A sports analysis
A crisp Friday night led to my favorite football weather last week. It wasn’t too hot, nor too cold, and it was just perfect. I don’t know if this slight chill had an effect on any of the games, but it surely put me in a great mood.
What an up-and-down week for Sampson County football, though. Big plays happened for some teams, and other games just didn’t go the way they had planned.
The biggest play of the week, at least for me, was going a perfect 6-0 to make my record 28-9 overall, and prove my football knowledge. It’s not an easy task, but someone has to do it, and that burden falls on me. I was also within two points of a final score, making that my new record. Someday I will correctly predict a final score.
Clinton @ Red Springs, Friday, 7 p.m.
The Dark Horses notched their first win last week, and they did so in large fashion. Every side of the ball scored — offense, defense, and special teams. They fired on all cylinders, even without one of their big playmakers in Jaylen Williams.
Freshman running back Gavin Miller showed up big time for Clinton against West Bladen, having his name called multiple times for big runs, but they were often negated due to penalties from an overzealous officiating crew. The defense came out as strong as ever, allowing zero completions to West Bladen receivers, and the only ball caught from a Knights pass was to Clinton’s Will Mercer who returned the interception for a touchdown.
Williams has been an animal for the Dark Horses throughout the season, and losing him was not ideal. I haven’t heard any word on his time table to return from his ankle injury, but he wasn’t in a walking boot or cast during Friday’s game, so I imagine he will be back in the lineup shortly. He’s their leading tackler from a season ago.
They could extend their winning streak this week as well against a Red Springs team that isn’t doing so well, either. The Red Devils have the same 1-6 record as Clinton, with a 1-1 conference record to match. Their only win came in a 33-20 game over Fairmont on Oct. 4, and last week they were routed by conference leader St. Pauls.
The one thing the Dark Horses need to be weary of is the passing attack that Red Springs can put together. It’s not record-breaking by any means, but they have a commendable 915 combined passing yards and nine touchdowns. Most of the yards come from their junior quarterback, who has 775 and eight of the nine touchdowns, but he also has 11 interceptions under his belt thus far.
They also have a junior running back with 789 rushing yards and six touchdowns, averaging 131.5 yards in every outing. We have seen that Clinton can defend the pass when need be, and their defensive fronts can disrupt a good rushing attack, so they could quickly neutralize the offensive attack from the Red Devils and be sitting at 2-1 in conference play.
And because of Clinton’s all-around ballgame, I’ll take them to win their second game in a row, beating Red Springs 34-20 on Friday.
My prediction for last week: 28-20, Clinton. I am 6-0 for the Dark Horses.
Harrells Christian Academy @ Ravenscroft, Friday, 7 p.m.
‘Lightning in a bottle’ is the best way to describe this Crusaders team right now. I predicted for them to hang another 50-burger last week, and they did exactly that, winning 50-0 against Grace Christian. That wasn’t even my closest prediction, either.
The Crusaders continue to give everyone the ball, and everyone continues to eat like it’s Thanksgiving dinner. J’Kaeshi Brunson had a big game on the ground, with five rushes for 105 yards and a touchdown. He averaged a whopping 21.0 yards per carry, meaning every time he touched the ball, he gained two first downs. His longest run of the night was a 67 yard rush. Demetrius Jones and Jarrod Miller also grabbed rushing touchdowns for Harrells and Reid Strickland connected with Dashaun McKoy for a 48-yard score, their only completed pass of the night.
Defensively, the Crusaders were as sharp as ever once. Noah Tanner led the team with six total tackles, and Coley Sasser and Davis Bradshaw each had five total as well. Xander Garcia, Amir Moore, and Sasser each got one sack apiece, setting their opponents back a collective 36 yards between all three. Jarrod Miller forced a fumble, and Drake Smith forced one, with Smith recovering one of them for a 24 yard scoop-and-score for the Crusader defense. Jamari Peterson and Sasser each had a touchdown from interception returns, too.
It’s ‘all systems go’ for the Crusaders right now, as they continue to steamroll their way through the schedule in the latter part of the season. I think they win again this week, over a 3-5 Ravenscroft squad. But not without a fight. I’ll take the Crusaders by a score of 35-31.
My prediction for last week: 56-8, Harrells. I am 6-0 for the Crusaders.
Hobbton @ Lakewood, Friday, 7 p.m.
Neither of these teams had the showing they wanted on Friday. Lakewood fell, 43-24, to the powerhouse that is North Duplin this season and Hobbton lost, 68-30 to the scoring machine that is Pender, in a rematch of last year’s record-setting performance from both sides. I correctly predicted Lakewood’s score, and I was two away from Hobbton’s, but neither of those were the closest I’ve come this season
Fret not, though, if you’re a fan of either team. I don’t think the season is lost for either squad, but this week’s matchup is pivotal to the success of both teams. I truly believe the success — or failure — of either team’s season is directly derived from this matchup, and what a story it is for this week’s DuBose Strapping Game of the Week.
