One of the year’s most pivotal conference matchups heads this week’s slate of area high school football games.
1. Northeast Guilford (5-1, 1-0) at Northern Guilford (5-1, 1-0), 7:30 p.m.
This major TAAC Six 5A/6A Conference battle, the only area game featuring two Triad top 10 teams, could go a long way in deciding the league’s champion.
Triad No. 4 Northern enters having one of the area’s most balanced offenses in yardage, with a rushing attack at 1,062 yards effectively complemented by a big-play passing attack of 954 yards that is averaging 14.7 yards per completion (23.5 over the past two games) and scores a touchdown on 12.3% of its receptions.
Triad No. 9 Northeast’s defense has held opponents to just 8.2 points per game, with two shutouts and two games only allowing seven points, with the help of Old Dominion recruit Jeremiah “Dre” Deese, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound safety, who mixes cover skills with a backfield presence with 13 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. On offense, the Rams’ biggest hope for victory could be Campbell recruit Arryn Tate.
With Neal, Reidsville scored 38 points, the most given up by a Northern defense that is averaging 23.8 per game, with four opponents having scored 21 or more and two opponents having scored at least 33 points. Another factor could be how Northeast utilizes its two-quarterback system of Jaquez Crawford and Zorian Campbell, the latter being the Rams’ biggest run threat this season.
2. Dudley (4-3, 3-0) at Western Guilford (5-2, 2-1), 7 p.m.
Western had been known as one of the area’s perennial losers in more recent years, but coach Anthony Timmons has led the Hornets to one of the area’s best rebuilding jobs the past two seasons and has a serious chance at reaching six wins in a season for the first time since 2008. The underdog faces Dudley, who began 0-3 for the first time since 2011 but now looks to extend a three-game winning streak and maintain its hold on first place in the Metro 6A/7A Conference.
Western runs the ball on 80.9% of its plays, rushing for 7.2 yards per attempt behind the trio of dual-threat quarterback Caleb Moore and running backs Timothy Baker and CJ Blevins. Baker leads the rushing attack in yardage at 679 yards, but Blevins led the team in rushing for the first time last week when he burst for a season-high 140 yards on a season-high 18 carries. Moore has 10 touchdowns, with Baker at nine and Blevins with five.
While Dudley leans on its running game, its passing game is averaging 9.2 yards per attempt with the help of major Power Four recruit Vermont Carmack averaging 18.4 yards per catch and scoring touchdowns on five of his 20 receptions. Dudley’s dual threat Brayden Jeffries leads the Panthers with five rushing touchdowns, but running back Michael Boone Jr. leads with 102.6 rushing yards per game and Division I linebacker recruit Robert McCollum has been an effective power back.
3. Asheville School (3-1-1) at High Point Christian (6-0), 7 p.m.
The non-conference matchup features the top two teams among Division II independents what could be this year’s state championship matchup.
Asheville School, who won its third straight state title last year, has been the Cougars’ nemesis in recent years, having defeated HPCA, 36-31, during the 2023 regular season and in the 2022 state semifinals. In 2023, HPCA set a school record for longest undefeated streak to start a season, 7-0, before its loss to the Blues and will look to tie that mark on Friday.
Asheville School comes off a bye and hopes the extra time of preparation will help contain Jaylen Moore, a senior who wasn’t with HPCA in 2023 and leads the Triad with 1,106 rushing yards.
4. Asheboro (5-1, 0-1) at Southeast Guilford (4-2, 1-0), 7:30 p.m.
Southeast’s defense stood tall as it shut out Eastern Guilford in the second half to defeat the Wildcats 13-10. This week, they face a formidable foe in Asheboro, who played Northern to a 31-27 game in its only loss of the season.
The question for Southeast could be standout running back Caleb Jackson’s status after he left the game following an injury suffered early in the third quarter against Eastern. Despite Jackson’s injury, the Falcons still managed to gain 306 rushing yards. Travis Motley, a smaller scatback, is the team’s second leading rusher behind Jackson with 482 yards and three touchdowns on 61 carries.
5. West Forsyth (4-2, 1-0) at Northwest Guilford (1-5, 0-1), 7 p.m.
This Central Piedmont 7A/8A game doesn’t look pretty on paper for Northwest, which has been outscored 195-111 with its 29-27 loss to Mount Tabor two games ago being its only defeat decided by a one-score margin and West appearing to be among the Triad’s strongest teams with its only losses being close contests with state No. 1 Grimsley and Richmond Senior. In terms of common opponents, West handled Tabor, 49-21, and only lost, 36-30, to Richmond, who defeated Northwest 42-21.
But the game brings sentimental value as West coach Kevin Wallace, who coached the Vikings to a 32-34 record in six seasons from 2017-2022, makes his first game appearance at the old stomping grounds since leaving for West after the 2022 season. He led Northwest to 10-3 and a third-round playoff game in 2022 in his last season there.
Other Area Games
Bartlett Yancey at Rockingham County, 7 p.m.; Carver at McMichael, 7 p.m.; CPLA at Winston-Salem Prep, 7 p.m.; Lexington at Andrews, 7 p.m.; Morehead at Reidsville, 7 p.m.; Page at Southwest Guilford, 7 p.m.; Ragsdale at Grimsley, 7 p.m.; Southern Guilford at Eastern Guilford, 7:30 pm
bryant.roche@greensboro.com
336-373-7034
@brochesports
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Bryant Roche
High School Sports Reporter
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