Pigskin Picks week 4

Week 3 of high school football saw some big plays by big players, lots of scoring, and all-around good football. Teams are starting to find their identities on the football field as we move closer to conference play.

This week, we will see some great action on the field, especially as two area leaders face off in what could be the Sampson County game of the year — an unofficial title that I have come up with, due to how good this game is shaping up to be.

Who comes out on top? Who wins the other games and claws their way to the top of Sampson County football? Here are my predictions for all local games this week.

Hobbton @ Spring Creek, Friday, 7 p.m.

The Wildcats notched their first win of the season at home against East Columbus last week, in a game that had both teams vying back-and-forth until Hobbton turned the jets on in the second half. The late game surge allowed them to somewhat cruise past the Gators and open up their passing game a bit more.

This week starts their three-road game gauntlet, facing Spring Creek, North Johnston, and Rosewood, respectively. This will surely put the Wildcats to the test, as they’ll go more than a month without playing in front of their home crowd.

Good news for Hobbton, though, is that the first leg of the gauntlet is against a different Gators squad than last week — a team that has only played one game, a 60-6 blowout loss at Lakewood week one. The Leopards handled Spring Creek in every facet of the game, scoring on offense, defense, and even special teams.

Consider this a “tune-up” or “get right” game for Hobbton as they look to even out their record and fine-tune their gameplan as they face conference opponents and non-conference foe Pender in a rematch of last year’s game that ended with the highest score ever in a N.C. high school football game — a 106-83 loss for Hobbton.

This could very well could be a blowout win for Joe Salas and the Wildcats. Give me Hobbton winning 48-6.

My prediction last week: 35-31 Hobbton; I am 1-1 so far for the Wildcats.

Whiteville @ Clinton, Friday, 7 p.m.

The Dark Horses had another tough battle against Lumberton last week, ultimately falling 41-0 in their home opener to the Pirates.

They showed flashes of what they can be, though. DJ Baggett and Jayden Williams made big plays on the defense, including slowing the Pirates on consecutive red zone possessions. A muffed kickoff after the first one that took four plays led to the defense being in the exact same place only moments later, but again Clinton forced them to use all four downs to get in the end zone.

On the offensive side of the ball, they did see their share of struggles — fumbles, dropped passes, and just not being able to move the ball all night. Another blow to the Dark Horses is the fact that Demarius Pugh will be out for the game, serving a suspension for a fight in the Lumberton game.

Clinton has a tough schedule coming up, and there is little reprieve. They host Whiteville who is 2-1; their lone loss comes in overtime against James Kenan last week, 21-20. Their two wins came in 37-7 and 41-14 contests against Bunn and West Brunswick, respectively.

James Kenan has a stout run game that has produced 12 touchdowns so far this year, so Whiteville being able to hold them to just three is a testament to their defense.

As much as I want to be a ‘homer’ and give Clinton its first win this season, I think Whiteville is just too tough an opponent. Serious progress will be made by the Dark Horses, though, so keep an eye out for that. My prediction is 42-10, Whiteville.

My prediction last week: 42-20 Lumberton. I am 2-0 so far for the Dark Horses.

South Columbus @ Union, Friday, 7 p.m.

An action-packed week was in store for the Spartans last week, as they played a game on both Monday and Friday. That’s a grueling schedule and might have something to do with their 67-0 loss to Pender on Friday.

Monday’s game was more in their favor, though, as they scored their first two touchdowns of the season, showing a light at the end of the tunnel for coach Mark Oates’ squad. While they didn’t come out with the win, as they lost 38-16 against Bear Grass Charter, they still made progress and came together more as a unit.

Pender is also a perennial scoring machine, making this a perfect storm against Union. All hope is not lost, though, as the Spartans host South Columbus this week.

The Stallions are 2-1 coming into this week, with a 48-6 win over West Bladen and a 28-14 win over South Brunswick. However, last week they were blown out by Loris, 55-6.

A couple plays or drives go Union’s way and it’s the Spartans’ ball game to lose. I think they hang tough and catch a lucky break to finally get into the win column. 22-17 Union.

