Week 1 Charlotte Metro Area Games To Watch

After a long offseason, summer 7 on 7's, and preseason scrimmages, Week 1 is FINALLY here! A lot of area games have been moved to Thursday Night due to forecasted weather on Friday Night across the state, so make sure to check your favorite team's social media to see if their game has been moved to Thursday Night. With that being said, we're going to preview five games here and give you a key player to watch on each team.   Hough at Northwestern (SC) There is a strong argument that this could be the best game in both Carolinas. This game will be played at District 3 Stadium in Rock Hill, SC, and as of now, this game is still scheduled for Friday Night. An interesting twist to me is that District 3 is not accepting North Carolina High School Association Media Passes. A bit of gamesmanship, in my opinion, but it is what it is. Onto the field, these two teams played a memorable game the last time they faced off, with the Trojans winning in comeback fashion. There won't be a lot of secrets from a schematic standpoint, so it's just going to come down to who can execute their respective gameplan the best. I would expect the Huskies to try and lean on the Trojans a bit with a huge offensive line and control the line of scrimmage to control time of possession. The Trojans offensively run a style that's hard to prepare for, so the longer Hough keeps Northwestern off the field, the better their chances are. Conversely, I think Northwestern has to find a way to make Hough play from behind. When the Huskies get a lead and smell blood in the water, they get real creative defensively and bring a lot of different looks that are hard to read at times. Playing from ahead gives the Trojans a chance to dictate the defense and keep the Huskies in more predictable fronts/coverages.    If Morrison has a big rushing game behind his offensive line, I think the Huskies win this game. Hough will have opportunities in the passing game, but to enhance those chances down the field, they will have to make the Trojans respect their run game. Morrison took a big step last season, and now he's hungry to go out there and validate it this season.     Dash is a special talent, and on this stage you want your star players to stand out and shine their brightest. It's going to be a challenge slowing down the Huskies' running game, and it's going to be important for Dash to get off blocks and get to the ball carrier all night long. I expect Hough to come right at him and challenge their Front 7 physically.    Providence at Hickory Ridge This is a sneaky good game as Providence, coming off a conference championship season, faces a Ragin' Bulls team that looks better than expected after a good performance in the Cabarrus County Jamboree.    Hickory Ridge has a strong Front 7, and they bottled up the run game pretty well during their scrimmage, so I think Luke has to have some big plays in the air to loosen up their defense and allow for some gaps to open up in the run game. Providence has the receivers to give teams problems in the air, so I expect an aggressive game plan offensively from the Panthers here.     Passino is an important piece of what appears to be an improved offensive line up front for the Ragin' Bulls. Providence does have a couple of defensive linemen that can be disruptive, so this line and Passino will need to make sure they protect well for the passing game and get the first level blocked consistently.    Butler at Olympic This is an interesting Week 1 matchup as new Head Coach Donald Littlejohn for Butler makes his debut. This will be the first time Olympic takes the field with a new starting quarterback in a while, so I'm interested to see how they look offensively, especially.    I expect the Trojans to be more run-based in this game, given that they will be breaking in a new quarterback in their offense. It will be important for the Bulldogs' defense to get to the ball carrier quickly, and Shields has the experience and talent to be a leader for this unit this season.     Kenyan is going to be a big part of this team on both sides of the ball this season, and if he plays well, it's going to give the Trojans the best chance on Friday Night. He can be a physical defender in the 2nd and 3rd level of the defense, and with Butler being more of a spread team this year, his defense in space is going to be paramount for a Trojan victory on Friday Night.    Burns at Crest   This is a traditional Cleveland County matchup that should be a really good game for 4 quarters. The Chargers, coming off of their state championship, have high expectations for themselves once again this season. New Head Coach Mark Barnes will put his stamp on this team early. Burns also has some big expectations, with a lot of returning players from a very good team last season.    A lot of people have kept their eyes on KJ throughout the preseason, and I think he's got the ability to be the distributor the Chargers' offense needs to maximize their high-level potential this year. A big key in this game is not to turn the football over. Burns on offense will try to run the ball and control time of possession, so possessions in this game are going to be treasured and can't be wasted with bad decisions.     The Bulldogs have been limiting Max's touches in the preseason to keep him fresh for the season, but now I expect them to unleash Max, and if he has a big game on the ground, it will be good news for Burns. The good thing is Max has some more-than-capable support with multiple backs and threats in their offense, so expect him to be even fresher and stronger in the 4th quarter when this game is expected to be tight.    Palisades at Ashbrook   The Pumas will cross the river into Gaston County for Week 1 to take on the Green Wave, coming off their best season in a long time, making the 4th Round of the State Playoffs. Palisades should be one of the best teams in the city of Charlotte this season, with some experienced players returning in key positions. Ashbrook lost a number of key guys, namely on defense, but they still have some dangerous players offensively.    Coming off of a strong offseason, Cole will be a big piece of the attack, obviously, as I expect Palisades to really be strong in the passing game this season. In this game, Cole will look to take advantage of a young Green Wave defense, but they are talented. Smart decisions with the football will be important, and spreading it around to a number of players on the outside is what I'm going to be watching for specifically.     It's going to be really important that the Green Wave find a way to move the ball consistently on the ground here to keep a talented Pumas offense off of the field. If Lindsay has a big game, it's a good sign that Ashbrook is going to be in this game for four quarters. Savion has looked really strong in the preseason, so a big start to his season here would not surprise me in the slightest.

After a long offseason, summer 7 on 7's, and preseason scrimmages, Week 1 is FINALLY here! A lot of area games have been moved to Thursday Night due to forecasted weather on Friday Night across the state, so make sure to check your favorite team's social media to see if their game has been moved to Thursday Night. With that being said, we're going to preview five games here and give you a key player to watch on each team.