Pigskin Picks week 7

Things didn’t shape up the way they should have last week, but I did predict something right: the North Johnston @ Lakewood game was moved to this Monday. Some sort of divine intervention had given the Wildcats, Raiders, and Spartans a bye this week, so luckily they had no games canceled or postponed. Clinton’s game was postponed until Monday night as well, and HCA’s road game was pushed to last Thursday, but it was ultimately canceled.

That means only two teams will have recent games in my mind when I make these predictions, so we’ll see how well I do this week shooting from the hip.

Hobbton @ Rosewood, Friday, 7 p.m.

Coach Joe Salas and the Wildcats are coming off a stunning defeat at the hands of North Johnston on Sept. 20, falling 56-34 to the Panthers. Hobbton has shown flashes where they can put up a lot of points in a hurry, namely the Spring Creek game in week four, where they hung 59 points on the Gators. However, their defense does lack something to be desired, as they have given up 172 points through five games.

That means teams are averaging 34.4 points a game against a team that has seen ups and downs offensively. When they’re good, they’re great. But if they can’t get out of their own way, this could be a long night for them.

The good news for the Wildcats is that they’re facing a mirror-image of their own program in their opening conference opponent Rosewood. Boasting a 3-3 record, they have 120 points for and 166 points against, but with one more game under their belt than Hobbton. The Eagles have seen their share of lopsided scores, too.

The scouting report, AKA my research, shows that Rosewood has nearly a 50/50 split when it comes to passing vs. rushing yards. 530 yards in the passing game and 557 in the rushing attack make for 16 touchdowns on the season, with 9 coming through the air and 7 on the ground. Two of their running backs have eclipsed 200 total yards on the season, and their two senior quarterbacks split the passing yards in about a 60-40 split, although it looks like one of them got hurt and the other has taken over.

Two of the Eagles’ leading tacklers are almost at the half-century mark, with each of them grabbing 49 total tackles and two tackles for loss a piece. This could spell trouble if Hobbton can’t strike early and often.

I think the Wildcats bounce back after the time off and show they’re ready for conference play. I’ll take Hobbton by a score of 42-37.

My last prediction for Hobbton: 35-31 over North Johnston. I am 2-2 for the Wildcats.

Harrells Christian Academy @ Wake Christian Academy, Friday, 7 p.m.

Out of all of the games that were delayed or canceled last week, HCA’s matchup was the most disappointing to me. I truly wanted to see them duke it out with HPCA and give the winner their bragging rights. I honestly believe the Crusaders could have come out victorious, but that will just have to remain as a ‘what-if’ that haunts me for the rest of my life. Or, I’ll see what they do this week, and either take back my previous statement or continue beating that drum.

The Bulldogs are just 1-4 this season and they’re being outscored 184-60 so far. That includes their last two games being scoreless for them, as their week four game saw them losing to Louisberg, 28-0, and week five saw them losing 62-0 against Trinity Christian. This is a juicy game for the Crusaders, and I expect them to score-a-plenty.

Harrells is outpacing Wake Christian on the ground almost threefold, with 1,090 rushing yards compared to just 389 for the Bulldogs. Wake Christian has their number in the passing game, with a combined 473 yards and 3 touchdowns, but mind-blowing 17 interceptions through five games.

I’ll take the Crusaders by a lot. I have this score pegged at 42-20.

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

Union @ Lakewood, Friday, 7 p.m.

The Spartans had a well-timed bye week last week, which worked in their favor as the severe weather moved through the area. Lakewood, though, played on Monday night, where they lost a defensive battle against North Johnston, 8-7. As these two teams move into conference play, it should be a good game to watch.

The biggest note for this game is Lakewood is missing their star running back Calvin Lacewell, Jr., who is sidelined with a lower leg injury. Fret not, Leopards fans, as Chris Carr and Nakai Owens split time in the backfield and carry that workload well. Reed Ammons and Rylan Godbold, who both play quarterback, can also run the ball well when needed. Godbold is coming off an injury of his own and was shaken up a bit on Monday against North Johnston, and this is a short week, so Ammons could get significant playing time once again.

For Union, the offensive production hasn’t quite been there this season, but their team is made up of a lot of younger players, so that is somewhat to be expected. A breath of fresh air if you’re a Spartan is Tobias Cromartie, the freshman running back who has put up 305 yards so far this season, averaging 4.4 yards per carry against some tough opponents thus far.

The opening week of conference play is tough to call, but I think Lakewood’s defense is stout enough to stop the Spartans and correct course after losing a brutal game Monday night. I’ll take Lakewood by a score of 35-6.

My last prediction for Lakewood: 48-34 Leopards. I am 3-2 for Lakewood. My last prediction for Union: 12-6 Spartans. I am 2-2 for Union.

Clinton @ Midway, Friday, 7 p.m.

Picking county schools when they play each other is the bane of my existence when I do these picks. I don’t play favorites and I give the analysis as raw as I can, but it still hurts having to pick one of “my” schools to lose. But, on the bright side, this could give bulletin board material to one of the teams and light a fire under them.

It’s no secret that Clinton has struggled so far this season, a stark difference from a year ago. Still, though, they go out and fight week-in-and-week-out. They don’t give up, and they will soon break through. And they have the pieces to do so. Jayden Williams and DJ Baggett lead the defense. Hayden Hill is a presence on the offensive line. Aaran Landrum has made a name for himself on special teams and offense. Once all of those pieces come together, they’re a complete team and they’ll be putting up better numbers. They scored their season-high 20 points Monday in a loss at Princeton, but that shows the offensive production is getting there.

On the other side of the ball, Barrett Sloan has his team rolling. A combined 1,219 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns makes for an explosive offense that can hang points quickly. Gehemiah Blue and Noah Myles lead the yards and touchdowns category, and Tanner Williams has another 6 touchdown passes. Ke’Mari McNeill seems to be his favorite target, and he’s been known to find the end zone — three times, in fact.

This is a deep-seeded rivalry that goes beyond many of our lifetimes. It’s also the DuBose Strapping Game of the Week as Clinton travels up to Spivey’s Corner. This could either be a bloodbath where the teams trade punches or a very lopsided game, and we won’t know until the final seconds tick off the clock at Tommy Sloan Stadium.

Picking this game is very tough, because bitter rivals always play tough against each other. But with that, I’m taking the Raiders by a score of 28-16.

My last prediction for Clinton: 24-17, Princeton. I am 4-0 for the Dark Horses. My last prediction for Midway: 45-6 over Goldsboro, which was tied for the closest I have come to guessing a score correctly. I am 2-2 for the Raiders.