Rough Week on the Grid Iron

Last week was rough for Rutherford County on the gridiron as we went 1-3 with Thomas Jefferson (2-1, 0-1) as the only one to crack the win column.

Chase (2-2, 0-1), East Rutherford (2-2, 0-1) and R-S Central (2-2, 0-1) were all taken down by Cleveland County teams this past weekend.

Kings Mountain came out red hot and ran all over East in 62-16 win. R-S had one brief moment of fortune as they cut Shelby's lead to 14-6 on a long touchdown pass, but lost 54-13. Chase held within 10 points at 24-14, but missed some opportunities and fell late, 31-14 at Burns.

East Rutherford at East Burke (0-3)

So far, East Burke has lost two blowout games and was nipped by Patton. A lot like Polk County, depending on how quarterback Joe Duckworth goes, they go. Dakota Fox and Duckworth are their leading rushers as they are relying more on the rush this year. East Burke has allowed at least 20 points in every game so far this year.

Last week was a reality check, they have the athleticism to play with East Burke this year.

R-S Central vs. Draughn (1-3, 0-1)

The Hilltoppers have their work cutout for them as hopefully, Tyrese Tate, Austin Dorsey and Jayden Waddell will be back this Friday as they all have dealt with injury.

Since beating West Lincoln by 13, Draughn has scored just 13 points in three weeks. However, Draughn does have some size up front and allowed powerful Crest just 27 points last week. Last year, this was the game that came back to bite R-S Central as they lost by three with a chance to score the winning touchdown with just second to go.

Both teams have the same amount of kids roster wise and they both are run heavy teams.

Shelby (4-0, 1-0) at Chase

So Chase still hasn't beat Shelby in football. Considering the Golden Lions are scoring 40 and allowing 9 points per game...it doesn't look good this Friday either. Shelby is the three time defending 2A state champs and look well on their way to a fourth after what I witnessed this past weekend with Central. Chase looks like a better team than a year ago and has been competitive, but Shelby is Shelby. The Trojans will have to ball control, score every opportunity given and stay even with them defensively to even make this close.

Thomas Jefferson (2-1) at Central Academy (1-3)

The Gryphons easily won 51-6 last week. This week, they have to travel to Monroe. The two teams do have one common opponent so far this season...Mountain Island Charter. Both teams lost to them. TJCA lost by 18 and Central Academy lost by 22. Although, on the road, I like the Gryphons to win a close game. Clemson Allen of the Cougars has eight touchdowns as the quarterback, while Nomi McMullens has six at the TJCA signal caller.

The first week of the NFL season didn't go exact the way the Panthers wanted. Well, the first half did, but not the second half as Denver picked up a late 21-20 win.

The Refs definitely missed a late call on a hit to the head of Cam Newton. It would have resulted in a 15-yard penalty and a closer look at a game-winning field goal. The NFL said they messed up. Well, it's a little too late for that. Just be consistent, please!

I still think Carolina will rebound. After seeing all three of the division rivals, Carolina's defense is still way better than the other three. Four of their next six games are at home and the Panthers haven't lost at home since November 16, 2014. Here is a bold statement, Carolina 31-13 over the 49ers this coming weekend.

As for the rest of the NFL, the Titans and the Jets play about as well as they could defensively and still lose. Drew Brees throws for 400+ yards and loses. At least the Chargers remain the same. San Diego jumps out to a big lead and loses late. San Diego has lost nine times in the last 17 games by eight points or less.

NASCAR's playoff are set and I could change my mind, but I like Martin Truex Jr. as the sleeper in this whole thing if they ever get past their own mistakes. My gut is telling me to pick Kyle Busch. Busch has already won at three of the ten tracks left on the schedule this year and he won the whole thing last year.

Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick all provide legitimate shots. As we know, never count out Jimmie Johnson.