Pigskin Picks week 3

With a wet, sloppy Friday night for week two of the season, it was hard to judge teams’ true talents and abilities this past weekend. However, it did highlight their perseverance through less-than-ideal conditions, which is a benchmark many would like to get early in the season, rather than later.

But, with that being said, football still happened, albeit delayed just a bit. After two weeks of action, here are my predictions for this week’s football games.

East Columbus @ Hobbton, Friday, 7 p.m.

The weather was surely not in Hobbton’s favor Friday night, as they ran an air raid offense, which does not fair well in the rain. The only game in Sampson County that wasn’t delayed because of weather saw them losing 42-20 against Trask. They still aired the ball out, though, with some success. In fact, they had multiple passing touchdowns, including one that went for 77 yards. Trask’s offense just overpowered their defense and they couldn’t catch up.

The Wildcats are off to an 0-2 start, but don’t write their season off just yet. Not that I am making excuses for them, but they have faced some stiff competition in their first couple games. I have no doubt they can bounce back and turn their season around.

East Columbus did not play this past weekend, meaning they have only played one game. That game, against Latta, resulted in East Columbus losing in a 49-6 affair.

I think Hobbton handles the Gators with ease this week, notching their first win for the season. 35-17 is my predicted score.

My prediction for last week: 35-31 Hobbton; I am 0-1 so far for the Wildcats.

Lumberton @ Clinton, Friday, 7 p.m.

Clinton has opened the season in catastrophic fashion, with no points scored through two weeks. They have lost 44-0 and 59-0 so far. That means they have been outscored 103-0 at this point.

The Dark Horses are a very young team, still getting their feet under them as far as varsity playing time goes. They shouldn’t be written off — Johnny Boykin runs a tight ship, and the Dark Horses will be back on track sooner than most would predict. Do not let their early season losses — with a roster of young players against good teams — skew your outlook for Clinton. Once they get the ball rolling, and all cylinders firing, they will be dangerous.

Lumberton travels to play Clinton in their first home game of the season, and it will be a tough one. The Pirates put up a combined 339 rushing yards in their lone game this season against Fairmont, in which they won, 35-0. Lumberton is also a 3A/4A school, so their depth is much larger than schools in this area. They seemingly have a night-and-day squad compared to last year’s 2-8 campaign, but that could just be a one game overreaction on my part.

I foresee Clinton putting up a much better fight this week, but still falling short. It’s a tough task to hang with a bigger school, and I don’t know that the Dark Horses have turned that corner yet. My prediction is 42-20 in favor of the Pirates.

My prediction for last week: 42-28 Wallace-Rose Hill. I am 1-0 so far for the Dark Horses.

Midway @ North Johnston, Friday, 7 p.m.

Midway was on the wrong side of a lopsided game last Friday, falling to James Kenan, 41-6. Errors from both teams came by way of the torrential downpour that ensued in Spivey’s Corner. While Midway’s coach, Barrett Sloan, said that wasn’t an excuse for his team because “both teams played in it”, it still factored heavily into the contest. Midway couldn’t throw the ball and James Kenan’s offense is heavily set in the run.

That game wasn’t a very good litmus test for the Raiders, regardless of both teams enduring those conditions. They have the ability and skillset to be one of the better passing teams in the county, so for that to be eliminated doesn’t show their true potential. They did attempt to throw the ball some, but none of them ended the way Raider Country wanted.

Both teams come into the game at 1-1, with North Johnston beating South Lenoir, 30-0, in week one, and falling to Rosewood, 27-18, last Thursday. North Johnston has combined for 610 yards so far on the ground and in the air. That makes them a fairly viable dual-threat offense that has flashes of big plays.

However, I think Midway prevails in their first road game of the season. This should be a good game between two good teams, with the Raiders winning 27-21.

My prediction for last week: 54-51 Midway. I am 0-1 so far for the Raiders.

Lakewood @ Lejeune, Friday, 7 p.m.

The Leopards made the long trek to play KIPP Pride last Thursday and came out victorious, 33-8. Their scoring production slowed down a little from week one, but there are a myriad of factors that could have played into that. They still have plenty of playmakers on both sides of the ball that are hungry for another successful season. They have started out 2-0 so far and are surely looking to extend that streak.

Lejeune comes into the game at 0-1, having lost to Pender, 74-7 in week one. In their one game this season, the Devil Pups have favored passing at a ratio of 104 yards to just 12.

This game could easily get out of hand in favor of Lakewood, and it could happen quick. John Holt has the Leopards poised to put up a lot of points on offensive, and shut the opponents down on defense. A few scores have even come from the defensive side of the ball, too. Put this on your “blowout of the week” radar, if you have one.

I think Lakewood hangs a ‘fifty-burger’ on Lejuene, with a score of 55-10.

My prediction for last week: Lakewood winning by 50+ to little. I am 1-0 so far for the Leopards.

Harrells Christian Academy @ Wake Prep, Friday, 6 p.m.

Harrells had their game against Wayne Christian moved from last Friday to this Monday, due to the late storm that rolled through the area. They were on the better side of the scoreboard this time, winning 23-7.

The Crusaders trampled over the Eagles en route to their victory, gaining a total of 302 yards on the ground, but one eight-yard sack of their quarterback netted them only 294. This was a massive showing for Harrells, who continued their dominance over Wayne Christian.

They face another run-heavy offense as Wake Prep has gained 512 yards rushing the ball in their two games this season. The Guardians are 1-1 so far, dropping their first game to North Raleigh Christian, and winning last week against Grace Christian.

This could be a clashing of two rushing titans this week. Throw in the old adage of “unstoppable force meeting an immovable object” here, with the winner ultimately being who can stop their opponent the most.

My prediction is that Harrells wins that battle — their defense seems to be a little bit more stout than Wake Prep’s. Look for a low-scoring affair here; 23-17 in favor of HCA.

My prediction for last week: 21-17 Harrells. I am 1-0 so far for the Crusaders.

Union @ Pender, Friday, 7 p.m.

The Spartans are on double duty this week, as Friday’s game was postponed until Monday of this week. They ended up falling to the Bear Grass Charter Bears, 38-16, but it was a much better game for the Spartans than last week. They showed flashes of a more well-rounded offense, putting puts on the board with two touchdowns and two double-point conversions.

It will be a tall order for them to take on the Patriots this week, especially with it being a short week for the Spartans. Pender opened their season in week one with a massive 74-7 win over Lejeune, amassing 413 yards on the ground. The Spartans have struggled with stopping their opponents, but with how they have come together so far this season, this isn’t necessarily the “David vs. Goliath” that it might have been a week ago.

Look for the Spartans to keep their offense rolling, picking up yards and fighting through the opposition to make big plays. While the big plays haven’t come in bunches for Union, they have still been brought to the table. One or two possessions that work out in their favor, and this is a ball game.

My prediction is Union shocks the world and hangs tough with the Patriots, but Pender ultimately squeaks out a win. I think it’s a 37-25 ball game in Pender’s favor.

My prediction for last week: 28-17 Bear Creek. I am 1-0 so far for the Spartans.