Official practice begins today for the 350+ high school football teams around the state. The first real games are on Friday, August 17.

Seven-time defending 4AA state champ Charlotte Independence, and four-time defending 4A champ Greenville Rose are again the teams to beat. Here's a look at the local conferences:

Cap Seven
Defending Champ: Leesville Road (10-3, 5-1), Wake Forest Rolesville (8-5, 5-1), Broughton (8-4, 5-1)
Favorite: Leesville Road -- after turning around from terrible to solid in just 1 year, their future is bright
Darkhorse: Sanderson -- under 31-year-old coach Jason Tindal, the Spartans may turn the corner

Greater Neuse
Defending Champ: Garner (13-2, 6-0, lost to Riverside 15-13 in 4AA East final)
Favorite: Garner -- the Trojans are always loaded with talent, but East Wake & SE Raleigh could challenge
Darkhorse: Clayton -- coming off an unthinkable winless season, the Comets have transfer QB Keegan Rush

Tri Eight
Defending Champ: Fuquay-Varina (11-3, 6-0, lost to Greenville Rose 28-21 in 4A East third round)
Favorite: Athens Drive -- last year's runner-up returns nearly all of their high-octane offense
Darkhorse: Middle Creek -- looking solid at the end of 2006, the Mustangs will be first-time contenders

Pac Eight
Defending Champ: Durham Hillside (10-3, 6-1) and Durham Jordan (9-4, 6-1)
Favorite: Jordan -- Hillside had 11 players get college scholarships, Riverside lost star Wesley Saunders
Darkhorse: Northern Durham -- until recently, the Knights had 20+ consecutive conference titles

7/30/2007 10:05:56 AM

im hoping charlotte catholic holds it together again this year..something tells me our lineup is going to be depleted tho. 2 Titles and a 2nd place in the last 3 years

7/30/2007 10:16:44 AM

^ what he said!!!!


GO COUGARS BABY!!!

7/30/2007 10:25:29 AM

7/30/2007 10:27:37 AM

i just hope pinecrest wins a game

7/30/2007 11:28:27 AM

Greenville Rose aka...J.H. Rose High School will be winning ANOTHER title...why in the hell cant Charlotte Independence and Greenville Rose play one another...Id love to see those two power houses play one another during the regular season!

7/30/2007 1:53:36 PM

any sign of millbrook returning to the glory days or has inscore ruined the program

7/30/2007 2:31:50 PM

Millbrook use to manhandle everyone back in the day.

7/30/2007 2:35:31 PM

ever since earl left things went downhill, no one wants to play ball at the brook anymore

7/30/2007 2:46:21 PM

me != care

7/30/2007 2:58:20 PM

5^ There has been endless discussion of a potential Indy-Rose showdown at http://www.ncpreps.com. The main reasons I've heard why they aren't playing are:

1) Indy has everything to lose and nothing to gain from the game. They play Butler and Providence in the regular season, plus other top teams like Richmond, Davie, Mt. Tabor, Garner, New Bern, etc. in the playoffs. Butler, in particular, is likely just as good as Rose. Why put the 100+ game winning streak on the line with nothing to gain? By comparison, a game against a top out-of-state team (Byrnes(SC) or the game in Ohio this year) does prove something to the nation.

2) The facilities/financial arrangements would be an issue. There is potentially a ton of money to be made, and both sides (plus the NCHSAA) could get greedy. If the game is played on a Friday night on a home field (or even near one, at ECU or Memorial Stadium), most visiting fans won't be able to make the 4-5 hour drive to get there. Even at a central, neutral site, it would likely have to be a Saturday game, which never draws as well, because of college games on TV.

My preference would be for them to play on a Saturday at a college stadium (obviously when that team doesn't have a home game). Again, unless JHR has an enrollment increase, to put them in 4AA, I don't see it happening. Rose might instead consider a game against a Virginia powerhouse, to get some national attention.

[Edited on July 30, 2007 at 2:59 PM. Reason : 5^]

7/30/2007 2:59:20 PM

"ever since earl left things went downhill, no one wants to play ball at the brook anymore"

"Earl the Pear" came to wake forest high and took a team that won 1 game the previous year and took them to the third round of the playoffs the next. I've seen many a game at Trentini Stadium and Earl can run that wing T like no one else.

