Due to the threat of inclement weather on Friday night, Bertie and Hertford County High Schools have moved their football games to tonight (Thursday). Meanwhile, Lawrence Academy is off; Northampton County plays its second straight game in Creeksville; while Hertford County and Northeast Academy are on the road.

 GATES COUNTY at BERTIE

Last Friday night, first-year Bertie head coach Grantley Mizelle had a successful debut as his Falcons broke a 14-14 halftime deadlock with a 26-point second half to win their season opener at Northampton County.

“We didn’t play well in the first half,” said Mizelle. “We made adjustments at halftime and went on to win.”

Meanwhile, at Gatesville, the Red Barons of Gates County High dropped their second straight game, this time to 2A Pasquotank.

“We played better than we did in our first game,” said Red Barons coach Matt Biggy. “But, it still wasn’t enough.”

Tonight (Thursday) Gates County (0-2) will travel to Roy Bond Jr. Stadium in Windsor to face Bertie (1-0) in the Falcons’ home opener and Mizelle’s debut before the home fans.

“Gates County is very physical and very well-coached,” said Mizelle. “They have a big running back and nice size on their offensive and defensive lines.

“For us to be successful tonight we have to take care of the ball on offense and tackle well on defense,” the coach concluded.

“Bertie is big and they’ve got good size,” said Gates’ Biggy. “They run multiple offenses and have a four-man front on defense. They are a very good team.

“For us to succeed we have to keep on improving each week,” he closed. “We’ve got to work on some things and get better every week.

HERTFORD COUNTY at ROCKY MOUNT

Last Friday night Hertford County lost to 3A Wilson Hunt while Rocky Mount fared no better in losing to 4A Apex Middle Creek.

“It was a tough game for us,” said third-year HCHS coach Terrance Saxby. “Wilson Hunt just outplayed us and wore us down.”

Tonight Hertford County (1-1) travels to Nash County to meet the Gryphons (1-1) on Rocky Mount’s home turf.

“Rocky Mount is the defending state (3A) champs,” Saxby added. “They are very athletic, very physical, and fast.

“It’s important for us to control the game and keep our defense off the field as much as possible,” he concluded. “Our offense needs to score when it has the opportunity and our defense needs to tackle well.”

 WARREN COUNTY at NORTHAMPTON COUNTY

Last Friday, while Northampton fell to Bertie, Warren County pulled off a mild upset in Henderson with the Eagles getting a 7-5 whisker-win over Northern Vance.

“Our game was tied 14-14 at halftime,” said Jaguars coach George Privott. “In the second half we had a lot of penalties and fell behind.”

This Friday night Northampton (0-2) will play its second straight home game while Warren County (1-1) will be looking for another upset.

“Warren County runs the spread offense, which is favorable for us because we play well against it,” added Privott. “They also have good receivers.

“For us to be successful Friday night we have to keep pressure on their quarterback,” Privott closed. “We have to eliminate penalties and turnovers which hurt us against Bertie and Roanoke Rapids. We also need to have good pass coverage on their receivers as we try to win our first game of the season.”

NORTHEAST ACADEMY at GRACE CHRISTIAN

Last Friday Northeast, a 2015 1A state finalist, lost badly – 60-0 – to 2A finalist St. David’s School at home.

This Friday the Eagles (0-1) – despite some dings and bruises – will try and put that loss behind them when they take to the road to meet Grace Christian (2-0), who escaped Friday night with a 34-32 close road win over Hobgood.

Northeast will be seeking their first win of the season.