West Henderson plays at North Buncombe on Friday.

Here are statewide predictions for this week’s football games made by North Carolina analyst Brian Simmons:

WEEK 4 – TOP 10 FEATURED GAMES    Pick
Cape Fear (3-0, 4A) at Sanford, Terry (3-0, 3A)    C by 2
Havelock (3-0, 3A) at Rose, J.H. (1-1, 4A)    H by 12
Hough (2-1, 4A) at Ardrey Kell (2-1, 4A)    H by 6
Midway (3-0, 2A) at Lakewood (2-1, 1A)    L by 3
Mount Tabor (2-1, 4A) at Glenn (3-0, 4A)    M by 7
Northside (Jacksonville) (3-0, 2A) at Clinton (2-0, 2A)    C by 11
Richmond Senior (3-0, 4A) at Butler (2-1, 4A)    B by 17
Robinson, Jay M. (3-0, 3A) at West Rowan (1-1, 3A)*    R by 8
Rocky Mount (2-1, 3A) at Edenton Holmes (3-0, 2A)    R by 7
West Johnston (2-0, 4A) at Cleveland (2-1, 3A)    W by 6

WEEK 4 PICKS    
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 8, 2016    Pick
Cape Hatteras (1A) at First Flight JV (NR)    No pick
Robbinsville (0-2, 1A) at Christ School (1-1, Ind)    C by 15
Weddington (1-2, 3A) at Monroe (1-2, 2A)    W by 4

