UNDEFEATED BLACKHAWKS CLASH WITH EAGLES

Wilkes Central’s defense of its Mountain Valley Athletic Conference football championship begins tonight. And the first opponent is an undefeated West Wilkes team off to its best start since 1993. But records can be thrown out the proverbial window when the two square off at Wes Steele Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. “Anytime you play West, you don’t need to worry about other things because it’s such a huge rivalry game. We know we’re going to get their best shot every year,” Wilkes Central Head Coach Ron Turner said. “It’s huge for both teams and then you add in that the conference, especially from the Wilkes County side, has been so balanced that you can’t afford to get off to a bad start; then we turn around the next week and have North Wilkes so if you lose this one, you’re possibly staring at an 0-2 start in conference.” Wilkes Central enters its MVAC opener at 2-2 but has played a challenging nonconference schedule. The Eagles lost to 3A foes Alexander Central (28-6) and Watauga (50-26) but also shut out 3A North Iredell and knocked off Surry Central. Central has also dealt with injuries at key positions. Camden Wyatt, last year’s starting quarterback, has not played in a regular-season game this fall. Jasiah Ferguson missed the Eagles’ game at Watauga two weeks ago with a shoulder injury so last week’s bye came at a good time, according to Turner. Both players are questionable for tonight. “There’s no doubt that we needed (a bye week) really bad,” said Turner. “We had a lot of kids beat up and we’re still not healthy but we’re getting there and we’re more healthy now than we were then; we’re hopeful that those other guys will be able to go.” West Wilkes (4-0) features a multi-faceted rushing attack, led by Alex Ortiz. The senior is second in Wilkes County in rushing with 528 yards and rushed for seven touchdowns. He has also passed for 316 yards with 133 of those coming in last Friday’s 47-43 win against Bunker Hill. He’s also passed for four touchdowns. Tyler Skeen is tied for the county-lead in rushing touchdowns with 10 on 398 yards. The senior has rushed for 100 yards or more each of the last two games. Wyatt Whitworth, one of nine sophomores on West’s varsity roster, has rushed for 245 yards with 207 of them coming in the last two games. Cole Smith leads the Blackhawks through the air with 189 yards on seven catches. “Coach (David) Hunt has done a tremendous job considering how much they lost in their senior class last year. I think the changes they made in their offensive scheme has been very good for them,” said Turner. “Offensively, they are really good at what they’re doing and Alex Ortiz is a great football player who we’ve got to try and contain if we’re going to have a chance to win the ball game.” The Eagles are led on the ground by Tyler Boles. The senior has rushed for 491 yards and rushed for 100 yards or more in his first three games but was held to just 45 yards in the loss to the Pioneers. Central has primarily used a two-person platoon under center with Ferguson and Skylar Brooks. Ferguson passed 119 yards in the game with Alexander Central on Aug. 25 and Brooks has passed for more than 100 yards each the last two games. “I think Wilkes Central is similar to Bunker Hill athletically and I think it was a good game to prepare us for this week,” Hunt said. “We’re going to have to tackle well, play well in space; offensively, we’ve got to run the ball and not turn the ball over, be able to throw the ball over the top when they come up to crowd us on the run — we just have to execute and not make mistakes.”

UNDEFEATED BLACKHAWKS CLASH WITH EAGLES

Photo Credit: Zach Colburn

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