Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 3 Picks

Game of the Week: East Lincoln (2-0) @ Bandys (2-0): Last week, the Mustangs had a 41-17 lead at half-time over Hopewell before seeing the Titans mount a furious second half comeback. East Lincoln would escape with a 61-59 win. Their defense will have to step up this week as they prepare for Bandys. The Trojans have scored 67 totals points the past couple of weeks and have pitched two shutouts. Between the Mustangs high-powered offense and the Trojans stingy defense, something is going to have to give. One thing to look at though is that the teams Bandys has played likely do not have the offensive firepower that East Lincoln has.

My pick: East Lincoln 24 – Bandys 21

Crest (2-0) @ Shelby (0-2): On paper, this looks like it could be a lopsided Chargers victory. The Golden Lions have struggled the first two games being outscored 68-10. The Chargers, though, are 2-0 and looking to stay undefeated. Shelby started the season 1-4 and Crest was their only win in that five game stretch. The Chargers are looking for a different result this year and Shelby is hoping to break into the win column tonight. With this being a rivalry game, anything can happen.

My pick: Crest 21 – Shelby 7

Burns (1-1) @ Mooresville (1-1): Last year’s game between the two was a shootout the first half. But then Burns pulled away with a 35-14 victory. The Bulldogs have not put up the offensive numbers like they have last year, but their defense has been stout so far this year. Burns opened the year losing a tough one to Crest 14-13, but won the following week against Kings Mountain 20-12. Look for this one to be another low-scoring competitive match.

My pick: Burns 20 – Mooresville 14

East Gaston (0-2) @ South Point (2-0): This is actually supposed to be at East Gaston, but due to renovations being done at Arrowhead Stadium, they are having it at South Point’s Lineberger Stadium. The annual Black Friday meeting this year could have the same results as last year with South Point picking up where they left off last year and East Gaston struggling heavily.

My pick: South Point 56 – East Gaston 6

Forestview (1-1) @ Lexington (1-1): Twice these two teams tried to get their game in last year. Both times mother nature had other ideas. The game was canceled due to thunderstorms in the area. Will mother nature hold for these two this year? Forestview rebounded from their season-opening loss nicely by beating Clover 38-16. But the Jaguars must put two halves together in order to keep that success going.

My pick: Forestview 31 – Lexington 21

Garinger (0-1) @ Hunter Huss (2-0): This one should be another game the Huskies totally dominate in. The Wildcats have only played one game this year in which they lost 41-0. Ironically, the team that beat them is coming off two straight blowout losses as well.

My pick: Hunter Huss 56 – Garinger 0

North Gaston (1-1) @ East Rutherford (0-2): North Gaston snapped a long on-the-field winless streak last week. Now, they have a chance to snap another long streak. The Wildcats can get their first road win since 2007 when they advanced to the 3A state title game with a 35-34 win over Asheville.

My pick: North Gaston 21 – East Rutherford 13

Kings Mountain (1-1) @ Weddington (2-0): The Mountaineers offense was slowed down last week as they fell 20-12 to Burns. Now the Mountaineers must rebound against a hot Weddington team. The Warriors’ offense has averaged around 42 points the first two weeks of the season and the defense has given up an average of 19.

My pick: Weddinton 28 – Kings Mountain 21

Lincolnton (1-1) @ Lake Norman Charter (2-0): Another conference game takes place early in the season. Last year, the Knights were 2-0 coming into the game with Lincolnton. The Wolves hammered Lake Norman Charter 55-7. This year’s Wolves team is much younger, but will still give the Knights plenty of fits.

My pick: Lincolnton 28 – Lake Norman Charter 7

West Lincoln (2-0) @ Fred T. Foard (1-1): The Rebels are hoping to stay perfect on the season. The Tigers hope to rebound from their 32-0 blowout at the hands of Bandys. The Rebels walked away with a 9-6 win last year.

My pick: West Lincoln 17 – Fred T. Foard 7

Cherryville (1-1) @ Draughn (2-0): Cherryville rebounded from their season-opening loss to Bunker Hill with a big win over Community School of Davidson 46-0. Now can Cherryville keep that pace going against an undefeated Draughn team?

