NCPreps.com - Catawba Valley Clash

October 28, 2009

Josh Edmonson
NCPreps.com Staff Writer

Bandys Trojans vs. East Burke Cavaliers
Danny Williams Field - Connelly Springs, NC
Friday, October 30, 2009 - 7:30 p.m.

The 2009 season is winding down to its unfortunate end. It seems as if just yesterday the 2009 season got under way with season opening kickoffs all across the state of North Carolina. The season has been full of ups and downs for some teams. Some teams have lived up to their lofty pre-season expectations, whereas others have folded under the pressure. There have been a handful of lopsided games, and a handful of nail-biters. There have been some memorable moments, and there have been some not-so-memorable moments. Annual rivalries have been renewed, and budding rivalries have continued to grow.

Week #11 presents us with some pretty intriguing match-ups all across our great state, some which have major implications as far as conference championships and playoff positioning are concerned. East Bladen takes the field against South Brunswick and can clinch the conference title win a victory. The defending 2AA State Champion Reidsville Rams put their 41-game winning streak on the line as they travel to Eastern Randolph. East Duplin faces off against Richlands, Carver travels to High Point Andrews, and Thomasville hosts Salisbury, among others. There are definitely some action-packed contests on the horizon Friday night, especially in Connelly Springs, North Carolina at Danny Williams Field near the campus of East Burke High School.

Danny Williams Field will be the venue for one of the most anticipated, most talked about, and quite possibly one of the most memorable match-ups of the 2009 season. Danny Williams Field is home to the East Burke Cavaliers, one of the newest members of the Catawba Valley Athletic 2A Conference. Friday night, Danny Williams Field will be invaded by the green and gold as the East Burke Cavaliers host the Bandys Trojans in a very critical CVAC Conference showdown. A possible #1 seed is on the line, but more importantly, a CVAC Conference Championship is on the line as two of the best teams in the conference butt heads on the gridiron.

The scenarios are very simple. An East Burke victory over the Trojans creates a 3-way log-jam at the top of the conference between Bandys, East Burke, and Newton-Conover, should each team win their final regular season game next week. A Bandys victory over the Cavaliers will keep the Trojans conference record unblemished, and give them the 2009 Catawba Valley Athletic 2A Conference Championship.

The Cavaliers and the Trojans enter this Friday night's match-up in similar fashion. The Cavaliers made the trip to Maiden, North Carolina to take on the Maiden Blue Devils in Blue Devil Stadium last Friday night. East Burke's size and athleticism proved to be too much for the Blue Devils to handle as the Cavaliers defeated the Blue Devils in convincing fashion, 42-0. Justin Lail led the Cavaliers with 2 TD passes (50-yard strike to Josh Debro and a 47-yard strike to Joseph Jacomine). Dustin Wilson also had an impressive game rushing 8 times for 159 yards and 2 TDs, and Kenneth Gaither carried 13 times for 101 yards.

The Trojans made the trip to Statesville, North Carolina to take on the South Iredell Vikings in Viking Valley last Friday night. The Vikings were looking to end the Trojans undefeated run in conference play, but the Trojan balanced offensive attack and stellar defense proved too much for the Vikings as the Trojans defeated South Iredell in impressive fashion, 30-0. Kyle Houser went 8-13, 7-7 in the second half, with 106 yards and 2 TD passes (26-yard strike to Seth Cranfil just as the halftime horn sounded, and a 22-yard strike to Kenneth Hodge). Trenton Millsaps led the Trojans rushing attack with 125 rushing yards, 112 of which came in the first half. The Trojan defense continued its stellar play in the CVAC Conference. The Vikings became the 5th team to not reach double-figures on the scoreboard in as many games. No CVAC Conference team has scored more than 9 points against the Trojan defense this year, and the Trojan defense is only giving up an average of 6.2 points per game in that span.

On paper these two teams match-up very well. Many people feel that the strength of the East Burke defense is in the secondary, led by athletic safety Josh Debro. The Cavaliers secondary will surely welcome the challenge the Trojan passing attack presents. The Trojans passing attack is by far the best in the CVAC Conference, led by QB Kyle Houser and his arsenal of receivers Seth Cranfil, Tyler Hynes, Cody Hughes, Kenneth Hodge, and Maxwell Carr. Just as the Cavaliers secondary will surely welcome the challenge the Trojan passing attack presents, the Trojan passing attack will surely welcome the challenge the East Burke secondary presents. The East Burke secondary will be the best the Trojans have seen all year. Josh Debro leads a group of DBs that can wreak havoc on a team's passing attack.

Both teams have the capability to run the football. Dustin Wilson, Kenneth Gaither, and Eric Carson lead the Cavaliers rushing attack, and all three have the capability to go over the century mark in a game. They have that capability because of the Cavaliers solid offensive line.

The Trojans will hand the ball off to the CVAC Conference's leading rusher Trenton Millsaps. Millsaps is a big back, who has enough speed to break a long one if given the opportunity. Millsaps also has the strength to run through arm tackles, and doesn't shy away from contact. Millsaps offensive line has done a good job as well opening up running lanes. The Trojans have also incorporated Kyle Houser into their running game. In his first two years, Houser wasn't known for his ability to hurt you with his legs. This year, Houser will beat you with his legs and/or his arm if you let him because of his maturation as a QB at the high school level.

Both teams have defenses that have proven they can keep teams off the scoreboard, so points may be at a premium in Friday night's game. However, we've all seen how games that are predicted to be low-scoring, end up turning into offensive shoot-outs. But, if one of these defenses can force the other team's offense into being one-dimensional, it'll greatly help their team's chances of walking away with the victory.

Do you want to know what high school football is all about? Make the trip to Connelly Springs, North Carolina on Friday night. Pay the price of admission into beautiful Danny Williams Field, find your seat, and watch the Trojans do battle with the Cavaliers. It's goin' to be one heckuva slobber-knocker!! I can guarantee you'll get your money's worth Friday night! Why would you want to be anywhere else?

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