The Week 7 Game Picks Presented By WeUp Athletic Group
7 min readLaieke Abebe pulled even in Week 3 of the Game Picks presented by WeUp Athletic Group. Laieke won last week by one game to even the count at 3-3 on the season. In this week’s game picks we decided to go into more detail on our picks.
The Game Picks are presented by WeUp Athletic Group. We before Me. WeUp Athletic Group offers skill development and mentoring to local athletes at an affordable price. To schedule your workout, contact Nic Oats at 919-980-6036.
C.B. Aycock vs Southern Wayne — WJG Sports Game Of The Week
Kai: “Southern Wayne has traditionally been a really good matchup with the physicality of the Saints vs the speed and finesse of the Falcons. This year Aycock can and will match Southern Wayne’s physicality. Southern Wayne will keep it competitive until the second half when the talent of Aycock overpowers. Falcons 48-20.”
Laieke: “The Golden Falcons are firing on cylinders after one of their biggest wins in a long time against South Central. It’s hard to imagine them slowing down against Southern Wayne. CBA, 44-25.”
Washington vs North Lenoir — Strika’s Game Of The Week
Kai: “This one is tough because I’ve yet to really believe the Hawks are for real. So I’m taking Washington, but if North Lenoir finds a way to win, I’d start believing in the Hawks. Washington’s speed and strength should overwhelm North Lenoir. Pam Pack 24-12.”
Laieke: “The difference in this game is which defense will solve the complex offense that they’ll both be facing. It’s going to come down to which team limits the big play and which offense can control the time of possession. North Lenoir has proven themselves to be a good football team. Their defense has been disciplined and they’ve taken care of business against every team that’s been in front of them. However, I think this game will be won by the Pam Pack offensive and defensive line. The Hawks will keep it close, but this will be too big of a challenge on the road against a Washington team with conference championship aspirations. Washington, 25-20.”
Corinth Holders vs Southwest Edgecombe
Kai: “The honeymoon for Corinth Holders is over as they are in the strongest portion of their schedule with three state title contenders in four weeks. SouthWest Edgecombe’s speed and athleticism will be too fast for the Pirates. SouthWest rolls 48-30.”
Laieke: “Corinth Holders has been playing really good football this year despite a pretty tough schedule. Southwest Edgecombe will be one of their more tougher opponents led by seniors Cortezz Jones and Keishon Porter. Led by Kambron Whitaker and Marcus Bland, the Pirates need this game especially with their conference schedule on the horizon. I think the Cougars come out with a win in a closer game than expected. SWE, 38-27.”
Wayne Christian vs Halifax Academy
Kai: “With a few players still out for Wayne Christian, I can’t see them winning this game. 70-48 Halifax.”
Laieke: “Halifax senior Eli Harris is already over 1000 yards rushing for the season and 20 total touchdowns. I think the Vikings come out on top in a high scoring contest. Look for a big game from Wayne Christian’s Addison Johnson at quarterback. HA, 63-54.”
South Central vs Eastern Wayne
Kai: “Eastern Wayne has dealt with a lot of bad luck all year, and I don’t think Friday will be any different. South Central has yet to show any form of what they were last season, but I think the defense will have the best game of the year. Falcons 48-18.”
Laieke: “This game should be a game where the Falcons defense steps up to the plate. Xavier Meachem, Justin Humphries, Kevone Harris, and Zyaire Williams get the Falcons back on track offensively. SC, 42-20.”
D.H. Conley vs New Bern
Kai: “Woo wee, what a game. The Torrey Nowell Effect is strong. The Bears sit at No. 2 in the Adjusted MaxPreps rankings and I don’t think Nowell and the Bears lose this one against a struggling Vikings team. New Bern 36-22.”
Laieke: “New Bern has seen one of the biggest turnarounds of any team in Eastern NC this year. Torrey Nowell is showing that he’s truly one of the best coaches in this part of the state. Conley will play them tough, but the Bears will use their running game to their advantage. NB, 35-22.”
Ayden-Grifton vs West Craven
Kai: “The Chargers have been on dress rehearsal for the entire season waiting for this game. Ayden-Griffin dominates a weak non-conference schedule, but Paul Cornwall is one of the best in this state. I know Cornwell will have his guys ready to go to war here with the extra week of preparation that he got from the bye. West Craven is the dark horse in the East Carolina 2-A Conference, but I think the Chargers are the favorite. Ayden-Grifton 22-20.”
Laieke: “This is the first true test of the season for Paul Cornwell’s bunch. It’llbe a low-scoring game that comes down to the final possession. I think the Chargers find a way to win behind their defense and with two weeks to prepare for a home game, it’s hard to imagine a different resul. A-G, 20-16.”
Arendell Parrott at Grace Christian
Kai: “Arendell Parrott is back looking like champions again. Matt Beaman is usually his best with time to prepare. The Patriots are 6-1 in Beaman’s time as head coach after bye weeks. Patriots win 33-26.”
Laieke: “This is a huge clash between the top two teams in the NCISAA Big 8 conference. In a battle of two high powered offenses, the winner of this game could be the favorite to win the state championship. In the end, I think the Patriots defense generates enough stops to get a huge road win. APA, 55-46.”
Pungo Christian at Northeast/Hobgood Academy
Kai: “J.T. Simmons and defending champs Northeast-Hobgood should win this easily. 48-18 NE-HA.”
Laieke: “Too much of NE-HA senior J.T. Simmons for the Raiders to handle. NE-HA, 50-14.”
Northside vs Pamlico County
Kai: “Pamlico County has seemed to have found something in the last couple of weeks. I don’t believe in Northside’s ability to stop them. 50-30 Hurricanes.”
Laieke: “There will be a ton of points in this game and I think the Hurricanes find a way to win this one. PC, 48-40.”
South Lenoir vs Kinston
Kai: “This is Kinstons last game of the season where I think the Vikings should be the favorite. Kinston will get the job done and the talent gap will be shown. Vikings 38-16.”
Laieke: “It’s homecoming in Deep Run, so South Lenoir will make this County clash very interesting. Kinston has to find their running game and I think they’ll do just that. This would be a good game for the Vikings offense to get back in the right direction especially running the football. Kinston, 26-17.”
Southside at Perquimans
Kai: “Southside should get an easy win here as Perquimans has been traditionally bad team for the last few years. Seahawks 26-12.”
Laieke: “Perquimans has won three straight games after starting 0-2. If Southside wants to turn their season around, this would be the perfect game to start it. I think the Seahawks turn in their best defensive performance of the season notch a key road win. SHS, 27-20.”
John Paul II at Faith Christian
Kai: “The football season has been rough on the Saints after their program opening win. Won’t get any easier here. Faith Christian 40-22.”
Laieke: “It’s been a struggle for JP2 after their season opening win against Community Christian. This would be a really good game to get back on track, but it’s hard to beat Faith Christian on the road. Devin Crumble should have a big night for the Saints. FCA, 40-35.”
Jones Senior vs. Riverside
Kai: “Riverside has good athletes and puts up lots of points. Jones Senior does not. Riverside 60-12.”
Laieke: “Jones Senior’s lack of depth will bite them in this matchup, but they’ve gotten better every week. Riverside has played in some crazy games so far this season and their defense hasn’t been the best. I predict that the Trojans will exceed their season point total (19) in this game, but it won’t be enough. RHS, 58-22.”
Also checkout the latest Just Like Bruddas Podcast where we had Avi Smolka, the Goldsboro News Argus Sports Editor, on to talk about local high school sports.