What to watch for this week as high school football conference titles are on the line.

From a meteorological standpoint, we’re still a week or two away from the typical first frost of the autumn season, but while the temperatures are cooling down on these beautiful fall evenings, the heat emanating from the prep gridiron will be as hot as the dog days of summer as playoff spots will be on the line this Friday night.

It’s nearly crunch-time across the state of North Carolina as there are only two weeks remaining in the regular season. With the schedule winding down, there are a handful of conferences who could decide a champion this week. Today I’m going to scope the state and give you an overview of what Week 10 could look like this Friday.

Concord on the cusp

It’s been a few years since Concord High School has played a meaningful late-season game that had league title implications, but this Friday, Robert C. Bailey Memorial Stadium will be rocking as both the Spiders and West Rowan Falcons have a shot at winning the South Piedmont 3A championship.

You have to go back to 2015 to find the last time Concord won a conference title, but it is only fitting that these two dominant programs of the 2000’s square off for league supremacy.

From 2004 through 2013, this pair of schools combined to win five 3A state championships and three 3A runner-up finishes. Interestingly enough, the one team that stood in the way of these two programs winning all eight of their championship games was Havelock.

The Spiders, who have won five-straight games coming into this contest have played some terrific situational defense this year, and their triple-option based running attack has gained some serious traction in recent weeks.

If tailback Antonio Jackson and quarterback Zack Jenkins can get on track and allow head coach Marty Paxton and his ball-control offense to control the tempo of the game, then it could be a huge leg up on the Falcons.

However, Noah Loeblein and the high-flying Falcons offense has the potential to score quickly, and they are certain to have a hand in the outcome as well. My only advice is for fans to arrive early and take in all the excitement that this game has to offer.

Big East showdown

East of Raleigh in Bailey, Southern Nash will host cross-county rival Northern Nash with at least a share of the Big East 3A crown on the line.

If head coach Brian Batchelor’s Firebirds can find a way to win, they’ll be in the driver’s seat for the outright league crown, but to do so, they’ll have to find a way to stop junior quarterback Keno Jones and a stable of talented athletes.

Jones put together another impressive performance last Friday passing for 225 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another 115 yards in a blowout victory over Franklinton.

The Firebirds double-wing attack will be tough for the Knights to stop so this should make for an interesting back-and-forth kind of game. The three-headed monster in the backfield is nearly impossible to scheme against, and the trio of Jackson Vick, Tralong Mitchell, and Sammy Gandy are among the best athletes in Eastern NC.

Ravens in the spotlight

Staying on the Eastern side of the state, I’m going to give a couple of schools that don’t typically get a lot of statewide press some well deserved publicity.

Harrells is just a small cross-roads community at the intersection of US 421 and N.C. Highway 41. It is very possible that you could be driving from Clinton to Wilmington and not even realize that you passed through it.

However, this little community that is on the Sampson-Duplin county line produces some big-time football prospects from time to time, and is a known stopping-point for many college football coaches as they search for talent in the state.

This Friday, the (7-1) Harrells Christian Crusaders will go toe-to-toe with Raleigh private school power Ravenscroft.

Ned Gonet is the long-time coach of the Ravens, and when I say long time, he’s the longest tenured head in the state. He’s spent five decades at the school and has been the head football coach since 1981.

To knock off the Crusaders, his squad will have to dig in deep to stop their rushing attack led by senior running back Devin Gardner, then find a way to run around tackling machine Trenton Jackson, a 6-foot, 220-pound senior that hits opposing runners like a truck.

Ravenscroft junior quarterback Kyle Hawkins has been successfully slinging the ball all over the yard this season. He’s passed for 1,433 yards and seven touchdowns to date and does a great job of leading the team each week. This game has the potential to be a gem this week, so if you are in the area, make the trek over to Harrells, and trust me, the game day environment will not disappoint you.

Game balls

Okay, before I wrap up with you guys today, I do have a few Guru’s Game Balls to hand out.

In a commanding victory over Forestview, Crest running back Mari Adams rushed for 167 yards on 16 carries including a back-breaking 63-yard run for a touchdown. He’s been clutch all season for the Chargers and gets another Guru’s Game Ball!

Pisgah High’s Evan Easton blocked two kicks in the Bears 21-20 victory over arch-rival Tuscola, including blocking a 48-yard, potential game-winning field goal in the final seconds of the game securing the win for his team. That gets a Game Ball!

While the numbers may not seem eye-popping, Wake Forest junior running back Mikey DiPasquale rushed for 83 yards and two crucial touchdowns in the Cougars 23-12 upset victory over previously undefeated Heritage. This big-time performance deserves Game Ball recognition.

That does it for another exciting week of High School Football across the state. Just because we’re in the waning stages of the regular season, don’t fear because we’ve still got seven weeks of action ahead of us, and I have a feeling that it’s just beginning to heat up!