Four make playoffs

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, November 7, 2006

CHAPEL HILL – Four local schools are making playoff plans.

Bertie, Hertford County, Northampton County High School n East and Northampton County High School n West are all headed to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state football playoffs.

Hertford County High School, fresh off a 27-8 win over archrival Bertie and a Northeastern Coastal Conference championship, garnered a number two seed in the eastern 3-A bracket of the playoffs.

With that number two spot, the Bears (10-0 for seeding purposes) will host Southern Wayne High School at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

The other local 3-A squad will also be at home Friday evening when the eighth seeded Falcons (8-2) host a familiar foe in Wilson’s James B. Hunt High School. The Falcons went to Wilson in August and took an 18-12 victory in Tony Hoggard’s first contest as head football coach.

If the Falcons are able to beat Hunt for a second time, they’ll likely face another familiar foe. SouthWest Edgecombe, who was in conference with the Falcons in both the old Tar-Roanoke and Big Eight leagues, took the number one seed and need only to beat 16th ranked Southern Lee (5-5) to advance to round two.

In addition to those seeds, Western Alamance (10-0) was third followed by Eastern Alamance (8-2), Beddingfield (6-4), South Central (5-5) and Gray’s Creek (9-1). Rocky Mount (8-2) finished as the 10 seed followed by Nash Central (7-3), South Johnston (7-3), West Craven (6-4) and Washington (6-4).

West Rowan (10-0) garnered the top seed in the class 3-A west.

In the 1-A playoffs, last year’s defending Eastern Champion, Northampton-West, will start the playoffs as a number two seed in the eastern half of the bracket. The Hurricanes (10-0) will meet Tar-Roanoke Conference opponent Southeast Halifax (3-7) in the first round.

Manteo (10-0) took the top seed in the division followed by West, Plymouth (9-1), Jamesville (8-2), Camden (8-2), Jones Senior (7-3), Southside (6-4) and Mattamuskeet (5-5).

In the bottom half of the 1-A bracket are number nine seed Roanoke (6-4), Columbia (5-5), Perquimans (1-9), Williamston (4-6), Creswell (3-6), Lejeune (3-7), Southeast Halifax (3-7) and Northside (2-8).

The top seed in the west is Cherokee (10-0).

The fourth team from the local area to secure a spot in the football playoffs in Northampton-East. The Rams are the seeded number 11 in the 1-AA eastern pairings and will take their 5-5 record to Wallace-Rose Hill (9-1).

The top seed in the 1-AA bracket is James Kenan (10-0). They will host number 16 Trask (2-8) while second seeded East Carteret (10-0) will play host to Midway (2-8).

The third seed in the 1-AA bracket is East Bladen (10-0) while number four belongs to Pender (7-3). Rounding out the top five is North Johnston (7-3). Six through 10 will be Wallace-Rose Hill, Ayden Grifton (8-2), Louisburg (8-2), Pamlico (7-3) and Rosewood (6-4).

In the number 11 spot is East followed by Topsail (4-6), Spring Creek (3-7), East Columbus (3-7), Midway (2-8) and Trask.

The top seed in the west is Thomasville (10-0).

In the eastern 2-A playoffs, Whiteville (9-1) took the top seed and will host North Brunswick (4-6). The second seed is East Duplin (8-2) who will host First Flight (5-5).

Northeastern High School took the five seed at 8-2 and will host Northwest Halifax (6-4) Friday.

The west number one was Cummings (10-0).

In the 2-AA eastern bracket, Southern Vance (9-1) is the number one seed and will host North Lenoir (3-7) in the first round of the playoffs.

The number two is Salisbury (9-1) who will host Northeastern Coastal Conference member Pasquotank (4-6).

The number one seed in the 2-AA west is Pisgah (10-0).

The 3-AA eastern bracket is headlined by Asheboro (10-0) who will host 16-seed Jacksonville (4-6). The number two is Harnett Central (10-0) as they will host Ragsdale (5-5).

Others of interest to the area included sixth-seeded Southern Nash (7-3) who will host number 11 Southern Alamance and former Big Eight member C.B. Aycock (7-3) who will travel to West Brunswick (6-4).

The top seed in the 3-AA west is Charlotte Catholic (9-1).

Three-time defending 4-A champion J.H. Rose will be the top seed in the East. They will meet E.E. Smith (4-6) in the first round.

The number two seed went to Hoggard High School (10-0) in Wilmington. They are slated to host Ashley (4-6).

The west 4-A top seed is A.C. Reynolds (10-0).

The 4-AA bracket in the east has Garner (10-0) at the top hosting Middle Creek (4-6) while Leesville Road (8-2) is the second seed. They host Wakefield (6-4).

In the 4-AA west, the top three seeds are all undefeated. Independence will try to extend their streak of state championships from the number one spot. They begin their defense by hosting Weddington (4-6).

In the second spot is Grimsley

who will host 5-5 Myers Park in the first round while Richmond Senior is number three. They will play host to Hopewell (5-5).