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2016    Pick
Alleghany (3-0, 1A) at South Stokes (1-2, 2A)    A by 17
Anson (2-1, 3A) at Chesterfield(SC) (NR)    A by 5
Apex Friendship (1-1, 4A) at Fuquay-Varina (2-1, 4A)*    F by 46
Ashe County (1-1, 2A) at Hibriten (3-0, 3A)    H by 47
Asheboro (2-1, 3A) at Eastern Randolph (2-1, 2A)    A by 34
Asheville (1-2, 3A) at Southern Lee (2-0, 3A)    S by 15
Asheville Saints (1-2, Ind) at Asheville School (1-0, Ind)    A Sch by 25
Athens Drive (0-3, 4A) at Apex (0-3, 4A)*    AD by 10
Atkins (0-3, 1A) at West Wilkes (1-1, 2A)    W by 47
Bandys (1-1, 2A) at Alexander Central (2-0, 4A)    A by 32
Berry Academy (0-2, 4A) at Cuthbertson (1-2, 3A)    C by 16
Bertie (1-1, 2A) at Roanoke Rapids (2-0, 2A)    R by 18
Bishop McGuinness (1-2, 1A) at Kestrel Heights (0-1, 1A)    B by 8
Bunn (2-1, 2A) at Northern Vance (2-1, 3A)    B by 16
Byrd, Douglas (0-3, 3A) at Smith, E.E. (1-2, 4A)    S by 36
Camden Military(SC) (NR) at Sandhills Titans (1-2, Ind)    C by 7
Cannon School (2-1, Ind) at Pine Lake Prep (1-2, 1A)    C by 1
Cape Fear (3-0, 4A) at Sanford, Terry (3-0, 3A)    C by 2
Cardinal Gibbons (3-0, 4A) at Broughton (2-1, 4A)    C by 18
Carolina Forest(SC) (NR) at Hoggard (1-2, 4A)    H by 12
Carolina Wildcats(SC) (NR) at Carolina Gladiators (0-2, Ind)*    CW by 49
Carrboro (0-3, 2A) at Northwood (1-2, 3A)    N by 48
Carver (0-3, 2A) at North Forsyth (1-2, 3A)    C by 3
Cary (0-3, 4A) at Panther Creek (0-2, 4A)*    P by 15
Central Cabarrus (1-2, 3A) at Carson (1-1, 3A)*    CC by 12
Charlotte Catholic (2-1, 4A) at Rocky River (1-2, 4A)    C by 17
Charlotte Christian (3-0, Ind) at West Ashley(SC) (NR)    C by 22
Chase (2-1, 2A) at Burns (3-0, 3A)*    B by 31
Cherokee (2-1, 1A) at Cosby(TN) (NR)    Ch by 11
Cherryville (0-3, 1A) at North Gaston (0-3, 3A)    N by 38
Clayton (2-1, 4A) at Smithfield-Selma (0-3, 3A)    C by 47
Cloudland(TN) (NR) at Avery County (0-3, 1A)    C by 22
Columbia (2-1, 1A) at Camden County (0-2, 1A)*    CC by 13
Comm. Sch. of Davidson (0-3, 1A) at North Mecklenburg (1-2, 4A)    N by 44
Concord First Assembly (3-0, Ind) at North Raleigh Christian (1-2, Ind)    C by 29
Corinth Holders (0-2, 3A) at East Wake (1-2, 4A)    E by 1
Cox Mill (0-2, 3A) at East Rowan (1-2, 3A)*    E by 16
Cramer, Stuart (2-1, 2A) at Bessemer City (2-1, 1A)    C by 2
Crest (1-1, 3A) at Draughn (1-2, 2A)*    C by 34
Creswell (0-2, 1A) at Perquimans (1-2, 1A)*    P by 46
Croatan (2-1, 2A) at Topsail (2-1, 3A)    C by 14
Currituck (2-1, 2A) at First Flight (2-0, 2A)    F by 7
Davidson Day (2-1, Ind) at Charlotte Country Day (1-2, Ind)    D by 11
Dixon (0-2, 2A) at East Carteret (2-1, 1A)    E by 39
Dudley (3-0, 4A) at Hillside (2-0, 4A)    D by 25
East Columbus (0-2, 1A) at Trask (3-0, 1A)    T by 41
East Davidson (3-0, 2A) at Ledford (1-2, 3A)    L by 25
East Duplin (2-1, 2A) at Kenan, James (1-1, 1A)    E by 16
East Forsyth (3-0, 4A) at Reagan (2-1, 4A)    E by 24
East Montgomery (3-0, 1A) at Albemarle (0-3, 1A)*    E by 47
East Wilkes (1-1, 1A) at North Stokes (0-3, 1A)    E by 50
Eastern Alamance (3-0, 3A) at McMichael (0-3, 3A)*    E by 44
Enka (0-3, 3A) at Hayesville (0-3, 1A)    E by 22
Enloe (1-1, 4A) at Knightdale (0-3, 4A)    K by 4
Farmville Central (3-0, 2A) at Ayden-Grifton (1-2, 2A)    A by 2
Fike (2-1, 3A) at Beddingfield (2-1, 2A)    F by 8
Foard, Fred T. (2-1, 3A) at West Lincoln (2-1, 2A)    Even – W
Forbush (2-1, 2A) at Starmount (0-2, 1A)    S by 21
Forestview (2-1, 3A) at East Lincoln (3-0, 2A)    F by 13
Franklin (1-1, 2A) at Swain County (0-3, 1A)    F by 31
Garinger (0-3, 4A) at Ashbrook (0-2, 3A)    A by 32
Garner (2-1, 4A) at Leesville Road (2-1, 4A)    G by 19
Goldsboro (0-3, 2A) at Aycock, C.B. (2-1, 3A)    A by 31
Granville Central (1-1, 1A) at South Granville (2-1, 2A)    S by 18
Gray’s Creek (1-2, 3A) at Pine Forest (3-0, 4A)    P by 31
Greene Central (2-1, 2A) at Eastern Wayne (2-0, 3A)    G by 12
Halifax County(VA) (NR) at Person (2-1, 4A)    P by 15
Harding (2-1, 4A) at East Mecklenburg (2-1, 4A)    E by 26
Havelock (3-0, 3A) at Rose, J.H. (1-1, 4A)    H by 12
Hendersonville (2-1, 2A) at North Henderson (2-1, 3A)    H by 9
Heritage (3-0, 4A) at Jordan (0-2, 4A)    H by 44
Hertford County (1-2, 2A) at Southern Vance (0-3, 2A)    H by 41
Hickory Ridge (2-1, 3A) at Concord (2-1, 3A)*    C by 9
High Point Central (1-2, 4A) at Grimsley (2-1, 4A)    G by 17
High Point Christian (2-0, Ind) at Harrells Christian (1-2, Ind)    HPC by 24
Highland Tech (0-2, 1A) at Lake Norman Charter (3-0, 2A)    L by 52
Hoke County (0-3, 4A) at South View (2-1, 4A)    S by 16
Holly Springs (1-2, 4A) at Green Hope (1-2, 4A)*    H by 9
Hough (2-1, 4A) at Ardrey Kell (2-1, 4A)    H by 6
Huss, Hunter (0-3, 2A) at Hickory (0-3, 3A)    HH by 18
Independence (0-3, 4A) at West Mecklenburg (2-1, 4A)    W by 28
Jacksonville (2-1, 3A) at New Bern (0-3, 4A)    N by 11
Kannapolis Brown (3-0, 4A) at Mooresville (1-2, 4A)    B by 10
Kings Mountain (2-1, 3A) at East Rutherford (2-1, 2A)*    K by 31
Landrum(SC) (NR) at Polk County (1-2, 2A)    P by 7
Lejeune (0-3, 1A) at Rosewood (0-3, 1A)    R by 37
Lincolnton (3-0, 2A) at East Gaston (0-2, 3A)    L by 36
Louisburg (0-2, 1A) at Webb, J.F. (1-2, 3A)    W by 27
Madison (2-1, 2A) at Brevard (2-0, 2A)    B by 10
Maiden (1-1, 2A) at St. Stephens (1-1, 3A)    M by 30
Marvin Ridge (0-3, 3A) at Providence Day (1-2, Ind)    M by 6
Mattamuskeet (2-0, 1A) at KIPP Pride Academy (3-0, 1A)    K by 10
McDowell (2-1, 4A) at Mitchell (3-0, 1A)    Mit by 19
Metrolina Christian (1-2, Ind) at Central Academy (1-2, 2A)    M by 13
Midway (3-0, 2A) at Lakewood (2-1, 1A)    L by 3
Mount Airy (3-0, 1A) at North Surry (1-2, 2A)    M by 19
Mount Tabor (2-1, 4A) at Glenn (3-0, 4A)    M by 7
Nash Central (2-1, 3A) at Southwest Edgecombe (0-3, 2A)    N by 6
