High school football: Previews for Thursday’s night games involving Gaston County teams
Most Gaston County high school football games will be played Thursday this week. The big East Gaston at Burns game is scheduled for Friday.
Below are previews for Thursday’s games and a full area schedule.
(Observer’s Sweet 16 rankings are included)
Gaston County
Ashbrook (3-4, 3-1 Big South 3A) at South Point (3-4, 1-3), 7:30 p.m. – South Point’s margin of error for gaining a playoff berth is narrow, and the Raiders are mired in their first three-game losing streak since 2016. Ashbrook has won three in a row, with RB Jamir Fox averaging almost 100 yards per game. South Point’s offense hasn’t suffered during the losing streak, and RB Chanyce Ford has 882 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
Forestview (1-6, 0-4 Big South 3A) at Crest (7-0, 4-0), 7:30 p.m. – Forestview has a solid ground game behind junior RB Christian Holland, who is averaging 102 yards a game. But the Jaguars face a tough test, trying to slow down Crest’s 53-point-a-game offense. QB Ny’tavious Huskey has thrown for 2,108 yards and 22 touchdowns.
North Gaston (1-6, 1-3 Big South 3A) at Hunter Huss (4-3, 3-1), 7:30 p.m. – The host Huskies’ last winning season was in 2019, but they’ve won three straight and can clinch at least a .500 regular season with a victory Thursday. Two of their victories in the current streak were in overtime. North Gaston RB Jayvain Knox has four 100-yard games this season.
Stuart Cramer (0-7, 0-4 Big South 3A) at Kings Mountain (7-0, 4-0), 7:30 p.m. – Kings Mountain is allowing only 9.2 points a game, with LB Curtis Simpson totaling 19 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. Moving the ball will be a tough task for a Stuart Cramer offense with freshmen and sophomores in a number of key positions.
This week’s schedule
(kickoffs at 7 p.m., unless otherwise noted)
WEEK 9
THURSDAY
Big South 3A
Ashbrook at South Point
Forestview at Crest
North Gaston at Hunter Huss
Stuart Cramer at Kings Mountain
FRIDAY
Queen City 3A-4A
Chambers at North Mecklenburg
Harding at West Charlotte
Hopewell at West Mecklenburg
Hough at Mallard Creek
South Meck 4A
Olympic at Myers Park
South Mecklenburg at Ardrey Kell
Southwestern 4A
Butler at Charlotte Catholic
East Mecklenburg at IndependenceRocky River at Providence
Big South (NCISAA)
Charlotte Country Day at Charlotte Latin
Providence Day at Charlotte Christian
Greater Metro 4 4A
Lake Norman at Cox Mill
Mooresville at West Cabarrus
South Iredell at A.L. Brown
Southern Carolina 4A
Cuthbertson at Porter Ridge
Sun Valley at Weddington
South Piedmont 3A
Central Cabarrus at West Rowan, 7:30
Concord at Northwest Cabarrus
East Rowan at Jesse Carson
South Rowan at Jay M. Robinson
Western Foothills 3A
Hickory at West Iredell, 6:30
North Lincoln at Fred T. Foard, 7:30
Statesville at North Iredell, 6:30
St. Stephens at East Lincoln, 7:30
Rocky River 2A-3A
Monroe at Anson County
Piedmont at Forest Hills
West Stanly at Parkwood
Piedmont Athletic (NCISAA)
Hickory Grove Christian at Asheville Christian
Asheville School at High Point Christian
Western Athletic (NCISAA)
Metrolina Christian at Cannon School
Catawba Valley 2A
East Burke at Lincolnton, 7:30
Maiden at Bunker Hill, 7:30
Newton-Conover at Bandys, 7:30
West Caldwell at West Lincoln, 7:30
Catawba Shores 1A-2A
Bishop McGuinness at Mountain Island Charter
Carver at Pine Lake Prep
Winston-Salem Prep at Christ the King
Southern Piedmont 1A-2A
Bessemer City at Shelby, 7:30
East Gaston at Burns, 7:30
Thomas Jefferson Academy at Cherryville, 7:30
Yadkin Valley 1A-2A
Mount Pleasant at Albemarle, 7:30
North Stanly at South Stanly, 7:30
Nonconference
Orangewood Christian (FL) at Covenant Day
Palisades at Marvin Ridge
Union Academy at Lake Norman Charter
S.C. Region 3 5A
Blythewood at Clover, 7:30
Fort Mill at Spring Valley, 7:30
Nation Ford at Rock Hill, 7:30
S.C. Region 3 4A
Catawba Ridge at Lancaster, 7:30
Northwestern at York, 7:30
South Pointe at Indian Land, 7:30
S.C. Region 4 3A
Clinton at Woodruff, 7:30
Emerald at Chester, 7:30
S.C. Region 5 2A
Buford at Chesterfield, 7:30
Central Pageland at Andrew Jackson, 7:30
North Central at Cheraw, 7:30
S.C. Region 3 1A
McBee at C.A. Johnson, 7:30
Lewisville at Great Falls, 7:30
SATURDAY
Nonconference
Cabarrus Stallions at Greenville (SC) Hurricanes, 5
Open week: Berry Academy, Community School of Davidson, Corvian Community, Garinger, Hickory Ridge, Highland Tech, SouthLake Christian