The Game Picks presented by WeUp Athletic Group

Laieke Abebe put some distance between us in Week 8 of the Game Picks presented by WeUp Athletic Group. Laieke won last week 5-3 on the season.

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.

Greene Central at Kinston — WJG Sports Game Of The Week

Kai: “This has developed into one of the most intense rivalries in the east. Last year, Kinston overcame a 21 point halftime deficit. Not sure if Demetri Holmes will be under center for the Vikings, but not sure it matters much. The Rams defense has been dominant all year, and last week the Rams offense finally caught up and put points on the board. I think the Rams take another big halftime lead, Kinston will fight back but Greene Central will hold on this year. 35-28 GC.”

Laieke: “With Demetri Holmes unlikely to play, it’s up to the Kinston running game. The Vikings can’t turn the ball over while Greene Central has to feed the hot hand of Jaden Tyson. In the end it comes down to the fourth quarter and the Rams get a signature win for Jay Wilson. 27-22 GC.”

Arendell Parrott vs Fayetteville Christian — Strika’s Game Of The Week

Kai: “Senior night for the Patriots, who have been absolutely rolling! Fayetteville Christian isn’t that good of a team and will present no challenge. 45-28 APA”

Laieke: “Trey McLawhorn and Jonah Beaman. They’re final regular season home game will be something to celebrate. 52-26 APA.”

D.H. Conley vs Washington

Kai: “This game decides who wins game picks. Both teams are rolling and lead their respective conferences. I’m picking Washington though. This win matters more to Washington when you consider that this win would likely put them as the lock for the No. 1 seed in the 2-AA playoffs. 38-28 Washington.”

Laieke: “Washington is for real and they have the tools to take down the Conley Vikings, but I think Nate Conner and his staff have found something good after some early season struggles. The time of possession battle will be huge in this game on both sides. 35-30 DHC.”

J.H. Rose at C.B. Aycock

Kai: “Tough game last week for the Falcons. I think it refocused them though. Last time Aycock lost, they went on a 3-game winning streak. With Rose rolling in and having been a major disappointment thus far, I think the Falcons continue to ‘overachieve.’ 35-30 CBA”

Laieke: “Both teams need this game especially the Rampants after a controversial loss to Conley last week. I’m tempted to think Rose will pull it off, but Aycock has rebounded well from losing. I think this game goes to overtime and from there it’ll be interesting. 28-27 CBA.”

Bethel Christian at Pungo Christian

Kai: “Bethel probably feels upset after the loss last week so they should roll over Pungo. 60-12 BCA.”

Laieke: “Bethel should be back at full strength this week. 68-8 BCA.”

Southern Wayne at South Central

Kai: “Southern Wayne is talented, but can not get out their own way. South Central will take advantage of the Saints’ ineptitude. 45-20 SC”

Laieke: “South Central is not out of this conference race if their defense can get it together. 30-19 SC.”

Eastern Wayne vs New Bern

Kai: “Eastern Wayne is coming off its first win of the season! The fun stops here though. 50-22 NB.”

Laieke: “New Bern needs to keep pace and hope for some other games to go their way. 42-14 NB.”

Goldsboro at Clinton

Kai: “Clinton is much like Wallace Rose Hill, and Goldsboro did not come close to Wallace Rose Hill. 38-20 C.”

Laieke: “Clinton has been a scoring machine this season. Goldsboro will challenge, but I don’t think they get enough stops to keep pace. 35-26 C”

Ayden-Grifton at South Lenoir

Kai: “Ayden-Grifton May not be the team we thought they were at the beginning of the season, but they’ll beat South Lenoir. 40-16 AG.”

Laieke: “I expect the Chargers to get back some key pieces this week and they’ll find a way past the Blue Devils. 36-12 AG.”

Southside at Pamlico County 

Kai: “Pamlico County has Savon Tutt, and Southside does not have Savon Tutt. 45-28 PC.”

Laieke: “Pamlico County has gone under the radar after a tough start to the season. Southside hasn’t been great against the run and the Hurricanes have a Tank. 43-30 PC”

John Paul II vs Rocky Mount Academy

Kai: “The great tradition of Rocky Mount Academy football has not been apparent this season, but they won’t lose to the upstart Saints. 48-28 RMA.”

Laieke: “JP2 will be competitive in this one, but RMA gets the job done with a late score. 54-48 RMA.”

North Pitt at Beddingfield

Kai: “North Pitt plays hard and I think this will be a close game because of that. Beddingfield just too talented and well-coaches to lose this one. 33-21 B.”

Laieke: “The loss to Goldsboro has refocused the Bruins and it’ll lead them to a win despite what will be a great Panthers effort. 35-13 B”

Farmville Central at North Johnston 

Kai: “The Panthers must have this game or the season is done. Farmville Central is winless and hasn’t looked good at any phase of the game this season. 40-12 NJ.”

Laieke: “This is the first of the must win games for the Panthers. I do think the Jaguars challenge, but the Panthers pull away in the second half. 30-16 NJ.”

Rosewood at Lakewood

Kai: “The Eagles are just waiting till November 8th and should have no challenges until then. 60-7 R.”

Laieke: “11/8/19. Circle the date. Cancel your plans on that day. 54-14 R.”

Spring Creek at North Raleigh Christian

Kai: “It came down to the wire for the Gators last week. This week is another winnable game for the Gators, but cannot trust that they will win it. 32-30 NRCA”

Laieke: “It would be great for the Gators to pull off a win like this, but I think they’ll fall one point short. 24-23 NRCA.”

Clayton at East Wake

Kai: “Clayton will definitely be looking ahead to next week’s game, but East Wake isn’t nearly as talented to take advantage of that. 40-0 C.”

Laieke: “Clayton will take advantage of their talent and it’ll lead them to a big win. 48-6 C.”

Princeton at Hobbton

Kai: “Knowing how those Bulldogs think, they’ll want to score more points on Hobbton than Rosewood did and hold them to less points too! Don’t think thelly keep Hobbton our the end zone but 30-point double burger sounds good to me. 60-16 P.”

Laieke: “Princeton-Rosewood collision course continues. 57-6 P”

West Johnston at South Johnston

Kai: “West Johnston is rolling, and South Johnston is not. I think the Trojans will get tired of the Wildcats hitting them in the mouth all night and will fold. West must take care of the ball though. 21-20 WJ.”

Laieke: “This will come down to the final possession and the Wildcats will add to their winning streak. It’s a big game for both teams and it’ll be tight throughout. 17-13 WJ.”

SSS at Cleveland 

Kai: “Cleveland is ready for next week and not really thinking about this game. SSS probably scores early, refocuses the Rams and Cleveland wins big. 42-7 C.”

Laieke: “The Rams will continue to take care of business. 51-6 C”

Corinth Holders vs Wake Forest

Kai: “Welcoming in the defending three-time state champs is no small task, and I don’t believe Corinth Holders will be ready to tackle it. 38-14 WF.”

Laieke: “Wake Forest is starting to build some momentum after a season opening loss to Cardinal Gibbons. 45-12 WF”

North Lenoir vs West Craven

Kai: “West Craven controls their own destiny and I don’t think they let go of it against North Lenoir. 28-20 WC.”

Laieke: “Eagles need to keep the pace with Washington and they’ll do that against a Hawks team coming off a bye. 30-18 WC”