7/31/2007 9:10:33 AM

*YAWN*

NO ONE GIVES A SHIT ABOUT NC HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL.....THERE ARE ONLY ABOUT 5 STATES THAT REALLY MATTER

TEXAS
CALIFORNIA
FLORIDA
PENNSYLVANIA
OHIO

7/31/2007 9:18:04 AM

there's a lot of talent in NC football. Amato always went to other states and a lot of in-state talent went elsewhere.

I'm glad to see TOB is recruiting in NC (more than Amato did)

7/31/2007 9:36:44 AM

That guy Chris Leak that led his team to the national title last year, I guess he was no good, huh?

And Mario Williams, he'll never amount to anything, right?

No doubt, FL, TX, CA, and others have better football, but there are still decent players and a lot of passion for the game in rural parts of NC. Go to a Richmond-Scotland, Shelby-Crest, Rose-New Bern, Indy-Butler, Tuscola-Pisgah, or other big rivalry game, and you'll see...

7/31/2007 10:15:23 AM

IF YOU WANT TO STATE EXAMPLES OF NC HIGH SCHOOL PHENOMS...HOW ABOUT TA???? DIDN'T HE RUSH FOR A BILLION YARDS IN HIGH SCHOOL??

WHATS HE DOING NOW???

7/31/2007 10:24:28 AM

Im reasonably certain that you could find former high school phenoms from each of the states that you mentioned working bojangles equivalent jobs.

7/31/2007 10:33:32 AM

NC has alot of talent in our high schools.

7/31/2007 10:35:43 AM

North Carolina puts out plenty of football talent...not at the level of Texas, Florida, or California put about 60 1A recruits per year. That is a pretty decent number, but it only goes so far when you have 4 ACC teams in state, 1 other 1A school, not to mention all of the big schools within an hour or two of our border (Clemson, USC, Tennessee, VT, UVA). Statefansnation did a pretty good breakdown of this:

http://www.statefansnation.com/index.php/archives/2006/07/27/4-reasons-big-4-bottom-4/

It's important for us to get as much in-state talent as we can, but Amato rightfully pointed to the importance of getting out of state recruits when you are in a state like NC.

7/31/2007 11:01:02 AM

I AGREE THAT THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY COLLEGES TRYING TO PULL NC TALENT.....DUKE, UNC, WAKE AND NCSU ALL PULLING AT THE SAME ATHLETES IS ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WHY NONE OF THESE SCHOOLS CAN COMPETE CONSISTENTLY....LIKE YOU MENTIONED, THE PLAYERS IN NC WITH THE REAL TALENT ARE GOING TO THE NEARBY SCHOOLS WITH BETTER TRADITIONS (THE UGA'S, VT'S AND EVEN CLEMSON).....IF I WAS TOB I WOULD RECRUIT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE OUT OF THE NORTHEAST.....THERE IS A TON OF TALENT AND THE ONLY REAL PROGRAM UP THERE IS PENN STATE.....LOOK AT RUTGERS.....SCHIANO FOUND A WAY TO GET THE LOCAL TALENT TO STAY IN NJ AND THERE PROGRAM IS ON THE RISE.....TOB DID THE SAME WITH BC.....NOW HE NEEDS TO CONVINCE THEM TO COME DOWN FOR THE BETTER WEATHER....

7/31/2007 12:47:29 PM

7/31/2007 5:43:28 PM

TRIANGLE-AREA BIG GAMES

Week One – August 17
Wake Forest-Rolesville (8-5, Cap-7 4A tri-champ) at Durham Riverside (11-5, state 4AA runner-up)
Greensboro Grimsley (12-1, Metro 4A champ) at East Wake (9-3)

Week Two – August 24
Wake Forest-Rolesville at East Wake
Fuquay-Varina (11-3, Tri-Eight 4A Champ) at Harnett Central (12-1, Cape Fear Valley 3A Champ)

Week Three – August 31
Garner (13-2, Greater Neuse 4A champ) at Riverside – rematch of 4AA East final

Week Four – September 7
Holly Springs at Morrisville Panther Creek – two first-year programs, probably the first win in school history for one of them

Week Five – September 14
Raleigh Broughton (8-4, Cap-7 4A tri-champ) at Raleigh Athens Drive (9-3)