My pick: Draughn 28 – Cherryville 21

Bessemer City (0-2) @ Chase (0-2): It’s been a rough start for Bessemer City. The Yellow Jackets in two weeks have been outscored 86-6. The troubles could continue as they travel to Chase.

My pick: Chase 42 – Bessemer City 6

North Lincoln (0-2) @ Bunker Hill (2-0): Struggles continue for the North Lincoln Knights. Unfortunately, they will likely not get better tonight as they face an undefeated Bunker Hill squad.

Bunker Hill 31 – North Lincoln 6

Village Christian Academy (0-2) @ Highland Tech (0-2): Could this be the Rams best chance at getting a win? Better yet, will they even put points on the board?

My pick: Village Christian Academy 28 – Highland Tech 6

Jaguars rebound, snap seven game losing skid to Clover

Last week, nothing went right for Forestview in their season opening 38-0 drubbing at the hands of Nation Ford. Things looked like they would go that way again for Forestview. On the second play of their first drive Forestview quarterback Logan Bradley was picked off by Jevaughn Starr and he returned it 20 yards for the touchdown.

It would not take Forestview long to rebound. The Jaguars would answer the call on their next drive with a Bishop Ford seven yard run. Clover started to hurt themselves with mistakes. The Blue Eagles mishandled a punt and gave Forestview great field position at the 12-yard line.

The Jaguars would make them pay when Logan Bradley hit freshman runningback/receiver Moe Neal with a ten-yard strike in the end-zone. Colton Rouse’s extra point made it 14-7 Forestview. The Jaguars were far from done. On their next drive Calvin Johnson hit Mykelti Armstrong with a half-back pass that turned into a 72-yard touchdown reception.

The Eagles showed an air attack of their own late in the first quarter when quarterback Scott Jackson hit Shawn Anderson for a 73-yard touchdown reception. Evan Edmunds’s extra point would make it 21-14. That would be all the scoring in the first quarter and that would be as close as Clover got.

In the second quarter, Forestview picked up where they left off offensively. Ford put another touchdown on the board for Forestview from the five-yard line. Calvin Johnson, who threw the half-back touchdown pass earlier, found himself on the other end of a 30-yard touchdown strike. Colton Rouse got in on the fun with a 33-yard field-goal to make the half-time score 38-14.

It was like a tale of two halves from that point on as Forestview’s offense sputtered in the second half. However, the Jaguar defense would keep Clover out of the end-zone. The Eagles got close to scoring a couple of times. The Eagles were stopped on fourth down at the Forestview 5-yard line and kicker, Edmunds, missed a 32-yard field-goal. The Eagles did manage a safety when a Forestview punt sailed out of the end-zone to make 38-16. That would be the final.

“We just got to get some continuity on offense.” Clover head coach John Devine said “We had some opportunities that we squandered.”

Devine also stressed mental toughness.

“Glad to get a win.” Forestview head coach Chris Medlin said “We need to do better in the second half. We need to play all four quarters.” Medlin was pleased his teams improvement, but hopes to see them improves as much next week as they did this week.

Forestview (1-1) travels to take on Lexington. Clover (0-2) is back home against Spring Valley.

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 2 Scores

South Point 49 – Lincolnton 8 North Gaston 35 – East Gaston 6 Forestview 38 – Clover, SC 16 Ashbrook 24 – Shelby 10 Burns 20 – Kings Mountain 12 Hunter Huss 56 – Bessemer City 0 Crest 45 – Q Foundation 0 East Lincoln 61 – Hopewell 59 West Lincoln 49 – Highland Tech 0 Cherryville 46 – Community of Davidson 0 Maiden 28 – North Lincoln 7

Gaston Lincoln and Cleveland Week 2 Picks

Game of the Week: Kings Mountain (1-0) @ Burns (0-1): Another Cleveland County showdown takes place tonight. Burns gave Crest a good game last week before coming up just short 14-13. Kings Mountain opened the season up with a 36-19 win over East Rutherford. Last year, the Bulldogs pitched a shutout against Kings Mountain (28-0). Look for this match-up to be more competitive than last year's game.

