–Pigskin Preview - Week #5
20 September 2007Games of Sept. 21, 2007
Roberson @ Franklin
Reynolds @ East Burke
Enka @ North Buncombe
Erwin @ Tuscola
Owen @ Avery County
Cherokee @ Hayesville
Swain County @ Robbinsville A brow-lifting upset in Sylva and a head-turning rout at Reynolds headline last week’s outcomes in western North Carolina. In another game of note, Asheville High appears to have found its offensive rhythm after pounding interior-thin Brevard.
Individually, Mitchell’s Joe Hoilman (1,300 total yds.) and North Buncombe’s Randy Pressley (1,189 total yds.) continue to pile up double/doubles in passing and rushing as the area’s most dangerous duel-threat quarterbacks.
This week is the official start of conference season for most schools. Enough said there as the action gets hotter as the weather gradually turns colder.
Franklin (3-2) is 3-1 against Smoky Mountain Conference 1-A teams and 0-1 versus the 2-A Western Highlands. A tougher opponent arrives tomorrow night in Roberson (4-0), a 3-A powerhouse. Whether or not the Panthers were looking ahead last week doesn’t matter now, although that outcome could make the Rams a tad overconfident. Franklin has won the last two meetings between these MAC rivals but needs a greater effort, fewer mistakes, and better bounces this time. Rams, 28-7
Re-energized Reynolds (2-2) travels to Connelley Springs to face unbeaten East Burke
(5-0) in an early showdown for conference supremacy. McDowell coach Dave Haynie said the Cavaliers were this year’s surprise team in the Northwestern Conference and could compete with the Rockets for the league crown. Five victories later, it looks like Reynolds could have its hands full trying to hold on to running back Jake Frogge. QB Alexander Wall, known as “A-Wall” in Big Green Country, is starting to unravel, as evidenced by his 319 total yards last week for more than 61 percent of his team’s crushing amount. The defense needs to come through as well, as the Cavs point total has risen every week (52 last week at Starmount) in the course of four lopsided wins in ’07. Rockets, 35-21
Enka (2-3) has shown it can win, and compete to win this season. Next up is a big battle in Weaverville. Jets junior Adam King has led an offensive surge in recent weeks, but the defense has yet to show any stopping power against a strong offense. North Buncombe (4-1) has a potent and variable spread but has not shown much consistency. If Enka can prevent the Black Hawks from controlling the clock and keep Randy Pressley hemmed in—that’s a big if—this could be a shootout. Upset Special of the Week: Jets, 24-21
Which Erwin (2-3) team will show up this week? The Warriors have started slow again but may have enough left to roll into the postseason. Tuscola (2-2) got a rude awakening last Friday after two weeks of riding high. The Mountaineers need to decide soon if beating Pisgah, which blanked Erwin back on Aug. 17, is all that matters. Nallenweg and Jackson lead this week’s second Upset Special: Warriors, 27-20
A collective sigh of relief filled the Owen (3-1) bus heading home from Enka last week. The Warhorses climb the mountain to Newland this time, knowing that serious business is ahead. Two of the three losses for Avery County (1-3) have come to teams from Tennessee, making the 1-A Vikings hard to evaluate at this point, but they did hang tough against 4-A Watauga. Owen has virtually owned Avery this century, although coach Ken Ford could lose more of his hair worrying about the Vikings explosiveness. Warhorses, 35-21
Hayesville (3-2) would like to get its first win this year against a team from North Carolina, but will have a hard time taming Cherokee (2-2). The Braves are already battle-hardened and have an 11-1 league mark to pad from the last two seasons. The Yellow Jackets feature a lively and wide open passing attack led by QB Jonathan Shively; Cherokee has a punishing ground game that took some vicious hits last week in Mississippi. If the Braves peek ahead to next week, tomorrow night’s action could over by the first half, and not in their favor. Braves, 34-28
No mountain team started out as poorly as Swain County (0-5) in ’07. This is not the same bunch, mind you. The Maroon Devils failed to score in their first three outings but have picked it up against a pair of MAC contenders. At times, Robbinsville (3-2) has looked like the most improved team in western North Carolina, with sophomore halfbacks Blake Anderson and Kurt Odom combining for more than 1,000 yards rushing in five games. Swain’s O is coming along but not fast enough. Black Knights, 21-17
—Michael Hughes
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
