Gridiron Preview: Week 6
Sep. 26—Tropical storm Ophelia wrecked Sampson this past weekend, torrential rain and heavy wind locked up plans. Lakewood and Union will have made up their games on Monday by this publishing. Nevertheless, looking ahead there will be plenty of action to make up for the short week.
Clinton (5-0) @ West Bladen (2-3)
The Dark Horses have been on a tear this year, dominating the gridiron with their tenacious defense and high powered offense that has been steamrolling ahead this season.
This upcoming Friday they will face conference foes the Knights of West Bladen. In their meeting last season, Clinton had no problem with their opposition. The Knights were put down in dominating fashion, as they put up 68 points while holding them to zilch. Ny'Darion Blackwell led the charge for his Horses as he slung four touchdowns for Clinton in last week's affair against Princeton, so the Horses are looking to cook this Friday. It's looking like Clinton natives maybe treated to another stomping with Bladen averaging roughly 22 points a game while the Horses have doubled that at 45. Statistically, Clinton far and away, is the clear favorite in this match.
With their talent, this should be a good one for the Horses on their way to conference play. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
Harrells (3-2) v High Point (5-0)
The Crusaders will have another tough opponent ahead of them this week. After taking two losses in a row, Harrells will face off against the High Point Cougars.
The Crusaders have a slew of weapons to help keep the Cougars from trouncing them on their turf, with Case Barber, J'kaeshi Brunson and Samiir Gibbs in the backfield. On average, the Crusaders have almost doubled their rushing yards versus the Cougars but their defense is hard to contend with. Averaging 59 tackles per game and holding 23 sacks in five, they will be a tough opponent to move the ball against.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Hobbton (3-2) v Rosewood (2-3)
The Wildcats took their third straight last week after toppling the North Johnston Panthers, 34-32. Hobbton will be looking to take that momentum and add to it this week. The Rosewood Eagles are gliding into the Grove and the home team will be ready to lay one on them after last year's loss.
As it stands, Hobbton is dominating Rosewood on three sides of the game: offense, defense and speacial teams. The Eagles will need to bring their A-game if they want to contend with a strong Wildcat squad. Cole Weeks as been a tough cookie to contain, stacking up 17 touchdowns in the air while only giving up 4 interceptions with 1367 yards. Between Garett Britt and Ashawd Wynn, Rosewill have plenty to worry about in this contest.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
Midway (4-1) v Fairmont (1-5)
The Raiders are looking to make waves in conference play, with their game on the up swing taking their third straight win this season.
The Fairmont Golden Tornadoes will have their work cut out for them as the travel to Spivey's Corner. In their last five games, they haven't scored higher than twenty points. They have only hit double digit scores in two contests this season. The Raiders have plenty of options to shutdown the Tornadoes this Friday. Cody Ammons has been a workhorse for Midway on 103 carries this season he's raked in 641 yards, averaging almost eight per game. Quarterback Tripp Westbrook will be looking for his trio of talent, featuring Ke'mari McNeil, Gehemiah Blue and Wyatt Herring.
Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Lakewood (5-1) @ Union (2-4) *Game of the Week*
These two teams are looking to make a splash in their first conference game of the year. Union took their first win last week in many moons and will be looking to keep that hype going into this Friday's game. Lakewood has been a powerhouse so far this year, dropping only one to Midway in a tight'y contested game. Both teams will have to dig deep this week as they are slated to play their make-up games on Monday.
Lakewood will be looking to squash the Spartans momentum when they face off this Friday. The Leopards have been ferocious on the field, racking up 251 points thus far while allowing only 75. Union will need to shore up heavily if they plan on having any chance against these rabid cats from Lakewood.
Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
Reach Anthony McConnaughey at amcconnaughey@clintonnc.com or on Twitter @SportsSampson
