Halfway point for conference football

It's the midway point of the conference season and there are electrifying games on tap in week eight of high school football action in Burke County.
There are two matchups featuring powerhouse teams, including a defending state champion. Another game gives the team a chance to face-off against their former coach, with two of these teams still looking for that first conference win.

Newton-Conover (5-1, 1-1 CVAC) at East Burke (5-1, 2-0 CVAC)
With clinching the county championship, in a 34-0 win at Draughn High, East Burke High can now set their eyes towards the quest for the first conference championship in the Catawba Valley Athletic 2A Conference in a key conference game tonight in Icard against defending state champion Newton-Conover High.
The Red Devils are coming off their first loss of the season at Bandys High, 20-9.
Newton-Conover will feature the No. 1 rushing attack in the CVAC 2A, lead by Octavius Harden, Sam Royall, and Jamal Coates.
Harden, as the leading rusher in the CVAC, has 752 yards on 71 carries and 12 touchdowns. Coates has 442 rushing yards on 67 carries with two touchdowns.
Royall, who has rushed for 571 yards on 82 carries, has passing duties for the Red Devils, as well. He is the sixth-leading passer in the CVAC has thrown for 257 yards on 11 of 23 passes with five touchdowns and two interceptions.
With no Red Devil receivers in the top 10 receiving category, the Cavaliers should easily be able to defend the pass. East Burke has never allowed over 100 yards passing all season. The Cavaliers will need to stop the Red Devil run and break-out the running game on offense, as well.
With Newton-Conover ranked No. 1 in the CVAC against the run defensive category, with 81.8 yards per game, the three main rushers for East Burke, Eric Carson, Ken Gaither and Dustin Wilson will have to be on their A-game, to get revenge from a 28-point loss at home to the eventual state champion Red Devils.

Freedom (2-4, 0-2 SMAC) at RS-Central (6-1, 2-0 SMAC)
Look out Patriot fans, former defensive coordinator and head coach Jason Watson will be on RS-Central High's sidelines directing their defense.
"In terms of coach Watson on the other sidelines, I really do not think that will be a factor. After the game, I'm sure he (Watson) will speak with players," said Freedom head coach Mike Helms.
Besides that, the Hilltoppers will come into tonight's game as the leaders of the South Mountain Athletic Conference, with one game ahead of powerhouse Shelby High. RS Central runs a mix of Wing-T and Wing-T spreads, with junior quarterback Jacob Kinlaw.
Their best offensive weapon is tailback Oddie Murray, who has 11 touchdowns through seven games. Murray also has duties at kicker on kickoffs, and can also kick the ball for 70 plus yards. The RS Central defense will also be a dominating force, allowing 10.8 points per game. They are also coming off two shutout performances of county rivals Chase High and East Rutherford High.
Helms, while still looking for that first win in the new SMAC league, still feels there is things that need a little tweaking.
"We must continue to build on the offensive numbers we put forth last week. Defensively, we must play better technique and assignment football," said Helms. "I was pleased with our offensive production this past Friday, but we must play better as a team."
The Patriot offense, especially the offensive-line, will have a big task on their hands. That will be to protect quarterback Mike Helms from linebacker Aris Smith. With 10.5 sacks, he is currently listed in the top three for sacks in the state.

Patton (4-3, 1-1 SMAC) at Shelby (5-1, 1-0 SMAC)
With this new conference Patton is in, the Panthers make their first road trip to Shelby High.
The Golden Lions will be bigger on the rushing game, with 285 of 377 total offensive yards in win at Freedom, being on the ground.
The Golden Lions are lead in rushing by Kipton Kee and Bryan Moss, who recorded over 100 yards against the Patriots. Kee recorded 142 yards on 19 carries and Moss had 113 yards on 13 carries.
As for the passing game, Zacc Gullatte and Chris Hines are the threats on the receiving end. They both caught one pass, for big yardage, with Gullatte taking a 62-yard pass for a Shelby touchdown at Freedom.
The Panthers will have to pick up their game to stand a chance with the Golden Lions. Patton allowed 344 yards, along with 22 points in the second quarter, in last week's loss at East Rutherford High.
With Brandon Bethel being held to under 20 rushing yards last week, Justin Reed was able to pick up the load and record 46 yards on 12 carries and scored both Patton touchdowns.
With Bethel possibly being the main focus of the Golden Lions defense, there will need to be more of the backs to pitch in and bring support to their offense.

Draughn (0-6, 0-2 CVAC) at Bunker Hill (2-4, 0-2 CVAC)
With Draughn still looking for their first varsity win, the Wildcats take a trip into a new territory for another Catawba Valley Athletic Conference game at Bunker Hill High.
"As a team, which has 10th graders being the majority of its starters, our focus is certainly on the fundamentals and it will continue to be so," said Draughn head coach Scott Lambert.
The Bears are led in rushing by Reggie Davis, who recorded 122 yards on 14 carries in a loss at East Burke. John Seagle and Devontaye Wilson, who can also provide support to the rushing game, but can mostly be a threat on special teams. Seagle and Wilson returned one kickoff return each for touchdowns.
Quarterback Cameron Beard and Receiver Chris Propst will be the passing combo to watch. With Beard throwing on 8 of 14 passes, two of those passes went to Propst, for 37 yards, at East Burke. Propst also got credited for a touchdown reception, on a 35-yard pass.
"Bunker Hill is a team which is very explosive offensively and is much better than its record shows," said Lambert.
The Wildcats can only depend on their rushing game. Logan Byrd was the leading rusher for Draughn, in last week's loss to East Burke, with 33 yards on nine carries. Expect Byrd, along with Adam Manns, Jordan Moore and Camden Young, to carry the load for the Wildcat offense.