Taking a look at our Guilford County teams, as we hit Round One of the NCHSAA Playoffs tonight….We will have the Cox Mill Chargers(5-5) at the Grimsley Whirlies(1-0) game for you on GreensboroSports Radio…Game time is 7:30pm, with our Sprinkle Oil pregame show getting started at 6:50pm, and the SayYes Guilford.org Kickoff coming along at 7:30, and all of this coming up, on GreensboroSports Radio, with the Murphy Wainer Orthopedic Specialists High School Football Game of the Week….GreensboroSports Radio with Don Moore manning our scoreboard and Don Tilley charting our stats, and again, all of this coming your way on GreensboroSports Radio…..
Here is how the Guilford County lineup looks for tonight/Friday November 5, 2021…..
(All games set to go at 7:30pm, unless otherwise noted.)
4-A West
#31 Cox Mill (5-5) at #2 Grimsley (10-0)
Grimsley faced the Cox Mill Chargers earlier this year, in the first game of the Spring 2021 season, and the game was at Cox Mill…Grimsley had no real problems with Cox Mill back in February, but Grimsley did get a real test at Northern Guilford last Friday night, and that was probably a good thing…The Northern game should have Grimsley better prepared for the playoffs…Grimsley saw some things they needed to work on, and they were hard at those issues this past week in practice…
Cox Mill got a scare last Friday night, winning 29-22 in Overtime, over South Iredell, just to get here, and the Chargers were led by their sophomore QB Khalel Wright, who threw for two TD’s in the first half and then came up with two more touchdown passes in the second half to lead the Chargers to victory…At least two of those TD passes from Wright were going to wide receiver Kendall Harris…
Cox Mill coach Shawn Baker on the Cox Mill win over South Iredell in OT:“That was one heck of a game,” Baker told the Independent Tribune during a telephone interview. “You have to give South Iredell so much credit. They really gave their all the entire game.
“We’re excited. We knew what was as stake in this game.”…..“We played well on offense,” Baker said. “I thought Wright and (wide receiver Kendall) Harris were outstanding tonight.”
(From the Concord Independent Tribune)
Grimsley has received a strong offensive effort all season long, and these offensive stats/numbers bare that out…
Grimsley QB Alonza Barnett III for the season going 146 of 230 passing, for 2,433 yards, with 31 TD’s and 3 INT’s…Completing 63.5% of his passes for 243.3 yards per game…582 yards rushing for Barnett on 82 carries, good for TD’s on the ground…..3,015 Total Yards and 41 TD’s total on the season….
RB Jeiel Melton with 1,196 rushing yards for the year, on 176 carries, with 13 rushing TD’s…For Melton 331 receiving yards on 19 receptions, with 1 TD….1,527 Total Yards for Melton, with 14 TD’s…
WR Terrell Anderson with 818 receiving yards on 44 receptions, good for 9 TD’s…WR Tyson Resper with 33 receptions for 485 yards and 10 TD’s…WR Alex Taylor with 30 receptions for 449 yards and 5 TD’s…TE/H-back Nolan Albright with 14 receptions for 257 yards and 5 TD’s….
Grimsley’s defense up front is stout and strong with Travis Shaw, Tamorye Thompson, Jamal Jarrett, and Nick Richardson, doing more than holding down the fort…The Grimsley offensive line has shown great strides this Fall season, and with the loss of several linebackers, Grimsley has found solitude with Khalil Stimpson and Jordan Watkins holding their own, and then some…Grimsley used WR Alex Taylor in spots last week, as a defensive back, and even QB Alonza Barnett came in and worked several plays on defense for the Whirlies…Whirlies look to set the tone for their playoff run tonight, at Jamieson Stadium…
#22 Lake Norman (7-3) at #11 Northern Guilford (9-1)
(Joe Sirera at this game tonight, in coverage for the News and Record and HSXtra.com.)
Northern Guilford has a very potent offense led by QB Jack Mercer, and running back Jordan McInnis…..
