Pigskin Picks week 8

As we’re now further into conference play, and inching closer to the end of the regular season, teams are really showing what they’re about: who their weapons are and what they can do. Early-season jitters and injury bugs be gone, it’s time for some more meaningful football in Sampson County as each team vies for the top spot.

Last week saw some good action for the area teams, with some happier with the results than others. Midway took their first-ever win against Clinton, which was a monumentous occasion; Lakewood trampled Union, Hobbton didn’t fare so well, and Harrells continued their winning streak — the longest in the county this season.

I fared pretty well last week, going 3-1 in my picks to flex my football knowledge. So far, I am 22-9 in my picks, and I’ve been within three points of two different games — I’ve even correctly predicted the score for one team once. I’m on a heater when it comes to local football, apparently. And without further adieu, this week’s picks.

West Bladen @ Clinton, Friday, 7 p.m.

For the first time ever, Clinton lost to Midway last week, marking a great day for the Raiders and a sour sting for the Dark Horses. Things got close late in the game, with a recovered onside kick and a touchdown, but Barrett Sloan and his staff pulled off the historic win. But this isn’t their game that I’m discussing, it’s the Dark Horses’.

It’s undeniable that Clinton doesn’t have the same firepower offensively that they did a year ago. Their scoring is down, no doubt, but that doesn’t mean their entire team is. Defensively, while the scores haven’t been in their favor, they’ve still played sound defense.

The scoring opportunities for their opponents have come from many of their players playing both sides of the ball, like Jayden Williams and Hayden Hill. Coach Johnny Boykin ‘cut his teeth’ defensively, so much like Mike Tomlin and Bill Belichick, that’s where his expertise lies. Don’t discredit the whole team for a subpar performance on one side of the ball.

That defense will be on display this week in their home game against West Bladen, a conference rival that comes in at just 1-4. Clinton didn’t score their first touchdown until week four, and since then, they have scored at least 20 points in their last two contests. West Bladen has only scored double digits once, and that was their lone win against an 0-6 East Columbus team.

I’ll take the Dark Horses grabbing their first win of the season this week, lighting the fire under themselves and getting things going in the latter half of the season. Give me a score of 28-20 for Clinton.

My prediction last week: 28-16, Midway. I am 5-0 for the Dark Horses.

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

Folks, it’s not too late to hop on the bandwagon for the Crusaders, I promise. After a week one loss, 28-6, against Covenant Day, they haven’t lost since. And they keep snowballing into bigger wins. Last week saw them topple Wake Christian 53-0, in a game that I expected Harrells to ‘score-a-plenty’.

A combined 286 rushing yards and five touchdowns for the Crusaders helped them chug along through the Bulldogs. I’m not lying when I keep reiterating that this is an ‘everybody eats’ offense, as those yards were split amongst seven ballcarriers, with five of them each scoring a touchdown. Like Oprah Winfrey handing gifts to her audience, coach Clayton Hall is handing carries to his backs.

Reid Strickland threw a touchdown for them, a 37-yard pass to Jeremiah Davis for the score. On special teams and defense, there were two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a kick return for a touchdown. All facets of the game were firing for Harrells when they trounced the Bulldogs, and expect that to keep rolling into this week as they take on 2-5 Grace Christian.

I’ll take Harrells with another 50-burger in this one, as Grace just doesn’t match up with them well. 56-8 is my final score prediction.

My prediction last week: 42-20, HCA. I am 5-0 for the Crusaders.

Pender @ Hobbton, Friday, 7 p.m.

Hobbton is another county team that has seen its share of woes so far, starting with a 34-0 week one loss to Midway. They lost to Rosewood last week, 39-12, which puts them at 2-4 on the season. They’re being outscored 211-148. Their quarterback hasn’t eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark yet in a ‘pass-first’ offense, although he has only played in four games. He’s throwing just under two touchdowns a game.

Their run game seems to be working well on the shoulders of Daniel Aguilar, who has 424 yards on 70 carries and three touchdowns. In two games, he’s gone for more than 100 yards, and he’s averaging 106 yards per game. I have yet to see one of their games in person, so I cannot truly say what the issue is, but I do think that things aren’t clicking quite the way that coach Joe Salas had hoped they would.

And things aren’t going to get any easier this week, either. 4-2 Pender is outscoring opponents 286-73, and they’ve already amassed 2,239 and 35 touchdowns on the ground. They’ve won games by a margin of 67 three separate times this season. They are a scoring machine and only two teams have figured out how to slow them down — because as Dan Patrick once said, ‘you can’t stop them, you can only hope to contain them.’

This matchup last year saw touchdowns, explosive plays, more touchdowns, the lights turning off in the stadium, and believe it or not, more touchdowns, in the 106-83 win for Pender a season ago.

Are we going to have a shootout that rivals last year’s record-setting game? I don’t think so. I think Hobbton gets run through, ridden hard and hung up wet in this one, which is unfortunate for the Wildcats. I’ll take Pender with 55 to Hobbton’s 28.