My prediction last week: 37-25 Pender . I am 2-0 so far for the Spartans.

Harrells Christian Academy @ Mt. Zion Christian Academy, Friday, 7 p.m.

The Crusaders hosted Wake Prep last week, and did whatever they wanted to throughout. Five rushing touchdowns and two through the air led to Harrells defending the home turf, 49-6.

Harrells is seemingly hitting full stride; firing on all cylinders, if you will. Their quarterback, Reid Strickland, boasted an average of 12.3 yards per completion and a 122.5 QB rating to add to his two touchdowns, but the downside is that he only threw five passes, completing three for 37 yards. But don’t fret — passing is not their primary offense, but it’s nice to have that in the playbook when necessary.

Four different Crusaders found the end zone out of the eight that carried the ball, and they totalled 247 yards rushing. Jesse Smith, Coley Sasser, Jamari Peterson, Jarrod Miller, and Eli Hardison lead the defense with five tackles each.

Mount Zion is 2-1 so far this year, but there is a small asterisk next to one of those wins. They won 38-6 in their opener at Hobgood Charter, but fell 42-0 against Hickory Grove Christian in the following game. Last Friday they were set to play Hobgood again, but their opponent forfeited, giving them the win.

There isn’t a lot of tape on the Warriors, but there is plenty for Harrells’ run-heavy offense and stout defense. These two are enough to take on any foe and give them a run for their money. I’ll take the Crusaders by a score of 35-21.

My prediction last week: 23-17 Harrells. I am 2-0 so far for the Crusaders.

Midway @ Lakewood, Friday, 7 p.m.

In this week’s edition of the SI Game of the Week, the Raiders travel from Spivey’s Corner to Roseboro to face the undefeated Leopards.

The Games of the Week were selected before the season even started — this wasn’t a gametime decision of me choosing these two teams for this week. No, this was some sort of divine intervention; a power above myself knowing that the football fans of Sampson County wanted this hot off the press on Saturday morning.

Lakewood comes into it undefeated with a full head of steam. They have trounced Spring Creek, KIPP Pride, and Lejeune in the first three games of coach John Holt’s career at the helm for the Leopards. Collectively, they have outscored their opponents 136-42, and only one team was able to put multiple scores on the board against them.

They have a stout defense that gets 11 hats to the ball as quick as possible. Gang tackling is the lifeblood of the Leopards’ defense. Offensively, they don’t exercise all of their talents — simply because they haven’t needed to yet. Calvin Lacewell, Jr. is on track to have nearly 1,500 yards rushing this year, besting his freshman efforts last season. Rylan Godbold, their senior quarterback, is tall and can sling the ball, but hasn’t needed to so far. Reed Ammons, a freshman, has seen time at quarterback, completing seven of nine for 91 yards. If things go awry, look for them to air it out more. Lakewood has 791 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns compared to 164 yards passing and one touchdown.

On the Midway side of things, this is a rematch of their current head coach, Barrett Sloan, versus the school he left after last season. A week one beat down of rival Hobbton opened their season, 34-0. The following week saw them losing at home to James Kenan, 41-6, in a sloppy, muddy, and wet mess. Last week saw them beat North Johston, 29-22.

Sophomore quarterback Tanner Williams is the Raiders’ gunslinger, racking up 210 yards and three touchdowns so far. Junior Gehemiah Blue leads the way as far as rushing, gaining 204 yards and a touchdown thus far. Overall, Midway has 545 yards rushing and five touchdowns compared to the 210 yards and three scores that Williams has thrown.

This one is going to be a toss up. If Midway can clamp down Lacewell and the other threats, they can make the trek back from Roseboro as winners. On the contrary, if Lakewood can take away running lanes and force turnovers in the passing game like James Kenan did, they will celebrate a home win and stay undefeated.

If you’re looking for a football game to go to this week and don’t know which to attend, this would be the one to choose. Look for a high-scoring affair. With that being said, give me the Leopards defending their home turf, 54-48.

My predictions last week: 55-10 Lakewood and 27-21 Midway. I am 2-0 for Lakewood and 1-1 for Midway. Midway’s score was also the closest I have come to guessing a score correctly.