My pick: Kings Mountain 28 – Burns 21

Lincolnton (1-0) @ South Point (1-0): South Point’s sophomore quarterback Daquan Brooks put up big numbers for South Point last week. He accounted for 200 yards and two touchdowns for South Point and two touchdowns. Tyler Bray added three. The Red Raiders show no signs of being a team that graduated 27 Seniors from last season. Lincolnton, on the other hand, struggled on offense last week against Maiden. The Wolves scores came off a safety and a fumble return for a touchdown as they held off Maiden 9-7. They will need to muster up some offense in order to keep up with a dangerous South Point team.

My pick: South Point 48 – Lincolnton 14

East Gaston (0-1) @ North Gaston (0-1): North Gaston kept pace with a very good Asheville squad last week. The Cougars edged North Gaston 38-28. East Gaston had a much tougher time last week as they were routed 48-14 by Hunter Huss. North Gaston has not won a game on the field in 28 attempts. They were awarded a forfeit win last season against Hickory. The Wildcats are poised to get that illusive victory this year and tonight could be that night.

My pick: North Gaston 34 – East Gaston 14

Clover, SC (0-1) @ Forestview (0-1): Last week Forestview failed to register their first win over the South Carolina border as they were drubbed 38-0 by Nation Ford. This time, Forestview hopes to snap another streak. They have dropped seven straight to the Blue Eagles of Clover since beating them 27-20 on their first try. The struggles from last year continue for Clover. They were bounced 46-3 by South Florence last week. This will be Forestview’s best chance to end the long losing streak against their South Carolina foe.

My pick: Forestview 28 – Clover 7

Shelby (0-1) @ Ashbrook (1-0): Ashbrook got started on the right foot last week with a 45-42 win over Olympic. Not only did they win, but came from being down two touchdowns to do it. Shelby, on the other hand, struggled badly. The Golden Lions dropped their opener to A.L. Brown 44-0. It won’t get any easier for Shelby.

My pick: Ashbrook 35 – Shelby 7

Bessemer City (0-1) @ Hunter Huss (1-0): This game could get out of hand really quick. The Yellow Jackets were routed 30-6 last week by Bishop McGuiness. They will have their hands full against a red-hot Huskies team that is coming off a 48-14 rout of East Gaston.

My pick: Hunter Huss 42 – Bessemer City 12

Hopewell (0-1) @ East Lincoln (1-0): Last year, the Mustangs took down the Titans 39-24 in Huntersville. Last week, East Lincoln topped Newton-Conover 35-21. The Mustangs took two in a row from the Red Devils after dropping seven out of eight against them. Can the Mustangs make it two in a row against Hopewell?

My pick: East Lincoln 34 - Hopewell 20

Highland Tech (0-1) @ West Lincoln (1-0): Is it conference time already? Only for these two teams. Look for the Rebels to momentarily take the conference lead. With a shortage of players, the Rams hope they can keep everybody healthy.

My pick: West Lincoln 52 – Highland Tech 6

Q Foundation (1-0) @ Crest (1-0): The Chargers started the season off edging county rival Burns 14-13. However, the Chargers struggled offensively. Crest will likely have an easier time mustering up some offense as they host Q Foundation.

My pick: Crest 31 – Q Foundation 6

Pine Lake Prep (0-1) @ Cherryville (0-1): These two teams will be in a conference together next year. Cherryville had a rough time against Bunker Hill last week, losing 42-14. The Ironmen were plagued with turnovers. They should not have much trouble against Pine Lake Prep as they were trounced by Lake Norman Charter 62-6 last week.

My pick: Cherryville 49 – Pine Lake Prep 6

North Lincoln (0-1) @ Maiden (0-1): Both teams lost by a combined five points last week. The Knights dropped their home opener to Fred T. Foard 16-13. Maiden lost to Lincolnton 9-7 in a defensive struggle. Which one of these two will get their first win tonight?

