Gaston, Lincoln and Cleveland Week 4 Picks

Game of the Week: Hunter Huss (3-0) @ Concord (3-0) This will be Huss’s first true test of the year. They have had Concord’s number the past three years. Can they make it four in a row?

My pick: Concord 31 – Hunter Huss 24

Ashbrook (2-0) @ Charlotte Catholic (2-1) Ashbrook faces a Catholic team coming off their first loss of the season. The Cougars are still going to be a tall order for the Green Wave.

My pick: Charlotte Catholic 35 – Ashbrook 21

South Point (3-0) @ Burns (2-1) The Red Raiders just keep on rolling. Coming off their first loss of the season, the Burns Bulldogs will have their hands full with Jaquan Brooks, Tyler Bray and company.

My pick: South Point 35 – Burns 14

T.C. Roberson (3-0) @ Crest (3-0) One of these teams will have their first loss of the season. The odds point to the Chargers walking away the victor. The Rams have never beaten the Chargers.

My pick: Crest 21 – T.C. Roberson 14

North Gaston (1-2) @ Hickory (2-1) The Wildcats are still looking for their first road win since 2007. But it won’t be easy as Hickory is getting better every week.

My pick: Hickory 28 – North Gaston 14

Shelby (0-3) @ Lincolnton (1-2)(0-1) Two of the areas traditional powerhouses have fallen on hard times. But one of these teams will see their luck change while the other could go reeling even further.

My pick: Lincolnton 24 – Shelby 17

Forestview (2-1) @ Bessemer City (0-3) Forestview will face a team with the mascot “The Yellow Jackets” for the second consecutive week. This game should also have the same result as last week’s.

My pick: Forestview 56 – Bessemer City 6

East Gaston (0-3) @ East Lincoln (3-0) The Warriors have fallen on hard times this year. It will not get any easier as they face a red hot East Lincoln squad. They are averaging 48 points a game.

My pick: East Lincoln 52 – East Gaston 13

Alexander Central (1-2) @ Kings Mountain (1-2) The Mountaineers are looking to get back on track after losing back-to-back road games. The Alexander Central Cougars are also hungry and cannot be taken lightly.

My pick: Kings Mountain 21 – Alexander Central 17

West Lincoln (2-1)(1-0) @ East Rutherford (1-2) The Rebels are trying to get back on track after being tripped up by Fred T. Foard last week. However, they have not had a solid track record against East Rutherford.

My pick: East Rutherford 24 – West Lincoln 21

Chase (1-2) @ Cherryville (1-2) Which one of these two teams will hit .500 tonight?

My pick: Chase 24 – Cherryville 13

Bandys (2-1) @ North Lincoln (0-3) After suffering their first loss of the season last week, the Trojans will probably take a lot of that frustration out on the winless Knights.

My pick: Bandys 38 – North Lincoln 6

Metrolina Christian Academy (0-1) @ Highland Tech (0-3) The struggling Rams probably won’t get their first win of the season tonight.

My pick: Metrolina 28 – Highland Tech 6

Breakdown:

Red Raiders still dominant

Many wondered how the South Point Red Raiders would fare after they graduated 27 seniors from last year. Well, the Red Raiders picked up right where they left off. Their performances the first two weeks have left more answers than questions. First, South Point rallied from 21-13 down to defending NCISAA champion Providence Day to go on to win 34-21.

The following week, the Red Raiders score 49 unanswered points after Lincolnton went up 8-0 in the first quarter. Then last Friday, they put a whopping 78 points up against East Gaston. That broke a school record in scoring. Their previous record was 76. That was back in 2003 when they throttled Berry Academy 76-6. The Red Raiders won the 3A state title that year. They also broke the record in single rushing yards for one game.

If this doesn’t convince you that South Point is still legit, then what can? The Red Raiders travel to take on Burns. The Bulldogs lost for the first time last week against Mooresville 28-6.

It’s Test Time

The Huskies have started the season on fire. They have outscored their first three opponents 152-14 and pitched two shutouts doing so. However, their opponents are a combined 0-8. The Huskies will face their first test this week as they travel to Concord. The Spiders are 3-0 on the season. The Spiders have outscored two of their opponents by more than 20 points in two of their games.

Ashbrook is 2-0 with a hard-fought 45-42 win over Olympic and a 24-10 win over winless Shelby. Ashbrook travels to take on Charlotte Catholic. The Cougars lost for the first time last week as they were upended 31-28 by Charlotte Country Day. That also snapped Catholic’s 26-regular season game winning streak. Ashbrook will have their hands full trying to stop Catholic’s Wing-T offense featuring bruising fullback Elijah Hood.

Who would have thought this?

Lincolnton was the 2A state runner up last year. They were 14-2 overall. Shelby, after a 1-4 start, made it all the way to the fourth round of the playoffs. This year, however, both teams are a combined 1-5 coming into tonight’s game. Shelby has not won a game yet and Lincolnton already has their first conference loss as they dropped a close one to Lake Norman Charter 30-28. Both teams are going to try and redeem their season with a win.