By Sonny Jones
It would seem to be a pretty good guess that Red Springs has seen enough of Bladen County high school football teams this season. East Bladen beat the Red Devils 42-26 last Friday (Oct. 8) and West Bladen won 44-21 Tuesday.
Nice wins for the Bladen teams, but the stretch drive for the 2021 season may be more difficult than trying to catch a greased pig in a mud pit.
East Bladen (3-4, 2-1 Southeastern) is scheduled to play at unbeaten St. Pauls (5-0, 3-0) on Friday, host Midway (4-3, 1-2) on Oct. 22 and end the regular season Oct. 29 at Clinton (4-2, 2-1). West Bladen (4-3, 2-2) is scheduled to play at Midway on Friday and close the season at home against Clinton on Oct. 22.
Both Bladen teams need to win them all to assure a state playoff berth.
Week 8 record: 13-2
Season record: 81-22 (79%)
Postponed/canceled through Week 8: 29
Here are the Week 9 picks.
HIGH SCHOOL
MIDWAY 35, WEST BLADEN 18: It’s going to be difficult to contain QB Wyatt Holland and the high-powered Midway offense. However, the Knights program is headed in the right direction under first-year coach Stanley Williams.
ST. PAULS 35, EAST BLADEN 7: St. Pauls rolled past Clinton on Tuesday. The Bulldogs appear set to make another run at a state championship where they lost in the title game in the spring.
FAIRMONT 22, RED SPRINGS 16: The Red Devils are in the middle of playing four games in 14 days. This is the third game and a great rivalry game. The Tornadoes in a tight one.
WHITEVILLE 56, WEST COLUMBUS 7: On the subject of teams making a state title run, watch out for the unbeaten Wolfpack.
SOUTH COLUMBUS 22, TRASK 6: The Stallions, coached by Bladen County native Russell Dove, won in the closing seconds last Friday. It won’t go down to the wire this time.
EAST COLUMBUS 22, PENDER 14: Both teams defeated Lejeune. East Columbus won 46-0 and Pender won 26-7.
COLLEGE
VIRGINIA 40, DUKE 27: The Blue Devils have lost six straight to Virginia, including the past two seasons in Charlottesville. The teams meet again Saturday in Charlottesville and the streaks should continue.
NORTH CAROLINA 28, MIAMI 20: A shaky pick for the Tar Heels since Miami has lost starting QB D’Eriq King for the season because of injury. Very, very shaky.
N.C. STATE 27, BOSTON COLLEGE 24: The Wolfpack plays its first road game since Sept. 11 with its hopes of remaining in the Atlantic Division race on the line. Should be a good game to watch.
MONMOUTH 27, CAMPBELL 17: Monmouth is the two-time Big South champ and expected to win it again this season. Both teams have beaten Gardner-Webb this season with Campbell winning last week 42-28 and Monmouth winning 54-17 on Oct. 2
FAYETTEVILLE STATE 49, JOHNSON C. SMITH 10: The Broncos are well on their way to another appearance in the CIAA title game and shouldn’t have a problem with winless Smith.
WEST VIRGINIA STATE 35, UNC PEMBROKE 25: The Braves won the matchup during the spring season. Look for West Virginia State to notch the victory in the fall.
PRO
CAROLINA 24, MINNESOTA 20: Big game for the Panthers, who will try to snap a two-game losing streak. A third straight loss may result in another long and disappointing season.
Sonny Jones can be reached at wibbyj@gmail.com.
About Author