QB Jack Mercer for the season at 123-199 for 1,812 yards with 32 TD’s/6 INT’s…Mercer with 290 yards rushing on 76 carries, with 5 TD’s..Mercer with 2,102 yards and 37 TD’s….
RB McInnis rushing for 1,045 yards on 131 carries, with 12 TD’s…21 receptions for 290 yards/2 TD’s…
WR Manny Elliot with 40 receptions for 645 yards and 12 TD’s….Terrell Timmons with 32 receptions for 488 yards and 11 TD’s…TE/H-back Vance Bolyard with 20 receptions for 262 yards and 4 TD’s..WR Zion Crawford with 19 receptions for 341 yards and 5 TD’s…
The Lake Norman Wildcats will call on and depend on their defense vs. the Northern Guilford Nighthawks…Northern Guilford will pose a test for what has been a stout Wildcat defense throughout the season.
“They’re just so balanced,” Lake Norman coach Jonathon Oliphant said. “They have an aggressive offense that doesn’t make mistakes and gets after you.”
If there is a way for the Wildcats to upset the Nighthawks, it’s on the defensive side of the ball. Lake Norman’s defense gave up just 156 points over the course of the season, an average of 15.6 points per game, and held six opponents to 14 points or less. Only Davie County and Hickory Ridge, both playoff teams, managed to score more than 20 points on Lake Norman.
“I’m a defensive guy. I always want the defense to be the strength of the team,” Oliphant said. “Our defense has continued to get better each week. They’re starting to see the big picture of how they fit together in our scheme.”
(Coach Oliphant comments from the Mooresville Tribune)
#21 Southeast Guilford (7-3) at #13 East Forsyth (8-1)
(Dave Polaski and Drew Brackett on hand tonight, with coverage on 600 AM WSJS.)
East Forsyth is a real tough place to play, but SEG will call upon their QB to get them going over in Kernersville….For the season SEG QB Bryson Serrano 73-119 passing for 1,097 yards, with 8 TD’/5 INT’s….Running the ball is the way the Falcons would really like to go…Top rusher Tyshawn Wall with 548 yards and 4 TD’s…Elijah Davis counters with 493 yards and 8 TD’s…Only 94 yards, but 10 TD’s rushing this season for RB/DL Alex McCalop…SEG places a large amount of their defensive leadership on McCalop’s shoulders….Top receiver by far for SEG has been Cameron Williams with 563 yards on 27 receptions, with 6 TD’s…1,397 yards rushing for SEG this season, and 1,130 passing…SEG will have to count on their Falcon defense if they really want to win this game…McCalop, Cameron Dollard, Camber Alcorn, Grant Stevens and others must really rally and step it up…
East Forsyth led by their QB Jaylen Alexander-Raynor…He has gone 84-137 passing this season for 1,672 yards, with 15 TD’s/5 INT’s…Alexander-Raynor has 694 yards rushing(Top East runner) and 10 TD’s on the ground…2,366 total yards for Alexander-Raynor…SEG must find and follow #1(Alexander-Raynor) for the East Forsyth Eagles…Top receiver for East Forsyth is Que’sean Brown with 644 yards and 8 TD’s…
Going to be up to the SEG Defense in this game…All eyes and arms on Alexander-Raynor…
#29 Northwest Guilford (5-5) at #4 Ardrey Kell (7-2)
NWG will have to unload their offensive package, and be able to make it go, to win this game….Offensive look at NWG Vikings…
