October 16th, 2026 4:00am
Halfway through the Conference Carolinas schedule, the standings are tighter than anyone could have predicted in August. Chowan sits in first place after upsetting North Greenville, and the Trailblazers now have to regroup on homecoming weekend against a Shorter team that has been better than its record, while the Hawks put that first-place standing on the line against an Erskine squad desperate for a league win. Meanwhile, the Gulf South returns to action with a little nostalgia of its own as West Alabama heads to Pensacola for a rivalry renewal with former conference foe West Florida, now playing at the Division I level. With the second half of the season about to begin and every game starting to matter, here’s what’s on tap.
LAST WEEK’S RESULTS(home team in bold)
*Ferrum 17, Shorter 10
*Chowan 16, No. 16 North Greenville 13
*UNC Pembroke 44, Erskine 3
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)
*denotes Conference Carolinas contest
Saturday, Oct. 17
*Erskine (2-4, 0-2 CC) at Chowan 3-3, 2-0 CC) | Murfreesboro, N.C. | 1:00 PM | STATS | VIDEO
Erskine looks to snap a four-game losing streak and earn its first Conference Carolinas win Saturday at Chowan, after a 44-3 loss at UNC Pembroke in which the Flying Fleet managed just 115 total yards, completing 9 of 25 passes for 71 yards and rushing for 44, with a 38-yard field goal accounting for the only points. The defense, meanwhile, gave up 601 yards, including 355 through the air and five touchdown passes. The season numbers tell a story of early promise that has faded, as Erskine is averaging 23.3 points per game while allowing 30.2 and 410.7 yards, though Ryan Killmer still has 851 passing yards and nine touchdowns, Jo Burson has 22 catches for 402 yards and five scores, and Gary Maddox III leads the defense with 46 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss, just ahead of Weston Bergman’s 39 stops.
Chowan sits alone atop the Conference Carolinas standings at 2-0 in league play after last week’s 16-13 upset of then-No. 16 North Greenville, a defensive grind in which the Hawks held the ball for more than 34 minutes behind Timothy Baker Jr.’s 72 yards on 27 carries, while the passing game went 16-of-20 for 171 yards and two touchdowns, with Amir Alexander and Dezmond Randolph each hauling in a score. The defense did the heavy lifting against the Trailblazers’ high-powered offense, piling up seven tackles for loss and two sacks, and adding an interception. On the season, quarterback Tyler Adkins has thrown for 1,661 yards and 12 touchdowns, Alexander leads the receivers with 33 catches for 570 yards, and Darian Whitaker anchors a defense with 51 tackles of his own and 14 sacks as a unit.
Prediction: Chowan
Delta State (2-3) at Ferrum (2-4) | Ferrum , Va. | 1:00 PM | STATS | VIDEO
Delta State returns from its bye week looking to stretch a two-game winning streak when it travels to Ferrum on Saturday, riding the momentum of a 23-0 shutout of Shorter in which the Statesmen ran for 241 yards behind Nick Clark’s 139 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, while Price Nixon connected on all three field-goal tries and the defense came up with three interceptions, returning them for 121 yards. The turnaround has been welcome after a 0-3 start, though the season numbers still show an offense averaging 13.4 points per game and a defense allowing 30.6, with Clark leading the ground game at 280 yards and Tavian Moore pacing the defense with 39 tackles and a sack.
Ferrum has gone from winless to a threat in Conference Carolinas, winning two straight and now sitting at 2-1 in league play after a 17-10 win at Shorter that came with no turnovers, 148 rushing yards, and a defense that piled up three sacks, two interceptions for 66 yards, and a blocked kick. Jycen Anciso has been the constant on offense with 461 rushing yards, while Eli Foutz has thrown for 1,086 yards and six touchdowns and Omarza Gray leads the receivers with 31 catches for 383 yards, though the Panthers are still averaging only 16.5 points per game against opponents’ 25.5 mark. Emory Womack and Deandre Watson are tied for the team lead with 20 tackles each, and Watson has 2.5 sacks as part of a defense that has forced seven interceptions on the season.
Prediction: Delta State
*Shorter (2-4, 1-2 CC) at No. 22 North Greenville (5-1, 2-1 CC) | Tigerville, S.C. | 2:00 PM | STATS | VIDEO
Shorter has dropped two straight and sits at 2-4 overall and 1-2 in Conference Carolinas play heading into Saturday’s trip to face No. 22 North Greenville, the latest setback a 17-10 home loss to Ferrum in which the Hawks outgained the Panthers 348-252 and held a 22-15 edge in first downs, but went 0-for-3 in the red zone and threw two interceptions. Jeb Walls leads an offense that is putting up 384 yards per game, with 1,086 passing yards and 10 touchdowns, and Silas Hinson (306 yards) and Dennis Sims (22 catches, 253 yards) are his top targets, while David Hill shouldered 32 carries against Ferrum as the lead back. The defense has been the steadier unit, allowing just 20.8 points and 243 yards per game, with Marshall Combee and Conrad Hussey tied at 28 tackles, Christian Benson owning three sacks, and DJ Walker leading with two interceptions. A trip to Tigerville against a ranked opponent is a tall order, but Shorter has the numbers to hang around if it can finish drives.