My pick: Maiden 21 – North Lincoln 12

Falcons crush Jaguars

Over the years, the games between these two teams have been competitive. This time last year, Nation Ford was up 27-6 before Forestview rallied to tie the game 27-27. The Jaguars would, however, lose the game 34-27. This game saw no such results. The Falcons jumped out to a 21-0 half-time lead and didn’t look back as the Falcons hammered Forestview 38-0.

The Falcons got on the board with a Dalton Helms one-yard pass to A.K. McCoy. The Jaguars would drive deep into Falcons territory, but were stopped and the 25-yard field goal was no good. The Falcons were just getting started. Helms extended the Falcons lead when he faked a handoff and dashed around left tackle and alluded tacklers for a 70-yard touchdown run. Corey Condron’s extra point made it 14-0.

With time running out and being backed up by penalties, the Falcons put another score on the board when Helms hit Dijuan Ussery for a 30-yard touchdown pass.

The Jaguars would continue to move the ball in the second half, but could not complete a drive. Forestview was stopped near the 30-yard line of Nation Ford on fourth-and-two. Things kept on going the Falcons way. Helms connected with McCoy again, this time for a 70-yard touchdown reception.

Condron got in the fun with a 23-yard field-goal to put the Falcons up 31-0. Helms put up his fifth touchdown of the night with a one-yard plunge up the middle into the end-zone.

“We challenged our team.” Falcons head coach Michael Allen said “We didn’t do well in the jamboree. (Tonight) we were catching the ball better, had better pass coverage. We executed better.”

“We are evolving offensively and defensively.” Allen said “We just have to get better and take what the other team gives us. (Forestview) is pretty good. We respect them. They work hard and they don’t quit.”

Nation Ford has now taken three straight games from Forestview. The Falcons will be home again as they host Boiling Springs. Forestview will be home against Clover.

Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 1 Picks

Game of the Week: Forestview @ Nation Ford, SC: The Jaguars and the Falcons continue their border battle. The Falcons have played the Jaguars since Nation Ford opened up in 2007. This is their sixth annual battle with the Falcons leading the series 3-2. The Jaguars are looking to even the series at three a piece, but the problem is they have not won a game south of the border as of yet. The Jaguars are 0-8 when going south of the border. Could this team write a new chapter in that story? The Falcons are coming off their best season in their five year history. They finished 6-6, winning two conference games and winning their first post-season game in school history.

My pick: Nation Ford 28 – Forestview 21

Providence Day @ South Point: The Red Raiders open the season up with a new opponent. South Point no longer plays Clover and has found a formidable replacement. The Providence Day Chargers will make a trip to Belmont this Friday to take on a young South Point squad. The Red Raiders have graduated many starters from last year’s 10-1 team, whom took a shocking first round exit at the hands of Weddington 23-17. Now, the Red Raiders can start anew. They bring a much younger team, but a team that’s just as tough. Providence Day will be a tough opener, though. They are the defending NCISAA champs and are expected to be just as good or better.

My pick: Providence Day 27 – South Point 21

Ashbrook @ Olympic: A game that has been played the fourth or fifth week of the season is being moved up to week one. Last year, Ashbrook was riding a two-game winning streak until Olympic ended their fun. The Trojans won 34-28 at Ashbrook. The last time the Green Wave has beaten Olympic was in 2007. Ashbrook won the game 28-20. Can Ashbrook snap their losing streak to Olympic or will the Green Wave take another one on the chin. Olympic finished second behind Charlotte Catholic in the MEGA-4A/3A conference.

My pick: Olympic 24 – Ashbrook 14

Asheville @ North Gaston: After last year’s 63-14 thumping at the hands of Asheville, this is probably not the game that the Wildcats would like to start their season with. But North Gaston should be much improved over last year. The Wildcats went 0-10 on the field but scooped up a forfeit win against Hickory to give them a 1-9 record. The Cougars won their conference last year with an undefeated record. They were, however, tripped in the third round with a 28-25 loss to Crest.