NWG QB Tanner Ballou for the season, going 144-262, for 2,105 yards with 24 TD’s/14 INT’s…
WR Trent Cloud on the year for NWG with 57 receptions for 705 yards, with 9 TD’s…WR/H-back Bristol Carter with 606 yards on 23 receptions for 8 TD’s…TE Jake Sowards with 15 receptions for 311 yards and 1 TD…WR Alex Sarantos with 19 receptions for 214 yards and 3 TD’s…Mike Godette with 18 receptions for 201 yards and 1 TD…Carter also 16 carries for 128 yards and 1 TD…Xavier Simmons with 76 carries for 522 yards and 8 TD’s…Mike Godette with 391 yards 77 carries, with 3 TD’s…NWG with 2,105 yards passing and 1,180 rushing this season…NWG defense will be led by Xavier Simmons and Ryan Kesselring…
During the season, Ardrey Kell lost to #18 Porter Ridge, 25-14, and the Knights fell to #12 Myers Park, 13-7…No stats available on Ardrey Kell on MaxPreps…
#32 Page (4-6) at #1 Hough (10-0)
The Page Pirates rely heavily on Trevon Hester…There is no hiding it, Hester is the Pirates’ go-to man…He has 1,112 yards rushing on 77 carries and 19 TD’s for the season, and he has made a ton of tackles on defense…Page will also look to Nick Williamson to lead at QB, if he is healthy…Williamson was injured, and missed most of last week’s Metro 4-A game at Southeast Guilford….If Williamson can’t go at QB, then the Pirates will turn it over to the freshman, Jerron Blackwell…If Blackwell is forced into full time QB duties, that takes away a receiver for Page, but it does give them an extra runner…Grady Sherrill and Devontay Deloatch will shore up the wide receiver spots, and Adonis Payton will go at H-back….
The Hough Huskies (10-0) wrapped up their second straight undefeated regular season and conference championship with a 58-0 win over Hopewell last Friday night…. Hough touts UNC commit Tad Hudson who has a plethora of weapons, and the running back duo of first-year Huskies Zayvion Turner-Knox and J.T. Smith. The defense, meanwhile, has only yielded 8.3 points per game. Hough is stocked at special teams, too, with kicker Nolan Hauser and punter Owen Fehr….QB Hudson going 120-207 for the season passing, with 1,677 yards, with 21 TD’s/3 INT’s….
(Hough news from the Concord Tribune)
3-A West
#30 North Henderson (4-6) at #3 Dudley (9-1)
Dudley has a very diverse offense, and they have plenty of weapons to go around…
QB Jahmier Slade on the season for Dudley going 66-113 for 1,439 yards with 18 TD’s/3 INT’s….
RB/Slot Back RJ/Rory Baker on the season at 808 rushing yards and 515 receiving yards, plus 19 TD’s, with the total yards for him at 1,323 yards…
WR/PR Mehki Wall(Dudley HS) with 1,312 total yards on the season…105 yards rushing, 609 yards receiving and 590 yards on punt returns…
North Henderson’s top passer is Jaxson Willis who has gone for 821 yards, on 60-102 passing, for 9 TD’s/2 INT’s, over five games..The man to watch out for is Hahazh Collington, who has 1,139 yards rushing on 118 carries, good for 14 TD’s….Top receiver, Jaylen Croft with 630 yards and 7 TD’s….
Dudley’s defense out to be able to take over and control this game….Front four for Dudley will be very active tonight…Look for Pittman and Logan Wright to be all over the North Henderson backs….