New Covenant Knights (1-2, Ind) at Carolina Pride (1-2, Ind)    C by 7
North Davidson (3-0, 4A) at Lexington (2-1, 2A)    N by 38
North Georgia Falcons(GA) (NR) at Murphy (2-1, 1A)    M by 15
North Johnston (2-1, 2A) at Princeton (1-2, 1A)    P by 2
North Moore (1-1, 1A) at South Stanly (0-2, 1A)*    N by 15
North Pitt (0-2, 2A) at South Central (1-2, 4A)    S by 25
North Rowan (3-0, 2A) at Davie County (2-1, 4A)    D by 31
North Stanly (1-1, 1A) at West Stanly (2-1, 2A)    W by 13
North Wake Saints (0-0, Ind) at Greensboro Panthers (0-0, Ind)*    N by 10
Northeast Guilford (0-3, 3A) at Rockingham County (0-3, 3A)*    R by 1
Northeastern (2-0, 2A) at Hunt (1-1, 3A)    N by 10
Northern Durham (1-2, 4A) at Millbrook (2-1, 4A)    M by 5
Northern Guilford (0-2, 3A) at Williams (3-0, 3A)*    W by 8
Northern Nash (1-1, 3A) at Laney (1-2, 4A)    L by 1
Northside(Jacksonville) (3-0, 2A) at Clinton (2-0, 2A)    C by 11
Northwest Guilford (3-0, 4A) at Southeast Guilford (2-1, 4A)    N by 11
Northwest Halifax (0-3, 1A) at Manteo (0-3, 1A)    M by 31
Olympic (1-1, 4A) at Hopewell (1-2, 4A)    O by 21
Orange (3-0, 3A) at Cummings (0-3, 2A)    O by 46
Overhills (1-2, 4A) at Harnett Central (0-3, 4A)    O by 23
Parkwood (3-0, 2A) at Buford(SC) (NR)    P by 21
Patton (2-1, 3A) at Wilkes Central (2-1, 2A)    P by 3
Pender (1-1, 1A) at North Duplin (0-3, 1A)    P by 3
Piedmont (0-3, 3A) at Forest Hills (0-3, 2A)    P by 10
Ragsdale (1-2, 4A) at Page (2-1, 4A)    P by 41
Ravenscroft (2-1, Ind) at Charlotte Latin (3-0, Ind)    C by 37
Reidsville (3-0, 2A) at Andrews, T.W. (0-2, 2A)    R by 12
Reynolds, R.J. (1-2, 4A) at Southern Alamance (0-3, 4A)    R by 3
Richmond Senior (3-0, 4A) at Butler (2-1, 4A)    B by 17
Riverside(Durham) (1-2, 4A) at Cedar Ridge (3-0, 3A)    R by 6
Roberson, T.C. (3-0, 4A) at Freedom (2-1, 3A)    F by 27
Robinson, Jay M. (3-0, 3A) at West Rowan (1-1, 3A)*    R by 8
Rocky Mount (2-1, 3A) at Edenton Holmes (3-0, 2A)    R by 7
Rolesville (1-2, 4A) at Wake Forest (3-0, 4A)    W by 43
Rosman (0-2, 1A) at Mountain Heritage (3-0, 2A)    M by 50
R-S Central (2-1, 2A) at Shelby (3-0, 2A)*    S by 45
Salisbury (1-2, 2A) at Lake Norman (3-0, 4A)    L by 58
Science Hill(TN) (NR) at Erwin (1-2, 3A)    S by 12
Scotland (3-0, 4A) at Britt, Jack (2-1, 4A)    S by 21
Seventy-First (2-1, 4A) at Lumberton (1-2, 4A)    S by 9
South Brunswick (1-2, 3A) at North Brunswick (1-1, 2A)    N by 40
South Columbus (2-1, 2A) at Wallace-Rose Hill (3-0, 1A)    W by 26
South Creek (0-3, 1A) at Northside(Pinetown) (3-0, 1A)    N by 15
South Davidson (1-2, 1A) at Union Academy (1-2, 1A)*    U by 37
South Iredell (1-1, 3A) at Mount Pleasant (1-2, 2A)    S by 19
South Johnston (1-2, 3A) at Southern Nash (3-0, 3A)    SN by 24
South Lenoir (2-1, 2A) at Richlands (0-3, 3A)    R by 10
South Mecklenburg (2-1, 4A) at Myers Park (3-0, 4A)    S by 6
South Point (1-2, 3A) at Clover(SC) (NR)    S by 6
South Rowan (0-2, 3A) at Northwest Cabarrus (0-2, 3A)*    N by 17
South Wake Crusaders (0-0, Ind) at Davie Pride (0-0, Ind)*    S by 44
Southeast Halifax (2-0, 1A) at North Edgecombe (2-0, 1A)    N by 19
Southeast Raleigh (1-2, 4A) at Chapel Hill (1-2, 3A)    S by 37
Southern Guilford (1-2, 3A) at Smith, Ben L. (1-2, 4A)    SG by 6
Southern Wayne (1-1, 3A) at North Lenoir (0-3, 2A)    S by 12
Southlake Christian (1-2, Ind) at Hickory Grove Christian (0-3, Ind)    S by 9
Southside (2-1, 1A) at Riverside(Williamston) (2-0, 1A)    R by 23
Southwest Guilford (3-0, 4A) at Western Guilford (1-2, 3A)    S by 26
Southwest Onslow (1-2, 2A) at Jones Senior (1-1, 1A)    J by 7
Southwestern Randolph (0-3, 3A) at Providence Grove (1-2, 2A)    Even – P
Statesville Christian (3-0, Ind) at Trinity Academy(TN) (NR)    S by 23
Sun Valley (3-0, 3A) at Porter Ridge (2-0, 4A)    S by 24
Surry Central (3-0, 2A) at Elkin (0-3, 1A)    S by 44
Swansboro (2-1, 3A) at Pamlico (0-3, 1A)    S by 10
Swett, Purnell (2-1, 4A) at Westover (1-2, 3A)    Even – P
Tarboro (2-0, 1A) at Franklinton (2-1, 2A)    T by 37
Thomasville (1-2, 2A) at Randleman (2-1, 2A)    R by 15
Trinity (1-2, 2A) at Graham (0-2, 2A)    G by 3
Trinity Christian (1-1, Ind) at Fayetteville Christian (1-2, Ind)    T by 33
Union (2-0, 1A) at Hobbton (1-2, 1A)    U by 38
Union County(GA) (NR) at Andrews (1-2, 1A)    U by 18
Union Pines (2-1, 3A) at Jordan-Matthews (0-3, 2A)    U by 33
Village Christian (1-1, Ind) at Rocky Mount Prep (1-2, 1A)    V by 27
Virginia Disciples(VA) (NR) at Newton-Conover (3-0, 2A)    V by 1
Wake Christian (2-0, Ind) at Spring Creek (1-2, 1A)    W by 22
Wakefield (1-1, 4A) at Southern Durham (1-2, 3A)    W by 4
Walkertown (1-2, 1A) at Parkland (3-0, 4A)    P by 22
Watauga (2-1, 4A) at Reynolds, A.C. (1-2, 3A)    R by 30
Weldon (0-1, 1A) at Northampton County (0-3, 1A)    W by 5
West Bladen (2-1, 2A) at St .Pauls (1-2, 2A)    W by 4
West Caldwell (2-1, 2A) at Hickory Hawks (0-2, Ind)    W by 33
West Carteret (2-1, 3A) at Conley, D.H. (3-0, 4A)    D by 21
West Charlotte (0-3, 4A) at Gaffney(SC) (NR)    G by 55
West Davidson (1-2, 2A) at Central Davidson (0-3, 3A)    C by 3
West Forsyth (2-1, 4A) at Statesville (1-1, 3A)    W by 32
West Henderson (1-1, 3A) at North Buncombe (0-3, 3A)    W by 15
West Iredell (1-2, 3A) at Bunker Hill (0-3, 2A)    W by 12
West Johnston (2-0, 4A) at Cleveland (2-1, 3A)    W by 6
West Montgomery (3-0, 1A) at Chatham Central (0-2, 1A)*    W by 51
West Stokes (2-1, 2A) at East Surry (2-1, 1A)    E by 7
Western Alamance (2-1, 3A) at Morehead (0-3, 3A)*    W by 46
Western Harnett (1-2, 3A) at Lee County (3-0, 3A)    L by 43
White Oak (0-2, 3A) at Kinston (1-2, 2A)    K by 23
Whiteville (1-2, 1A) at West Brunswick (2-1, 3A)    WB by 18
Word of God Academy (1-2, Ind) at Winston-Salem Prep (0-2, 1A)    WSP by 13
Yancey, Bartlett (0-2, 2A) at East Chapel Hill (1-2, 4A)    E by 10

