Two rivals meet up on the gridiron this Friday night with Wilkes Central looking to remain undefeated in conference play, and the Huskies trying to build off of last week’s win over Alleghany.
Ashe used tailback Jonathan Cox and a strong defense to post a 21-12 win last week, while also snapping a three game losing streak and keeping its playoff hopes alive.
Cox carried the ball 25 times for 179 yards and two touchdowns, and chipped in on defense as well, grabbing an interception. As a team, the Huskies forced four turnovers and blocked a punt.
This week, Ashe has to travel to Wilkes Central and face the Eagles, who are currently 6-1 overall and 5-0 in the Mountain Valley Athletic Conference. The Eagles struggled last week in a rivalry matchup versus East Wilkes. Cameron Williams scored a touchdown with under a minute remaining to give the Eagles a 21-14 win. Williams finished the game with 166 yards and scored all three Eagle touchdowns.
Joining Williams in the backfield will be starting quarterback Calvin Shomaker and tailback Hank Privette. All three guys get plenty of carries, and put a lot of pressure on the defense.
The Eagles are a relatively young team that had to replace over 20 graduating seniors that saw extensive playing time last year.
Defensively, Wilkes Central has surrendered exactly 100 points this season over seven games, just a little over 14 points allowed per game. However, the Eagle defense has been even stronger against conference opponents, allowing just 54 points in five games, including holding West Wilkes to nine points and Forbush to just three points.
While the offense has not been near as explosive as in years past, the Eagles still do a good job moving the ball and capitalizing on scoring opportunities. Central is second in points scored this season with 202 and trails only Starmount in that category.
Historically, these two rivals have always played in close games, and the old saying of “throw the record books out when these two teams play” usually seems to hold true. The Eagles will be looking for its third straight win over the Huskies. Wilkes Central knocked off Ashe last season 29-14 and beat them 29-20 in 2010. Before that, Ashe had won three straight games. Ashe won by scores of 14-7, 30-28 and 39-28. The 2008 game will forever be remembered as the game where quarterback Daniel Waln scrambled around and launched a Hail Mary pass as time expired, only to be pulled down by wide receiver Greyson Wells to give Ashe the two-point victory. Video footage of that final play can still be found on YouTube.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. from Wes Steele Stadium. Live play-by-play can be heard on 580 WKSK.
Other area games:
East Wilkes at Forbush
Elkin at Alleghany
Hibriten at Hickory
Madison County at Avery County
Mount Airy at Bishop McGuinness
North Stokes at East Surry
North Wilkes at Starmount
South Caldwell at Watauga
South Stokes at West Stokes
Surry Central at North Surry
West Caldwell at Bunker Hill
Post a Comment
