Week 1 recap

Dang. There were some very scary performances turned in around the Unifour on Friday!

When looking back at Friday night's local games the first thing that jumps out at me and goes BOO! is the number of individual blockbuster performances. Topping the list has to be the Bandys tag team of quarterback Kyle Houser and wide receiver Seth Cranfill. Don't you dare call him "Doogie" because Houser was "da man" against the Mooresville Blue Devils, completing 16 of 27 passes for 452 yards and four touchdowns. The 452 yards set a new CVAC single-game record, as did Cranfill's 239 receiving yards from 10 receptions. Cranfill caught two of Houser's touchdown passes. And yet...

Bandys only won the game by five points, 40-35. As impressive as the air strike was for the Trojans their defense against the run was non-existent. Mooresville halfback Jjshaun Pinkston had a career night, scorching the Trojans for 268 yards and five touchdowns on 29 carries. The Blue Devils have never been known as a team that likes to go airborne and this year's group is no different. Quarterback Nathan Abraham only completed 50% of his 10 passes for a whopping 28 yards. So, if the Blue Devils are no threat from above shouldn't the Trojans have been able to stack the line and shut down the run?

And on the subject of rushing attacks it should be noted that Bandys tailback Josh McCombs led his team in that category, picking up 57 yards on 19 carries (3 yards per carry). I would have thought that with the Devils forced to back up and defend the pass that McCombs should have gained more than he did. Sure, you might argue that the Trojans didn't need a rushing game since they were deadly with the pass. But what happens when they face a team that does have a defense?

Another outstanding performance from Friday night was turned in by Newton-Conover's senior defensive back Shea Corpening. Corpening, a former standout at Grandview Middle School, sparked the Red Devils with a 95-yard kickoff return following East Lincoln's first touchdown. Corpening also picked off a pair of Mustang passes to help keep East out of the end zone for the rest of the night. The first interception was in his own end zone and the second was on the Newton 2-yard line. The only other Mustang points came on a 35-yard field goal in the 4th quarter. The play of Corpening accurately reflected the typical Newton-Conover way of winning ball games: DEFENSE!

The Mustangs actually outgained the Devils, 363-305, and yet lost by 27 points (37-10). The reason? The Red Devils won the turnover battle in a big way. East Lincoln gave the ball away six times (3 picks, 3 fumbles) while Newton only lost one fumble and had no interceptions. I don't know but I would be willing to bet that most, if not all, the Mustang fumbles were actually stripped away by Red Devil defenders. East quarterback Josh Wilson had the football literally taken away when he switched it from his right to his left hand. The thief, Chris Coulter, wasn't hauled down until he was inside the Mustang five. The Red Devils scored two plays later.

Believe me when I tell you that the most important league statistic to monitor this season will be the takeaway-giveaway ratio. Newton-Conover is usually at the top of the list and when the Red Devils are doing it "their way" they are awfully tough to beat. It should be noted, by the way, that Hickory led that statistic last season enroute to an 11-0 regular season.

I was also impressed with the performances of Hibriten's "Mighty Quin" Smith in a 32-16 win over Wilkes Central and St. Stephens' new quarterback, Matt Fussell (yes, it's spelled Fussell!) who led the Indians to a 43-14 massacre of the West Lincoln Rebels.

Expectations are sky-high for Smith in 2008 on the heels of his verbal commitment to Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks over the summer. The Mighty Quin did not disappoint his fans, rushing for 125 yards on only 15 carries (8.3 per carry) and scoring four touchdowns (3 rushing, 1 receiving). This is an impressive win for two reasons: the game was up in North Wilkesboro, a difficult place to win ballgames, and because Wilkes Central is expected to have a big year themselves. This was definitely not an easy season opener for either side but it was Hibriten that took the victory in the end.

Fussell and the Indians, meanwhile, ruined the debut of West Lincoln's latest head coach, Mark Latham. In his first start for the Indians Fussell was nearly flawless, completing 10 of 11 passes (no picks) for 144 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball 11 times for 60 yards and two touchdowns. As expected, Fussell's favorite target was senior Patrick Jenkins with eight catches for 144 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown. Jenkins also scored a rushing TD. So in the battle of teams with new head coaches it was Fred Whalen of St. Stephens who got his tenure off to a winning start. It doesn't usually happen like that for new Indian head coaches. Oops!

UNIFOUR SCORES FOR AUG. 22ND

Bandys over Mooresville 40-35
Hibriten over Wilkes Central 32-16
Cherryville over Bunker Hill 49-41
St. Stephens over West Lincoln 43-14
Fred T. Foard over South Caldwell 33-7
Newton-Conover over East Lincoln 37-10
Freedom over Patton 29-13
Alexander Central over North Gaston 56-3