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 10, 2016    Pick
Carolina Crusaders(SC) (2-1, Ind) at Cabarrus Stallions (0-3, Ind)*    CC by 9
Pinecrest (3-0, 4A) at Woodberry Forest(VA) (NR)    W by 10
Vance (3-0, 4A) at James Island(SC) (NR)    V by 35

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2016    Pick
Kestrel Heights (0-1, 1A) at Chatham Central (0-2, 1A)    K by 4
Tarboro (2-0, 1A) at Northern Nash (1-1, 3A)    T by 1

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Erwin soccer players congratulate Jesus Cruz-Damian after a goal earlier this season.

ASHEVILLE – Erwin’s boys soccer team won 10 games in 2015 and this year’s Warriors (7-2-0) are well on their way to eclipsing that mark.

The new coach responsible for the turnaround is Tate MacQueen. He was previously the coach for Owen and resigned in 2013 to pursue a run for political office. The Warhorses won three consecutive Western Highlands Conference championships during his reign.

MacQueen said this season has allowed his Erwin team members to learn how to deal with adversity, on the field and during the school day.

“We’ve had some tough matches,” Macqueen said. “It always comes back to the adversity component.”

One of those close matches was Wednesday’s 3-1 win at Smoky Mountain. Pepe Garcia-Hernandez and Dmiteiy Podguyeskiy scored all of Erwin’s goals.

“Well, we went down a goal,” Macqueen said Wednesday after the Smoky Mountain game. “There’s an opportunity to fall into some bad habits. I saw these guys go in with their heads up and get the lead back.”

MacQueen said he was pleased that his team’s style matched that of the Mustangs.

“Those are the kind of things we’re looking to handle,” Macqueen said. “This was one of those comparables. It was a matter of capitalizing on opportunities.”

On Tuesday, the Warriors defeated Madison 8-0 and six of those goals came in the first half. Erwin held the Patriots to seven shots on goal while attempting 20.

The Warriors have five seniors on their roster – Cirillo Barrera, Luis Martinez, Genesis Argueta, Mark Marco and Sergio Gomez. Erwin plays its Mountain Athletic Conference opener Monday at home against Reynolds.

While high school athletics can be a great way to teach players about how to deal with certain issues in life, some of the team had to learn early how to deal with difficult challenges.

“I’m in awe of some of the experiences the players had,” Macqueen said about his team which has players originally from Russia, Ukraine, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Western North Carolina.

“It’s a great mix,” MacQueen said. “We just have to find the right style. I look at it like a tapestry. We try to be engaged in the finesse soccer that’s fun to watch.”

MacQueen said his school strives to be active in the community and an example of that is working with the N.C. Partnership for Children.

“We do it in the classroom, in the field and in the community,” MacQueen said. “That encapsulates what it means to be a proud Warrior.”

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Erwin coach Mike Sexton.

ASHEVILLE – A week after Erwin’s record-setting performance during a shootout at Ooltewah, Tennessee, the Warriors’ fans witnessed a special offensive performance on this side of the state line.

Unfortunately for the home team, the players putting up the biggest numbers wore the visiting white, gold and maroon colors of Science Hill, another Tennessee school.

Sophomore running back Ahmik Watterson carved up Erwin’s defense for 260 rushing yards – including touchdown runs of 82, 1, 40 and 15 yards – and quarterbacks Jake Blankenship and Jaylan Adams had two scoring passes each as Science Hill earned a 54-34 nonconference victory.