North Greenville remains inside the friendly confines of Younts Stadium for Homecoming against Shorter looking to bounce back from its first loss of the season, a 16-13 setback to Chowan in which the Trailblazers were outgained 245-177, held the ball for just 25:41, and were flagged 13 times for 136 yards, though Jamie Downing Jr. piled up 13 tackles and punter Ben Bullock averaged 53.8 yards on six kicks. Quarterback Kam Montgomery went 12-of-26 for 117 yards and a touchdown in that game and still leads the attack with 1,235 passing yards and 10 touchdowns on the season (as well as 363 rushing yards and eight touchdowns), with Sam Washam (240 yards, three scores) and Jonathan Manley (five catches against Chowan) giving him targets, as the Trailblazers average 33.7 points per game. Downing’s 49 tackles lead a defense that has intercepted 10 passes, three of them by Kaliber Hoey.
Prediction: No. 22 North Greenville
West Alabama (5-1) at West Florida (3-2) | Pensacola, Fla. | 2:00 PM | AUDIO | STATS | VIDEO (ESPN+)
West Alabama returns from its bye week to face a former Gulf South rival, West Florida, in Pensacola on Saturday, riding a two-game winning streak and a 5-1 record after a 29-26 homecoming win over Chowan in which the Tigers ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns, with Brayden Jenkins and Luther Richesson each scoring on the ground, and Elijah Guyton hit two field goals. Kebian Gilmore picked off a pass, and Humberto Rosales boomed a 70-yard punt. Richesson has been the focal point all season, throwing for 1,335 yards and 13 touchdowns, with Jenkins adding 349 rushing yards and TD Parker and Jaylon York each catching 18 passes, while the team scores 24.2 points per game. Joseph Harper leads the defense with 34 tackles, ahead of KC Bradford (31) and Gilmore (30, plus two interceptions), and the unit has held opponents to a 23.8 percent conversion rate on third down and 20.0 points per game.
West Florida has made a mark in its first season at the Division I level, opening with a 34-31 win over then-No. 16 Southern Illinois and following it with a 42-14 road win at then-No. 24 Central Arkansas, and the Argonauts, 3-2 overall, welcome West Alabama to PenAir Field on Saturday after a canceled game last week and a 35-7 loss at Abilene Christian in their most recent contest, in which they managed 120 rushing yards and 208 passing yards with one touchdown while the defense logged six tackles for loss and two sacks. Ty’ray Davis has done much of the work, throwing for 662 yards and seven touchdowns while also running for 214 yards and three scores, with Markel Townsend (278 rushing yards) and Tyshon Mansell (189 receiving yards) giving him help, and the offense is averaging 23.8 points per game. Defensively, Cameron Anderson leads with 41 tackles, Byron Puryear has 4.5 sacks, and A’khoury Lyde has three interceptions, with the unit collecting 17 sacks and seven picks as a whole.
Prediction: West Florida
*UNC Pembroke (5-2, 2-1 CC) at Barton (1-5, 0-2 CC) | Wilson, N.C. | 4:00 PM | AUDIO | STATS | VIDEO
UNC Pembroke has bounced back from its one-point loss to North Greenville in a big way, routing Erskine 44-3 behind 246 rushing yards and 355 passing yards with five touchdown throws, while the defense piled up four sacks, nine tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries. Now 5-2 overall and 2-1 in Conference Carolinas play, the Braves head to Barton on Saturday with one of the league’s most productive offenses, averaging 30.3 points and 384.6 yards per game, led by Josh Ehrlich’s 601 rushing yards, 1,433 passing yards and 17 total touchdowns, with Malik Brown (25 catches, 515 yards) and Jake Davids (318 rushing yards) in support. Fred Giles has 5.5 sacks, Jadin Baptist leads the team with 44 tackles, and the defense is allowing just 19.9 points per game with 18 sacks on the season.
Barton hosts UNC Pembroke on Saturday, still searching for its second win of the season, having scored just seven points over its last three games, the latest a 21-0 loss to Ferrum on Oct. 3, when the Bulldogs ran for 159 yards but managed only 85 through the air and 244 total yards, while the defense made 71 tackles but couldn’t get off the field against a Panthers ground game that gained 277. At 1-5 overall and 0-2 in Conference Carolinas play, Barton is averaging 12.2 points per game, with Jayden Brown pacing the ground attack at 245 yards, Nazir Garrett throwing for 329 yards, and Tyler Davis the top target with 18 catches for 260 yards and three touchdowns. The defense has been the strength, with Sean-Jacob Bethea (36 tackles) and Cameron Royal (35) leading a unit that has 42 tackles for loss and 12 sacks, three of them from Emmanuel Miller.
Prediction: UNC Pembroke
Columnist Picks
Last week: 2-1
2026 season: 29-9