For the second year in a row, the Reidsville Rams will be competing for their 23rd state championship.
The seven-seeded Golden Lions had their Cinderella run in the playoffs ended when they had to go to the Football Capital of North Carolina, as Reidsville had no trouble putting them away. Shelby had only played double-digit seeds thus far, aside from their win over the two-seeded Salisbury Hornets.
Now, Reidsville, the one seed on the eastern side of the bracket, will attempt to put away the one seed on the other side of the bracket, the Clinton Dark Horses, who have had a similar run to this title game.
In the first quarter of this game, Reidsville established dominance with two early touchdowns, one receiving and one rushing. Not content with their 14-0 lead, they attempted an onside kick, but to no avail. However, they would get their wish of having the ball back in good field position, as Johnniyus Sharpe made the interception! Sharpe has been fantastic all tournament, as he had a twenty-yard rushing touchdown in the first round, a receiving touchdown apiece in the second and third rounds, and a recovered fumble against Bunker Hill in the quarterfinals.
Al Lee and Diontae Neal kicked off the second quarter right with a touchdown connection, widening the gap to 21-0. The teams then traded punts, before Reidsville got the ball back with just one minute to go. Lee then passed it to Kendre Harrison for a thirty-two yard touchdown and Harrison’s second touchdown of the game!
Shelby finally stopped the shutout opportunity when Lan Farmer sent it to Izay Bridges for a 42 yard touchdown. Cutting the lead down to three touchdowns only worked for literally one minute, as the Rams brought it back to a twenty-eight point differential with a quick touchdown. Reidsville then snagged their eighth interception of the playoffs in good field position, before Paul Widerman put it on the board by powering into the end zone. The third quarter ended with a 42-7 lead for the gold-and-navy.
Both teams traded touchdowns, and Reidsville would end the game with an interception for the third game in the row, sending them back to the state championship! This dominant, five touchdown win gives Reidsville an enormous amount of momentum that could be the very thing that propels them to a win over Clinton and a state title.
The city of Reidsville is very excited for this huge matchup, one that they are no stranger to. Let’s see if Erik Teague can emulate his Hall of Fame father, Jimmy, and get himself a ring, after an exciting, up-and-down first season.