Area teams face good tests tonight

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on September 26, 2008 1:05 PM

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Weather permitting, just three of eight area football teams will play at home tonight. The other five face strong road tests as non-conference play begins to wind down.

Rosewood (1-3 overall) welcomes unbeaten Midway to Branch Pope Field on Hall of Fame night. At halftime, two former Rosewood alumni -- Bobby Riggs and Jessica Heitpas -- will be inducted into the school's athletics Hall of Fame.

Princeton returns to action after a bye week. The Bulldawgs (1-3) entertain Franklinton (2-3) at the Fred Bartholomew Athletic Complex. It's the first game since a tragic accident killed one football player and severely injured two others more than a week ago.

North Duplin (2-3 overall) looks to snap a three-game losing streak when Hobbton invades H.E. Grubbs Field in Calypso. The Wildcats are 2-1 against Carolina 1-A Conference teams this season.

No. 1-ranked and unbeaten James Kenan (5-0) puts its 27-game, regular-season win streak on the line against Greene Central. The Rams, directed by first-year coach Ken Grantham, pay a visit to Bill Taylor Field in search of their second victory in 2008.

Down south in Duplin County, two perennial football powers meet at Thell B. Overman Field in Teachey. Wallace-Rose Hill, a fixture in the Class 1-A playoffs on a yearly basis, entertains Goldsboro. It's just the second meeting between the two schools since the 1980s. The Cougars are 6-4-1 in non-conference games with head coach Eric Reid.

At LaGrange, Charles B. Aycock (1-3) has the undaunting task of slowing down the area's leading rusher -- North Lenoir's Marquez Powell, who has rushed for nearly 800 yards. The Hawks, directed by NL alum Wayne Jackson, are off to a surprising 3-1 start despite having just six seniors.

Southern Wayne (1-4) rambles into Nash County for a game at unbeaten and state-ranked Rocky Mount. The Gryphons won both meetings last year, including a third-round victory in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3-A (small-school) playoffs.

Spring Creek (0-4) heads toward the coast for a contest at Holly Ridge Dixon. The Gators look to snap a 20-game losing streak, while the Bulldogs have claimed two one-point victories against Carolina 1-A opposition this season.

All games kick off at 7:30 p.m.