A week after passing for a state-record 690 yards, Erwin quarterback Damien Ferguson finished with 246 yards on 18 of 33 passing with three touchdowns. He also rushed for a 6-yard score in the fourth quarter.

“Defensively, we’re giving up too many big plays,” Erwin coach Mike Sexton said. “We’re trying to fix it. The kids are playing hard and they’re trying. Just sometimes, we’re not doing things they way they’re supposed to be done and not tackling.”

Though Erwin fell into a 33-0 hole less than 15 minutes into Friday’s game, the Warriors had chances to get within a touchdown at intermission.

Science Hill twice snuffed Erwin scoring drives inside the Hilltoppers’ 10 to slow the Warriors’ second-quarter rally. At one point shortly before halftime, Erwin had a second-and-goal from the Science Hill one-yard line but ultimately turned the ball over on downs.

The Warriors did whittle away at Science Hill’s lead thanks to scoring strikes of 7 and 20 yards from Ferguson to Isaiah Poore, and Ferguson’s 78-yard touchdown pass to Trey Martin pulled the Warriors to with 33-21 before back-to-back touchdowns by Watterson put the game away.

Poore later returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, but the Warriors simply couldn’t score at the same pace as Watterson and the Hilltoppers.

“It’s been hard for us to stop the run,” Poore said. “We’ve got to execute on offense and defense for everything to go well. When the offense executes, defense flows good.”

Watterson, who started the year on JV, did not make things easy on Erwin’s defense. On his 82-yard touchdown run, he broke tackles on both ends of the field. He would have broken the 300-yard mark but his 44-yarder in the first quarter was called back due to a holding penalty.

Science Hill also was able to slow down Erwin’s C.J. Thompson, who was held to five receptions for 38 yards a week after breaking the state record with 372 receiving yards at Ooltewah.

“He’s a real good football player,” Science Hill coach Stacy Carter said. “He’s just scratching the surface of what he’s going to be. He’s just learning the system. … With Erwin, we were able to slow them down early, but they got on a roll – just like they did on Ooltewah. They’re fun to watch, and they have some guys who can really run.”

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Reynolds football players, from left to right, Jake Setterlind, Kyle McWhirt, Sean Jones and Keyal Talbert.

REYNOLDS – Andrew Wall was clutch when it counted Friday.

And a big kick from the senior allowed the Rockets to win an instant classic between two old conference rivals at Dalton Stadium.

Defending their home turf, the Rockets survived to defeat visiting Watauga by a final score of 45-43.

Wall’s 41-yard field goal with 4.5 seconds to go was a game-winner.

It would have been good from 51 yards.

Wall drilled the field goal and took off running the other direction before teammates piled on. In the excitement of the game, the Rockets staff had not run the clock on the field goal attempt, so there was still time left for Watauga after the field goal, and Wall’s celebration moved the kickoff back 30 yards. But after a nervy ending, the Rockets came out on top.

“We didn’t play how we wanted to play, and you’re going to have nights like that sometimes, but we found a way. I was proud of them for that,” Reynolds coach Shane Laws said.

“We’ve got two kickers, and both of them are pretty good. Andrew (Wall) has got a little bigger and stronger leg. He was making them from 50 (yards) in warm ups, so we knew if we could get the ball inside the 30, we’d have a chance to kick it.”

The Rockets and Watauga were formerly together in a version of the Northwestern Conference, but have maintained a nonconference series since then.

Although Friday’s kickoff was delayed until 7:45 p.m. due to the late arrival of the Pioneers’ bus, Reynolds (2-2) had no trouble starting off quickly. The Rockets took the ball first and marched right down the field via gashing runs by quarterback Nathan St. Onge and tailback Keyal Talbert from the Rockets’ spread read-option offense, which has become a staple under Laws.

Talbert dove up the middle for a 5-yard touchdown carry just three minutes into the ballgame to make it 7-0.

After both teams traded punts, the Rockets were gifted great field position when Pioneers wingback Cory Williams fumbled the ball at the Watauga 39-yard line. The one-two punch of St. Onge and Talbert struck once more for the Rockets as a long St. Onge scramble led to a 10-yard touchdown run from Talbert to double the lead at 14-0 with 3:37 left in the first quarter.

Watauga quarterback Hamilton Castle (who had 225 yards on 22 carries) laid down the groundwork for the main theme of the game by hitting the Rockets right back. His sleight of hand in the Pioneers’ old-fashioned triple-option rush attack allowed him to get free for a 65-yard run right up the middle after faking a handoff to fullback Evan Suggs.

Before the first quarter could come to a close, the Rockets roared to life once again. Talbert tacked on his third touchdown of the opening quarter with a weaving 38-yard carry. It was originally a broken play, but Talbert cut back to his left and got a key block from his quarterback, St. Onge, en route to the endzone. The score was 21-7 Reynolds as the first quarter drew to a close and 28-20 in favor of the home team at halftime.

As neither defense could keep the opposing offense off the field, the third quarter only consisted of one drive from each team. The two sides entered the fourth quarter tied at 28-all.

Reynolds started the fourth with a quick drive, sparked by running back Sean Jones, who missed the entire first half after also sitting out two games ago against Shelby. Once in the red zone, St. Onge tucked and ran the ball in from seven yards out to give the Rockets back the lead at 35-28.

After Castle tied the game with another touchdown, the ensuing kickoff bobbled to Reynolds returner Kaedin Robinson, who went for 70 yards and gave the Rockets the lead once more, 42-35, with 6:09 left in the game.

The Pioneers answered by working their way down to the goal line before fullback Evan Suggs pounded his way in for a 1-yard score. The ensuing two-point conversion made the score at 43-41.

