In just over a month, Chatham County football fans will be heading to their favorite high school for the first Friday night of the season.
All of the county’s teams have established regular season schedules with the first game kicking off on Aug. 23.
For the second straight season, all four of the county’s teams will play in the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference. This is likely the last time all four teams will share a conference for the near future as the North Carolina High School Athletic Association will move to eight classifications beginning with the 2025-26 school year.
The county programs are mostly playing the same opponents from last season, but of course, no team is exactly the same as it was before.
Here’s a look at each varsity football schedule and the potential key games this season:
Northwood
Aug. 23 (at Riverside-Durham, 4-6 in 2023); Aug. 30 (at Union Pines, 2-8 in 2023); Sept. 6 (vs. North Moore, 10-3 in 2023); Sept. 13 (at Southeast Alamance, 8-5 in 2023); Sept. 20 (vs. Jordan-Matthews, 2-8 in 2023); Sept. 27 (at Bartlett Yancey, 3-7 in 2023); Oct. 4 (vs. Seaforth, 4-6 in 2023); Oct. 11 (vs. Graham, 1-9 in 2023); Oct. 18 (at Cummings, 9-3 in 2023); Oct. 25 (vs. Chatham Central, 0-11 in 2023)
Seaforth
Aug. 23 (vs. Westover, 4-6 in 2023); Aug. 30 (vs. Southern Lee, 6-5 in 2023); Sept. 13 (at Graham); Sept. 20 (vs. Cummings); Sept. 27 (at Chatham Central); Oct. 4 (at Northwood); Oct. 11 (vs. North Moore); Oct. 18 (at Southeast Alamance); Oct. 25 (vs. Jordan-Matthews); Nov. 1 (at Bartlett Yancey)
Jordan-Matthews
Aug. 23 (at South Davidson, 4-7 in 2023); Aug. 30 (vs. Carrboro, 3-7 in 2023); Sept. 6 (vs. Cummings); Sept. 13 (vs. Chatham Central); Sept. 20 (vs. Northwood); Sept. 27 (at North Moore); Oct. 4 (at Southeast Alamance); Oct. 18 (vs. Bartlett Yancey); Oct. 25 (at Seaforth); Nov. 1 (vs. Graham)
Chatham Central
Aug. 23 (at North Stokes, 1-9 in 2023); Aug. 30 (vs. South Davidson); Sept. 6 (vs. Southeast Alamance); Sept. 13 (at Jordan-Matthews); Sept. 20 (at Bartlett Yancey); Sept 27 (vs. Seaforth); Oct. 4 (at Graham); Oct. 11 (vs. Cummings); Oct. 25 (at Northwood); Nov. 1 (vs. North Moore)
Key Games
Northwood vs. North Moore (Sept. 6)
Northwood’s 38-12 defeat to North Moore last year almost seemed like a wake up call for the Chargers. After getting out muscled against North Moore’s heavy-run game, Northwood went on to win five straight games by an average margin of 48.5 points, looking like a different team than it did against the Mustangs. As the Chargers look to build on last year’s success, a revenge win over the defending Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference champions can set the tone early in the season and payoff big time when the conference race gets tight.
Northwood vs. Seaforth (Oct. 4)
The Battle of Pittsboro will add another chapter after Northwood dominated Seaforth, 54-20, in 2023. This time, Northwood will be without former quarterback Carson Fortunes who looked like a running back against the Hawks, rushing for 228 yards and four touchdowns. Fortunes also threw three touchdowns and returned a pick six himself in that game. But, with new players stepping into different roles, anything can happen, especially in a spirited rivalry game like this. Seaforth is still looking for its first win in the series after also losing to the Chargers in 2022, 12-7. Could this be the year that Seaforth finally takes the crown as the big dog in Pittsboro?
Jordan-Matthews vs. Chatham Central (Sept. 13)
On the football field, the hate is real between the Bears and the Jets, especially last year when neither team wanted to give each other their first win. Jordan-Matthews came out victorious after a thrilling ending and did what former head coach Ryan Johnson described as “restoring order” in the county. With the teams playing early in the season, it could very well be another situation in which both teams are looking for their first wins, giving this game more spice than it already has.
Northwood at Cummings (Oct. 18)
Last season, Northwood had a chance to better position itself in the conference standings in a highly anticipated game against Cummings. However, the Chargers fell victim to current NC State running back Jonathan Paylor who ran for over 200 yards and five touchdowns against them. Both programs will have different teams this year after key players graduated or transferred, leaving many questions and much to anticipate regarding the implications of this game. The game is late in the season, meaning it could once again hold weight in the conference standings and even the conference title.