Looking toward the High School Football Playoffs on Friday night

Just looking over the master sheet today and when you look at the 1-A’s for this Friday, you have a (13-0) Plymouth team meeting (5-8)Princeton for the East Title….Princeton topped (5-7) Rosewood to get to the Final so you had an (4-8) vs. a (5-7) in the semi…That looks a little odd for a major playoff game with (4-8) vs. (5-7),,,,,

Looks better in the West with (12-1) Murphy vs. (13-0) Albemarle…..Albemarle just keeps on sustaining…That team is almost always in the hunt….Only big difference is Murphy won 56-13 to get here and Albemarle just got in, with a 19-18 victory last Friday…

For the 1-AA East, you have James Kenan(13-0) vs. SW Onslow(12-1)….James Kenan over Red Spring last week 68-41…WOW! Does sound a bit like two old western actors, James Kenan vs. Red Springs…..

A look at the 1-AA West shows Monroe(11-2) at Swaim(13-0)….Monroe topped Mt. Airy last week 61-31 and Swaim got past Hendersonville, 55-24….The offenses work, but the defenses have their work cut out for them….

In the 2-A East where Tarboro had won something like back-to-back State Titles, it will be Tarboro(13-0) hosting South Columbus(12-1)…Tarboro won last week, 52-24….Big edge toward Tarboro going in and didn’t they have that Todd Gurley kid last year and now he is at Georgia….

With the 2-A West you get Madison(12-1) vs. East Lincoln(13-0)….East Lincoln topped Thomasville 28-12 last Friday, while Madison just slipped by Shelby, 28-21….

For the 2-AA East you see Northside(13-0) at Carrboro(13-0)…Northside of Jacksonville knocked out Bunn last week 28-10 and Carrboro held off Reidsville, 20-16….

To the 2-AA West and Salisbury(11-2) hosts South Iredell(12-1)….Salisbury came back to eliminate High Point Andrews in a thriller last week, 36-35….South Iredell beat Nandys, 45-14….

As you hit the 3-A’s in the East who can stop Havelock)13-0)…It looks like a lock for Havelock and they won it all last year…Orange will be up next and Hillsborough Orange is coached by Pat Moser, who took the Graham Red Devils to the State Title, back in 2000…Orange won last 14-13 over Eastern Alamance, while Havelock destroyed Washington, 57-7…..That was 57=7….

On the West 3-A’s and #1 Concord(11-2) faces #4 Morganton Freedom(12-1)…Freedom beat #2 Burns last week, as Concord was surviving Overtime with East Rowan, 21-20….

For the 3-AA East we have our Northern Guilford Nighthawks(13-0) going up against Wilson Hunt(13-0)…This will be the third straight year that they have met for the East Title and both Coach Johnny Roscoe of Northern and Coach Randy Raper from Hunt, are Guilford College grads and former Quaker football players……Josh Joyner of Hunt has our attention and they have a defensive end, 6’2/240 Lewis Neal, who is LSU-bound…Hunt QB, Daniel Westbrook, stand 6’9, but I still feel Northern can win this game by two TD’s and the Warriors have a very good secondary too, so TJ Logan better be ready to run some and run hard/fast…..Lots of respect for Hunt on the way in….Very good team…

3-AA West has a great mathcup with Charlotte Catholic(12-1) vs. Statesville(13-0)….Catholic has that RB Eijah Hood and he is real good, but they don’t call Statesville the Greyhounds for nothing….Catholic blew out AL Brown 49-18 last week…

Got to get the 4-A’s in here too and many would like to see the 4-A Champ battle the 4-AA Champ and then take that winner plus the winners from 3-AA vs. 3-A and seed that winner vs. the winner from 2-AA vs. 2-A and have 4-AA-4-A face 1AA-1AA winner and just ahead seed all the teams and have a true winner for the entire state…Would require three more games total and then you would have a true State Champion and most would say that the winner should come from the 4-AA schools, since they are the largest classification…Last year you would have had 4-AA Page meeting 4-A Scotland County and just look, Scotland County at (12-1) is right back in here again, facing New Bern(13-0) and I am hearing calls for the New Bern Bears to be the favorites in this game….

A true State Champion and this year we might see a Matthews Butler-Northern Guilford game, if all things went as they stand now on paper…..Just some forward thinking….

Was waiting to add this on the 4-A West with North Davidson(13-0) hosting Porter Ridge(12-1)….North Davidson has this kid Hunter Hoots(LB) and he has 7 fumble recoveries on the season and he’s taken four of the seven fumbles back to the house, for TD’s…..CLICK HERE to get the word on kid that is having a hoot(Hoots) this football season for the North Davidson Knights….

For the 4-AA East we have Garner(13-0) vs. Jack Britt(12-1)….Garner has been on a roll since last year’s Finals loss to the Page Pirates and they have to be your favorite on the way in….Both teams scored in the 50’s last week in their wins….

Finally we have the 4-AA West war with Mallard Creek(12-1) vs. Matthews Butler(13-0) at Charlotte’s Memorial Stadium…Butler #6 in the nation for a reason and they have the right men in the skill positions……Butler stopped East Forsyth last Friday, as Mallard Creek was disposing of Charlotte Olympic…In the end, if Butler doesn’t win it all, I will shocked…..

That is it and have a good Thanksgiving Day…..

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