Must See Games in the 252 This Week

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a crazy week one, where some teams played on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and some still have to play tonight, we should see a bit more normalcy to the schedule for this week as we begin to take a look at some of the marquee matchups in the 252.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Southern Nash vs Clayton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Southern Nash is coming off of a big win on the road against Knightdale, where they won the game 33-13. The Firebirds had six different ball carriers run the ball in the game, for 37 total carries, 304 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns, which was good for 8.2 yards per carry as a team. Junior Tailback [player_tooltip player_id='2226281' first='DJ' last='Baker'] led the way, with 127 yards and two of the touchdowns. Freshman Kee'Brion Smith exploded onto the scene in his first career varsity game, with 91 yards rushing, and two touchdowns of his own. Clayton handled Wilson Prep in a 46-6 win at home. The Comets' senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='2137702' first='Damacio' last='Cueto'] went nearly perfect in the game, finishing at 8/9 for 153 yards and four touchdowns, to just one interception. He also added 23 yards rushing and a touchdown on the ground. Austin Dalton hauled in two touchdown receptions on just three catches and 42 yards. Gavin Roberts had 75 yards in the game on three receptions and a touchdown. With two different approaches to offense, it will be interesting to see which one will prevail.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>J.H. Rose @ Washington</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In their game last week, Rose's senior quarterback, Chase Davis, tossed two touchdowns after throwing for 215 yards. His main targe was [player_tooltip player_id='2264327' first='Kasyn' last='Chase'], who had 3 catches for 86 yards and a touchdown. Daran Bell added 4 catches for 71 yards and a touchdown in the game. The defense finished with three tackles for loss and a sack in the game, with senior playmaker Jayden Webb recording 11 tackles and one for loss. Rose is coming off of an upset of Northern Nash and it will be interesting to see if they can keep the momentum from the win, or will they slack off in thinking they have 'made it' after beating a tough team? Washington is one of those teams that got bumped to tonight, so we will see how they do against Farmville Central. Recent history shows that they have not been very good, but did post a 10-3 mark in 2021. Only time will tell what the Pam Pack will be this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northeastern @ D.H. Conley</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northeastern blanked Bertie with an impressive 66-0 blowout win. Senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1854319' first='Zak' last='Ishman'] did [player_tooltip player_id='1854319' first='Zak' last='Ishman'] things, tossing four touchdowns and finishing in second for the week in passing yards in the 252. Fellow senior Da'mari McNeil led the Eagles in rushing with 111 yards and three touchdowns, on an eye-popping 16 yards per carry. Four other Eagles accounted for a total of 101 yards rushing as well. All five receivers that caught a pass in the game, scored a touchdown for the Eagles, showing that you cannot game plan to just take one away, when everyone is a threat to score. The defense, aside from the obvious shutout, registered 8 tackles for loss, three sacks and two fumble recoveries in the game. Conley is another team that got flexed to tonight, and will take on a Laney squad they beat last year 14-7. After a playoff run, Conley was knocked out by Clayton, finishing 8-4 in '25. In last year's matchup, Conley beat Northeastern 34-19, but will Ishman and company have something to say this year? We will see Friday night. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northern Nash @ Nash Central</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northern Nash is a team that many had as the top-ranked overall team in the area, but they suffered an upset loss on Thursday at the hands of J.H. Rose last week, 20-11. This week, they will go on the road again, which will be a short trip to inter-county foe Nash Central. The two programs are separated by just 3.6 miles, and 9 minutes of drive time. Nash Central is also coming off of a loss, at the hands of Southwest, whose former head coach is now the head coach at Nash Central. Both teams have something to prove, and it could be one to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->