Going into week three of the North Carolina high school season I've had the opportunity to get out and see a few teams both in regular season games as well as scrimmage time earlier in August. No doubt everyone wants to be that team that folks say is Numero Uno and so I thought, I might as well join the mix of throwing my two cents out there for folks to rejoice about or lash out against.
If I haven't seen them play in person, you won't see them in this list. Here we go with the list and then a short break down of each team.
Heading into Week Three:
1) Panther Creek (2-0)
2) Wake Forest-Rolesville (2-0)
3) Millbrook (2-0)
4) Garner (0-2)
5) Charles E. Jordan (1-1)
6) Athens Drive (2-0)
7) Holly Springs (1-1)
Breaking them down in a bit more depth.
Panther Creek. Perhaps the most balanced team I've seen play so far this season. The quarterback position with Bryant at the helm is in solid hands. He has better than average pocket presence that is amplified by the fact that he is a true dual-threat presence. Offensively the system allows him to work with multiple options, whether they are on the edge or slot in wide receiver form or in a big target at tight end. They are not afraid to use their running backs in the passing game and Bryant does a solid job of distributing.
Douglas and others provide a solid group of running backs and their zone blocking scheme is well suited for their running styles.
Defensively they have play makers, athletes and role players that will bend but rarely break.
Wake Forest-Rolesville. Not much has changed in this recent juggernaut. In many ways this is the no-name, go to work, punch the time card, get the job done team of the area and they appear to still be working that routine.
Offensively, a healthy dose of the dizzying backfield of the Wing-T forms the rock solid foundation for moving the ball and controlling the clock. Setting the pace of the game. Folks are where they need to be and fundamental technique is seen play-in and play-out.
Defensively, it is only fitting that the same formula is seen fundamentally as you observe when you watch them offensively. Guys are where they are supposed to be and they do their jobs. Defense is about filling gaps, reading your keys and doing the fundamentals. They do all of those things well and the result is an early 2-0 record.
Millbrook. In many ways I was under-impressed by their offense led by quarterback McFarland and highly-touted junior running back Marshall. No doubt that both players are better than the average at their positions and as their offense gets more in a groove things may click more and more, but in my initial visit with them, I wasn't overly impressed. I didn't see a ton of passing from them and when they did pass, although they had a few big connections, the consistency seemed to be lacking. I would put my trust in their running game and not the passing game and that limits them a bit. I know folks will comment that WFR has trouble passing sometimes and I would agree. But the difference is that WFR running game looked dominant early, while Millbrook's did not.
The Wildcats are where they are in part because of a defense that has performed well when I had the chance to see them. Similar to the Panther Creek defense, bend with limited breakage.
Garner. Talent exists at the skill positions offensively, but there appeared to be a real disconnect in what exactly the Trojans want to do. Are you spread or are you what you've always been, namely I backfield anchored by the Toss attacking the edges and the fullback belly hitting you underneath. Honestly, I think talent wise they could probably go either way, but I think they have to go one way or the other. For me, this is part of why they are 0-2 at the moment and looking at a possible 0-3 start as they head into the game against Middle Creek in Week Three.
Defensively they looked solid. I was especially impressed with play from their defensive line, specifically one of their ends and an interior lineman. They get after it and they play tough.
Jordan. After Millbrook in this list, the rest of the teams somewhat mesh together and probably could go in any order. For Jordan, they are in this spot in part because they have in my opinion one of the most dominating players in the state of North Carolina in Thorpe. He's playing wide receiver, safety and returns kicks and he can hurt you in any of those positions every time he touches the ball, almost single-handily.
Offensively, the Falcons are employing a two quarterback system and it's tough to tell how that will exactly play-out. Neither quarterback is incredibly agile and that could be a detriment for a team that is running a veer oriented type offense that uses the option as the primary counter to the base dive or veer plays. In the one showing I've seen, they had trouble running the ball against a quality opponent. The importance of Thorpe and his impact to the game was evident as the opposition routinely double-teamed him with corner/linebacker and over-top safety help. This move directly resulted in improved passing numbers as multiple big plays occurred to other receivers that benefited from one-on-one coverage.
Defensively the Falcons were up and down. Although in the showing I saw I would give the edge to their defense in comparison to the offense. No doubt they will improve as the season progresses.
Athens Drive. One of the teams I saw in a scrimmage. And although it was their ones I saw in action I have not seen a whole game to be fair. Offensively, Snotherly looks to be a solid piece in the puzzle of moving the ball and against some tough competition they moved the ball through the air fairly well. It remains to be seen how well they'll run the ball if needed against quality competition.
Defensively they struggled against a quality offensive team.
Holly Springs. Again a team I saw in a scrimmage. I didn't see anything offensively or defensively that stuck out as above average. In short they looked very average, whereas every other team in front of them looked to have a strong area, somewhere. Of course, there is no doubt that Holly Springs has one very solid element and that is Coach Riggs. They took down Southeast Raleigh to start the season before falling to Wakefield in week two.
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