After this week, Lakewood just has an easily-winnable game on the road against Rosewood on Nov. 1. After a couple weeks of rest for the squad, they could wrap their season up at 7-3 if they emerge victorious this week. For Hobbton, they have a winnable game at home next week against Union, before hosting the buzz saw of North Duplin in the final week of the season on Nov. 1.
The Leopards could be in great position, entering the playoffs at 7-3, but could be 6-4 or 5-5 if things truly spiral out-of-control for them. The Wildcats are looking at a 4-5 record at best, but it could easily be 3-7 or 2-8 if they’re not careful. The implications of this game are truly enormous as we wind down another football campaign here in Sampson County.
Both of these teams can put up big numbers, but both have been hindered at times. If coach John Holt gets the Leopards ready-to-roll and players like Reed Ammons and Chris Carr do what they’ve been doing in the absence of Calvin Lacewell, Jr., I think they make quick work of their county foe. If coach Joe Salas gets the Wildcats where they need to be, they can air the ball out on a Lakewood defense that has seen its struggles against the pass. Both of those situations are in a hypothetical vacuum, though, with no outside interference, and no other variables.
I really don’t know what to make of this game. Both teams have had high highs and low lows, and have struggled to be consistent. Lakewood’s last four games have gone win-loss-win-loss, and Hobbton has dropped three straight after a massive win over Spring Creek.
But, one of the teams must win this game when the clock strikes zero. I’ll take Lakewood, but not easily, 35-28.
My predictions for last week: North Duplin over Lakewood, 28-24, and Pender over Hobbton, 55-28. I am 5-2 for the Leopards and 3-3 for the Wildcats.
Midway @ West Bladen, Friday, 7 p.m.
Last week’s Midway win was the closest I’ve come to correctly guessing a score right. I had the Raiders, 55-6, over Fairmont. They won, 57-6. I correctly guessed Fairmont’s score and was within two for Midway. This analysis is real, folks.
The Raiders ran 29 plays Friday, and gained 17 first downs. It is mind-blowing that almost 60 percent of their plays went for a first down. Ke’Mari McNeil had a monster game once again, rushing for 101 yards on two carries… and two touchdowns. He averaged 50.5 yards and had a 1:1 touches-to-touchdowns ratio. Gehemiah Blue and Nathue Myles also had big games, with Blue having seven carries for 84 yards and Myles having six carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. Thomas Perez and Jayden Stox each had a touchdown as well.
Wyatt Scott, Ryan Naylor, and McNeil each had six total tackles. Scott and McNeil had six solos each, and Naylor’s statline was made up of four solos and two assists. McNeil and Wesley Tew each added a tackle-for-loss apiece. Caleb Hall forced a fumble and recovered it himself, taking it 20 yards with him en route to the end zone for the score. The defense was, dare I say, lights out last week.
With a high-powered offense and a defense that can frustrate just about anyone in the area, Midway will make quick work of thier conference foe West Bladen this week. The Raiders have won five straight after their week two loss in the rain to James Kenan, their only loss of the season. They’re clicking as good right now as they ever will. Their week 10 matchup at St. Pauls is looking to be for the SAC-6 Conference title, and they have an easy road ahead of them to that game if they continue doing what they’ve done.
West Bladen only has 29 kids listed on their roster, and I counted only about 20 that dressed for their game against Clinton. Their talent pool is super shallow as it is, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a running clock for a majority of the second half. The Dark Horses did whatever they wanted against the Knights, scoring all on offense, defense, and special teams, so Midway should have absolutely no issues moving to 7-1 on the season.
I’ll take the Raiders by a lot, with a final score of 63-6.
My prediction last week: 55-6, Midway. I am 4-2 for the Raiders.
North Duplin @ Union, Friday, 7 p.m.
The woes keep stacking up for the Spartans, as the season just hasn’t gone their way. Sitting at 0-7, they have been outscored 389-74 so far. It’s just not their year, to put it lightly.
As I said last week, though, all hope is not lost for Union. They have a very young team — one of the youngest in the county, in fact — with a seasoned coach at the helm in Mark Oates. While the ship for this season might have sailed, I’m all-but-certain that they will find their beacon and correct course as the team gets older and more experienced.
Don’t throw in the towel yet, because Tobias Cromartie and the Spartans will be on the right path sooner than you realize, and they won’t forget who doubted them while they were down.
They do unfortunately play North Duplin this week, who is a monster in the Carolina 1A Conference. Passing isn’t the Rebels’ specialty, as they’ve thrown it just seven times in six games, with five completions — three of them being touchdowns — for a whopping 66 yards. Their offense lives through their junior running back, who will surely be looking to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in this game. He is sitting at 978 yards and 16 touchdowns, with an average of 10.3 yards per carry and all six of his games have seen him rush for over 100 yards.
The Rebels had Lakewood’s number last week as they continued their unbeaten streak, and the Leopards handed Union a 55-0 loss the week before. Things could get very ugly very fast for the Spartans, I’m afraid.
I’ll take North Duplin by a score of 67-12.
My prediction for last week: Rosewood over Union, 42-12. I am 4-2 for the Spartans.