Hough’s Blake Dueitt and Seth Pope lead the Huskies’ defense with 4 and 3.5 sacks in five games this fall.

The W.A. Hough High football team earned its first I-Meck 4A Conference victory in school history with an impressive 21-7 decision over Vance on Sept. 16. That win over the Cougars, a team that advanced to the 4AA regional finals in 2010, made it clear that the Huskies are no longer the conference doormat they were last season when they failed to win a league game. For seniors such as defensive back Johnathan Cureton, the Huskies’ conference milestone is a source of immense pride.

“I think the win was huge because we were always criticized for still being like a first-year program,” said Cureton. “It turned a lot of heads because we are expected to loose all of our conference games to these established programs.”

So what’s the next milestone for the budding football program: A conference championship? Maybe. But that might be a tall order this season for the second-year Huskies with powerhouses such as defending I-MECK 4A Conference champion Mallard Creek, Mooresville and others standing in the way.

Another question that could be answered this fall is which opponent will become Hough’s chief rival. The answer might come over the next two weeks when the Huskies host Hopewell on Friday, Sept. 23 (kickoff 7 p.m.) and travel to North Meck on Sept. 30. Both adversaries could be natural rivals considering many of Hough’s upperclassmen attended those schools before they became Huskies last fall.

“They made this school from Hopewell and North so it’s kind of ironic that we play them back-to-back weeks,” Hough Coach Bobby Collins said. “The emotions at Hough High are going to be high for the next two weeks.”

Hopewell’s Titans (1-3, 0-1 in the I-MECK 4A) would certainly be good candidates after pummeling the Huskies 35-0 last season. Led by bruising tailback Denzel Heath, the Titans defeated Providence 41-13 in the season opener. Hough also defeated the Panthers (20-3) two weeks later.

Hopewell, however, followed up its first win with three straight losses, to East Lincoln (39-24), Ardrey Kell (48-12) and I-MECK foe West Charlotte (16-7). Even so, Collins still has a lot of respect for the program, even after it lost long-time head coach Chris Rust. He retired last spring and was replaced by David Johnson, a former offensive coordinator from Berry Academy.

“I think Heath is one of the best runners in the city, right now,” said Collins. “He has a great motor and he will be a challenge for our defense.

“Hopewell’s offense does it all. I charted them at eight or nine different formations. They can run and throw the ball well, so our goal is to win the battle up front and play fundamental football.”

A nail-biting 21-17 loss to the Vikings in 2010 could also spark a long-lasting rivalry between Hough and North Meck. A vast majority of Hough’s 2011 roster came from North Meck, and in last year’s game, the Huskies had a chance at a game-winning drive, but fumbled a punt return at the 50-yard line in the final minute of the contest. North Meck is 1-4 this fall with a loss in its only conference game to Lake Norman 21-14.

So which school of those two schools has the inside track? That might just depend on which Husky you ask.

“On a personal level it’s Hopewell because I went there for two years,” said Cureton, who played at Hopewell with current Hough starters Blake Dueitt, Mike Hart, Ben Craig and Jared Sobo. “But a lot of guys come from North Meck, so that’s a rivalry because they always looked at us as the younger guys. I guess it’s a personal thing, but there are two main candidates.”

Rivalries between high school programs can’t be forced; most happen naturally. It could take just one play or even something said during the next two weeks that makes the difference. Collins admitted he could see both Hopewell and North Meck fitting the rivalry bill at the same time.

But not all players share Collins’ view. Some might even consider a third contender for such an unpopular candidacy. Senior lineman Seth Pope attended North Meck for two seasons. Pope, however, said his team has a score to settle with another school this season – the Mooresville Blue Devils – and he said he isn’t alone.

“I would have to say a lot of guys can’t wait to play Mooresville,” said Pope, who is second on the team with 3.5 sacks in 2011. “They ran up the score on us last season. There’s always going to be tension between us.

“This year, we want to beat the brakes off of them.”