Friday’s Triangle football previews, complete area schedule.
Area prep football preview, schedule
(Sweet 16 rankings included)
No. 9 Apex Friendship (2-0, 2-0 South Wake Athletic 4A) at Apex (0-2, 0-2), 7 p.m. – Apex’s hopes of winning this rivalry game probably rest on slowing down Patriot QB Sam Lersch, who is completing 69 percent of his passes and averaging 164 passing yards a game.
Athens Drive (1-1, 1-1 Triangle 4A) at Green Hope (1-1, 1-1), 7 p.m.. – A dry field and warm weather could be a recipe for a high-scoring game between two teams that like to throw the ball and can score in bunches.
Broughton (1-1, 1-0 CAP 7 4A) at Enloe (0-2, 0-2), 7 p.m. – The visiting Capitals have played two low-scoring games. Enloe can score, but the Eagles’ defense is allowing an average of 48 points a contest.
Cary (1-1, 1-1 Triangle 4A) at No. 14 Panther Creek (2-0, 2-0), 6:30 p.m. – Panther Creek QB Amari Odom has five touchdown passes this season. Cary has played just once this season, winning by forfeit last week.
East Wake (0-1, 0-0 Greater Neuse 3A) at Cleveland (2-0, 0-0), 6:30 p.m. – East Wake’s young defense has an exceptionally tough task this week against a Cleveland team averaging 50.5 points a game. Rams’ RB Omarion Hampton has accounted for 520 yards of total offense.
Garner (0-2, 0-1 South Wake Athletic 4A) at Middle Creek (1-1, 1-1), 7 p.m. – Middle Creek is averaging 37 points a game. Garner held a tough Holly Springs attack to 17 points last week.
Green Level (1-1, 1-1 Triangle 4A) at Jordan (0-2, 0-2), 7 p.m. – The Gators, a first-year varsity team, are 1-0 alltime on the road. Here, they face a Jordan team that has been outscored 72-0 so far.
No. 8 Holly Springs (2-0, 2-0 South Wake Athletic 4A) at No. 16 Fuquay-Varina (2-0, 1-0), 7 p.m. – This meeting of ranked teams features two of the Triangle area’s top defenses.
No. 13 Millbrook (2-0, 2-0 CAP 7 4A) at No. 6 Leesville Road (1-1, 1-1), 6:30 p.m. – Leesville Road was able to get junior RB Kaleb Blackmon going last week with a 100-yard rushing performance. Millbrook scored seven points two weeks ago, then 44 last week.
Sanderson (1-1, 1-1 CAP 7 4A) at No. 1 Cardinal Gibbons (1-0, 1-0), 2 p.m. Saturday – Sanderson QB Jaxon Masterson and a fast receiving corps poses a test for a Cardinal Gibbons team that has not played since opening week. Note that this is a Saturday game.
South Garner (0-2) at Southeast Raleigh (0-2), 1 p.m. Saturday – The host Bulldogs have lost by scores of 9-6 and 7-6 so far. South Garner is among the area’s youngest teams.
No. 2 Wake Forest (1-0, 0-0 Northern Athletic 4A) at No. 11 Knightdale (2-0, 0-0), 7 p.m. – This is a big one in the Northern Athletic 4A. The host Knights have blanked a pair of 3A opponents. Wake Forest hasn’t played since opening week. These are two of the area’s top defensive squads.
Wakefield (1-1, 0-0 Northern Athletic 4A) at No. 4 Rolesville (1-0, 0-0), 6:30 p.m. – Rolesville freshman RB Isiah Jones rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown last week. He and QB Byrum Brown face a young Wakefield defense.
Outside Wake County
Vance County (0-1, 0-1 Big 8 3A) at No. 7 Southern Durham (2-0, 2-0), 6:30 p.m. – The host Spartans have outscored foes 40-0 and face a Vance team that is very young.
West Johnston (2-0, 0-0 Greater Neuse 3A) at Smithfield-Selma (2-0, 0-0), 7 p.m. – Can anyone challenge Cleveland in the Greater Neuse 3A this season? Here are two teams with high hopes. RB Clevonte Watson is averaging 210 rushing yards a game for the host Spartans. Wildcat RB Antuan Snead is averaging 163.5 yards a contest. This game could feature plenty of points.
Schedule changes
The Sanderson-at-Cardinal Gibbons game, originally scheduled for Friday night, has been moved to Saturday afternoon.
The Northern Athletic 4A game between Corinth Holders and Heritage has been canceled.
This week’s schedule
Thursday
Carolina 1A
Princeton at Union
Friday
CAP 7 4A
Broughton at Enloe, 7
Millbrook at Leesville Road, 6:30
Northern Athletic 4A
Wake Forest at Knightdale, 7
Wakefield at Rolesville, 6:30
South Wake Athletic 4A
Apex Friendship at Apex, 7
Garner at Middle Creek, 7
Holly Springs at Fuquay-Varina, 7
Triangle 4A
Athens Drive at Green Hope, 7
Cary at Panther Creek, 6:30
Green Level at Jordan, 7
Hillside at Riverside, 7
Big 8 3A
Cedar Ridge at Chapel Hill, 7
Orange at Northern Durham, 6:30
Vance County at Southern Durham, 6:30
Greater Neuse 3A
East Wake at Cleveland, 6:30
South Johnston at Clayton, 7
West Johnston at Smithfield-Selma, 7
Eastern Plains 2A
Nash Central at Farmville Central, 6
North Johnston at Beddingfield, 7
North Pitt at SouthWest Edgecombe, 6
Mid-State 2A
Carrboro at Graham, 6:30
Cummings at Bartlett-Yancey, 7
Carolina 1A
North Duplin at Lakewood, 7
Rosewood at Hobbton, 7
Nonconference
Ragsdale at Reidsville, 7
Postponed/Canceled
Corinth Holders at Heritage
Northwood at East Chapel Hill
Saturday
CAP 7 4A
Sanderson at Cardinal Gibbons, 2
Nonconference
South Garner at Southeast Raleigh, 1