HighSchool OT

The Playoff Notebook, Round 1

By Tim Candon
Nov 18, 2008

HighSchoolOT.com Editor Tim Candon

Tri-Eight’s not so weak after all

Throughout the year, we belabored how down the Tri-Eight was this season.

After the nonconference season, the league had a collective record of 7-25. Four teams were winless (Athens Drive, Cary, Panther Creek, Green Hope) and only one team had a winning record (Fuquay-Varina) through the season’s first four weeks.

Who’s laughing now?

Not only is Tri-Eight champ Fuquay-Varina the No. 1 seed in the 4-A East, but the league went 3-2 in the first round of the playoffs. Those three wins weren’t even close. Fuquay beat Terry Sanford by 21, Apex beat West Johnston by 25, and Middle Creek beat Smithfield-Selma by 11.

Had it not been for a late two-point conversion, Athens Drive would have beaten Southern Durham and the league would’ve been 4-1.

Elsewhere in the Triangle, the Cap 7 went 2-3, the PAC 6 2-3 and the Greater Neuse 2-2.

With three teams (Fuquay-Varina, Apex, Middle Creek) reaching the second round, the Tri-Eight has the most of any conference in the Triangle.

Now the question isn’t how good is the Tri-Eight, rather how far will the Tri-Eight go? Fuquay-Varina’s 2006 squad was the last to make it to the third round.

Does B.G. stand for Be Good?

Garner quarterback B.G. Howell’s stat line from Saturday’s 33-30 double overtime win over Millbrook isn’t exactly eye-popping. He was 5 of 10 passing for 23 yards, and he had three carries for seven yards and a touchdown.

One item that isn’t reflected in those numbers is his decision making. Howell scored the winning touchdown on a 10-yard run, though the scamper wasn’t by design.

“I saw the safety walk over on Josh [Brooks], I threw a pick on that play the first time, and I said ‘I’m not going to let that happen again,’ so I decided to run,” Howell said after the game. “I saw the hole, and I just took off.”

That decision was vastly more valuable than what any number will indicate.

Wildcat spiral

West Johnston was the feel-good story for most of the season. The Wildcats, despite a coaching change right before the season, won their first eight games and it looked like they would win their first conference championship in school history.

Then the bottom fell out. West lost its final four games of the season, and the season’s feel-good story came to an end with Monday’s 33-8 loss to Apex in the first round of the 4-AA playoffs.

So what happened? In addition to some internal strife, the schedule got a little bit harder. The Wildcats’ first eight opponents had a combined record of 33-47, and only one team had a winning record (Garner). The Wildcats’ final four opponents, three of which had winning records, were a combined 30-17.

The end, West coach Bennett Jones said Monday, didn’t diminish the entire season.

“I told the seniors they’ve built a winning foundation, and we’ve got a group of guys that are hungry to come on and carry on the tradition,” Jones said. “When you look at what’s happened in the six years, it’s amazing this school has gotten to this level so quickly. You see a lot of new schools really struggle for a couple years. It takes a while to develop. Winning is an attitude, and when you win a lot, you believe you’re supposed to win. Right now, I don’t know that we take the field every time knowing we’re supposed to win. We kind of hope we’re going to win, but we don’t necessarily know we’re going to win. This is a great experience.”

Stat of the week

Over the first eight games (all wins) of the season, West Johnston averaged 372.6 yards of total offense and 35.75 points per game. During the final four games (all losses), the Wildcats managed only 208 yards of total offense and 17.5 points per game.

Call of the week

Third-seeded Southern Durham trailed No. 14 Athens Drive 7-0 for most of Friday’s game. Late in the fourth quarter, running back Alonzo Hedgepath plowed into the end zone to cut the Jaguars’ lead to 7-6.

Should the Spartans go for the win, or play it safe, kick the extra point and pin their hopes on overtime?

“I didn’t want to go into overtime with those guys,” Southern coach Adrian Jones said after the game. “They came out and really played hard. But I’m proud of [our] guys. They asked to go for two and we went for it.”

Alan Lea passed to Tony Creecy for the two-point conversion — a try that came from eight yards out after the Spartans were flagged for a false start — and Southern escaped with an 8-7 win.

Game balls

First-round playoff game balls go to …

Zach Gentry: The Leesville Road senior had three interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown, a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown, and six-yard touchdown run in the Pride’s 41-6 win over Enloe.

Desmond Scott: The Hillside running back had 225 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries in the Hornets’ 35-12 win over Fayetteville Pine Forest.

Kevin Howell: The Southeast Raleigh running back had 247 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries and a 24-yard touchdown reception in the Bulldogs’ 34-14 win over Cary.

Gabe Henderson: The Southeast Raleigh quarterback was 10 of 17 for 174 yards and a touchdown and he had 11 carries for 44 yards an a touchdown in the Bulldogs’ win over Cary.

Garrett Leatham: The Middle Creek quarterback was 20 of 30 for 241 yards and four touchdowns in the Mustangs’ 38-27 win over Smithfield-Selma.

Tre Nesbit: The Middle Creek wide receiver had nine catches for 121 yards and a touchdown in the Mustangs’ win over SSS.

Cory Hunter: The Fuquay-Varina running back had 143 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries in the Bengals’ 35-14 win over Fayetteville Sanford.

Brexton Young: The Wake Forest-Rolesville running back had 120 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries in the Cougars’ 44-14 win over Jordan.

Kuwon Eldridge: The Millbrook running back had 231 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries in the Wildcats’ 33-30 loss to Garner.

Team of the week

Garner.

No one expected Saturday’s Garner-Millbrook game to be a repeat of the Wildcats’ 34-0 season-opening thrashing, but just as few expected it to be a 33-30 double-overtime instant classic in which the Trojans prevailed.

Garner trailed 20-7 in the fourth quarter before rallying to send the game to overtime. After trading touchdowns then holding the Wildcats to a field goal, the Trojans won on Howell’s 10-yard run. Not only was Howell’s TD run the game winner, but the go-ahead score also marked the only time all night the Trojans had a lead.

After sitting at 2-3 through Week 5, the Trojans have won six of their last seven.

Much like they’ve done all season, Trojans tailbacks Jeremy Conyers and Michael Brantley are leaving defenses flummoxed. Conyers ran for 92 yards and two TDs Saturday, upping his season totals to 989 yards and eight touchdowns. Brantley ran for 131 yards and a touchdown against Millbrook, bringing his season totals to 927 yards and 10 TDs.

Garner, the 4-AA nine seed, draw another tough match-up this week. They’ll go to Fayetteille to face top seeded Jack Britt (11-1).