PREP FOOTBALL: County rivalry part of tonight's season-opening games

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on August 19, 2016 1:49 PM

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Spring workouts, 7-on-7 offensive camps, scrimmages and 17 days of preseason practice are over.

Now the real fun begins.

And what better way to kick off the 2016 high school football season than with a county rivalry game?

Charles B. Aycock crosses the Little River to face Rosewood at Branch Pope Field. Kickoff is 7 p.m. in a duel that started in the mid-1970s and took two breaks when the new millenium approached.

"It doesn't get any better than playing under the lights against a long-time county rival for the first game of the season," RHS head coach Robert Britt said. "Both communities coming out to see their team... I'm excited to see what the season can be."

The Golden Falcons and Eagles are just two of nine teams in the News-Argus readership area who open their respective campaigns tonight.

On tap are:

* North Lenoir at Eastern Wayne;

* Beddingfield at Goldsboro;

* James Kenan at Southern Wayne;

* South Lenoir at Spring Creek;

* Southside at North Duplin;

* and Kestrel Heights at Princeton.

Wayne Christian begins its inaugural season in varsity competition with a home date against Grace Christian-Sanford on the 8-man scene.

"I know that with what I've got here this year, we've got the ability to do well," said Wayne Christian head coach Scott Pinder, who is a CBA graduate.

"It's just a matter if we put it together. There are some teams that are going to be huge challenges for us. But the rest, I think, we can we play right there with them."

Aycock has won the last 10 meetings against Rosewood. The two teams have been season-opening opponents on 17 occasions with the Golden Falcons holding a 13-4 edge.

N.C. State commit Damien Darden and the quarterback-receiver tandem of Jake Flowers and Chandler Matthews will present a challenge for Britt's defense. His line will also have to contend with 1,000-yard rusher Caleb Gough.

Rosewood will counter with two-way threat Cameron Helt, who has accounted for more than 4,000 yards of offense and guided the program to 14 wins during his two-year varsity career. The savvy quarterback lost his main running back and receiver to graduation.

"They're a very well-coached team," fourth-year CBA head coach Steve Brooks said. "(It's a) huge challenge playing a rivalry game for game one (of the season). They have athletic kids who play hard.

"It's great to have football back."