A 15-yard personal foul penalty on Watauga set up Wall’s kick.

Laws admitted that his team defended the triple option of Watauga “about as bad as (they) could have,” and he was disappointed with the defensive performance.

“We were concerned about the fullback because he had been so good for them. To a large degree, we stopped him, but we didn’t do a good job on the quarterback,” said Laws.

The quarterback he spoke of, Castle, earned 344 total yards and five total touchdowns on the night, leading both teams. Suggs had 15 carries for 72 yards and one score. For Reynolds, Talbert toted the ball 11 times for 123 yards and three touchdowns, while R’Mani Lynch caught six balls for 61 yards and one score. St. Onge, who ran for 141 yards and one touchdown, also completed 11 of 15 passes for 103 yards and another touchdown through the air.

Watauga will be idle next week while Reynolds travels to Hendersonville on Friday.

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North Henderson’s Kalin Ensley (15) throws a pass in Friday’s 35-10 home loss to Hendersonville.

Updated after Friday’s games:

Mountain Athletic 3-A/4-A

WNC Athletic 2-A/3-A

Western Highlands 1-A/2-A

Smoky Mountain 1-A

Chase Henson and Pisgah are 3-0.

BEST OF THE WEST

Following are the season’s fourth Best of the West football rankings compiled by staff writer Andrew Pearson. Along with a team’s record, head-to-head matchups and strength of schedule are factored into the rankings.

Honorable mention: Christ School, Hendersonville and Murphy.

Demetrius Smith (6) and Hendersonville pulled away in the second half of Friday’s 35-10 win at North Henderson.

HENDERSONVILLE – Hendersonville found a spark in the second half Friday and used it to come away with a 35-10 road win over North Henderson at Marlow Stadium.

The Bearcats (3-1) are Henderson County champions for the second time in three years since they have swept the Knights, East Henderson and West Henderson the past three weeks.

Both rivals came into Friday on a two-game win streak. What looked to be a low-scoring game – the Knights (2-2) led 8-7 at halftime – quickly changed when Hendersonville came out of the half and scored 28 unanswered points in the third quarter.

Bearcats head coach Jim Sosebee had no intention of changing the game plan as his team entered the second half.

“I just told them to keep doing what they were doing, you can’t lose sight off the goal. You have to keep fighting on,” Sosebee said. “We didn’t make any X and O changes, we had an attitude adjustment.”

The Bearcats were able to dominate their opponents on the ground and in the air, with 355 total yards of offense.

Sophomore Ty’rese Hunt helped lead the offense with 92 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Alex Williford passed for 255 yards on 12-21 passing along with two touchdown passes to fellow junior Tykel Landrum (126 yards receiving) and senior Leon Cooks (102 yards receiving). Senior Demetrius Smith also recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown in the third quarter. With family on both sides of the stands, Hunt believes his game really came together as he had one of his best games of the season.

“Those two touchdowns are probably the hardest I’ve ran all year,” Hunt said. “I knew it was for the county championship, so I knew those touchdowns were big for my team.”

The Knights had a hard time finding their rhythm on offense, as they failed to register a single offensive point. The only scores for the nights came from a fumble recovery touchdown by senior Mikey Smithers and a safety late in the fourth quarter. Sophomore quarterback Kalin Ensley led his team with 84 yards passing and 42 yards rushing.

North Henderson coach Justin Clark took the blame for his team’s lack of offense and he hopes to fix that before the Knights’ next game.

“We need to help them offensively and that’s on me,” Clark said. “There’s nothing that we are going to change, there’s just a lot of mistakes we need to fix. It’s a good thing we have an open week.

Hendersonville will look to extend its win streak next week at home against Reynolds. North Henderson has a bye week before playing at cross town rival West Henderson on Sept. 23.

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Enka football ended a 13-game losing streak with Friday’s win at Hayesville.

Avery Holbrook and Enka were not going to leave Hayesville empty-handed on Friday.

And they didn’t — Holbrook passed and ran for four combined touchdowns as the Jets halted the longest active losing streak in Buncombe County football with a 39-20 road win.

Will Redmon caught both touchdowns (20 and 48 yards) from Holbrook, a senior who also scored on a pair of quarterback keepers (1 and 48 yards) in the third quarter.

Friday’s win was the first for Enka (1-3) since its 2015 season opener.

“It was an awesome night for the kids,” Jets coach Jeff Frady said.

“They’ve worked so hard. It’s a great group that practices hard. We’ve come close a few times (during the streak), so it was nice to get the monkey off our backs. One of the biggest things is our defense played pretty solid. And everyone has been stacking the box with nine people against our offense. We changed some things around with our blocking scheme and did a good job spreading the ball around.”

Austin Clark got the scoring started for the Enka with a 23-yard run at the 11:33 mark of the first quarter. Bryson Allen later added a 2-yard touchdown run. In addition to his receiving, Redmon kicked three extra points.

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Roberson and first-year coach J.D. Dinwiddie are 4-0 after Friday’s 24-18 win at Morganton Freedom.

Roberson still stands alone in the Mountain Athletic Conference, even after its stiffest test of a young football season.

Ty Gossett and the Rams remained the MAC’s only unbeaten team with Friday’s 24-18 win at Morganton Freedom.

Gossett passed for 250 yards and LeJuan Rush ran for a pair of touchdowns. The Rams (4-0) trailed 12-7 at halftime, but recovered to continue their best start to a season since 2012.

Gossett’s only touchdown on the evening went to Tristan McAfee — a 25-yarder just nine seconds into the fourth quarter. Micah Jenkins, Barshia Young and Bryson Case all made five catches each.

“We’re excited about it. I’m more excited for the kids than myself,” Roberson first-year coach J.D. Dinwiddie said.

