By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
There’s no messing around in Central 3-A Conference football. The league slate starts this week, and Friday night brings what would appear to be a critical matchup.
Williams visits defending champion Southern Alamance. The Bulldogs were conference runners-up last year with their only league loss to Southern.
Eastern Alamance is off this week in advance of an intriguing matchup with Western Alamance. But there’s plenty to sort out this week, and here’s a look at the games, which all begin at 7:00 p.m.
Williams at Southern Alamance
Southern Alamance went unbeaten last year in Central 3-A Conference play in its first season in the circuit after a shift in conferences with two years remaining in the alignment cycle.
Both teams have been tested to certain degrees.
Williams (3-1) has played two opponents – Eastern Guilford and Eden Morehead – who’ve yet to win this season. Two other foes – Northwest Guilford and Southern Durham – are a combined 6-1.
Southern (2-2) lost to Southern Nash (4-0) and Durham Jordan (3-1). The Patriots’ victories came against Graham (0-3) and Chapel Hill (1-3).
It’s safe to say that Southern Alamance hasn’t seen a passing attack like the one the Bulldogs will show up with, led by quarterback Dan Mahan, a Duke recruit. Last week, Southern Nash didn’t attempt a pass against the Patriots.
The other three Southern Alamance opponents have attempted 38 total passes vs. the Patriots. Williams has put the ball in the air almost 28 times per game.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs will have to contend with the Patriots’ rushing attack that will be geared up to control the line of scrimmage.
Western Alamance at Orange
Western Alamance (3-1) is riding a three-game winning streak entering its Central 3-A Conference schedule.
Orange (1-3) defeated Chapel Hill 20-13 on August 30, but has scored six points in each of its last two games in losses to Vance County and Montgomery Central.
Western defeated Orange 27-9 last year. The Warriors have won each of the past three seasons against the Panthers, who’ve failed to reach a double-figure point total in any of those games.
Southeast Alamance at North Moore
Southeast Alamance (4-0, 2-0) will play its third road game of the season, seeking to match its road win total from last year’s regular season. The Stallions blanked visiting North Moore 33-0 last year in the Mid-Carolina Conference.
North Moore (0-3, 0-1), which is coached by former Southern Alamance player and coach Andrew Carrouth, has sputtered after three consecutive seasons of 10 or more victories. The Mustangs were off last week following a 33-13 loss to Northwood, which is the team Southeast defeated last week.
Cummings at Seaforth
Cummings (3-1, 2-0) has eclipsed the 50-point mark in both of its Mid-Carolina League games.
Seaforth (1-1, 1-0) has faced the Cavaliers just twice, failing to score in those meetings each of the past two seasons.
Graham at Durham Riverside
This is a non-conference game with Graham (0-3) needing to find ways to slow down opponents. Durham Riverside (1-2) has lost to Raleigh Sanderson and South View since beating Northwood, which like Graham is in the Mid-Carolina Conference, by 52-33 in a season opener.
The Pirates won 56-6 last year at Graham.
