news-record.com

Couple big upsets tonight (Western Alamance, we hardly knew ye!) and a lot of one-sided games. Some quick thoughts before I swan dive into bed:

-Eastern Guilford took a big step forward tonight by knocking off Southeast. The Wildcats are going to be able to score points in bunches with Jason Davis and Gerrod Herbin, so you can never really rule them out of a game. Even money they beat Northeast next week.

-I watched the Rams get handled by Page tonight in their opener. Northeast is clearly young and it showed, but they're talented and they'll still win their share of games with running backs like Reyshawn Trader and a defense that's got some playmakers.

-The Pirates? Wow. I know Grimsley's looked good two weeks in a row, but I'd have to take Page as Metro 4-A favorites right now. Their defense looked darn near unbeatable for most of tonight, and Will Newman is about as good a quarterback as you're going to see at the high school level. Some very nice playcalling tonight, as well.

-Just got off the phone with Northwest coach Joe Woodruff, whose team beat Western 14-13 tonight despite 17 penalties. That was a huge concern for Woodruff, who said he went on a "galactic meltdown on them at halftime." Still, big accomplishment for Northwest, which is 2-0 for the first time since 2001, the last season it beat Western. The Vikings are on the road next week at Ragsdale, which also needed a little luck to stay undefeated tonight. Woodruff said he'll be up at 4 a.m. to start planning. "That's why God created energy drinks," he said.

-Big, big win for Dudley tonight rallying past Richmond County. A road win against a perennial power like that at this point of the season should be all the proof anyone needs that this team can contend for the state title again.

-Two other Grimsley players who impressed me but didn't get mentioned in Friday's story: Linebacker Andre Oliver, a big hitter who moves exceptionally well for his size, and kicker Joe Rossabi, a first-year soccer convert who's 12-for-12 on extra points and deserves some love after I misspelled his name in the paper.

Smith

LAST SEASON: 0-11, 0-5 Metro 4-A (6th place)

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: There's nowhere to go but up for the Golden Eagles, who have lost 21 straight games. There's a new energy around the program with first-year head coach Rodney Brewington, in everything from the new weight room installed last year to the new equipment donated by private sponsors to the 40-foot eagle that adorns midfield at the school's stadium. "The kids were ready for the direction," Brewington said.

QB TALK: Quarterback Jabril Davis will be the focal point of Brewington's Wing-T offense, which will use plenty of misdirection in the backfield. Davis has already emerged as an emotional leader of the team. "When in doubt, put your best athlete at quarterback," Brewington said. He'll get protection from senior linemen DeMaris Bowe and Shaun Neal and will have a big target in all-conference tight end Brandon Carrington, who also plays defensive end. Nick Burns should see most of the carries at running back.

YOUNG BUT STRONG: The anchor of the Eagles' defense could end up being their all-underclassmen linebacking corps. Freshman Marlon Hughes, who can already deadlift 400 pounds, will play in the middle, with sophomores Duke McCoy and Antoine Nevious to either side. "They're as good as any linebackers you can have," Brewington said. "They're growing up quick." Hughes, who will also see time at tailback, offers a big smile but few words. "I like to hit," he said.

Northwest Guilford

LAST SEASON: 3-8, 1-4 Metro 4-A

HOW YOUNG WERE THEY? The Vikings were so young last season, now-second-year head coach Joe Woodruff said, "I didn't know whether to bring diapers to practice sometimes." They're reaping the benefits, with nine starters back on offense and eight more on defense. Running backs Chris Kennedy and Sean Ples, who combined for more than 1,700 yards last season, will run behind an offensive line that's intact from last season. That should help take some of the heat off the new quarterback tandem of senior Dan Bernard and junior Mclean Godley.

WELCOME BACK: Seniors Spencer Thompson, Chase Hoke and Carlo Gagliardo return as anchors on the secondary. Classmates Adam Scot and David Harrison will return as a defensive lineman and outside linebacker, respectively. Woodruff will blitz more and has shuffled some of his personnel to put more speed on defense, where the Vikings will see a spread offense most weeks.

BETTER LUCK THIS YEAR: Northwest might have set a state record for heartache last season. The Vikings lost their opener to Southwest Guilford despite having the ball on the half-yard line down five with under a minute left. The next week, they lost to Western Guilford after fumbling the ball away six times. They lost late in the season to High Point Central when the Bison scored on the game's final play, then made a two-point conversion to win by one.