Deon Cranford breaks down all Sandhills Athletic Conference high school football games and chooses winners for Week 1.
Scotland at Butler
Even though the Raiders may have topped the Scots in several preseason polls, the Scots still own the spotlight in week one. On Saturday evening, they will travel to Memorial Stadium in Charlotte to square off against a Butler team that many have already tabbed to win the Southwestern Conference title in 2018.
The Bulldogs are coming off of an 8-3 season, their fewest wins since 2004 (7-4), and are looking to rebound against another one of the state’s hottest teams. Butler is expected to be pretty strong on both sides of the ball.
The difference maker in this game will be defense. If you were tasked to come up with one negative observation about last year’s Scotland team that finished 12-2, most likely it would be about their defense. The Scots allowed nine of their 14 opponents to reach pay dirt four times or more, and the situation has not improved. This year’s defensive unit is very inexperienced and it showed in last week’s scrimmage against Dillon (S.C.).
Pick: Butler 41, Scotland 21
South View at Jack Britt
South View is expected to be strong on offense, but there will be a lot of question marks on defense. The Tiger defense will receive a little help. Jack Britt senior running back Glenn Young will be out with an injury. Richmond fans may remember Young well. He rushed for three touchdowns against the Raiders in Richmond’s 41-20 upset loss at the Boneyard last October.
The Buccaneers will need to score often to defeat the Tigers and with Young sidelined, and I don’t think they have enough fire power.
Pick: South View 27, Jack Britt 14
Dillon at Lumberton
There are not too many ways to make this game sound interesting. One school has a new coach, has not had a winning season since 2011, and has been picked to finish near the bottom of its conference in both the coaches and media polls. The other is a defending state champion who is the heavy favorite to win the 3A South Carolina title once again.
In the scrimmage held last week at Lumberton, Dillon easily managed to get by the Fighting Scots while Lumberton ended in a 7-7 tie with the Marion Swamp Foxes, a program that went 1-9 in 2017.
Pick: Dillon 55, Lumberton 13
Pinecrest at Laney
When Jack Britt and Seventy-First merged with the Southeastern Conference teams to form the Sandhills Athletic Conference, Pinecrest went from being a team that could potentially challenge Scotland for the conference crown to being pretty much ignored.
The Patriots were a little down last season, but with a strong youth program, and some talented kids moving up in the ranks, they’ll once again be a force to be reckoned with in the upcoming seasons. We may see some of that start to shine through in 2018.
The Pinecrest offense has several key players returning from last year including quarterback Greg Vansteen who passed for nearly 1,200 yards last season. They should return from the Port City with a victory over a Laney.
Pick: Pinecrest 34, Laney 13
Cary at Hoke County
This will be a good game to measure exactly where Hoke County is going to be at as a team this year. Both schools will enter the game with new head coaches. For Hoke, it is former Fighting Buck and New York Giant George Small. For Cary, it will be Jason Wilkes, former Middle Creek assistant coach.
Wilkes will inherit a program that has slowly shown signs of improvement over the last couple of years, while Small will most likely have to start over from scratch with the Bucks. For that reason, I’m giving the edge to the Imps, but honestly, this one could go either way.
Pick: Cary 24, Hoke 21
Purnell Swett at Pine Forest
Purnell Swett turned a lot of heads when they just completely destroyed Pine Forest 48-15 in last year’s season opener. They turned a few heads again when they completely dominated East Bladen at the Battle of the Carolinas scrimmage held at Lumberton High School last week.
Both Purnell Swett and Pine Forest will be moving a lot of new players into key roles. There will be a lot of inexperience on the field when these two teams clash Friday. One name that just keeps popping up over and over again is Chandler Brayboy. He is a great all-around athlete, and if he can just get a little help from his teammates, I believe he can lead the Rams to victory.
Pick: Purnell Swett 24, Pine Forest 14
Seventy-First at Westover
It is so strange to see this game on Week 1. The schools are only about five miles apart and in the same city, but ADMs have made it difficult for them to share a conference. Seventy-First shut out the Wolverines 21-0 last season, but despite the Falcons losing several starters, they will once again be one of the stronger teams offensively in Cumberland County.
Seventy-First is the only school other than Scotland or Richmond to receive first place votes in the preseason polls. Combine that with the fact that Westover is looking to rebuild under a first year head coach, and this one is likely to be over quickly.
Pick: Seventy-First 45, Westover 12
Ronald Reagan at Richmond
From a talent and depth standpoint, this Richmond team could potentially continue the streak of winning titles on the “eight” years. Experience could slow them down from time to time, but those issues seem to fade away the more time they spend on the field.
Even with players sidelined with injuries, Richmond is still the favorite in this one. The (Richmond) Raiders have been picked by some to finish first in the SAC, and HighSchoolOT.com recently ranked the (Richmond) Raiders second in the region under Week 2 opponent Wake Forest.
The (Reagan) Raiders are coming off back-to-back three-win seasons and are expected to finish at the bottom of the Central Piedmont Conference in 2018.
Last year, Richmond got off to a slow start before running away with the game in the second half. I’ll be surprised if that’s the case this year. If the (Richmond) Raiders come out firing on all cylinders, it could be over early.
Pick: Richmond 42, Reagan 13