Week Six – September 21
Durham Hillside (10-3, Pac-8 co-champ) at Southern Durham (9-5)

Week Seven – September 28
Broughton at Raleigh Leesville Road (10-3, Cap-7 4A co-champ)
Durham Jordan (9-4, Pac-8 co-champ) at Hillside

Week Eight – October 5
Riverside at Hillside
Fuquay-Varina at Athens Drive
East Wake at SE Raleigh (8-4)
Wake Forest-Rolesville at Broughton

Week Nine – October 12
Jordan at Riverside

Week Ten – October 19
SE Raleigh at Garner

Week Eleven – October 26
East Wake at Garner

Week Twelve – November 2
Wake Forest-Rolesville at Leesville Road

Week Thirteen – November 9
Playoffs Begin

[Edited on August 6, 2007 at 9:27 PM. Reason : .]

8/6/2007 9:26:42 PM

Is anyone going to the pigskin preview at WFR on friday? I know some pretty good teams are going to be there for what seems to be the best scrimmage in the area. Some NCSU recruits will be playing (I think from Bunn, but not sure).

8/10/2007 3:21:57 AM

If it wasn't so @#$%# hot, I would go to a scrimmage tonight, but given that they don't keep score or play any kind of regulation game, I'm just too lazy to go.

Brandon Barnes, a five-star athlete who has committed to NCSU, plays for Bunn, a solid 2A team. However, because of heat, a lot of scrimmages have been rescheduled or canceled altogether. The 4:00 p.m. session of the Pigskin Preview at WFR (which included Bunn) has been moved to Saturday morning at 8 a.m. The other two sessions (both of which have some very good teams) will be played tonight at 6:00 and 8:00. Info on delayed/canceled scrimmages: http://www.wral.com/sports/blogpost/1687497/


A huge crowd (at $5 a ticket) was expected for the Charlotte Indpendence - Charlotte Catholic scrimmage at Catholic last night. However, it was postponed to this morning on account of the heat. I'm told that Catholic played reasonably well, but Indy still "won" comfortably. However, the scrimmage was stopped after Indy had a player go down with a knee injury. The other blockbuster scrimmage match-up getting attention was Richmond County at Greenville Rose, which I think is tonight at 8 p.m.


A few links of possible interest:

NCpreps.com 4A forum: http://ncpreps.rivals.com/forum.asp?fid=1113

A.C. Reynolds web site (which has schedules, old standings, etc. for all the teams in the state)
http://www.gobiggreen.net/

My Tri-Eight blog: http://www.fnfrdu.net/tri8BLOG.htm

NC IHigh: http://northcarolina.ihigh.com/

8/10/2007 12:47:00 PM

wow, i would pay to see a rose-richmond game...iirc, richmond county came to millbrook when i was a young lad (early 90's maybe) and there were cars parked all through out my neighborhood to accommodate the crowd

8/10/2007 1:42:51 PM

I saw a Richmond-Garner playoff game in the late 1980s (yes, I'm old) where they were ranked #1 and #2 in the state, and both undefeated. Two hours before game time, with people standing 10 deep everywhere, the fire marshal ordered the gates shut, with roughly 20,000 people packed into Garner's 8,000-seat stadium. It was a college atmosphere, the best I've ever seen at a high school game, and a ton of fun even though the visitors won.

8/10/2007 1:52:25 PM

Yeah I would pay money to see J.H. Rose and Charlotte Independence...or
Rose vs. that damn Hoover High School from Alabama...whom I cant stand...Rose would create havoc ALL over that squad!!

Oh and Ive seen Rose's new high school football facilities for the 2007-2008 year, they look VERY impressive compared to most high school stadiums for the state of NC!

8/10/2007 5:41:52 PM

I haven't seen Rose's improvements, but I was down there last November for the Rose-Fuquay playoff game, and wasn't impressed by their facilities...Garner's are/were better.

8/10/2007 8:25:37 PM

Quote :

"However, the scrimmage was stopped after Indy had a player go down with a knee injury."

Unfortunately, it was their starting TE, a commit to NC State. From what I heard, it was a dislocated kneecap. But, he should be back in a few weeks.

