ECU football preps for South Carolina, high school season enters week four

GREENVILLE, Pitt County — In the week after the ECU football team lost 33-19 to Appalachian State in Charlotte, the Pirates are preparing to take on South Carolina on Saturday.

The game with the Gamecocks will be at home with a noon kickoff at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.

It's the first time ECU has hosted an opponent from the Southeastern conference since 1997.

The Pirates are 4-19 all time against SEC schools, but all four of those wins have been against South Carolina, with the most recent being in Columbia back in 1999 in Lou Holtz's first game as the Gamecocks head coach.

Heading into this matchup, ECU wants to prove they can hang with the tough teams from the bigger conferences.

In high school football, New Bern continues to roll as the Bears have outscored their first three opponents 150-7 and are fresh off a 41-0 shutout last week over West Craven.

This week, the Bears meet Maury High School out of Virginia Beach, VA.

In the latest NewsChannel 12 Football Poll, New Bern holds the top spot with Havelock right behind them.

The Rams will take on West Craven Friday, Jacksonville is third, Kinston fourth and Washington in fifth as the Pam Pack take on Northampton County Friday night.

Wallace-Rose Hill is sixth and will battle Pender this week.

Southside is 3-0 and seventh as the Seahawks take on Riverside, Edenton Holmes is No. 8, North Lenoir is at nine while South Lenoir is 10th.

A recently added high school game for Friday night is James Kenan at Ayden-Grifton after the Tigers' game against Beddingfield was cancelled.

Swansboro also picked up a game against Farmville Central which will be Monday at 6:30 p.m., the first time those schools have faced each other.