My pick: Asheville 47 – North Gaston 14

Hunter Huss @ East Gaston: This will be the last year these two face off in a nonconference game. East Gaston is set to rejoin the Big South next year. The Warriors return only seven starters from last year’s team while Hunter Huss returns twice that number. The Huskies won last year’s game 39-32, but were outgained by East Gaston in yardage. The Huskies started the season 5-0, but lost their last seven including a first round playoff loss to Franklin 28-7. Both teams are hoping to improve from a 5-7 record last year. One player to look out for in this game is Hunter Huss RB Kerrion Moore.

My pick: Hunter Huss 27 – East Gaston 14

Burns @ Crest: Last year, Burns finally snapped a long losing streak to the Chargers as they trounced Crest 33-12. This is a new season, however. The Bulldogs will be bringing in new faces as they lost QB Brandon Littlejohn and RB Darius Ramsey and many players on defense. Crest loses RB/DB Rhahiem Ledbetter and DE Jonathan Bullard. Both are currently with the Florida Gators. The Chargers, however, return many other players on their team and could be a threat to take the Big South conference title. Look for this game to be classic Cleveland County shootout.

My pick: Crest 28 – Burns 21

East Rutherford @ Kings Mountain: This game, just like the Huss and East Gaston game, will be a conference game next year. The Mountaineers last year had a slow start going 2-4 before rallying to finish in a tie for third in the Big South conference. With 14 starters back from that team, look for a much stronger start from Kings Mountain.

My pick: Kings Mountain 31 – East Rutherford 14

Maiden @ Lincolnton: The Blue Devils have not beaten the Wolves since 2007. With only four starters back from last year’s 2A state runner-up squad this could be Maiden’s chance to take down the Wolves. But Lincolnton will still be dangerous and could keep the winning streak against their neighbors up 321 going. Lincolnton won last year’s game 35-10. This game tonight should be much closer. These two teams will be reunited as conference foes next year. They haven’t been in the same conference since the 2000-2001 school year.

My pick: Maiden 21 – Lincolnton 14

Newton-Conover @ East Lincoln: After dropping seven of the previous match-up with the Red Devils, the East Lincoln Mustangs broke through with a dominant 55-13 victory last year. The Red Devils break in a new head coach in Brint Russell and a young team. Can the Mustangs make it two in a row against the Red Devils? As if this series wasn’t beginning to get exciting enough, these two teams will be put in the same conference next year.

My pick: East Lincoln 28 – Newton-Conover 14

Bunker Hill @ Cherryville: The Bears and the Ironmen continue their series. Bunker Hill has won the last three meetings between these two. Before that, the Ironmen took four straight 2005-2008. Those four games are the only ones Cherryville has won in the series. With 15 starters back from last year, the Ironmen could be in position to add another one into their column.

My pick: Cherryville 21 – Bunker Hill 17

Bishop McGuiness @ Bessemer City: Bessemer City was idle the first week of the season last year. But they have filled that spot with Bishop McGuiness from Kernersville. The Villains finished 2-8 last year. Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets are coming off a solid year. They started off 0-4, one of those losses became a win-by-forfeit. After that the Yellow Jackets won five out of their last six of their games before bowing to Hendersonville in the playoffs. Look for a much improved Yellow Jackets team tonight.

My pick: Bessemer City 21 – Bishop McGuiness 14

Chase @ West Lincoln: The Trojans are coming off a solid 9-3 season. The Rebels, on the other hand, are trying to put last season behind them. A win against a good Chase team could set the tone for West Lincoln.

My pick: Chase 21 – West Lincoln 13

Fred T. Foard @ North Lincoln: These two teams met for the first time last year. The Foard Tigers won the game 25-6. North Lincoln only returns eight starters from last year while Foard is supposed to be much improved.

My pick: Fred T. Foard 28 – North Lincoln 12

Victory Christian @ Highland Tech: The Rams start the year off with only 22 players meaning they will need to stay healthy in order to compete. It could be another bumpy ride for Highland Tech.

My pick: Victory Christian 21 – Highland Tech 7

Wonders throttle Shelby 44-0

Many around the area picked this to be a hard-fought battle between the Wonders of A.L. Brown and the Golden Lions of Shelby. Well, it was anything but. Brown took a 9-0 first quarter lead and a 16-0 half-time advantage and turned it into a 44-0 drubbing of Shelby. That’s their worst loss at home since 2002 when they lost 40-0 to Crest.

