High School Football Preview: Previews, picks, schedule. Your guide to Friday’s games

Friday is Week 2 of the high school football season, and some extreme temperatures are expected.

Many schools have pushed back kickoff times, up to an hour, to 8 p.m. Please check with the home school for times before heading out for games Friday.

Prep football preview, schedule

(Observer’s Sweet 16 rankings are included)

Mecklenburg County

Benedictine, GA (1-0) at No. 6 Chambers (0-0), 8 p.m. – The visiting Cadets, from the Savannah area, are defending 4A state champions in Georgia and opened with a 42-0 victory last week. Senior QB Luke Kromenhoek is a two-way threat, as he passed for 100 yards and ran for 65 more in the opener. Kromenhoek is a Florida State commit and one of several FBS commits on the team. Chambers features one of the state’s top defenses, with nine returning starters, headed by DB Keelan Flowe, a West Virginia commit.

Buford, GA (1-0) at No. 3 Mallard Creek (1-0), 8 p.m. – The visiting Wolves are ranked No. 1 in Georgia and fifth nationally, and their leader is QB Dylan Raiola, a Georgia commit and five-star recruit. But RB Jordan Allen (140 rushing yards last week) is among the many other weapons on this outstanding team. Mallard Creek’s defense played well last week against Independence. The Mavericks will need a superb outing this week.

No. 14 Charlotte Christian (1-0) at Catawba Ridge (1-0), 7 p.m. – Charlotte Christian survived early mistakes and rallied for a 40-37 victory Saturday over Myers Park, thanks in large part to a pair of kick-return touchdowns by Owen Farrell. Catawba Ridge QB Davin Farrell threw for three touchdowns in the Copperheads’ opening victory.

Charlotte Country Day (0-1) at Community School of Davidson (1-0), 8 p.m. – QB Connor Ferguson passed for 315 yards and five touchdowns last week for Community School of Davidson. But he also was picked off three times, which means Buccaneers’ DB Alston Murphy (five interceptions last season) could play a big role in this game.

Charlotte Latin (0-1) at Mountain Island Charter (1-0), 8 p.m. – The Hawks totaled less than 200 yards’ offense last week in a 16-7 loss to Mitchell County. They’ll need a lot more than that against a high-scoring Raptors’ team that includes WR Reginald Daniel, who had 164 receiving yards and three touchdowns last week.

Covenant Day (0-1) at Thomas Jefferson Academy (0-1), 7 p.m. – Covenant Day got 245 passing yards and three touchdowns last week from QB Will Andrews. This week, the Lions face a young and inexperienced Gryphons’ team.

East Gaston (1-0) at Corvian Community (1-0), 8 p.m. – Corvian has stepped up its level of competition this season, and East Gaston is one of those tougher foes. Isaac Brown rushed for 140 yards last week in East Gaston’s victory over North Gaston. The Cardinals counter with junior QB A.J. Jackson, who threw for 178 yards and a touchdown last week.

East Mecklenburg (0-1) at Palisades (0-1), 8 p.m. – Palisades rallied for two late touchdowns in a 28-19 loss Saturday to a strong West Charlotte team, and the Pumas would appear to stand a solid chance of scoring their first-ever victory over a 4A opponent. They went 1-9 a year ago, beating a 1A team from South Carolina. The visiting Eagles are young at the skill positions, but sophomore QB James Bailey III has shown promise.

Garinger (0-1) at Berry Academy (1-0), 8 p.m. – Garinger, a young team with little depth, was trounced 52-0 in its opener. Senior QB Tanner Bushee had a big game in Berry’s opening 32-24 victory, passing for 125 yards and rushing for another 100.

Harding (0-1) at Ben Smith (0-1), 7:30 p.m. – Harding is logging the miles in this early part of the season, as the Rams traveled to Orangeburg, S.C., last week. Each team suffered a one-sided loss, and Harding could do itself a favor by getting RB Clifton Seven untracked this week, to control the ball.

Hickory Grove Christian (1-0) at Highland Tech (0-1), 7:30 p.m. – The host Rams try their luck at stopping Hickory Grove RB Anthony Hawkins, who rushed for more than 300 yards last week. And WR Aydan Cannon had four receptions for 176 yards.

Hickory Ridge (0-1) vs. Independence (0-1), at Rocky River High, 8 p.m. – Note the location for this game. It’s a meeting of two teams that are expected to be conference title contenders but suffered somewhat surprising losses in their openers. Independence’s standout QB, Justin Little, was singed by two pick-six’s from Mallard Creek. Hickory Ridge’s defense was blistered in a 48-41 loss to Jay M. Robinson. Each team will be looking for big improvement this week.

No. 7 Hough (0-1) at Myers Park (0-1), 8 p.m. – This is a meeting of teams that lost in Saturday’s Turf Kings Classic at Memorial Stadium. Hough will be looking to provide more support for junior QB Trey Blakeney, who was frequently hurried Saturday against Byrnes (SC). Myers Park’s special teams allowed two kick returns for touchdowns against Charlotte Christian.

