The high school football playoffs are here — two weeks after area postseason teams concluded their regular seasons.
Six of the area’s 10 NCHSAA teams earned spots in the brackets with two, Jacksonville and White Oak, hosting first-round games.
Who wins Friday’s postseason openers? Here are my thoughts on the first-round games:
No. 21 West Carteret at No. 12 Jacksonville (8-1)
Jacksonville’s home first-round 3-A playoff game against West Carteret in a rematch from a game played earlier in the season.
The Cardinals won 21-10 at the Patriots on Tuesday, Oct. 1, five days after an emotional 34-24 victory at New Bern.
With a full week to prepare, look for Jacksonville to take care of business, although expect West Carteret to put up a fight early. The Patriots’ short passing game gave the Cardinals some fits in the regular season contest. The Cardinals need to prevent the Patriots from establishing too much early offensive momentum while also establishing an offensive rhythm of their own.
I look for the Cardinals to score a second-quarter touchdown to climb ahead by two scores before fully pulling away in the second half.
Prediction: Jacksonville 34, West Carteret 17
No. 26 Lee County (5-5) at No. 7 White Oak (9-1)
White Oak is hoping to avoid repeating history when the Vikings host Lee County in the first round of 3-A playoff.
Last year, White Oak entered the playoffs 9-1, but fell at home in the first round to J.H. Rose. The Vikings are also looking for their first playoff win since a 27-14 first-round victory over Kinston in 2004.
Lee County’s record is perhaps misleading, given the Yellow Jackets play in a 3-A/4-A Conference.
I would say the key to the Vikings’ success is building an early lead, but they did exactly that last year before falling 21-19 to J.H. Rose. That said, White Oak’s defense needs to stay on its toes as Lee County has a balance offense.
I suspect White Oak will be able to move the ball, but the Vikings need to capitalize on red zone possessions. Every scoring opportunity is important in the playoffs, which means the Vikings would do themselves favors by also scoring on two-point conversions.
Prediction: White Oak 24, Lee County 14
No. 18 Richlands (9-1) at No. 15 Rocky Mount (6-4)
Richlands looks for its first playoff victory since a 28-27 first-round win over South Brunswick in 2007 when it visits Rocky Mount in the first round of the 3-A playoffs.
Rocky Mount is another team that appears to be better than its record as the Gryphons are coming off a 41-40 overtime loss to undefeated Northern Nash in a game that decided the Big East Conference title.
Rocky Mount does not have one player who stands out, offensively, but the Gryphons have four players with at least 588 yards rushing. The Wildcats’ tough defense needs to create havoc at the line of scrimmage to stymie Rocky Mount.
I think this will be quite a competitive game as either team can win. That said, I will be picking Richlands to punch in a late score to emerge victorious.
Prediction: Richlands 21, Rocky Mount 14
No. 31 Croatan (6-4) at No. 2 Seventy First (10-0)
Just going to be honest here.
Croatan faces a very difficult task against Seventy First in the first round of 3-A action.
The Falcons are undefeated and one of the favorites to play for a state title after they reached the state final last year. If the Cougars are to be competitive, they need to muster some first downs and shorten the game.
Look for the Cougars not to back down, but Seventy First will likely be too strong in this one.
Prediction: Seventy First 42, Croatan 7
No. 25 East Duplin (5-5) at No. 8 St. Pauls (8-2)
Seeding and record-wise, an East Duplin win at St. Pauls would be an upset. But look deeper and one could consider the Panthers a favorite in this first-round 2-A game.
East Duplin is dangerous. The Panthers have been bitten by the injury bug this season, but have won three of four. The Bulldogs are good, don’t get me wrong. But I think East Duplin be battle-tested will help the Panthers prevail in this one.
Look for things to be back-and-forth for a while before East Duplin scores late to seal the win.
Prediction: East Duplin 28, St. Pauls 20
No. 17 Lejeune (4-6) at No. 16 Weldon (5-4)
Lejeune looks for its first postseason win since 2013 when the Devilpups visit Weldon in the first round of the 1-A playoffs.
I will go ahead and say it. I think this is a favorable match-up for Lejeune. The Chargers enter on a two-game skid, but still finished fourth in their nine-team conference.
I look for this game to be high-scoring — I think I say that for every Lejeune game, as I see the Devilpups being able to move the ball well. The key, however, will be if Lejeune can make enough stops.
Prediction: Lejeune 40, Weldon 32