“It’s nice to see this team go down and beat a quality opponent on the road. Anytime you are trying the change the culture and build a program, you don’t want it to be easy. And it wasn’t our kids found a way. They fought through some adversity in a tough environment and that lets you know you’re on the right path.

Last season’s Roberson team went 3-9. Contrast that with Freedom (2-2) which hasn’t lost more than two games since 2012.

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Tennis

Coaches, please report your scores by calling (828) 232-5863. Box scores may also be e-mailed to apearson@citizen-times.com. Twitter users are encouraged to tag the Huddle with scoring updates at acthshuddle.

Asheville School 5, Asheville 4

Singles

Adrienne Haynes (AHS) d. Rachel Kuehn 6-0, 6-2; Sarah Abernethy (AS) d. Isabell Theodossiou 6-4, 6-3; Eliza Howard (AHS) d. Lillie Bridges 6-4, 0-6, 10-4; Issabella Hile (AHS) d. Elise Huff 6-1, 6-3; Sarah Mims (AS) d. Emelia Witossek 3-6, 6-1, 10-7; Madeleine Hepting (AS) d. Annie Rudolph 6-2, 6-4.

Doubles

Kuehn-Abernethy (AS) d. Haynes-Theodossiou 8-6; Howard-Hile (AHS) d. Huff-Anabel Hall 8-5; Mims-Hepting (AS) d. Witossek-Becca Molaro 8-3.

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Volleyball

Asheville Christian 3, Carolina Day 0

Leaders: ACA, Kate Condra 10 kills, 4 blocks, 6 digs, Sarah Buchanan, 26 assists, Isabella Field, 6 kills, 6 blocks, Emma Newton, 8 kills, 6 digs. CDS, Elizabeth Mangone, 6 kills, Amya Giger, 12 kills, Clara Campbell, 5 kills, Sierra Benepe, 25 assists.

Records: ACA 12-2, 3-0. CDS 1-3, 1-1.

JV: ACA 2-0.

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The Mitchell football team is 4-0 after Friday’s 32-0 home win over McDowell.

Someone is going to have to score on Mitchell to give the Mountaineers their first loss.

And that’s asking a whole lot.

The Mitchell defense has only given up six points all season – a touchdown in the team’s season-opening 20-6 home win over West Wilkes on Aug. 19.

Keeping with their stubborn nature, the Mountaineers (4-0) shut out McDowell Friday in Ledger, 32-0.

“The biggest thing I have to credit is our defensive coordinator (Jamie Bell). He comes up with a great gameplan every week and the kids really buy into their assigments,” Mitchell football coach Travise Pitman said.

“They like getting into the details and applying it to how we’re going to play against different sets. I was real happy with (Friday’s game). We controlled the line of scrimmage and did a good job stopping the run.”

Leading tacklers for the defending 1-AA Western Regional champions are Ben Robinson (6.7 per game), Jesse Pressley (6.0), Trevor Self (5.3), Landon Miller (5.0) and Jacob Yelton (4.7).

Overall, Mitchell has outscored opponents, 107-13. Seven of those 13 points came on a kick return.

Ben Young passed for 202 yards and two touchdowns, both of which were caught by Brody Smith (123 yards), in Friday’s nonconference game. Dylan Jarrett ran for 24 yards and two touchdowns.

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Volleyball

Coaches, please report your scores by calling (828) 232-5863. Box scores may also be e-mailed to apearson@citizen-times.com. Twitter users are encouraged to tag the Huddle with scoring updates at acthshuddle.

Asheville School 3, South Stokes 0

Leaders: AS, Azana Green 16 kills; Liz Campbell 8 kills; Elly Reed 16 assists.

Asheville School 3, Forsyth Country Day 0

Leaders: AS, Azana Green 18 kills; Heather Capps 12 assists; S.J. Klein 13 digs.

West Henderson 3, Marvin Ridge 1

Leaders: WH, Sierra Jones 50 assists; Mary Catherine Ball 29 kills; Destynee Galloway 10 digs; Casey Brown 8 kills; Darby Fisher 4 kills; Chloe Biggs 8 kills; Kasey West 21 digs; Ashley Downer 12 digs.

Records: West Henderson, 8-0, 3-0.

JV: WH, 2-0.

West Henderson 3, Hickory 1

Leaders: WH, Sierra Jones 34 assists, 2 aces, 5 kills, 7 digs; Mary Catherine Ball 19 kills, 11 digs; Destynee Galloway 9 digs; Casey Brown 9 kills; Sarah Anne Vidak 4 kills, 2 blocks; Darby Fisher 4 kills, 3 digs; Kasey West 17 digs, 2 aces; Ashley Downer 9 digs.

Records: West Henderson 9-0.

JV: WH, 2-1.

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Field hockey

Coaches, please report your scores by calling (828) 232-5863. Box scores may also be e-mailed to apearson@citizen-times.com. Twitter users are encouraged to tag the Huddle with scoring updates at acthshuddle.

Asheville School 4, Christ Church (S.C.) 3

Scoring: AS, Kechelle Robinson 2 goals, 1 assist; Anna Gouveia 1 goal, 1 assist; Karel Koon 1 goal.

Saves: Sydney Clark, 7.

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Soccer

Coaches, please report your scores by calling (828) 232-5863. Box scores may also be e-mailed to apearson@citizen-times.com. Twitter users are encouraged to tag the Huddle with scoring updates at acthshuddle.

Saturday’s scores

Asheville School 1, Forsyth Country Day 1

Scoring: FCD, 43:00; AS, Charlie Stanier (Will Arcara) 54:00.

Shots: FCD, 7; AS, 9.