Lake Norman Charter (1-0) at Winston-Salem Prep (0-0), 7 p.m. – The Knights totaled seven sacks and two fumble recoveries in last week’s lopsided victory over SouthLake Christian. The host Phoenix is a young team, with seven freshmen among the 26 players listed on the roster.

No. 16 Marvin Ridge (1-0) at Hopewell (1-0), 8 p.m. – The host Titans got a big game from QB Edward Johnson in a 52-0 rout of overmatched Garinger, but they’ll face a tougher foe this week. The visiting Mavericks exploded for 440-plus rushing yards (245 from QB Evan Medders) in beating Winston-Salem area power Reagan.

No. 9 Monroe (1-0) at No. 15 West Charlotte (1-0), 8 p.m. – How will a state-power 2A team face against 3A power West Charlotte? Monroe has a big-play offense featuring WR Jordan Young, who had a 47-yard touchdown catch last week. West Charlotte looked tough on both sides of the ball Saturday, although the Lions slipped a bit late in their 28-19 victory over Palisades. This will be the first true home game in three years for West Charlotte, where a stadium renovation recently was completed.

Northern Durham (0-1) at Charlotte Catholic (1-0), 7 p.m. – The visiting Knights moved the ball in the air last week but rushed for only 45 yards on 37 carries in a 27-6 loss to Lee County. That could play into the hands of Charlotte Catholic, which has 10 returning defensive starters this season and shut down South Mecklenburg’s offense in a 49-16 victory last week.

Olympic (1-0) at North Mecklenburg (0-1), 8 p.m. – The conventional thinking was that Olympic might have slipped a few rungs this season, losing a number of potential players to the new Palisades program. But the Trojans won 42-0 last week as junior RB Devin Walker carried for 182 yards. North Mecklenburg’s defense, led by DT Charles House, was plenty tough in the Vikings’ opener, a 7-6 loss to Lake Norman.

No. 1 Providence Day (1-0) at Asheville (1-0), 7 p.m. – Asheville edged rival Tuscola 25-22 last week, with junior RB Josh Ellis rushing for 145 yards. The Cougars are likely to try and play ball control against the Chargers’ high-octane offense, led by QB Jadyn Davis. He passed for 499 yards last week, but the Chargers’ defense looked shaky at times in a 42-35 victory over Northwestern.

Richmond Senior (0-1) at No. 12 Butler (0-1), 8 p.m. – It seems hard to believe that one of these traditional 4A state powers will be 0-2 after Friday night. The visiting Raiders averaged only 2.9 yards in 29 rushing attempts last week and will need more than that against a veteran Butler defense. The Bulldogs, 21-19 losers to powerhouse Rolesville in their opener, will try to avoid falling into an early hole like they did last week.

Rocky River (0-1) at West Mecklenburg (0-1), 8 p.m. – Rocky River lost its opener 46-0; West Mecklenburg fell 42-0. So each team will be looking for some offensive output in this game. RB Beady Waddell V of West Mecklenburg could be a game-breaker here.

South Mecklenburg (0-1) at Providence (0-1), 8 p.m. – Providence sophomore QB Jackson Debe passed for nearly 300 yards last week, but the Panthers had trouble moving the ball on the ground. South Mecklenburg will be looking for an improved performance from its defense, which allowed 49 points in an opening loss to Charlotte Catholic.

SouthLake Christian (0-1) at Pine Lake Prep (0-0), 8 p.m. – The visiting Eagles are trying to rebuild their program and are young. That’s a similar theme at Pine Lake Prep, which has only four returning starters from last season.

Union Academy (0-1) at Christ the King (0-1), 8 p.m. – WR C.J. Hartley had five receptions for 102 yards last week, when 1A Union Academy lost to 3A South Rowan. Jack Yenichek had a big defensive game last week for Christ the King, with an interception and eight tackles, two of them for lost yardage.

No. 2 Weddington (1-0) at Ardrey Kell (1-0), 8 p.m. – First of all, leave early for this game. When these two neighboring rivals last played at Ardrey Kell, two years ago, traffic was backed up so badly on Ardrey Kell Road that some fans didn’t arrive until halftime. Ardrey Kell will have to make sure its defense arrives for the start of the game, as Weddington looked powerful in its opening 54-3 rout of Cox Mill. QB Tyler Budge passed for 202 yards, and the Warriors moved the ball at will.

Cabarrus Game of Week

Northwest Cabarrus (1-0) at A.L. Brown (1-0), 8 p.m. – Northwest Cabarrus opened with a 21-0 victory last week, and the Trojans’ will put their powerful defense, led by LB Jackson Forrest, up against a Wonders’ team that beat a solid West Rowan squad 38-27 last week. QB C.J. Gray leads the offense. By the way, don’t look for a close game. In these teams’ last eight meetings, the average margin of difference was 34 points.

