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Rutherford County split last week on the gridiron and three teams are back at it this coming weekend.
Last Friday was a big conference win for R-S Central (3-2, 1-1) as they dominated Draughn 26-7.
The Hilltoppers now have to face Crest in Boiling Springs. I hate to say it, but Central hasn't beaten Crest since 1979. The Hilltopper defense continues to play well though. It gave up just 160 yards last week to Draughn and Spencer Norris had two interceptions. Come to think of it...they have allowed 35 overall points in four games if you don't count Shelby.
Crest (3-1, 1-0) likes to throw the ball around on offense, but they have struggled a little bit in that area so far this year. The Chargers have scored 27 points just once this season. However, the defense has been solid in allowing just 10 point per game so far this season.
It was a well fought battle, but Chase was taken down by Shelby 48-17 last weekend. Considering how Shelby has been mowing opponents down left and right, Chase was down 28-3 at the half. Still Shelby strengthened that to 45 by the end of the third as two punt blocks aided Shelby to score twice.
Chase (2-3, 0-2) will go to Draughn (0-5, 0-2) this Friday (9/23). The Trojans have a very winnable game in Burke County, but they have lost to Draughn by a field goal the last two seasons.
Everything was going well enough for East Rutherford to win, but they fell late at East Burke 20-10 last week. The story: East Rutherford had 140 yards of offense and 153 yards in penalties. The only touchdown East Rutherford had was that of a defensive fumble scooped up by Fonzbee Clyburn.
It's a good thing the Cavaliers have the weekend off. Now's a good time to regroup after the hot start as they have lost three in a row. They have scored just 33 points overall in the last three weeks. Next, they host Burns on 9/30.
Thomas Jefferson takes care of Central Academy 40-12 on the road. Bill Lay ran for over 200 yards and scored three times in the win. That's a big win considering Mountain Island beat them by just 22 and TJCA lost by 18 to Mountain Island afterwards. So, the Gryphons are playing a little better now.
The Gryphons play at home versus the Carolina Crusaders on Saturday (9/24).
Meanwhile, Chase Men's soccer continue to impress. They sit 7-0, 5-0 in SMAC play and played Shelby (8-0, 5-0) on Weds 9/21. Should the Trojans win they will be atop the conference and search for a second consecutive SMAC soccer title. Shelby has allowed just three goals all year. However, Chase has defensively been unbelievable as they have not allowed a goal all season long. They also average scoring six goals a game.
Two other soccer teams aren't doing that bad either with R-S Central sitting at 6-4, 3-2 right now. Thomas Jefferson is 4-1-1, 2-0 at the moment.
In the NFL, I was convinced Carolina would rebound after a week one loss and they did beating the 49ers 46-27. Second half defense wasn't exactly pretty for the Panthers, but the offense had no problem running against the 49ers as Fozzy Whittaker shockingly ran 100 yards in the game. The Panthers have Minnesota coming to town this Sunday. Minnesota is one of the best defensive units in the league as well. The Vikings will be without Peterson, so that is a big help in a sense. Offensive Coordinator, Norv Turner hasn't figured out what to do with A.P. anyways, so he has been keeping Stephon Diggs busy at receiver. Then again, the Vikings offensive line has been terrible, if Carolina can relentlessly pressure Sam Bradford, Carolina should win.
I hate to say this, but only Denver and New England have impressed me so far. Both are playing with a backup or a new quarterback. Its got to be the coaching. Don't get me wrong, Carolina's rebound was impressive too, but we will see how things go. The Panthers still have to win the NFC South first and I like those chances.
