It’s becoming one of those seasons.

At every turn, weather has affected high school football through the first half of the 2024 campaign. Tropical Storm Debby interrupted preseason practice and scrimmages, some Week 2 games were suspended or postponed after Friday-night storms on Aug. 30 and Week 4 games were moved up to Thursday in anticipation of heavy rain (though, as it turned out, that Friday night would have been playable).

Now, with the combination of a cold front and outer bands of Hurricane Helene set to drop more water on the area over the next couple of days, games are once again moved up to Thursday night in Week 6 —though that may also be a soggy night, depending on the timing of the rainfall.

Siri, play “I’m No Stranger to the Rain.”

As I make picks for this week, I’ll channel Keith Whitley’s classic and say it’s time to “ride the wind and dance in a hurricane.”

Last week: 3-1

Season: 14-3

Purnell Swett at Cape Fear

Talking to Purnell Swett coach Josh Deese ahead of this United-8 Conference matchup, he made it clear that the Rams know what the Colts intend to do — namely, run the counter — and they consistently do it well, making them hard to stop even with the knowledge of what’s coming.

After watching Cape Fear (4-0, 1-0 United-8) dominate Lumberton on Friday, I’ll add that the Colts are a very strong, well-coached, fundamentally-sound football team and they aren’t going to beat themselves. They’ve also got a defense that has held the opposition to 27 points, less than seven per game.

The Rams (2-2, 0-1 United-8), meanwhile, struggled stopping the run against Gray’s Creek, and are also still searching for offensive consistency, making this game an uphill climb as they face one of the two most likely title contenders in the United-8. I think Purnell Swett will play a better game defensively, but the Colts offense will still get theirs and Cape Fear will also make it tough for the Rams on the other side of the ball.

Cape Fear 35, Purnell Swett 14

Lumberton at Jack Britt

Lumberton coach Taurius Baker said after last week’s loss to Cape Fear the Pirates (3-1, 0-1 United-8) had to do a better job of responding to adversity in-game, with that game spiraling for his team after allowing two early scores. With that result, they now face the adverse circumstance of overcoming a loss to open conference play, and will seek to move forward as they take the trip to Jack Britt Thursday.

Jack Britt (3-1, 1-0 United-8) has one lopsided win, one lopsided loss and close wins in their other two games, both with scores in the 20s. I think Thursday’s game will take on a similar pattern, and it’s worth noting that those games have come against tougher competition than what the Pirates have seen outside of Cape Fear.

Lumberton was rattled last week when it got hit in the mouth for the first time this season. The Pirates will have learned from that experience and will be better-equipped this week to handle that in-game adversity — but Jack Britt’s experience in nailbiters so far this season will allow them to play more comfortably and make a couple more plays.

Jack Britt 30, Lumberton 23

Fairmont at Northside-Pinetown

Fairmont takes a long bus ride to Northside-Pinetown, located just off the Pamlico River east of Greenville. The Golden Tornadoes do so coming off a bye week with an 0-4 record on the season, having lost by 28 points or more in each game they’ve played, though each have come against a school from a larger classification.

Fairmont has scored two touchdowns or more in each of their last three games, with the Golden Tornadoes passing the ball more and moving the ball more effectively than they did through much of last season, though a season high of 20 points suggests there’s still work to do there.

But Fairmont’s defense has allowed 35 points or more each week. While I will admit I don’t know much about Northside-Pinetown (3-2) beyond the statistics available on MaxPreps, I know the Panthers have had a couple of impressive wins this season. In the last nonconference tilt for both sides, I think Fairmont can make some plays and keep the score respectable but that Northside-Pinetown will ultimately win the night.

Northside-Pinetown 40, Fairmont 14