LUMBERTON — Nothing but home games for five of the six Robeson County football teams, with the lone team on the road not having to make too long of trips as Red Springs travels to South Robeson.
That meeting between the Red Devils and Mustangs is also the first meeting of two county teams, and if last year was any indication, this meeting could be a barn-burner.
As we come toward the midpoint of the season, every Three Rivers Conference team in the county has won a conference game, while, after one week, the two Sandhills Athletic Conference teams are vying for their first wins in a very tough league.
Through five weeks of high school football, I have posted a 16-9 record.
Red Springs at South Robeson
The coaches for both teams said it best this week; the winner of this game will be the one who controls the line of scrimmage. Based on that knowledge, Red Springs is favored in this matchup. Nearly a month ago, or two games ago in football season time, the Red Devils gave South Columbus all it could handle with its offensive and defensive front for three quarters.
With that being said, don’t count out the size that the Mustangs have as they look to rebound on a short week.
Red Springs 35, South Robeson 21
Pinecrest at Purnell Swett
Two teams without a win in the Sandhills Athletic Conference battle for a coveted win in a league where wins are as valuable as gold when it comes to earning playoff berths. Both of these teams are looking to return to the postseason, and with the typical crowd seeming to take the top three spots, the battle for the extra playoff seeds boils down to meetings like these.
The Rams that showed up at Scotland last week can’t show up again or else this game gets ugly, and that includes preventing turnovers and drives that stall out against a defense that is holding teams to less than 18 points a game.
Pinecrest 38, Purnell Swett 28
Seventy-First at Lumberton
Every week is starting to sound like a broken record as the Pirates are looking to rebound this week after yet another close loss. Make that three of the four losses this season for Lumberton by four points or less, with a little extra sting coming with last week’s loss because of the multiple missed opportunities that could’ve decided the game in regulation, instead of a four-overtime loss.
The Falcons have looked to be one of the top teams in the conference after shutting out Cape Fear in non-conference play and destroying Hoke last week, and now the Pirates take on an offense that mirrors theirs with a dual-threat quarterback in Kyler Davis who has weapons in the rushing and passing game to help him out.
Seventy-First 30, Lumberton 14
West Columbus at St. Pauls
This is a perfect game for the Bulldogs to get back to the basics and recover from a second half they would like to forget last week to South Columbus. While the score will get out of hand early, the young pieces on the offense that weren’t able to connect or gel back together against the Stallions should light up the scoreboard, and the night sky with fireworks in this meeting.
St. Pauls 48, West Columbus 6
East Bladen at Fairmont
After last week’s blowout loss to Whiteville, the tough stretch continues for the Golden Tornadoes this week as East Bladen comes to town in a share for the conference lead. Last season, Fairmont was in this game until the closing seconds with critical turnovers and special teams mistakes costing it a chance at an upset. This Fairmont team hasn’t reached the mid-season form yet that last year’s team did, so an upset of the Eagles is a long shot, but with a talented team like that, it’s never out of the question.
East Bladen 28, Fairmont 20