The Wonders got on the board early with a Kalif Phillips five-yard touchdown run. The extra point was blocked however. The Golden Lions started to doom themselves early when Spencer Clark threw an interception Kannapolis linebacker Gabe Lucero. Fortunately, the Golden Lions’ defense held and the Wonders had to settle for a 40-yard field-goal by Erik Amaya.

The Golden Lions kept moving the ball but never could complete a drive. They had a chance to get on the board in the second quarter, but kicker Manning Burton missed a 30-yard field goal attempt that bounced off the upright. The Shelby defense would continue bailing the offense out in the first half. But the defense would not hold for long as Robert Pinkston would add to Kannapolis’s lead with a nine-yard dash into the end-zone. The kick after was good.

This time last year, the Golden Lions rallied from 35-0 to score 24 unanswered points before Brown pulled away with a 42-24 victory. This night would see no such comeback.

The second half got uglier very fast for Shelby. They failed to move the ball on their first drive in the second half. Then the Wonders went back to work. Keenan Medley capped off the Wonders first drive in the second half with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Keeon Johnson. Ricky Sherrill got in the excitement as well with a 26-yard touchdown run. That put the Wonders up 30-0.

The first play in the fourth quarter, Phillips put another touchdown on the board for the Wonders. Malik Patterson capped off the Wonders’ scoring with a 73-yard run.

The Golden Lions will try and rebound as they travel to take on Ashbrook next week. The Wonders will try and keep the momentum going as they host rival South Rowan.

Kannapolis A.L. Brown @ Shelby (Thursday, August 16th)

Kannapolis-A.L. Brown @ Shelby: This time last year, the Golden Lions had a tough start of it. They started a new era without long-time head coach Chris Norman. They had to adapt to a new offense and as a result they started off 1-4. After that, however, the Golden Lions came to life and put together five straight victories. They won eight out of their last ten as they advanced to the fourth round of the state 2AA playoffs. The Wonders also had a deep playoff run and finished the season 12-2. They could make it no further than the third round, though. Tonight will start a new beginning for these two powerhouses as they face off in Shelby. The Golden Lions will look to avenge last year’s 42-24 loss in Kannapolis. Look for this to be closer than that game was. My pick: A.L. Brown 28 – Shelby 24

Gaston County Border Battles Dwindling

Gaston County Border Battles Cut In Half

                One long-time border match-up and a fairly new border match-up will not be taking place this year. Gaston County powers, Ashbrook and South Point, will no longer be facing Clover this year. The Blue Eagles dropped the Green Wave and the Red Raiders from the schedule this year but retain Forestview, whom they’ve played since 2004. The Jaguars won the first game of the series 27-20, but have lost the last seven.

The Jaguars will also continue their border battle against an improving Nation Ford team. The Jaguars will travel to Fort Mill to take on the Falcons on August 17^th. This will be their sixth annual match-up. The Falcons lead the series 3-2. The Jaguars won two of the first three while the Falcons took the final two including last year’s 34-27 win at Forestview.

                Ashbrook and Clover have been playing since 1997. Ashbrook won last year’s match-up 10-7 in three overtimes. However, the Eagles retained an 8-7 series lead over the Green Wave. South Point started playing Clover in 2008. The Raiders lost the first three series (46-42, 21-14, and 22-7), but came away with a dominating 63-0 victory last year.

                Clover adds Spring Valley, South Florence and Boiling Springs to their schedule. South Point replaces Clover with Providence Day while Ashbrook adds Charlotte Catholic.

                Other border battles in the past include Hunter Huss vs. Gaffney 1994-1999 (Gaffney won all six), Hunter Huss vs. York 2000-2003 (York won all four), South Point vs. Northwestern (the Trojans handed South Point their only loss in 2003 before the Red Raiders rolled to 15 straight wins to win the 3A state title), Forestview vs. Fort Mill 2006 (Fort Mill won 28-10), Forestview vs. Byrnes 2010 (the Rebels hammered Forestview 53-6).