Gridiron Preview: Week 7
Oct. 3—We are entering the final stretch of the football season with Clinton holding a firm grip of the SAC-6, remaining undefeated through six games. In the Carolina 1A, the Lakewood Leopards have been a torrential tear winning three in a row and holding the top position.
Clinton (6-0) v Red Springs (3-3)
The Red Devils of Red Springs will be traveling to Clinton to face a deadly stampeding Dark Horse team. The home team has been indomitable this season, trouncing their opposition in every game by a whopping 30+ points. The Horses have scored 297 points while allowing only 76, which equates to approximately 12 points allowed per game.
It doesn't end there, they'll have to contend with a rushing attack that has averaged 270 yards per game. In total, the Horses have gained an average of 411 yards per game. This offense is backed by Josiah McLaurin who has pulled in seven receiving touchdowns and 11 on the ground. Josiah Robinson follows closely behind McLaurin with 10 touchdowns averaging roughly nine yards per carry. Their quarterback Ny'Darion Blackwell has garnered 11 touchdowns through the air on 844 yards total this season. On both sides of the ball, Clinton has been a terror to quarterbacks, nabbing 11 sacks so far this season, while also pulling in five interceptions.
Red Springs will have their work cut out for them at the Dark Horse Complex this Friday, kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Harrells (3-3) v Wake Christian (3-3)
The Crusaders will open the Store to the Wake Christian Bulldogs for their second round of conference play. Harrells is currently riding a three game losing streak that they are looking to snap this Friday.
On paper these two teams are evenly matched with Harrells allowing fewer points than Wake but conversely haven't scored as many. The Bulldogs have taken more chances through the air, averaging 126 yards per game compared to a mere 44 by the Crusaders. Harrells holds a miniscule lead in rushing yards per game, they are separated by just two yards in relation to their rushing yard per game with 187 to 185.
The Crusaders will be looking to up the ante and take down the Bulldogs with kickoff slated for 7 p.m.
Hobbton (3-3) @ Pender (3-3)
The Hobbton Wildcats are looking for some momentum after a loss to conference foe, the Rosewood Eagles. They will be on the road to take on the Pender Patriots.
The high powered offense of Hobbton been firing off well, posting 262 points when compared to Pender's 206. Pender will be looking to take to their ground game which nets an average of 250 yards a game. The Wildcats have been relatively balanced in their play, harboring triple digit yardage in rushing and passing. Cole Weeks keeps finding receivers and has amassed 20 touchdowns through the air with only four interceptions to his name this season. Daniel Aguilar has been the workhorse for Hobbton on the ground with 581 yards this season, averaging 96 yards a game, pulling in seven touchdowns on his legs.
Pender will need to tighten up defensively if they plan to take this one as the Wildcats are sure to be coming into this game with a chip on their shoulder. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Lakewood (6-1) v North Duplin (5-1) *Game of the Week*
These two powerhouses of the Carolina 1A will be facing off this Friday for the Game of the Week. Lakewood will host the North Duplin Rebels.
Both the Rebels and Leopards have had great starts to their seasons with each posting only one loss a piece. Duplin dropped a close one to Dixon 21-12 and Lakewood kept Midway on their heels but fell 32-26. Both squads are looking to solidify their status as kings of the conference. The Leopards defense has been tough to stop racking up eight sacks and 10 QB hurries. This rushing has enabled them to snag 11 interceptions.
The Leopards have also been solid on the offense, raking 31 touchdowns on the ground. With five backs pulling in over a 100 yards total, the Rebels will have to keep an keen eye on who's got the ball if they want to take their first conference win over this formidable team.
Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
Midway (5-1) v West Bladen (2-4)
The Raiders will host the West Bladen Knights on Friday. The Knights were on the receiving end of a nightmarish beatdown when they were put down 71-13 last week.
Midway is licking their chops for a win this week on their quest for the SAC-6 title. Heading into the game, riding a four game win streak, they'll be looking to add another. The Raiders are the clear favorites in this game having nearly doubled the output of the Knights and allowing less against. The Raiders are led by their running back Cody Ammons who's been unstoppable, chewing up 154 yards on average. Ke'mari McNeil leads the team in TD receptions, holding eight. Andre Gregory has been eating up yards, snagging passes and averaging 91 yards a game.
The Knights will have to really turn around their game if they hope to avoid another debilitating blowout. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m.
Union (2-5) @ Rosewood (4-3)
The Spartans suffered a grueling loss to the Lakewood Leopards this past Friday. They'll have to put that out of their minds as they travel to Rosewood to take on the Eagles in conference play.
Union has nabbed their first wins in four years but now the work is beginning. The Eagles hold a clear advantage over the fledgling team as they've outscored them 187 points to 94 points and have allowed less points in return. The Spartans will have to really bring their A-game if they hope to topple the Eagles on the gridiron.
Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Reach Anthony McConnaughey at amcconnaughey@clintonnc.com or on Twitter @SportsSampson