My prediction for last week: 42-37, Hobbton. I am now 2-3 for the Wildcats.

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

Lakewood had a very up-and-down week last week to say the least, as they were on the wrong side of an 8-7 score Monday, but by Friday they won 55-0. That means they outscored their opponents 62-8 in the same week, but still went 1-1. It was a complete turnaround for the Leopards, as they went back to their high-powered offense they had seen earlier in the season.

With Lacewell still sidelined with a lower leg injury, a piece of that offense is missing. This isn’t slowing down Lakewood very much, though, as Chris Carr and Nakai Owens have split the backfield well. Carr only trails Lacewell by 13 yards at this point in the season, but has five less touchdowns and two less 100-yard games. Another piece of good news for the Leopards is that Rylan Godbold seems to be back to full health, so their senior quarterback is at the helm of the offense once more.

They will need every piece of a great offense and stout defense this week, as they will need to gain every yard and stop every chance that 5-0 North Duplin gets. The Rebels have an absolute wagon at running back, who averages 10.2 yards per carry — that means that every time he touches the ball, he, on average, gains a first down. All five games he has ran for over 100 yards and his 13 touchdowns means he’s averaging almost three touchdowns a game to match his 145.2 yards per game.

This will be a tall order for the Leopards, but it will be equally tall for the Rebels. Both teams have solid running games with defenses that just give offenses fits with how disruptive they are. Cameron Williams and Devon Jones will be called on a lot this week for Lakewood to reak havoc on the line, and they are more than capable of doing so.

With these two teams squaring up, we could be in for a very fun game. It also makes it a tough one to call. This pains me to say, but I think North Duplin grabs this one, but it won’t come easily for them. I’ll take the Rebels by a score of 28-24.

My prediction for last week: 35-6, Lakewood. I am 4-2 for the Leopards.

Midway @ Fairmont, Friday, 7 p.m.

There is a lot to talk about with Midway, and many would choose their first-ever win over the Dark Horses last week. While that is a monumentous occasion, and it deserves all the praise it can get, instead I’m going to talk about a big ‘what-if’: the week two James Kenan game.

This is a sore spot for both me and the Raiders, as the rain that night cost me a lot of money, but more importantly, it stopped the Raiders from being undefeated thus far in the season. I believe that if that game got moved to the next day, or the following week, Midway takes that game, and Midway is currently 6-0. The old adage says ‘if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we’d have a merry Christmas’, and that applies here more than ever. The Raiders are on a roll, and the only person to ever stop them was Mother Nature herself.

Tanner Williams has the offense rolling, alongside Gehemiah Blue, Nathue Myles and Ke’mari McNeil. Together, the Raiders’ offense has gained over 2,000 yards offensively through six games, with 25 touchdowns to boot. Williams has almost 500 yards passing as part of that. Defensively, they fill in gaps and make stops where they need to, as Wyatt Scott leads the team in tackles, averaging almost 10 a game. Thomas Perez is a monster as a defensive lineman, but he fills more of the edge rusher role in today’s game.

Fairmont should be handled easily by Midway, as they are 0-6 on the season and are being outscored 209-66 thus far. The last thing they want to run into is the buzzsaw of the Raiders, but unfortunately for them, that is who their opponent is this week. I’ll take Midway in a big win, 55-6, over the Golden Tornadoes.

My prediction for last week: 28-16, Midway. I am 3-2 for the Raiders.

Rosewood @ Union, Friday, 7 p.m.

Troubles are plauging the Spartans this season, and many of them are injuries. Ayden Wrampe, a promising tight end/defensive lineman, is out for probably the season with a concussion. Captain David Roblero was loaded into an ambulance Friday against Lakewood with a lower leg injury on a tackle. What hasn’t been a good start for Spartans has progressively gotten worse.

But, there are always bright points in the darkness. Freshman Tobias Cromartie has can give defenders fits, especially if he hits the open field. Playing primarily running back, he often takes snaps as the lone member of the backfield out of the Wildcat. Union runs a variation of the Wing-T, but instead of one wing back, they line three up, and they have Cromartie run right behind them. A young Union team could shape up to be a menace for opponents in the coming years.

They will need every bit of great play and good luck on Friday for this week’s DuBose Strapping Game of the Week, as they take on the 4-3 Rosewood Eagles who are 1-0 in Carolina 1A Conference play. The Eagles are a dual-threat offense, gaining 748 yards through the air and 11 touchdowns plus another 1,052 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. This will surely give the Spartans’ defense a test, as the passing game isn’t something they have seen a lot of this year.

While I never like picking against Sampson County teams, Rosewood just has the complete package, and that’s going to be hard to stop with a young, injury-riddled team. I’ll take the Eagles by a score of 42-12.

My prediction for last week: Lakewood 35-6 over Union. I am 3-2 for the Spartans.