1,328 yards. Their leading rushers are JB Rhodes IV with 71 carries for 487 yards and Isaiah Gray with 59 carries and 317 yards. Again, though, the Cougars have a long list of different ball carriers so the Raiders will have to be on their toes. For Midway, it’s Senior Night, which means several key pieces of the Raiders lineup will likely play their last game at Tommy Sloan Stadium tonight. They certainly have the pieces to get the win over Goldsboro but a game much like East Duplin last week should be expected. Though they are 4-5 overall, two of those losses were to Clinton and Wallace-Rose Hill. Other losses were to 8-1 New Bern (50-6), 6-4 C.B. Aycock (21-14), and 1-8 Westover (28-15). This should be one of the more interesting games in the area and a win could go a long ways for the Raiders. Can they get the Senior Night win? Game time is set for 7 p.m.
