As playoffs continue, NC Smoky Mountains home to great views — and great football
There’s no place like the North Carolina Smoky Mountains — geographically and in the 1A football conference. This region, which has claimed 30-plus state championships, had four gridiron hotbeds where home teams prevailed last Friday.
Andrews, this fall’s conference champion (undefeated through 11 starts), defeated Highland Tech 77-8. Hayesville topped Alleghany, 37-22, while Murphy stopped Albemarle, 49-20, and Robbinsville won 40-14 over Cherryville.
On the road, Swain won 26-8 at Winston Salem Prep, and Cherokee left Starmount a 28-21 victor to complete a 6-0 league first round slate.
Wild Triangle slate
Millbrook, per unofficial scoring, prevailed in its preseason scrimmage with Cardinal Gibbons. The Wildcats and Crusaders will meet on a much bigger stage this week — in the postseason at Cardinal Gibbons.
Millbrook wide receiver Nathan Leacock — a Tennessee commit — needs 41 receiving yards for 1500 this season. Leacock is averaging more than 132 yards per game. Achieving this average will position Leacock to match last season’s 1594 receiving yards by previous teammate Wesley Grimes, now at Wake Forest in the ACC.
Leacock will be challenged by the Crusaders defense with a secondary that has intercepted 12 passes.
Cardinal Gibbons wide receiver Nick Lemon needs four receiving yards to join teammates Chet Yardley and Landen Lawrence with more than 500 yards.
CMS 4A schools unbeaten at home
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools tallied an effectively perfect 6-0 mark in Friday’s first round 4A state playoffs games. The only CMS school setbacks were among internal rivalries.
Butler, Chambers, Hough, Independence, Mallard Creek, and Olympic all won their home games. Providence and Ardrey Kell fell at Hough and Mallard Creek, respectively.
In the 3A bracket, West Charlotte won 40-13 over Stuart Cramer.
Alexander-Raynor efficient
East Forsyth quarterback Jaylen Alexander-Raynor only bolstered his case for multiple North Carolina player of the year distinctions in Friday’s 49-0 Eagles win over visiting West Forsyth. Among Alexander-Raynor’s 10 pass completions were five touchdowns and 285 yards.
Alexander-Raynor now has 36 passing touchdowns at an 18-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Burns-Shelby rematch
The much-anticipated Burns-Shelby rematch will take place Friday at the former’s home stadium. Burns won the first 2A Cleveland County clash between the teams, 27-14, on Oct. 28 at home, and beat Morehead 62-13 in last Friday’s first round.
Shelby, a 30-13 winner at Forest Hills, got a season high 69 rushing yards from quarterback Daylin Lee, who has surpassed 2600 yards through the air.
Recent runners-up to meet
Cleveland, the spring 2021 3AA state runner-up, will welcome that spring’s 4AA runner-up Rolesville in Friday’s second round.
Cleveland is undefeated, including its 42-14 win over visiting Topsail last Friday. Rolesville defeated visiting Overhills, 41-16.
Cleveland sophomore quarterback Jackson Byrd completed 23 of 28 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns in the Rams’ first round win.
Other notable rematches
Municipal and conference pride is on the line in Alamance, Duplin, and Nash counties.
Williams will visit Eastern Alamance among the 3A classification, while 2A East Duplin welcomes James Kenan, and 3A Northern Nash hosts Southern Nash — again!
Williams defeated Western Alamance 34-20 to earn a return trip to Eastern Alamance, which defeated visiting Williams 20-17 on September 29. Northern Nash won 27-7 over visiting Southern Nash on October 21.
East Duplin beat visiting James Kenan 21-14 on September 16.
Gonet swan song
Charlotte Christian’s 46-7 win over visiting Ravenscroft in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA Division I playoffs ended the football coaching career of Ravens coach Ned Gonet.
The 2022 Ravens finished 10-2. Ravenscroft averaged seven wins per season during Gonet’s 42-years head coaching tenure — the longest ever by a N.C. high school gridiron coach at one school.
