By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
The four teams that won Mid-Carolina Conference openers last week are involved in two matchups this week as an early pecking order will be established in that league.
For teams in the Central 3-A Conference, Friday night marks the final outings in non-conference games.
Games are scheduled for 7:00 p.m. starts unless noted. Here’s a look:
Northwood at Southeast Alamance
Southeast (3-0, 1-0) will try to avenge a 2023 loss for the third time in this Mid-Carolina Conference encounter. The Stallions have played their past two games on the road.
Northwood (1-2, 1-0) won last year’s meeting by 55-9 in Pittsboro. Last week, the Chargers opened league play by defeating visiting North Moore 33-13. That gave first-year coach Dalton Brown, a Northwood alum, his first victory.
Bartlett Yancey at Cummings
Here’s two more teams that won Mid-Carolina Conference openers. Dating to last season, the Cavaliers (2-1, 1-0) have lost three of their last five home games.
In Cummings’ 23 most-recent games going back to 2022, three times the opponent has been Bartlett Yancey (1-2, 1-0), with the Cavaliers winning each time.
Two of Bartlett Yancey’s last four victories have come against Graham, including last week.
Seaforth at Graham
Graham (0-2, 0-1) will play its only September home game. Despite last week’s 66-16 loss at Bartlett Yancey, the Red Devils matched their highest single-game point total for all of 2023.
Seaforth (0-1) hasn’t played since opening night on August 23. The next week, the Hawks had a scheduled game vs. visiting Southern Lee cancelled because of storms. Last week, was an off week.
These teams have split two all-time meetings, with Seaforth winning last year.
Eastern Guilford at Western Alamance
These neighbors face off for the third consecutive season following a five-year hiatus. Western has won the past two meetings by 28-26 and 26-20 in overtime.
Neither Western (2-1) nor its opponents have reached the 30-point mark in any game this season. Last year, that happened six times in games involving the Warriors, so it’s not unusual.
Eastern Guilford (0-2) was off last week. The Wildcats are in danger of just their third regular season with three or more losses in a nine-year span.
Southern Nash at Southern Alamance
These teams played a close non-league game last year, with Southern Alamance prevailing 22-15.
The Patriots (2-1) have outscored their opponents by a combined 80-7 in the first halves of games this year.
Southern Nash (3-0) has scored 40 or more points in all three games this year. The winning margin has come by an average of 27.7 points.
Eastern Alamance at Reidsville
The Eagles (0-3) have yet to face a team with a loss this season entering this 7:30 p.m. game. Last year, they handed Reidsville its only defeat as the Rams went on to win the Class 2-A state championship.
Reidsville (3-0) smashed Rockingham County 50-7 last week. Eastern is off next week before facing a pair of county rivals in Central 3-A Conference play.
Williams at Eden Morehead
Williams (2-1) has won two games in a row. Going into this 7:30 p.m. game, the Bulldogs haven’t had a three-game winning streak prior to the end of September since beginning the 2016 season with four consecutive triumphs.
Eden Morehead (0-3), which has scored a total of 20 points this year, has lost 16 straight games since a mid-October 2022 victory.
Williams has won nine of the past 10 meetings with the Panthers, including three in a row. Last year, the Bulldogs rolled 44-7 at home.
