Lake Norman Publications

Games to Watch: CTK, Pride meet in battle of unbeatens; Knights look for first win



Christ the King has already set the school record for wins, but faces fellow unbeaten Pine Lake Thursday. /Doug Coats

Thursday, Sept. 29

Pine Lake Prep at Christ the King

Time: 7 p.m.

Breakdown: Pine Lake Prep will travel to the Mecklenburg-Cabarrus border for a battle of unbeatens and the biggest game in Christ the King football history. The undefeated Pride (5-0) gave up their first offensive points in a win over Winston-Salem Prep last week, but still had their most lopsided victory this fall. Pine Lake running back Noah Murphy has only gotten stronger as the season has progressed, rushing for 106 yards per game the last three outings. CTK (5-0) is coming off a bye, having broken the school record for wins the previous week. The Crusaders’ defense has been stout as well, yielding only 6.3 points over their last three games.

 

Lake Norman High at West Cabarrus

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Breakdown: Lake Norman (5-0) remained unbeaten with a win in its Greater Metro 4 opener against A.L. Brown Sept. 23. The Wildcats have been successful using a slew of running backs to average 200 yards per game on the ground, and should continue that trend against the one-win West Cabarrus Wolverines. Last year’s contest was a 17-3 grind-it-out affair, so this could be a quick, two-hour special. Defensively, safety Jack Baker is leading the team in tackles and tackles for loss.

North Iredell at North Lincoln

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Breakdown: North Lincoln suffered another tough loss when it fell by 7 to Hickory last week. The Knights (0-5) have yet to win this season, though they’ve proven to be far from a pushover. Three of their losses have been by one score, and the others by two scores. North has a prime opportunity at home to pick up win No. 1 on its new turf when it hosts North Iredell. The Raiders are 1-4 with a win over Fred T. Foard. If the Knights reduce turnovers, look for coach Nick Bazzle’s club to have a good shot.

 

Mallard Creek at North Meck

Time: 7 p.m.

Breakdown: North Meck’s bye week came at a good time as it prepares to face a Mallard Creek squad bent on revenge. North (3-2) defeated Mallard Creek last fall for the first time since 2008, but the Vikings had the majority of their starters graduate. Their last time out was a 52-0 running-clock loss Sept. 16 to Hough, who was hitting on all cylinders. Mallard Creek (4-2), meanwhile has won three in a row, only giving up a total of 13 points against Hopewell and West Charlotte. A Mavericks win would move them to 3-0 in the Queen City 3A/4A, and put them right in the thick of things for a conference championship.

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