Golden Falcons hold destiny in their own talons

By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on October 2, 2014 1:52 PM

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PIKEVILLE -- Charles B. Aycock head coach Steve Brooks isn't fond of the idea that the biggest game of the year is coming so early in the season.

It's midway through the season and the Golden Falcons' matchup this week against Southern Wayne has each team's playoff hopes hanging in the balance.

A win over the Saints gets Aycock to the four wins and in position to reach the postseason. A loss leaves Brooks searching for a fourth victory on a tough schedule.

"Program-wise this game means a lot more than just beating the team down the road," Brooks said. "These guys know if we win, we're in.We get at least one more week. If we don't get this one, you know, it's going to be tough to try to find another one.

"Not that there's not one out there. We hope there's many more, but (winning) this one allows us to start climbing the mountain of changing our seed."

Making Brooks even more weary, Southern Wayne is desperate for its second win of the season. And coming off a bye week, they've had time to prepare for their county rivals.

CBA's success lies in the hands of the man throwing the football. Quarterback TJ Morrow is the leading passer in the area with 1,037 yards and 16 touchdowns, and just four interceptions.

"They're hungry for a shocking win," Brooks said. "I'm more worried about this game than I was last week just because there's so much riding on it."

Southern Wayne (1-4 overall) took CBA to the brink last year in a 42-35 loss in which they lost quarterback Jacob Hollingsworth to an injury. Hollingsworth may not get to avenge the loss again this year, as he is questionable for the game after re-injuring his arm a couple weeks ago.

The senior quarterback had thrown for over 200 yards and two touchdowns before the injury. If Hollingsworth can't go, Tyaire Allen would assume the role under center.

"(Hollingsworth) is progressing well so we're just going to have to see what happens," Southern Wayne coach David Lee said via text message on Wednesday.

The Series -- Southern Wayne leads the series 21-11-1 overall, but Aycock has won four of the last six meetings between the two teams.

Where the teams stand: CBA -- 3-3, Coming off back to back losses to Corinth-Holders and New Bern -- teams Brooks said were "just way more athletic than us right now."

SW -- 1-4, coming off of a bye week.

Key Stats: CBA -- allowing 29.8 per game, down 11 points from last year's team. SW -- 103.8 rushing yards per game.

Players to watch: CBA -- Damien Darden - has developed into a dangerous pass catcher on the offensive side to go along with his pass rushing ability defensively. Watch to see how often he's used offensively, as Brooks will try to keep him from getting too tired playing both ways.

SW -- Jacob Hollingsworth - will be coming back from injury after missing two weeks. Came out of last year's game against CBA with a biceps injury that cost him his season.

Things to watch: CBA -- Will CBA be able to establish the running game? The Golden Falcons have struggled running the ball and blocking for the backs. Brooks said run blocking is the biggest thing the Golden Falcons need to working going forward.

SW -- Will the Saints stick to their spread scheme they incorporated this offseason? In the past the Saints have had success against the Golden Falcons with the Wing-T offense, but this year have changed to running a spread. They incorporated some Wing-T in their win against Goldsboro, and could try to establish it even more Friday.