Week 1 football capsules

North Iredell Raiders at South Iredell Vikings

Site: Viking Valley, Troutman

2009 records: North Iredell 1-10; South Iredell 4-8

Last year: Denzel Watkins scored on two touchdown runs from 50 yards or longer in a 19-0 South win. The game was delayed for an hour due to lightning and was played in poor conditions.

Outlook: North Iredell isn’t as big an underdog in this one as some might imagine.

The Raiders actually had a pretty good gameplan last year: they ran 56 plays to South’s 36 and marched the ball on long drives. They just had trouble scoring, so finishing off drives will be big.

Sophomore Jacob Queen will gets his first varsity start at quarterback for the Raiders, but he won’t have to put it all on his shoulders. North will rely on its bigger lines up front to try and grind South down.

The Vikings have the clear edge in speed, but it will be interesting to see how the offense does in the spread. South will spread the field with four receivers, and it’s the first time guys like quarterback Corey Powell and athlete Quataye Smyre will run this offense in a live game.

South’s defense is legit, and the Raiders will have trouble scoring. A few big plays by South’s skill guys could be the difference.

Kannapolis Wonders at Statesville Greyhounds

Site: Greyhound Hollow, Statesville

2009 records: Kannapolis 11-3; Statesville 3-8

Last year: Kannapolis led early and pulled away late to claim a 35-13 win over Statesville. The Wonders rushed for 347 yards.

Outlook: Travis Riley is back. The Kannapolis running back, who ran for 149 yards on just 10 carries in last year’s game, may be the best running back the Greyhounds play all year.

The UNC signee is big and fast. He scored three touchdowns in last year’s game, including a 65-yarder that was a response to Statesville’s first touchdown.

Kannapolis returns six starters on both sides of the ball and is ranked in several area polls, including the ncpreps.com preseason coaches poll.

This is a tough test for the Greyhounds, but Statesville’s schedule is loaded with touch challenges. Win or lose, this game will only help them in the future.

The Greyhounds’ run defense was worst in the county last year. They have just four starters back, so the new guys will get thrown right into the fire.

Same goes for the offense. Seven starters are back on that side of the ball, but a lot of sophomores will see action. That includes quarterback Carlis Parker, whom many consider to be a star in the making.

Northwest Cabarrus Trojans at Mooresville Blue Devils

Site: Blue Devils Stadium, Mooresville

2009 records: Northwest Cabarrus 8-4; Mooresville 0-11

Last year: Jeremy Cannon passed for 136 yards and rushed for 50 more to lead the Trojans to a 35-14 win. Mooresville scored two late touchdowns on special teams.

Outlook: Mooresville won’t be nearly as far behind in this game as last year.

Although the schemes and terminology under Hal Capps are different, the Blue Devils will still operate out of the shotgun.

That was the problem in 2009. It was the first time Mooresville had run the spread, and it took a while to get used to it.

In that regard, the Blue Devils are in good hands. Patrick O’Brien returns after passing for 1,800 yards, and he’s getting looks from several colleges.

Shawn Lester is the big-play wide receiver, but the most critical component is the offensive line.

The unit is far ahead of where it was last year. If O’Brien has time to throw, the Devils will be tough to beat.

This is a winnable game for Mooresville because the Trojans, though talented, are rebuilding. Just nine starters return from last year’s 8-4 team.

The Trojans will likely win the field-position battle as junior kicker Bradley Pinion is being hailed as a Division I prospect.

West Iredell Warriors at Wilkes Central Eagles

Site: Eagles Stadium, Wilkesboro

2009 records: West Iredell 5-7; Wilkes Central 6-6

Last year: Wilkes Central played tough, but P.J. Clyburn broke the game open by returning a punt 60 yards for a touchdown in West’s 31-16 victory.

Outlook: The methods and personnel may be different, but West Iredell and Wilkes Central have the same idea on offense.

Both teams are going to run the ball with lots of people.

For West Iredell, running back might just be the most loaded position on the depth chart.

L.J. Harper rushed for 459 yards last year to lead the Warriors. Chavis Crosby, who scampered for 312 yards, saw an increased role as the season progressed.

The Warriors plan to use some two-back sets this season to take advantage of the depth, and quarterback Sayer Robinson is an exceptional runner as well.

Wilkes Central pounded the ball with Chris Watt and Trae Alexander last season, but it did have trouble slowing the run at times.

The Eagles are improved from last year’s campaign, but still may have trouble handling West’s abundance of athletes.