Carolina Gridiron Game of the Week for Week 15

For many high school football players and coaches, there’s a very special feeling about practicing on Thanksgiving Day.  In the past, a post-Thanksgiving game meant playing for a sectional championship.  This year, with the NCHSAA’s shorter schedule, the game on Friday is for a regional championship and a chance to play for a state title.  With only two weeks left in this year’s football season, be sure to go out and support your local team this Friday.

Carolina Gridiron Game of the Week

Regional final games are almost always the best games of the season.  Teams are fighting their hardest for a chance to play for a state championship and coaches who haven’t been there before are pulling out all the stops and opening the last pages of their playbooks.  This week’s game is sure to be a game to remember.  The Carolina Gridiron Game of the Week for Week 16 features the Thomasville Bulldogs travelling to take on the Lincolnton Wolves in the Western Regional 2A Championship.

Thomasville, coached by Allen Brown, started out the season 1-4 and has since gone on a nine game winning streak.  The Bulldogs won the Central Carolina 2A Conference this season, beating defending 2AA champion Salisbury to clinch the title.  On offense, the Bulldogs average 28.6 points a game and much of that comes from running Shaquan Johnson.  Johnson has rushed for over 3,000 yards this season and 50 scores this season.  Defensively, the Bulldogs give up 21.4 points a game.  In the playoffs, the Bulldogs have won their games by an average of 17 points.

Scott Cloninger’s Lincolnton Wolves come into this week’s game with a 13-1 record, losing only to 3A power South Point in Week 2.  Winners of the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A conference, the Wolves are an offensive machine, averaging 44.5 points a game while only giving up 16.5 points on defense.  Lincolnton is led on offense by running back Dee Littlejohn, who has scored more than 30 touchdowns this year while rushing for an average of more than 120 yards a game.  Another reason for Lincolnton’s offensive explosion this year has been athlete Michael Cunningham who has lit up defenses with his running ability while also returning big kicks for the Wolves.

A very physical game is in store for both teams on Friday night.  Each team finds its strengths in running the football and stopping their opponents from scoring on the ground.  With these two teams, the game will probably come down to who can take advantage of a turnover or make that one big stop in the fourth quarter.   Either way, fans are in for a treat of high school football at its best.

It looks to be a great game this Friday night in Lincolnton.