The first round in the NCHSAA 2A Playoffs is in the books! No real upsets on the Western side of the bracket took place, as the lowest seed remaining is a nineteen seed. One seeded Reidsville beat down RS Central, 56-22, but two-seeded Shelby beat down our Morehead Panthers, 49-0, down in Charlotte.
Let’s get to the good part first. Dionte Neal was, as usual, the player of the game. My favorite player not named Victor Wembanyama to wear number one did almost everything, scoring a rush touchdown, passing for multiple touchdowns, and even returning a kick 88 yards to the house! The reason I say “almost” everything is because Neal almost intercepted an easy pop up fly ball, but just fell out of his hands. The reason that interception would have been important is because Neal would have broken Reidsville’s record for interceptions, making his player of the game trophy look even better. Throwing-wise, the reason Neal’s effort was important is because they’re going to need some more of that since Jariel Cobb is out for the season with a collarbone injury.
Though it was a great game for Reidsville, there were a couple of issues. Their defense continues to struggle against the run, which fans have been worried about, and, most importantly, they continue to shoot themselves in the foot with penalties. As they get deeper into the playoffs, they must become more disciplined. However, they looked very good on Friday, and there is some talk of them playing down to their opponent. The good part about that is that they also rise to the occasion when they face the big teams. So now, they must keep getting better every week and fine-tuning those penalty issues.
Morehead ended their season on Friday, losing 49-0 to Shelby, but they can keep their heads held high, as they were not expected to even make it into the playoffs. Though they only got two wins, they beat the expectations this season and have built a small amount of momentum for 2025, but still much more than they entered this year with.
On November 22nd, Reidsville takes on the East Rutherford Cavaliers in round number two of the playoffs. Coach Erik Teague and the Rams look to hold on tight with that title belt, and they must win five more times to keep that title heading into next year.
Would like to take a minute to shout out my good friend Trooper Wright, one of Morehead’s quarterbacks who recently had his arm amputated following a tragic accident. Prayers to Jesus for him and his family.