Pigskin Picks week 10

Week 9 saw some great action in local high school football, and even better if you’re following my picks. I went a humble 4-2, as I suffered my first loss for the Dark Horses and Crusaders.

But, the good news is that I’m honing in on guessing a final score correctly. As it sits, I’m 32-11 overall, just shy of a 75 percent win-rate. And last week saw me guessing the correct score for two teams, but they were playing in different games. We’re back in action this week with plenty of homecoming and senior night games, sure to give the hometown crowd their money’s worth, no matter who’s playing.

We’re in for some good football again this weekend. With predicted chillier temperatures again on Friday night, be sure to bring a jacket.

St. Pauls @ Clinton, Friday, 7 p.m.

The good and the bad of last week’s Clinton game: I correctly predicted the score for the Dark Horses, but undershot how many their opponents would score. But, this was the fourth game in a row that Clinton put up 20 or more points, meaning they’re continuing to get things rolling offensively. They are truly a “tale of two halves” football team, as the first four weeks of the season saw them score only seven points collectively.

They’ll have a tall order this week against conference-leader St. Pauls, who will be on their first leg of their Sampson County schedule, as they host Midway next week to finish out the season — a game that looks like it should be for the conference championship.

The Bulldogs come into this game with a high-powered offense, gaining 1,011 yards and 13 touchdowns through the air and another 2,177 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground. We have seen the Dark Horses struggle defensively, but that coincided with offensive woes — the defense is playing much better as of late and could really cause some drama in St. Pauls’ plan.

Look for freshman Gavin Miller to have another big game, and if Jaylen Williams is healthy, his name will be called upon a lot too. Henry Bass will surely have the offense rolling.

But, as much I want to pick the hometown team here, I think the Bulldogs have a solid squad and they’ll do everything they can to retain first place ahead of their week 11 match-up with the Raiders. I’ll take St. Pauls with 42 to Clinton’s 30.

My prediction for last week: 34-20, Clinton. I am 6-1 for the Dark Horses.

Trinity Christian @ Harrells, Friday, 7 p.m.

The Crusaders dropped one last Friday, but fret not. Don’t jump ship just yet. Coach Hall has that team rolling, and they’re not looking to slow down just yet.

In their 38-25 loss to Ravenscroft last week, they still put up big numbers. 301 combined rushing yards led to four scores and Dashaun McKoy added another with an 81-yard interception return for a score. As it sits going into the final regular season game for the Crusaders, they have six rushers with over 200 yards on the season and a total of 26 rushing touchdowns.

Defensively, they’re seemingly getting at least one takeaway a game. Dashaun McKoy leads the team with three interceptions and seven pass break-ups. Connor Casteen has two interceptions, and seven other Crusaders each have one. Harrells has 12 interceptions as a team on the year, plus six fumbles caused and six recovered. The defense is playing lights-out, and it would take a very good team to beat them.

And 7-1 Trinity Christian has the makings to be that team; the one to hand the Crusaders back-to-back losses to finish out the season. They’ve put up 310 points via 1,739 passing yards and 936 on the ground, with 37 total offensive touchdowns. They’re outscoring their opponents at a 3:1 ratio on the season, with their lone loss being week one to Providence Day, a game that saw them on the wrong side of a 55-8 loss.

With all of that being said, I just think that the Crusaders will beat the… Crusaders. Yes, it’s a Crusader-off. In my best Max Kellerman voice, “I want HCA!” I’ll take our Sampson County boys, and their stout defense that isn’t friendly to opposing passing offenses, to disrupt every bit of Trinity’s game plan. I’ll take Harrells by a score of 38-34.

My prediction for last week: 35-31, Harrells. I am 6-1 for the Crusaders.

Union @ Hobbton, Friday, 7 p.m.

By far, the worst part of these picks is picking a game in which two county schools play. I detest it because I love Sampson County football, and I don’t like having to be “mean” to a school.

I was off by just three points in the Lakewood-Hobbton game, tying my second-best efforts thus far. I also highlighted strengths and weaknesses of both teams going into it, and correctly predicted what could (and would) happen. To say I know these teams well is an understatement.

Union saw troubles early against North Duplin, but the Rebels’ squad is a buzz-saw this year, including a 4-star defensive lineman who just recently committed to Texas A&M. The best programs in the state will have trouble with North Duplin come playoffs, so using this as a benchmark game for the Spartans would simply be unfair.

Hobbton kept things close at the half against the Leopards, trailing just a point at halftime. They allowed 21 unanswered points in the second half, but bounced back with 18 unanswered of their own. Their air raid offense was clicking, gaining chunks of yards down the field seemingly at-will. Losing running back Daniel Aguilar early didn’t help in their comeback attempt, either.

I could make a case for either team in this game, highlighting the key match-ups that both teams could exploit. But I’ll save you that and give you this: Hobbton emerges victorious, but not easily. I’ll take the Wildcats, 34-20.

My predictions for last week: Lakewood over Hobbton, 35-28 and North Duplin over Union, 67-12. I am 4-3 for the Wildcats and 5-2 for the Spartans.

Red Springs @ Midway, Friday, 7 p.m.

Midway once again found themselves on the right side of W/L column last week, after a decisive 37-12 win over West Bladen. It wasn’t always a blowout, though, as the Raiders only led 15-12 at the half, but pitched a shutout while scoring 22 in the second half.

The Raiders’ run game is nothing to shake a stick at, and it has propelled them to six straight wins. A combined 2,278 yards and 30 touchdowns means they’re averaging almost 285 rushing yards and almost four rushing touchdowns a game. Tanner Williams also has 575 passing yards and seven touchdowns through the air.

On the defensive side of the ball, Wyatt Scott is leading the team with 74 total tackles and Thomas Perez has 62 to his name. Perez’s standout stat, though, is his whopping nine tackles-for-loss. Five different Raiders have a sack apiece, to boot. Midway’s defense has six interceptions and four fumbles caused, meaning they can wreak havoc when they need to.

And I’m sure they will this week against Red Springs, an opponent that isn’t playing the caliber of football that the Raiders are. They come into Spivey’s Corner at just 2-6 and off a win against Clinton that wasn’t secured until late in the game. Midway should make quick work of the Red Devils. I’ll take the Raiders by a score of 50-12.

My prediction for last week: 63-6, Midway. I am 5-2 for the Raiders.