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I’m still having concerns about the N.C. High School Athletic Association using the MaxPreps rankings as a tool to determine seedings for the state playoffs in football.
My worries were reinforced this morning when I was doing some research for this week’s football picks.
As just about everybody knows, last Friday was the opening week of football for NCHSAA member schools.
So imagine my shock when I was checking Lumberton’s record and found the Pirates, at least in the eyes of MaxPreps, are already 1-1.
How is this possible? Well the official Lumberton schedule on MaxPreps says Lumberton opened the season on Aug. 17 with a doubleheader.
They beat somebody called North Forrest 44-7, but also lost to Dillon, South Carolina, 49-20.
The Dillon game, as far as I know, was the one that was really played. North Forrest is a 2-A school from Mississippi.
It’s this kind of glaring error that puts the whole MaxPreps formula into question.
I know the NCHSAA has good intentions linking up with these folks, but I think it’s time we put our money into a seeder with North Carolina ties, like Brian Simmons who has done forecasting and ranking of all of the state’s schools for years and now is affiliated with NCPreps.com.
I’d put a lot more trust in someone like him than a bunch of algorithms from MaxPreps.
The record: 6-5
First week predictions are always tough but this last week was about as bad as gets. I barely avoided a losing record for the week, which is unspeakable in the picking business. I was 6-5, a hideous 54.5 percent.
Now that I’ve got a little bit more of a road map to work with, let’s hope the percentage gets better fast.
Cape Fear at Seventy-First - An early matchup between two of the county’s best. Cape Fear’s lack of offense last week against Clinton is a concern heading into this one.
Seventy-First 21, Cape Fear 6.
South Columbus at Douglas Byrd - I’d love to pick Byrd to go on a winning streak, but South Columbus is one of the better teams in the 2-A classification so this will be no picnic for the Eagles.
South Columbus 28, Douglas Byrd 21.
E.E. Smith at Durham Jordan - The Golden Bulls got a rude shock in their opener with St. Pauls. I don’t look for things to improve this week against Jordan.
Durham Jordan 28, E.E. Smith 14.
Pinecrest at Gray’s Creek - The Bears got off to a great start on their long road trip to Monroe Parkwood last week, but things don’t look as promising Friday with a home game against consistent Sandhills Conference contender Pinecrest.
Pinecrest 35, Gray’s Creek 14.
Terry Sanford at Jack Britt - Both teams opened the season with disappointing losses and have issues they need to correct as their non-conference schedules continue. Terry Sanford’s defensive issues appear to be the bigger concern at this point.
Jack Britt 21, Terry Sanford 14.
Concord at Pine Forest - Can Pine Forest start 2-0? I like its chances.
Pine Forest 27, Concord 12.
Hoke County at South View - The Tigers looked sound in their opening win against Britt. I think two in a row is likely against a Hoke County team still looking for answers.
South View 32, Hoke County 12.
Westover at Lumberton - Westover hung on most of the way against a strong Seventy-First team. A win against Lumberton is not impossible, so I’m giving Westover a slight edge.
Westover 14, Lumberton 12.
Other games: Village Christian 24, Concord First Assembly 12; North Raleigh Christian 18, Fayetteville Christian 12; Trinity Christian 34, Wake Christian 8.