Jeff’s Gaston Area Conference Standings and Analysis

Big South 3A

Kings Mountain – 5-0

Hunter Huss – 3-1

Crest – 3-2

Forestview – 2-2

Stuart Cramer – 2-3

North Gaston – 1-3

Ashbrook – 0-4

Notes: The Kings Mountain Mountaineers have shown early why they are the favorites to win the conference. Their 42-17 win over Shelby last Friday solidified that claim. Don’t look for them to face much of a challenge in Big South play. Hunter Huss has improved offensively since acquiring Lamagea McDowell from Charlotte Catholic. They look to be a sure bet for second place at the moment but Crest and Forestview could have something to say about that. Crest is at three wins at this time and will meet the minimum requirement for a playoff spot with one more win. They are very likely to get more than that in conference play. They will have to buckle down on defense however. For three straight games, they have given up 35 points or more.

Forestview with their surprising 41-21 win over South Point a couple weeks ago put themselves in a good position. With some of the other teams in the conference struggling, they may be in a position to lock in an at-large bid. They have a game with new school, Catawba Ridge, on the herizon but even that is not a gimme. Just ask Stuart Cramer. Stuart Cramer will have to get over the injury bug and the offensive woes to have a chance. With two wins under their belt, they will need two more to get the playoff minimum qualifications but even that’s not a guarantee. North Gaston and Ashbrook look like they are on the outside looking in. With no wins under their belt, Ashbrook faces an uphill battle. With only one win, North Gaston is in a similar type of situation. It is not looking good for those two teams at the moment. They will have to run the tables to have a chance.

Southwestern 2A

Chase – 4-0

Burns – 3-1

Shelby – 3-1

R-S Central – 3-2

South Point – 2-3

East Gaston – 0-4

East Rutherford – 0-4

Notes: This conference is seeing two of the most improved teams from the area. One of those teams is the Chase Trojans. They are 4-0 but the kicker of that is that all the teams they have played average one win a piece. They will face stiffer tests in the conference. Burns is another vastly improved team from last year. They have faced stronger competition in Kings Mountain (loss), Asheville (win), Crest (win) and Newton-Conover (win). This could set up a big match-up with Shelby in a few weeks. Shelby suffered their first loss of the season from their 42-17 loss at Kings Mountain. But this is still a very stout Shelby club. Prior to that game, they have averaged 50 points a game in their wins over Freedom, Crest and A.C. Reynolds.

R-S Central has already eclipsed their win total from last year and are also looking to make a push for a playoff run. They were just one point short in their 44-43 loss to South Caldwell last Friday or they could have been 4-1. Two more wins could secure a playoff spot for them. South Point has had a very tough start to the season starting 1-3 but they appear to have found their groove in their 35-0 win over Stuart Cramer last Friday. But they will have a stiff test this Friday as they open conference play up at Burns. East Rutherford and East Gaston are both in tough spots as both teams are yet to get a win. With this conference a lot stronger than last year, they could be very hard-pressed. East Rutherford has another non-conference game up ahead but it’s against a very tough Polk County. These two teams will have to run the tables to have a chance.

Southern Piedmont 1A

Cherryville – 2-3 (2-0)

Thomas Jefferson – 4-0 (1-0)

Mountain Island Charter – 3-1 (1-0)

Union Academy 2-1 (1-0)

Bessemer City 1-3 (1-0)

Pine Lake Prep 3-2 (1-1)

Community School of Davidson 2-2 (1-1)

Highland Tech 1-3 (0-1)

Christ the King – 0-5 (0-5)

Notes: The Cherryville Ironmen have already played two conference games and have won both of them. The others have either played one or have played two and are 1-1. The Ironmen will likely struggle when it comes time to play the more powerful teams in the conference. They will face one of them this week in Thomas Jefferson. The Gryphons and Mountain Island Charter look to be the two top teams in the conference and will likely battle it out for the conference title on November 1st. Thomas Jefferson is undefeated while Mountain Island Charter suffered an early loss to a dangerous Providence Day team. Union Academy could be next in line but Bessemer City and Pine Lake Prep might have something to say about that. Community School of Davidson might be in the mix but they are coming off two consecutive losses, including a 38-7 blowout loss to Bessemer City. Highland Tech and Christ the King will battle for last place in the league. Christ the King has already playd five conference games and are 0-5 in conference play.

Jeff Miller

I am a 2001 graduate at Forestview High School and a 2006 graduate at Gaston College. I have been with Carolina Varsity since its inception. I am a writer and an analyst.

See author's posts