The headlining matchup of week two in the high school football season is the budding rivalry between Northwest Whitfield and Coahulla Creek, but there are plenty of other storylines to watch in tonight’s football slate.
North Murray hopes to bounce back from Dalton loss at Pickens
After opening the season with a 35-14 loss to Class 5A Dalton last week, North Murray gets to pick on a Pickens team closer to its own size this week.
2A North Murray travels to Jasper to face 3A Pickens tonight at 7:30 p.m.
North Murray used the Pickens game as a rebound last year, outdueling the Dragons 54-50 in this matchup a year ago after an opening loss to Dalton.
Pickens gets this year’s game on its home field, however, and the Dragons are coming off of an impressive week one 38-21 win over Class 4A Sonoraville.
After a few turnovers early in the second half, the Mountaineer offense, led by new quarterback Skyler Williams, showed some promise late against Dalton. North Murray moved the ball well for most of the game, but turnovers kept the Mountaineers from putting up points.
North Murray also struggled to stop the Dalton passing game. Sophomore Hudson Hulett piled up 17 tackles and an interception, but he had to make several tackles from his safety spot after Dalton had already ripped off a big gain.
North Murray will hope to have a better performance containing standout Pickens quarterback Sam Streicher.
Southeast aiming to rally after week one heartbreak
Southeast Whitfield’s week one loss to Coosa offered both heartbreak and signs of encouragement for the young Raiders.
The Raiders quickly fell behind 21-0 to Coosa, but Southeast rallied just as quickly. Alberto Rios rushed for a pair of touchdowns and a two-point conversion as 25 straight points gave Southeast the lead by the fourth quarter, but Coosa woke up for a late touchdown to steal back the win.
Southeast will try to transfer some of that momentum from the thunderous comeback into a home game tonight at 7:30 against Gordon Central.
Gordon Central was beaten soundly by Armuchee 35-14 in week one, falling into a 28-0 hole before adding a pair of late touchdowns.
Southeast defeated Gordon Central 34-21 a year ago.
Murray travels to LFO looking for early-season win
The Murray County Indians had to be pleased with a first-half performance against Coahulla Creek to open the season. Murray trailed 6-0 at halftime, and a Braxton Vineyard interception in the end zone preserved that score just before half.
Then, the wheels fell off. Creek piled up points and pulled away for a 42-13 win.
The Indians hope to put together two good halves against Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe. Murray travels to LFO tonight at 7:30.
The Warriors marked the closest call Murray had in getting an early-season win a year ago. The Indians fell 13-7 at home in overtime to LFO last year and went on to lose their first nine games straight. With region powers upcoming on the schedule, Murray can gather some momentum with a win.
LFO was shut down 42-14 by Gilmer in the opening week of the season.
Christian Heritage returns to town to start long home stand
After a week one 42-21 road loss to North Cobb Christian to begin the season, Christian Heritage and new head coach Frank Barden return to Dalton to settle in for a lengthy homestand.
Christian Heritage’s game tonight at 8 against Temple is the first of four straight for the Lions at home. The game time was moved to 8 p.m. from the originally-scheduled 7:30 due to forecasts of hot weather tonight.
The Lions host a Temple team that is coming off a 57-6 thrashing of Pike County in the opening week. Christian Heritage traveled to Temple a year ago and left with a 21-6 win, holding a prolific offense to its lowest point total of the year.
The Christian Heritage defense faced a challenging start with a North Cobb Christian team that finished 10-2 last season, but the Lion offense showed some early flashes. Quarterback Carter Triplett ran for two touchdowns that helped the Lions tie the game at 14 midway through the second quarter. Triplett got the passing game going too, throwing a late touchdown pass after North Cobb Christian had pulled away.
The defense will strive for a more productive outing against the run-heavy offense of Temple, which piled up 322 rushing yards last week against Pike County.
Dalton gets early-season rest
Dalton has an open date tonight after defeating North Murray 35-14 in week one. The Catamounts resume next week with a home game against Sonoraville.