[Edited on August 10, 2007 at 10:08 PM. Reason : ouch]

8/10/2007 10:08:20 PM

Quote :

"there's a lot of talent in NC football. Amato always went to other states and a lot of in-state talent went elsewhere. I'm glad to see TOB is recruiting in NC (more than Amato did)"

Signed Mario, Manny, DeMario, Baker, Tank, Leroy Harris, Crouch, Evans, Martrel Brown, and recently Marcus Bond and Owen Spencer and Nate Irving were big NC signs

8/11/2007 12:03:07 AM

Person Rockets all the way, lol

8/11/2007 12:11:57 AM

I saw the last session of the WFR jamboree with Clayton, Northern Durham, Garner and Wake Forest-Rolesville. All of the squads looked very good, but with obvious things to work on seeing as how it's early in the season. Garner was the best, but the other three weren't far off. Wake Forest is small but quick, especially their defensive line and linebackers. Northern seems to have a pretty fast QB who is capable of making plays with his feet.

8/11/2007 11:07:32 AM

^^ Person was picked 1st or 2nd in the Pac-8 by ncpreps.com. Considering how tough that conference is, I was really surprised, but they have had some good teams in the past.

8/12/2007 6:41:28 PM

Week One - Friday, August 17

Triangle Game of the Week
Greensboro Grimsley (12-1) at East Wake (9-3)

Also worth seeing
Cary (7-6) at Broughton (8-4)
Wake Forest-Rolesville (8-5) at Durham Riverside (11-5)
Winston-Salem Mount Tabor (9-4) at Southern Durham (9-5)

The rest of the local games
Knightdale (6-6) at Enloe (3-8)
Panther Creek(new) at Leesville Road (10-3)
Garner (13-2) at Millbrook (1-10)
Green Hope (1-10) at Wakefield (7-5)
Wimington New Hanover (6-7) at SE Raleigh (8-4)
Apex (6-6) at Holly Springs (new)
Western Harnett (0-11) at Fuquay-Varina (11-3)
Northern Durham (1-10) at Middle Creek (4-8)
North Davidson (3-8) at Durham Jordan (9-4)
Athens Drive (9-3) at West Johnston (2-9)
Sanderson (3-8) at Clayton (0-11)
Erwin Triton (7-5) at Smithfield-Selma (4-8)
Harnett Central (12-1) at Lee County (6-6)

Statewide big games
Western Alamance (14-2) at Eastern Alamance (11-4) - A huge early game
Warsaw James Kenan (15-1) at Clinton (10-6) - Both teams were state runners-up
Marlboro County (SC) at Richmond County (13-1)
Davie County (12-2) at Watauga County (12-3)

8/13/2007 8:32:43 PM

Quote :

"i just hope pinecrest wins a game"

haha seriously

i remember there was talk of canceling the football program because of lack of talent

8/13/2007 9:12:23 PM

it was more so because of lack of players

they seriously considered it

from what i've heard the coach is a ton better this year and we could win at least a couple of games, and they had something like 100 players come out for workouts or something? this summer

[Edited on August 13, 2007 at 9:42 PM. Reason : ]

8/13/2007 9:42:21 PM

I've also heard good things...the new coach did quite well at his previous school in FL. The MSEC is a tough conference, but I expect Pinecrest to win 2-4 games this year, which will really give them something to build on.

8/13/2007 9:45:19 PM

Quote :

"IF YOU WANT TO STATE EXAMPLES OF NC HIGH SCHOOL PHENOMS...HOW ABOUT TA???? DIDN'T HE RUSH FOR A BILLION YARDS IN HIGH SCHOOL?? WHATS HE DOING NOW???"

dumbshit, TA was the best or 2nd best RB in the country his Frosh year

8/13/2007 9:51:56 PM

Mario Carter, NCSU recruit and star TE for Independence, is done for the season, after an MRI revealed torn ligaments. That's a tough break for him and the Patriots.

http://www.charlotte.com/sports/story/238165.html

8/16/2007 8:15:12 AM

western alamance ftw. we have probably the fastest qb in the state and he can throw the ball 60 yards...you have to see him play.

8/16/2007 9:34:36 AM

^ Well we'll see what happens when they play Cummings on September 14th.

8/16/2007 1:38:17 PM

First, they have to get by Eastern Alamance in the opener tomorrow night...that's two blockbuster games for WA in the first month of the season.