Saves: AS, Cabot Thomasson-Croll 3; Jack Campbell 2.

Coastal Christian 2, Christ School 1

Scoring: CS, John Beard 20:00.

Shots: CS, 8; CC, 10.

Saves: CS, Will Iorio 10.

Records: Christ School, 5-4-0.

Note: Championship game of Ravenscroft Invitational.

Friday’s score

Christ School 3, Cary Academy 0

Scoring: CS, Riley Smith (Jackson Hipp) 50:00; CS, Finley Serafim (Smith) 55:00; CS, Jackson Hipp (Fernando Fernandez) 70:00.

Shots: CS, 12; CA, 6.

Saves: CS, Iorio, 7.

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Six schools took part in Saturday’s Sugar Slam tennis tournament at Enka.

Results from Saturday’s Sugar Slam tennis tournament hosted by Enka:

Sugar Slam

Saturday at Enka

Team results

1. North Iredell 22; 2. Enka 12; 3. Pisgah 9; 4. West Iredell 8.75; 5. Owen 8; 6. Patton no score.

Pool play

Flight 1: Anderson-Harris (E) d. LeCroy-Breedlove (PA) 8-0; Griffin-Griffin (NI) d. Devan-Bolick (O) 8-6; Sells-McKnight (WI) d. LeCroy-Breedlove (PA) 8-3; Devan-Bolick (O) d. Fisher-Norris (PI) 8-3; Anderson-Harris (E) d. Sells-McKnight (WI) d. 8-4; Griffin-Griffin (NI) d. Fisher-Norris (PI) d. 8-1.

Flight 2: Pelkey-Thomas (WI) d. Clay-Waters (PA) 8-1; Valencia-Mathews (O) d. King-Garland (PI) 8-5; Pelkey-Thomas (WI) d. Ensley-Freeman (E) 8-5; Galliher-Thapvongsa (NI) d. Garland-King (PI) 8-3; Ensley-Shipman (E) d. Clay-Duckworth (PA) 8-0; Galliher-Thapvongsa (NI) d. Burleson-Mathews (O) 8-1.

Flight 3: Bull-Zavaglia (E) d. Chamberlin-Reynaldo (WI) 8-6; Gaither-Pettigrew (NI) d. Rathbone-Metcalf (PI) 8-3; Bull-Olson (E) d. Thompson-South (PA) 8-1; Hix-York (NI) d. Hey-Austin (O) 8-3; Chamberlin-Reynaldo (WI) d. Thompson-South (PA) 8-0; Rathbone-Metcalf (PI) d. Austin-Thoma (O) 8-3.

Consolation rounds

Flight 1: Norris-Fisher (PI) d. LeCroy-Breedlove (PA) 8-3; Bolick-Devan (O) d. Sells-McKnight (WI), 8-5.

Flight 2: Garland-King (PI) d. Clay-Duckworth (PA) 8-0; Ensley-Shipman (E) d. Valencia-Burleson (O) 9-8 (7-5).

Flight 3: Hey-Thoma (O) d. Thompson-South (PA) 8-0; Rathbone-Metcalf (PI) d. Chamberlin/Reynaldo (WI) 8-1.

Championship round

Flight 1: Griffin-Griffin (NI) d. Anderson-Harris (E) 8-3.

Flight 2: Galliher-Thapvongsa (NI) d. Pelkey-Thomas (WI) 8-3.

Flight 3: York-Hix (NI) d. Zavaglia-Olson (E) 8-1.

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Asheville High junior Andrew Leota has scholarship offers from Duke and Virginia Tech.

Duke has become the second ACC football program to offer a scholarship to Asheville High junior Andrew Leota.

Leota is a 6-foot-4, 220-pound defensive end/tackle who is averaging 8.3 tackles per game for the Cougars (1-3). Virginia Tech previously offered Leota back in July.

Asheville has an open date next Friday before hosting Winston-Salem Carver on Sept. 23.

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Roberson’s Thomas Hanson.

The following Western North Carolina soccer teams are in the top-50 of their respective classifications in the latest computer-generated state rankings from MaxPreps:

NCHSAA 4-A

15. Roberson

NCHSAA 3-A

10. Reynolds

17. Enka

18. Asheville

25. Erwin

36. West Henderson

38. North Buncombe

NCHSAA 2-A

6. Hendersonville

22. Owen

38. Smoky Mountain

42. Franklin

NCHSAA 1-A

10. Murphy

43. Highlands

44. Avery County

NCISAA 2-A

4. Asheville Christian Academy

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Golf

Coaches, please report your scores by calling (828) 232-5863. Box scores may also be e-mailed to apearson@citizen-times.com. Twitter users are encouraged to tag the Huddle with scoring updates at acthshuddle.

At Mountain Glen Golf Course, Newland

Team scores

Hendersonville 139; Avery County 140; Mountain Heritage 176.

Individual results

1. Emma Reid (Hen) 42; 2. Bridgette Smith (AC) 46; 3. Makayla Brookshire (AC) 47,

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West Henderson is the No. 1 team in NCHSAA 3-A volleyball.

The following Western North Carolina volleyball teams are in the top-50 of the latest computer-generated state rankings from MaxPreps:

NCHSAA 4-A

10. Roberson

NCHSAA 3-A

1. West Henderson

8. North Henderson

24. Enka

25. Pisgah

30. North Buncombe

36. Tuscola

49. Reynolds

NCHSAA 2-A

5. Brevard

17. Polk County

22. Hendersonville

31. Franklin

36. Mountain Heritage

NCHSAA 1-A

2. Hayesville

8. Murphy

19. Swain County

23. Hiwassee Dam

24. Rosman

27. Robbinsville

NCISAA 2-A

4. Asheville Christian Academy

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