Gaston Game of Week

Hunter Huss (1-0) at Hibriten (0-1), 8 p.m. – Huss QB Javarion Brown accounted for four touchdowns in the Huskies’ 37-21 victory last week. Awaiting the Huskies in Lenoir this week is a Hibriten team that gave up three long touchdown passes last week in its opening loss to Hickory.

Iredell Game of Week

Lake Norman (1-0) at Statesville (0-1), 8 p.m. – Common sense says this will be a low-scoring, defensive-minded game. Lake Norman beat North Mecklenburg 7-6 last week, while Statesville lost 13-6 to Alexander Central. Nyquarius Faulkner returned a fumble 70 yards for the Greyhounds’ only score. Lake Norman turned the ball over five times last week and won on a touchdown in the closing minutes.

Lincoln Game of Week

Lincolnton (0-1) at North Lincoln (0-1), 8 p.m. – Lincolnton had a pair of 100-yard rushers in its opening loss last week. North Lincoln fell 21-20 to West Lincoln, but LB Ryan Bassani had a superb game, finishing with 24 tackles and forcing three fumbles.

Union Game of Week

No. 2 Weddington (1-0) at Ardrey Kell (1-0), 8 p.m. – (see above, in Mecklenburg County listings)

Upstate S.C. Game of Week

Clover (0-0) at Northwestern (0-1), 7:30 p.m. – Clover has the unenviable task of catching Northwestern on the heels of a loss. Junior QB Finley Folk had a big game against Providence Day, throwing for 399 yards. The Trojans had five receivers with four or more catches. Northwestern has won 13 of its last 15 meetings with Clover, but three of the teams’ last four meetings were decided by a touchdown or less.

The Picks

Here are this week’s picks from The Observer’s “Talking Preps” streaming show co-hosts and WPEG-FM radio personality “No Limit” Larry Mims.

This week’s schedule

FRIDAY

Mecklenburg nonconference

Benedictine (GA) at Chambers, 8

Buford (GA) at Mallard Creek, 8

Charlotte Christian at Catawba Ridge (SC), 7:30

Charlotte Country Day at Community School of Davidson, 8

Charlotte Latin at Mountain Island Charter, 8

Covenant Day at Thomas Jefferson Academy, 7

East Gaston at Corvian Community, 8

East Mecklenburg at Palisades, 8

Garinger at Berry Academy, 8

Harding at Ben Smith, 7

Hickory Grove Christian at Highland Tech, 7:30

Hickory Ridge vs. Independence, at Rocky River High, 8

Hough at Myers Park, 8

Lake Norman Charter at Winston-Salem Prep, 7

Marvin Ridge at Hopewell, 8

Monroe at West Charlotte, 8

Northern Durham at Charlotte Catholic, 7

Olympic at North Mecklenburg, 8

Providence Day at Asheville, 7

Richmond Senior at Butler, 8

Rocky River at West Mecklenburg, 8

South Mecklenburg at Providence, 8

SouthLake Christian at Pine Lake Prep, 8

Union Academy at Christ the King, 8

Weddington at Ardrey Kell, 8

Area nonconference

Bessemer City at North Gaston, 7:30

Cannon School vs. Hickory Hawks, at Lenoir-Rhyne Univ., 7:30

Carolina Bearcats at Southside Christian (SC), 7:30

Central Cabarrus at Piedmont, 8

Central Davidson at Cuthbertson, 8

Central Pageland (SC) at Parkwood, 8

Concord at Mount Pleasant, 8

East Lincoln at Forestview, 7:30

Hunter Huss at Hibriten, 8

Jay M. Robinson at West Cabarrus, 8

Kings Mountain at Cox Mill, 8

Lake Norman at Statesville, 7:30

Lincolnton at North Lincoln, 8

North Iredell at Starmount, 8

North Rowan at Forest Hills, 8

Northwest Cabarrus at A.L. Brown, 8

Porter Ridge at South Iredell, 7

Ronald Reagan at Mooresville, 8

Stuart Cramer at Chase, 7:30

Sun Valley at Anson County, 8

West Caldwell at West Iredell, 7:30

West Lincoln at Cherryville, 7:30

S.C. nonconference

Andrew Jackson at Fairfield Central, 7:30

Buford at McBee, 7:30

Central Pageland at Parkwood, 8

Charlotte Christian at Catawba Ridge, 7

Clover at Northwestern, 8

Fort Mill at Chester, 7:30

Indian Land at Timberland, 7:30

Lancaster at Irmo, 7:30

Rock Hill at South Pointe, 8

York at Nation Ford, 8

SATURDAY

Area nonconference

Metrolina Christian at Greater Cabarrus Stallions, 7

Open week: Ashbrook, South Point