8/16/2007 2:04:40 PM

Fuquay-Varina 56, Western Harnett 3
Cary 28, Broughton 0
Enloe 35, Knightdale 14
Garner 28, Millbrook 6
Harnett Central 55, Lee County 28
Leesville 45, Panther Creek 7
North Davidson 12, Durham Jordan 7
Smithfield-Selma 22, Harnett Co. Triton 15 (OT)
Wake Forest-Rolesville 27, Durham Riverside 0
Wakefield 32, Green Hope 0
Sanderson 3, Clayton 0
Apex 28, Holly Springs 0
SE Raleigh 13, New Hanover 7
Southern Vance 26, Hillside 16

Also, Pinecrest wins! (over Cardinal Gibbons, 27-7)

8/17/2007 11:32:44 PM

woooooooooo

its about fucking time

[Edited on August 18, 2007 at 1:09 AM. Reason : PC>CG 27-7]

8/18/2007 1:09:13 AM

Cummings 57 - Southern Alamance 6

8/18/2007 3:49:36 AM

Newton-Conover 21
East Lincoln 19

An awesome comeback (2 TDs in 2 minutes) falls just short due to a questionable playcall on the 2 point conversion. With the passing game starting to work, the Mustangs call for a run up the gut on the 2 pointer, and fail (after struggling with the run most of the evening). It's like the Shelby game all over again. Up next, Bandys.

8/19/2007 11:36:35 AM

Week Two - August 24

Raleigh-Durham Game of the Week
Leesville Road (1-0) at Cary (1-0) -- Having shut out Broughton last week, the Imps want to prove that they'll be a solid team this year. Leesville Road is expected to be competing with Garner for honors of the top team in Wake County, and can start building their case.

Other games worth seeing
Fuquay-Varina (1-0) at Harnett Central (1-0) -- Both of these teams won their conferences and finished with double-digit wins last year, but both lost key players to graduation. Last week, each scored over 50 points in their opener, so this border war should be an entertaining contest.

Wake Forest-Rolesville (1-0) at East Wake (0-1) -- After a disappointing home loss to Greensboro Grimsley, the Warriors need this one to start building momentum. WFR, coming off the first conference championship in school history, is looking for bigger things this year.

Middle Creek (0-1) at Garner (1-0) -- These teams played twice last year; Garner won easily during the regular season, but the Mustangs kept it close (16-7) in a first-round playoff game. Middle Creek figures to be improved this year, and could make a statement in this game, even if they don't quite pull off the big upset.

Other area games
Apex (1-0) at Broughton (0-1)
Enloe (1-0) at Athens Drive (1-0)
Millbrook (0-1) at Knightdale (0-1)
Green Hope (0-1) at Durham Jordan (0-1)
Panther Creek (0-1) at Sanderson (1-0)
Wakefield (1-0) at Holly Springs (0-1)
Warren County (0-1) at Durham Hillside (0-1)
Greensboro Grimsley (1-0) at Northern Durham (1-0)
Orange (0-1) at East Chapel Hill (0-1)
Burlington Cummings (1-0) at Carrboro (0-1)
Ravenscroft (1-0) at Louisburg (0-0)
South Johnston (1-0) at West Johnston (0-1)
SE Raleigh (1-0) at Northern Vance (0-1)
Wake Christian (0-0) at Chatham Central (0-1)
Cardinal Gibbons (0-1) at Southern Lee (0-0)

Big Statewide Games
Davie County at West Rowan -- A big 4A vs. 3A game
Asheville at A.C. Reynolds -- These two, along with T.C. Roberson, have great cross-town rivalries
Polk County at Cherokee -- A huge battle of small schools

8/22/2007 11:35:03 AM

how about a reminder that we are in college now. why the fuck do you all care about high school

8/22/2007 11:38:03 AM

well, to be fair, if you just like to watch football then high school football can hold a lot of plusses for you for a lower price than college games...

also, it's nice to get to see the next generation of college stars develop...

i sure as hell didn't pass up the chance to see Chris Leak come to raleigh for the state championship game...

8/22/2007 11:47:14 AM

You can also be involved in high school football much more easily. My wife and I volunteer at our local high school (I'm the PA announcer), and we have a great time there. High school football is about community, brotherhood among a team, and the love of the game, instead of money, money, and money, like pro football (and increasingly, the college game).

8/22/2007 6:34:28 PM