Football teams hit homestretch

The conference season is winding down for Burke County football.
One team takes a week off and plays the last out-of-conference matchup for 2009.
The other three schools face key conference matchups to stay in the race for a conference championship.

Draughn (0-7 overall, 0-3 CVAC) at South Iredell (3-4, 2-1 CVAC)
After a season-high 20-point performance last week at Bunker Hill High, Draughn High makes its first trip to Statesville. The Wildcats are still looking for that first win on the varsity level as they face South Iredell High.
"We were excited about the way our kids responded in the second half against Bunker Hill. We hope to see more of the same against a good South Iredell team," Draughn head coach Scott Lambert said.
The Vikings will have three rushers to carry the load for the offense. The Vikings average 185 rushing yards per game. Senior Quincy Davenport has 362 yards on 73 carries and five touchdowns and is the Viking to watch.
Sophomore Quataye Smyre and senior Chris Knox, who currently have more than 200 total rushing yards, should also provide support to South Iredell's offense.
With the Vikings quarterbacks throwing more interceptions than touchdowns, there still will be one receiver to watch out for. Junior receiver Tyrell Mattox is the one to watch. He has 187 receiving yards on eight catches and one touchdown reception.
South Iredell's defense allows 156 rushing yards per game. The Wildcats look to use their rushing game to their advantage. They average 107 rushing yards, and have three 200-yard rushers; Camden Young, Jordan Moore and Adam Manns. All will be needed to pull the upset over the Vikings, who sit in a four-way tie for second place in the Catawba Valley Athletic Conference.

West Caldwell (1-6 overall, 0-3 CVAC) at East Burke (5-2 overall, 2-1 CVAC)
With the annual homecoming game in Cavalier Country East Burke High will look to get back on the winning track and stay in the race for the Catawba Valley Athletic 2A Conference championship hosting West Caldwell High.
The Warriors rushing attack will by lead by Chance Horton, who recorded 68 yards on 17 carries and scored the only touchdown in a 21-7 loss to Patton High.
Tyler Witherspoon and Logan Carlton both rushed for 12 yards on seven carries against Patton and can also be an asset to the ground game for West Caldwell. Carlton is also the quarterback. His main target is DJ Dula. Dula recorded 40 yards on two catches in an earlier contest with Patton. Expect Ryan Corpening to also take snaps under center for the Warriors. He ran for 130 yards on 17 carries in last week's 41-9 loss to Bandys High.
Even with the Warriors on the bottom part of the standings and in a six-game losing streak, don't expect the Warriors to be a pushover with East Burke still attempting to hang on in the race for the conference championship.
The Cavalier defense should have no problem defending the pass. They held Newton-Conover's Sam Royall to 8 passing yards, last week. Their weakest defensive part, however, is against the run, allowing 247 rushing yards along with three rushing touchdowns to the Red Devils.
Expect a CVAC rushing battle from both offenses, with 400-yard rushers Eric Carson, Ken Gaither and Dustin Wilson leading the way for East Burke.

Hickory (3-4, 1-2 NW4A/3A) at Freedom (2-5, 0-3 SMAC)
Freedom High takes a break from conference action in the grueling South Mountain Athletic Conference.
The Patriots are restarting an old rivalry with Hickory High that dates back to 1975.
The Red Tornadoes lead the series 12-10, with the last game, a 33-14 Hickory victory, taking place in Hickory's 1996 state championship season. The last Patriot victory, a 17-0 shutout, came in 1994.
"We are excited about Friday night and we know Hickory will be a tough opponent," Freedom head coach Mike Helms said.
The Hickory rushing game will be lead by Shaquan Reid and T.J. Wimbush.
In last week's 24-20 loss to Alexander Central High Wimbush scored two Red Tornado touchdowns and rushed for 73 yards on 16 carries. Reid also rushed for 85 yards on 16 carries.
Quarterback Tyler Barnette threw for 49 yards on 4-of-8 passing and had one touchdown and one interception,
Casey Stinson and Fearious Anderson will be the threats on the receiving end. Anderson caught Barnette's touchdown pass for 29 yards, and Stinson recorded 16 receiving yards on two catches.
Helms, despite the team's record, still feels there is improvement, along with other things to improve on.
"We have improved each week as a football team and we know there are areas we want to see more improvement and areas we need to improve upon," Helms said. "Hickory will be a running team, so our defense must match the intensity of their offense. Offensively, we must control the football and put more points on the board."
With 205 rushing yards, last week at R-S Central High the Patriots hope to continue that output.
Patrick Parks scored the only touchdown last week, and rushed for 114 yards on 17 carries.
Don't be surprised if the passing game gets in the picture for Freedom. In the last home game, with Burns, Helms threw two touchdown passes. One of them went to Dean O'Neil, who could be a problem for the Hickory defense.

R-S Central (7-1, 3-0 SMAC) at Patton (4-4, 1-2 SMAC)
With R-S Central High racking up 495 offensive yards in last week's 38-7 win over Freedom, the Hilltoppers make their first trip to Patton Stadium as the leaders of the South Mountain Athletic Conference.
"We (Patton) are working on what we do, improving the little things that make the difference in an average football team and a good football team," Patton head coach JK Adkins said.
R-S Central will have three rushers, Oddie Murray, William Lynch and Leon Brown to watch out for.
All three scored one touchdown in last week's win over Freedom, with Murray and Lynch racking up 100 rushing yards.
Quarterback Jacob Kinlaw threw for 121 yards on 7-of-9 passing along with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
It looks on paper that the Panthers can easily read and defend Kinlaw's passes. But Patton's defense can get that thought out of its head. Leon Brown, who caught one of Kinlaw's touchdown passes, will be a tough receiver to cover. He had 83 yards on only three catches.
Patton's defense will need to keep an eye on Brown and other R-S Central receivers after allowing three long-range touchdown passes in the second half in last week's loss to Shelby High.
Patton's offense also had the fewest total offensive numbers with 114 last week. That is the fewest since totaling 68 against Alexander Central High.
The Panthers could face one of the best defenses in the area, led by former Freedom coach Jason Watson at defensive coordinator. They will need to bring their A-game on the ground and through the air to pull an upset.
"Coach Watson is a heck of a football coach. He is as good of a defensive mind as there is at this level. It will be good to see and coach against him this week," Adkins said.