Two more leagues get down to business as PAC-6 still rolls along

BY JOE JOHNSON

jjohnson@heraldsun.com; 419-6667

Teams from the Carolina 6 3-A and the Carolina 9 1-A/2-A will get their first taste of conference play after an extended non-conference slate, while the PAC-6 will have another showdown week for its top teams.

Chapel Hill (2-4, 0-0 Carolina 6) is riding a two-game winning streak as it hosts Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons (5-1, 0-0). Both teams are coming off open dates and Chapel Hill coach Issac Marsh said his team needed the extra time to prepare for Cardinal Gibbons.

"We have to execute on offense and we have to stop their running game," Marsh said.

It's that simple for Chapel Hill, which is facing one of the toughest running teams in the conference for its opener.

"They're pretty straightforward and they like to control the ball with the running game," Marsh said.

Orange (3-3, 0-0 Carolina 6) also will try to extend its winning streak to three games when it travels to play Northern Vance (1-5, 0-0). The Panthers won a tough overtime game against South Granville in their last outing they hope to keep their momentum going.

Oxford Webb (2-4, 0-0 Carolina 6) also be on the road at Southern Vance (3-3).

In Carolina 9 action, Carrboro (3-3, 0-0) will be traveling to South Granville (4-3, 0-0) for its third straight road game.

Carrboro coach Jason Tudryn said his team is not taking the Vikings lightly even though South Granville has lost its last three games.

"This is an important conference game," Tudryn said. "They've got a great running back and he's probably the best in the area."

Carrboro has done a good job protecting the ball in its last three games and has not committed a turnover during that stretch. Tudryn said that aspect for the Jaguars and quarterback Derek Bryant has to continue against South Granville.

Northwood (7-0, 0-0 Carolina 9) is the remaining unbeaten area team, and the Chargers will be traveling to Granville Central (0-7, 0-0) to face the winless Panthers. Granville Central has given up at least 40 points in each of its games so far, while Northwood's last three games have been settled by a touchdown or less each.

The top of the PAC-6 standings will be at stake when Southern (6-1, 2-0) hosts Jordan (5-2, 2-0).

Southern is coming off a hard-fought 15-9 win over Person and it be homecoming for the Spartans. Southern coach Adrian Jones said he is pleased with the wins his team has pulled out but not necessarily with how his team won.

"We're still taking too many penalties," Jones said.

Jordan will be facing its toughest test in the PAC-6 so far after knocking off East Chapel Hill and Northern, each which is seeking its first win of the season.

"We're expecting a dogfight," Jordan coach Mike Briggs said. "They've got so much speed and it's hard to slow speed down. We have to sustain drives and control the ball. Somebody is going to come out of this game in the driver's seat."

Hillside (3-3, 0-1 PAC-6) lost its conference open and will be looking to break a two-game overall losing streak when it hosts Person (3-4, 1-1). The Rockets also will be trying to bounce back and stay near the top of the conference standings.

Northern (0-7, 0-2 PAC-6) still is seeking its first victory and will get a visit from Riverside (3-3, 1-0) in what has become a pretty good rivalry game.

"It's a rivalry game. It's a big one," Spell said. "Records don't matter in rivalry games. We have to continue to improve and not make the mistakes we made in the last game."