Week 3 of the 2006 Season brought some interesting results. The biggest was Wilson's loss to division opponent Rocky Mount. Wilson, who played in the championship game last season, now finds themselves sitting with a 1-2 record and an 0-2 division record. They face Raleigh next week in what is a very important early season game.
Raleigh's defense continues to impress but their offense is struggling behind future hall of fame QB Van Egger. Egger has yet to put in a solid performance and there will have to be some kind of change if Raleigh hopes to make the playoffs.
Perhaps the biggest shocker of a game was Kinston blowing out 2-0 Durham. The Bulls defense had been tough in their first two games, and Sean Brooks was throwing well. Well the defense continued to play tough but turnovers and sloppy play allowed Kinston to move to 2-1 and a share of the division lead. Marion Sorenson is not the flashiest QB in the league, but he is showing consistency and brains.
Who would have thought that two years after making the playoffs Winston-Salem would be sitting 0-3. Late in the week 3 game against Greensboro they could do nothing to stop Christian Woodson and Shaun Legette and are desperately trying to figure out how to stop the bleeding and turn their season around. Life won't get easier this week as they travel to Durham where they will be taking on a very determined Sean Brooks and one of the best defenses in the league.
At no surprise Salisbury and Burlington are sitting 3-0. What is a surprise is that Salisbury's offense is really struggling to get anything going. They have scored a mere 28 points, second worst in the league. With Burlington starting to make their usual steamroll to the playoffs the Popes will have to find their offensive rhythm soon if they want to hold a chance against the Bees.
Charlotte managed to find their offense this week after starting QB Royce Scott went down. Permanent backup Kurt Nelson came in to play a tremendous game and Kelvin Ingram put together 100+yds rushing to beat Asheville who has perhaps the best playing QB in the league right now, Erik Waters. With Joe Maryland Asheville has never struggled to score points but they have struggled to stop other teams scoring and that was the case again this week. If Asheville wants to win the division they will have to beat Salisbury this week at home. Erik Waters talents will undergo a full test as he will be pressured by the Popes hard hitting defense. They will also have to do it without Marshall Moss who is out with a broken thumb.
Even though Gastonia was completely blown out by Burlington this week, coaches were pleased with the play of Harold Brooks who has bought himself another start. The Pirates are struggling to no longer be the worst team in the league and at 0-3 their struggle is not paying off. They hope the return of Carlton Holder can help their solid passing game and get them their first win hosting Greensboro.
NCFA QBs of this Season and the Future
It's a new NCFA these days. As older QBs begin to retire we have a whole new class of QBs to take their place. Let's take a look.
Charlotte - Royce Scott - 3rd year
When Chet Bouwens retired it left a huge void in Charlotte and they are hoping the youngster Scott can fill the gap. He led Charlotte to their only victory last season, but coach John Walton didn't want to take any chance with the future of Charlotte and sat him the rest of the season. He opened this season against the Mountain Division dominant Salisbury Popes and performed well, but made the one mistake that cost Charlotte the game, a weak pass into the flat picked off by Willie Prior and returned 8yds for a touchdown. Bouwens was never a dominant QB but he was very consistent, not making mistakes. That's what Charlotte fans want and expect. Scott will either have to live up to these expectations or throw up some big numbers to wow the fans.
Asheville - Erik Waters - 5th year
The Tourists have always struggled at QB with Darrin Cavinaugh and surprised everyone last year when they not only made a move for Waters, but benched Cavinaugh and started Waters right away. The gamble paid off as the Tourists made the playoffs, so now many eyes are turned on Waters to see what he can do his second year as a starter. He had a very impressive opening game with strong support from HB Marshall Moss, and seems to be playing better than last season. If Waters continues to improve and Moss can stay healthy and effective, Asheville should be able to give the Popes a run at the division championship. Those are big ifs this early in the season, but The Tourists fans are betting on them.
Gastonia - Darrell Sparks and Harold Brooks - 6th year
These guys are moving past the youngster point and need to show very quickly that they can be winning QBs in the league. Sparks has yet to show consistency and may lose his starting job to Brooks if he's not able to perform better in week 2. This would be a last shot for Brooks at Gastonia as well, as he has never shown any explosiveness or consistency. This will either be a season that pegs one of these guys as a solid starter in the league or perhaps pegs them both as full time backups.
Burlington - Thaddeus Schlotter - 6th year
Following the greatest QB in league history, a QB that may still have 10 years left in his arm, is not an easy task. Schlotter will have a lot to prove to the Bees fans. He started out very well in week 1, but will be expected to play this way every week for the rest of his career in Burlington to ever prove himself to fans. In some ways it is a no win situation for Schlotter. Unless the Bees win another championship, with Schlotter playing every offensive minute of every game his season has been a failure. He has the hardes challenge of all the new QBs.
Greensboro - Bradford Kokotan - 5th year
Floating around the free agent training camps for the past few years, Kokotan was as surprised as anyone to get no only called up, but handed the ball. His play was OK, but he went down with an injury and was completely outshined by Christian Woodson. Kokotan still may have a future, but if Woodson can continue to throw the ball as well as he did in week 1, Kokotan's future may not start until next season.
Wilson - Derrick Smith - 4th year
It's only his 4th year, but his 3rd as a starter. He is looked upon as perhaps the biggest young talent at QB, but he has struggled at times to show consistency to go along with his amazing talent. This weeks opening game was a prime example of this throwing for over 280yds but under 50% completion and 2 picks returned for TDs. Smith has already proven he is one of the best QBs in the league. He should continue to improve and will be a starter for as long as he wants to play in this league. He too has a tough season ahead. He's lead his team from a deep hole to make the playoffs, he's lead his team to the championship game, now he has to prove that he can do it every year.
Kinston - Marion Sorenson - 5th year
Everyone around the league felt Sorenson had a future when he played a flawless game a few years ago to help the Popes beat the Bees. Now he gets his chance to be the man as a starter at Kinston and opened the season with a very solid performance. Kinston has had a history of being one of the most inconsistent teams in the league. This year they have a fresh QB and fresh starting HB, so the fans are hopeful for a different result from the past. If Sorenson can play as he did in week 1 every week, they may be bringing home their second division title in 7 years.
