It was another rough county week, as McMichael, Rockingham, and Morehead were all on the wrong sides of shutouts. The Reidsville Rams were part of that, defeating McMichael to become the only county team to get a win. Let’s dive in.
Coming into the historic Reidsville vs. McMichael game, it was all lopsided. Reidsville had won every matchup for thirty-four years, ever since before McMichael was even a school, with them competing every year aside from the COVID-19 year. This game was no different, as it was the second-largest win for Reidsville over McMichael in the history of the rivalry, 66-0. Reidsville had no drives last more than two plays, seven different players scored touchdowns in the first half, and they put up 52 in the first twenty-four minutes. One of the most insane statistics is that McMichael had more first downs than Reidsville, in part because Reidsville scored on most of their plays, literally. They also had two punt returns for a touchdown and a kickoff return for a touchdown. Reidsville now improves to 6-0 and 2-0 in conference play, while McMichael drops their third straight and falls to 0-3 in the Mid-State 2A.
Rockingham also lost in a pivotal matchup when they took on Eastern Guilford, as they looked to secure a 3-0 conference record for the first time in well over a decade. It was going to be a matchup of Eastern Guilford’s offense, putting up 57 per game in the Mid-State 3A, and Rockingham’s defense, allowing 7 per game in the Mid-State 3A. Eastern Guilford won that tug-of-war handily, taking down Rockingham, 41-0, to improve to 3-0 in conference play and win the battle of the Mid-State 3A undefeated.
Morehead was the third county victim tonight, losing 39-15 to the Walkertown Wolfpack. This is the fourth time that the two teams have met, and like McMichael–Reidsville with less of a rich history, as Walkertown has owned the rivalry. Morehead scored the most points in the rivalry with fifteen, however, they still lost by 24, and now, Walkertown averages over 38 points in the rivalry and Morehead averaging just eleven. Morehead drops their conference record to 1-2, tied for fourth in the Mid-State 2A.
Next week in the Rock, Rockingham looks to bounce back when they play High Point Central. Rockingham has been abysmal offensively, averaging just six per game in the conference. HPCHS is the team to bounce back against, as the Bison are coming off of their best game, losing 40-0. Teams average over 53 against them, including non-conference, so this is a massive opportunity for the Cougars. Morehead and T.W. Andrews have played each of the past three years, with Morehead winning close ones in 2021 and 2022, and Andrews getting a big win in 2023. They face off again next Friday at John Motley Morehead High School Stadium. McMichael takes a much needed week off after a bumpy, to say the least, start to conference play, and they will use this to recover from the injury bug.
Most importantly, Reidsville and West Stokes will clash in the Lucky City. Reidsville and West Stokes are two of the final three undefeated teams left in the Mid-State 2A, and if Reidsville wins and Walkertown defeats North Forsyth, the Rams will have back-to-back weeks competing in undefeated matchups. Reidsville has not lost a conference game in well over a decade, and after a dominant start to the season, it looks like they can continue that streak.