CoachesAid.com - High School Sports

We have picked a theme for this week's GameTracker -- call it "Undefeated on Upset Alert." Every one of our Top 10 games includes an unbeaten team facing a stiff challenge on Friday. It will be interesting to see how many of the unscathed are able to keep their perfect record intact. 

Watauga (4-2) at Lenoir Hibriten (6-0, No. 3 in 3A): The Panthers have been cruising since a tough 21-19 win over East Burke on Sept. 11. But now things get a little tougher for Hibriten as Boone's Watauga High comes in having won three of its last four games, including a hard-fought 20-15 win over South Caldwell. The Pioneers would love nothing more than to roll down Highway 321 to Lenoir and spring the upset, but the Panthers are tough at home.

Beddingfield (5-2) at Southwest Edgecombe (7-0, No. 3 in 2A): Anything can happen in the ultra-tough Eastern Plains 2A. Southwest Edgecombe is on quite a roll, but the Cougars better be ready for the Bruins. Beddingfield beat perennial power Hunt earlier in the year, but is coming off a disappointing loss to Kinston. Southwest Edgecombe beat that team two weeks ago and was 26 points better than Farmville Central last Friday.

Monroe (6-0, No. 5 in 1A) at North Stanly (3-3): On the face of it, this should be a mismatch, but North Stanly has come up with three straight wins after starting the season 0-3. The Comets will be at home with a mighty task -- to topple a Monroe Redhawks team that has absolutely blistered the scoreboard, scoring 69, 49, 49, 54, and 55 points in its last five games. Stopping that offense will be a tall order.

East Bladen (6-0, No. 5 in 2A) at West Brunswick (5-1): West Brunswick will make a play to join our Top 10, and with a home win over No. 5 East Bladen it will be well-deserved. The Trojans opened the season with a loss to one of South Carolina's top teams but has since run the table. They face an East Bladen team that is coming off a 19-0 win over Whiteville. The Eagles have yet to be challenged -- their closest game being a 33-7 win over Clinton.

Butler (5-0, No. 3 in 4A) at East Mecklenburg (4-3): At one time East Meck was 4-1 and flying high. But two straight losses have left the Eagles hungry to make another splash. No better team to try to do that against than the very talented (and undefeated) Butler Bulldogs. It won't be easy, as quarterback Christian LeMay has kept his team focused, not only after its big win at Richmond Senior but also leading up to what could be an epic encounter with Charlotte Independence in the final regular-season game of the year.

South View (3-4) at Jack Britt (6-0, No. 4 in 4A): On paper this doesn't look like much of a matchup, but Jack Britt is coming off a bye week, and the Bucs have a history of not playing well following an off week. Add in the fact that South View can score some points, and you've got the ingredients for a close one. But Britt has been impressive in  averaging 45 points per game while giving up just nine.

Avery County (4-2) at Hendersonville (6-0, No. 7 in 1A): The Bearcats’ undefeated slate could be on the line when a tough Avery County comes to town. The Vikings have won four of their last five games and rolled up 51 points in two of those wins.  Nonetheless, Hendersonville is playing great and fully deserves its Top 10 CoachesAid ranking in 1A play.

North Stokes (5-0) at Mt. Airy (6-0, No. 1 in 1A): Mt. Airy has won 22 straight games but could get tested when unbeaten North Stokes comes to town. The Bears had a close call the second week of the season against Thomasville but have since rolled four straight opponents by a 52-16 count. The Vikings are on a roll as well, having outscored their last two opponents 106-14.

Carson (4-3) at West Rowan (7-0, No. 1 in 3A): Kevin Parks is doing his thing (routinely topping 200 yards rushing a game) and the Falcons are doing their thing (winning). So why should anything change? Well, Carson's Cougars are no pushovers and have won three of their last four games, suffering a bitter 29-26 loss last week to East Rowan. Prior to that Carson had ripped through West Davidson, Concord Robinson and Statesville. Anything is possible.

Midway (4-2) at Pender (5-0): Pender is one win away from possibly sneaking into our Top 10, but standing in the way is Midway. The Raiders were the first team to beat high-powered Princeton, holding the Bulldogs’ spread offense to just 12 points. Pender, meanwhile, is battle tested. The Patriots have had three close calls, including an impressive 14-10 win over preseason 1A No. 1 James Kenan.