By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
The opening week of the high school football season has arrived and already there are changes.
Some games have moved to Thursday night because of weather-related concerns. Others have remained on Friday night’s slate. Game times are 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Here are the matchups:
Orange at Southeast Alamance (Thursday)
These teams have played four times across the past three seasons, with Orange winning the first matchup in Southeast’s first-ever football game in 2023. The Stallions have won the other three meetings, including in last year’s opener and later in a first-round playoff game.
Former Southern Alamance coach Fritz Hessenthaler is in his second season at Orange, which was 3-8 last year. The Panthers return to the site where their 2025 season ended last November.
Northwest Guilford at Western Alamance (Thursday)
Western fell 24-7 last year at Northwest Guilford before rattling off seven straight victories.
Western offensive lineman Evan Hensley said there’s a better mindset for the Warriors. “This year we’re going out there expecting to beat them,” he said.
Linebacker Dawson Boysel said: “Now we know what to expect. It’s just being ready for it.”
Northwest Guilford went on to a 3-8 season, losing seven in a row after the Western game.
The Warriors, who’ll be in Drew Hambright’s coaching debut, will try to shed a two-game home losing streak from late last season.
Cummings at Williams (Friday)
These teams kick off in a Mid-Carolina Conference game.
After a two-year hiatus in the series, Williams rolled last season by 43-0 in the opener at Cummings.
The Cavaliers claimed a 22-20 victory in 2022 in their last visit to Burlington Memorial Stadium.
Cummings coach Darius Pinnix will be overseeing his first game as a high school coach.
Williams has won 18 consecutive conference games (across two conferences during that time frame).
Eastern Alamance at Eastern Guilford (7:30 p.m. Friday)
Eastern Alamance tries to avenge last year’s 20-14 season-opening setback. The Eagles won only two of six road games last year.
This is the first of three consecutive non-conference games for Eastern Guilford, which was 4-7 last year, against Alamance County teams. Quarterback Javion Majette, a senior this year and a Gardner-Webb commit, transferred from the Wildcats to Greensboro Page.
Southern Alamance at Eastern Randolph (7:30 p.m. Friday)
Southern will look to avenge a 20-8 home loss from last year’s opener.
It figures to be a challenge against an Eastern Randolph team returning lots of firepower.
“We have to be ready,” Southern defensive back C.J. McAdoo said. “We have to be willing to stop the run.”
Eastern Randolph’s season stretched beyond Thanksgiving in the state playoffs last year as the Wildcats, who are coached by Graham resident Burton Cates, completed a 10-3 season.
Eastern Randolph senior quarterback Cade McCallum was dealing with an offseason back injury that reduced his summer work but he’s expected to be in the huddle for the beginning of his third year as a starter.