#17 Eastern Guilford (7-2) at #16 South Point (7-3)
The last time and only time I was down at South Point, at Belmont, N.C., it was November of 2001, and the Ragsdale Tigers, coached by Tommy Norwood, were taking on the South Point Red Raiders…Ragsdale got the win that night, but it will much tougher for Eastern Guilford to leave there with a win tonight…Belmont is like a Christmas Town, USA with holiday lights everywhere, but the lights on the scoreboard will be what are bothering the EG Wildcats…
The stats that stand out for South Point are the ones that go with Tyson Riley….Riley with 241 carries for 1,682 yards and 23 touchdowns…163.8 yards per game rushing for Riley, and that gives South Point a big boost..On defense, Veiga and Howell will be extra busy for EG on this night…
For EG on the year, Tyriek Boyd at QB going 80-130, for 1,031 yards, with 17 TD’s/4 INT’s…RB Jaiden Evans with 138 carries for 1,065 yards and 9 TD’s…131.3 yards a game for Evans…Khyair Lundy, for EG, with 41 receptions, for 498 yards and 10 TD’s…
Again, going to be a busy night for the EG “D” chasing Riley…
#32 Southern Guilford (4-6) at #1 Pisgah (9-1)
The SG Storm coach Jason ‘Bear’ Bradley has been in the hospital, and has missed the past two SG games and he will miss this game again tonight, for the Southern Guilford Storm…We wish him a safe and speedy recovery…The trip for SG up to Pisgah will be a long one, and the trip back from Canton Pisgah, might seem like double the trip up there….The SG stats appear to be a bit incomplete, but we know by studying them, that they have been led all year on offense by QB Jamias Ferere and RB Rydell Herbin…SG knocked off High Point Central, 12-0, to get here, and this trip up there to Pisgah should be very beneficial to all of the underclassmen…
No stats available on MaxPreps for Pisgah, but we did get this info from The Mountaineer.com:
The matchup is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. from C. E. Weatherby Stadium, the home field of Pisgah’s rival Tuscola, where the Bears knocked off the Mountaineers earlier this year in thrilling comeback fashion.
Catastrophic damage from severe flooding in August caused Pisgah’s home field to be unplayable, forcing the Bears to host home games elsewhere. Pisgah Head Football Coach Brett Chappell explained that Weatherby was discussed with county administration as a possible location for Pisgah’s regular season home games but that they ultimately decided to host games at Enka and Erwin high schools rather than share the field with their rivals.
“With the playoffs happening now and the brackets finally coming out, we felt like it would be a good decision to try to stay in-county,” Chappell said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to get a few more fans to come to the game. We’re very appreciative of Tuscola High School for allowing us to do that.”
Chappell said he expects a well-coached and talented Southern Guilford team to take the field on Friday. Chappell mentioned that the Storm have a strong football tradition and have made trips to the state semifinals in recent years.
“They’ve got some really good looking kids as far as heights and weights and obviously what we see on the film. They’ve got some athletic kids, as well,” Chappell said.
Storm Head Coach Jason “Bear” Bradley is a WNC local, having graduated from Smoky Mountain High School after playing offensive line for the Mustangs.
**********Pisgah over North Henderson, the same North Henderson team that Dudley is facing tonight, and the Pisgah Bears topped North Henderson, 45-7, last Friday night…Pisgah’s hard-nosed running game dominated the contest, as three different Bears had rushing touchdowns. Ian Rogers led the attack with 27 carries for 218 yards and two touchdowns, quarterback Logan Free had 196 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries and Dez Rodriguez rounded things out with five carries for 40 yards and a score.********
High Point Christian Academy(3-6) at Harrells Academy(9-1) Round One of the NCISAA DII Playoffs 7pm
Harrells Academy led by Devin Gardner with 1,665 yards on 121 carries and 21 TD’s…Hard-running team with Xavier Arrington going for 789 more yards on 66 carries, with 5 TD’s…
High Point Christian Academy passing with Myles Crisp going 82-155, for 1,260 yards with 17 TD’s/6 INT’s…Myles Crisp with 768 yards rushing on 98 carries, for 9 TD’s…Crisp a true dual-threat…Top receiver for HPCA Cougars is Jalen Smith with 596 yards, and 5 TD’s…2,028 Total Yards for Myles Crisp…
And that is our look for the playoffs beginning tonight…Good luck to all of our teams, as they hit the fields tonight…
Picks
Grimsley
Northern Guilford
Dudley
East Forsyth
South Point
Hough
Ardrey Kell
Pisgah
Harrells Academy
The Fine Nine
(Ranking teams that are still in the playoffs)
1)Grimsley(10-0)
2)TIE:Northern Guilford(9-1)/Dudley(9-1)
4)Southeast Guilford(7-3)
5)Eastern Guilford(7-2)
6)Page(4-6)
7)Northwest Guilford(5-5)
8)Southern Guilford(4-6)
9)High Point Christian Academy(3-6)