Pigskin Picks week 6

This week’s action is a little bit different for Sampson County. Normally, we have so many games we don’t know how to cover them all. This week, though, there is only one local home game: North Johnston at Lakewood. Also, there are only two other schools that even play on Friday — Clinton at Princeton and Harrells at High Point Christian Academy.

What a week for this to happen, because it looks like even more inclement weather is headed our way which could delay or even postpone the lone game in the county — the dates and times listed below may change in the very near future.

Note: Hobbton, Midway, and Union are all on a bye this week. For Hobbton, I picked them 35-31 over North Johnston. I am 2-2 for the Wildcats. For Midway, I picked them to win, 45-6, over Goldsboro. This tied for the closest I have been to guessing a score correctly. I am now 2-2 for the Raiders. I had Union winning, 12-6, over Spring Creek. I am now 2-2 for the Spartans.

Clinton @ Princeton, Friday, 7 p.m.

The Dark Horses are coming off a bye week of their own this week, giving them a much-needed break in action to regroup and focus on the future. Coach Johnny Boykin said in his post-game interview after their home loss to Whiteville two weeks ago that they were looking to make improvements, and he was optimistic about his team. The even-further-extended bye week, since they played that game on a Thursday night due to another bout of inclement weather, should give them the reset they need.

The biggest highlight of that game was the Jayden Williams punt block return for a touchdown, marking the first score of the season for Clinton. The home crowd let all their pent up frustrations and screams out on that play, breathing new life into a struggling Dark Horse team.

And if there was a ‘get-right’ game for Boykin and his boys at Clinton, it would be this week’s matchup at Princeton. They square off against the 1-3 Bulldogs who have faced their fair share of lopsided scores.

It’s certainly not going to come easy for Clinton, but it could happen. The Bulldogs boast a stout running game that has racked up over 1,100 yards through their first four games, averaging almost 300 per contest. 516 of those yards have come from their freshman quarterback, who has 80 carries, 129 yards a game, three 100+ yard games, and 10 rushing touchdowns. He’s slim, shifty, and can make the most skilled defender miss in the open field. Speed options, read options, and triple options are certainly a threat from their offense, and they even call designed QB runs for him, too. Containing him should be priority number one for coach Travis Elliott’s defense.

With that being said, Clinton’s defense could give him trouble all game. Jayden Williams and DJ Baggett are a run-stopping duo that have given other teams fits. They’ll plug a run hole before it even develops, causing runners to seek alternate routes if they don’t want to face their wrath. Williams was the leading tackler from last year’s team, and Baggett has developed into a great defensive playmaker himself.

I could make a case for this game going either way, especially with Clinton coming off a bye week. However, I think the Bulldogs have just a little bit more firepower to them, plus the home field advantage. I’ll take Princeton, but not before a hard fought battle on the gridiron, 24-17.

My last prediction for Clinton: 42-10, Whiteville. I am 3-0 for the Dark Horses.

Harrells @ High Point Christian Academy, Friday, 7 p.m.

Choo, choo! You hear that? That’s the winning football train rolling through town, and it’s full of Crusaders. Since dropping their week one game, they have yet to drop another. Things are heating up for Clayton Hall and his football team down at HCA. Coming off a big win over conference rival North Raleigh Christian Academy, the Crusaders are in the driver’s seat for their final non-conference foe of the season this week.

And boy, is this going to be a doozy. If Midway at Lakewood was ‘Game of the Year’ two weeks ago, go ahead and dub this any of the Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier monikers you deem necessary: Fight of the Century, Super Fight II, or The Thrilla in Manila, because of how much of a true heavyweight bout this is going to be. Like fire meeting fuel, when these two teams meet on Friday, there will be an explosion.

The true ‘give the ball to anyone and everyone’ offense that Harrells employs has gained them 1,090 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns so far, with Jarrod Miller and Demetrius Jones each having a 100+ yard game under their belt. Reid Strickland has tossed a couple touchdowns from the quarterback position alongside his 147 passing yards. Coley Sasser leads the team with 24 total tackles plus another 6.5 TFL. Jamari Peterson and Jesse Smith have 22 and 20 tackles, respectively.

They are looking at a buzzsaw that is made up of the 5-0 Cougars and their 1,546 total offensive yards, plus 28 total touchdowns. Their leading running back, who has totalled 605 yards, a 13.4 YPC average, 201.7 YPG, three 100+ yard games, and 11 touchdowns, is listed as running a 4.43 40-yard dash, at 5’9”, 180 pounds. That’s a lot of power and speed in the backfield, which could spell trouble for Harrells. HPCA’s leading tackler has 32 total tackles and a whopping 12 TFL.

Harrells showed a lot of nickel and dime coverages against NRCA last week, but they were also a pass-heavy offense. This played in their favor, as they were able to pick the ball off three times against their conference rival. With HPCA having a stout running back and a quarterback that can throw the ball, look for them to utilize similar defenses, but with more blitz packages and the like.

If the Crusaders can run the ball well and turn the ball over less, plus contain their running back — because stopping him is seemingly out of the question — this is their ball game. Alternatively, if they fail in one facet or more, they’re in for a long night. With that, though, I think the Crusaders take over the home field, and emerge victorious, 35-31, in a tough-fought battle.

My prediction for last week: 28-22, Harrells. I am 4-0 for the Crusaders.

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

This week’s DuBose Strapping Game of the Week should be another great one, as two fiery teams battle it out. Lakewood survived a scare last week at Red Springs, as a failed two-point conversion with a minute left kept them from dropping two games in a row. North Johnston is coming off a big win against Hobbton. Both these teams are hungry for me, and that will lead to yet another big game in Sampson County.

The 4-1 Leopards avenged their home loss to Midway two weeks ago by sneaking out the win at Red Springs, with sophomore Reed Ammons still at the helm of the offense, as Rylan Godbold is still seeing extremely limited playing time. No word out of the Leopards’ camp on what his return timetable looks like, but their offense is steamrolling along with Calvin Lacewell, Jr. and company, and their 19 rushing touchdowns. Defensively, Dashaun Carr, Nakai Owens, and Aden Blackwell are the leading tacklers, but nine different Leopards are in double-digits as far as total tackles.

North Johnston had a dual-threat attack against Hobbton for just their second win of the season last week, and the week before they dropped a close one to Midway. Their two losses have come by a combined 16 points, meaning they haven’t completely lost control of a game yet so far. They had 286 passing yards for five touchdowns plus 281 rushing yards and three scores last week, meaning they can light up the scoreboard if need be.

The battle of the cats this week will see two high-powered offenses battle it out, meaning a good game for everyone. Give me the Leopards in a statement win at home, 48-34.

My prediction for last week: 41-10, Lakewood. I am 3-1 for the Leopards.