I’ll admit that this may not be the universal reaction, but when I checked my weather app this week and saw that temperatures will dip into the 50s during Friday night’s high school football games, I got excited.
Finally, I said. Football weather.
After a summer that wouldn’t end and a couple of “false falls” in the Border Belt, it’ll finally be a little nip out when the sun goes down on Friday and our local teams take to the gridiron. While I consider something around 70 to be optimal golf weather, football is better when it’s watched in blue jeans and sweaters, not in shorts and a sweaty t-shirt.
Now, once it gets colder games won’t be in the sweet spot anymore, and with the season being extended one week by the NCHSAA due to the effects of Hurricane Helene we’ll get local high school football until at least the middle of November, and longer if anyone advances in the state playoff. And considering last year’s first-round playoff games were played on a frigid night, suffice it to say, enjoy this perfect football weather over the next couple of weeks, with only the slight chill of a fall night, before bundling up for the biggest games of the year.
As Friday night’s games play out on what it seems will be a beautiful North Carolina night, here’s a guess at which teams will look at the scoreboard and find it equally beautiful:
Last week: 4-0
Season: 20-3
St. Pauls at Red Springs
St. Pauls (4-2, 1-0 Southeastern Athletic Conference) has been deliberate about downplaying this game, a 7 p.m. start Friday, as just another game, but we all know better: this is definitely a rivalry game — though some may say to truly be a rivalry it needs to not be one-sided, and this one has been, with the Bulldogs winning six straight meetings, mostly in blowouts, and Mike Setzer combining to his last eight games against the Red Devils in his two tenures as St. Pauls head coach.
Red Springs (1-5, 1-0 Southeastern) carries momentum it hasn’t had for much of the season, winning its first game last week at Fairmont. But the Red Devils felt they should have played better against the Golden Tornadoes — and they’ll have to play better to have a chance against the Bulldogs.
St. Pauls’ defense has shut out two of its last three opponents, and will have to contain Red Springs running back Jakelsin Mack and receiver T.J. Ellerbe. Those guys are too good to be completely shut down, and the Red Devils will put some points on the board, but the Bulldogs’ balanced offense could see success against either a Red Devils defensive front that’s been hit-and-miss or a younger secondary. Either way, they’ll score enough points to make it hard for Red Springs to keep up.
St. Pauls 42, Red Springs 16
Gray’s Creek at Lumberton
The alumni that return to Lumberton (3-3, 0-3 United-8 Conference) for Friday’s 7:30 p.m. homecoming game will see the first Pirates team with three wins or more since the 2016 season, but also one that’s lost its last three outings and has been shut out in the last two weeks.
The Pirates should be able to have more offensive success against a Gray’s Creek (4-2, 2-1 United-8) team that has played some high-scoring games this season. The bigger challenge for Lumberton will be containing Gray’s Creek’s running game — something that every Bears opponent has struggled to do, with the unit rushing for over 300 yards per game with three very capable backs. The result has been 41.3 points per game for the Bears.
I expect Lumberton to be more competitive than it’s been in the Pirates’ last three games. But ultimately, I expect it to be difficult to match Gray’s Creek score for score.
Gray’s Creek 42, Lumberton 20
Purnell Swett at South View
Purnell Swett (2-4, 0-3 United-8) hasn’t been great offensively throughout the season, and that has shown in the results in the last three weeks as they’ve played strong United-8 competition, being shut out the last two weeks; they’ve scored seven points or less in four of their six games this season, and even a 21-point output against Red Springs was aided by two early turnovers that put them in good field position.
South View (4-2, 2-1 United-8) held Lumberton off the scoreboard last week. The Tigers also got their offense going in the win against the Pirates, with Rashad Dockery rushing for 270 yards and Tyriq Clarida throwing for 131. While I consider still consider Purnell Swett’s defense to be the strength of the team, things haven’t been going all that great on that side of the ball either, and they’ll face another challenge as they take on this Tigers team at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Rams coach Josh Deese said last week that the fact the Rams have been playing really good teams is part of the reason for the recent struggles. The bad news is that the Tigers are also a good team — and the Rams are eventually going to have to score some points if they want to remain competitive this season.
South View 34, Purnell Swett 14
Midway at Fairmont
While Fairmont (0-6, 0-1 Southeastern) enters this contest having lost its last seven games, Midway (5-1, 1-0 Southeastern) is having a good season under first-year head coach Barrett Sloan as the Raiders come to Hal S. Floyd Stadium for a 7 p.m. tilt Friday.
Behind running back Gehemiah Blue, quarterback Tanner Williams and wideout Kemari McNeill, the Raiders have scored 33.2 points per game this season; Fairmont has allowed that many or more each time it’s taken the field.
Fairmont has been able to move the ball moderately well at times since turning to a more frequent passing approach in the last few weeks, and I do think that will continue, allowing for the Golden Tornades to put together a couple of scoring drives. But against a Midway team that is potentially the biggest threat to St. Pauls’ conference championship hopes, the Golden Tornadoes will face a big challenge on the defensive end against the Raiders.
Midway 40, Fairmont 14
Sports editor Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at cstiles@robesonian.com. You can follow him on X at @StilesOnSports.