If you’re practicing and playing during Thanksgiving week, it means you’re one of the top high school football teams in North Carolina.
Black Friday this year brings us to the quarterfinals of the N.C. High School Athletic Association football tournament for all four classifications. Friday’s winners will advance to the regional finals, with the winners of those games then moving on to the state championships.
All eight No. 1 seeds remain alive across the state’s four classifications: Rolesville and Weddington in 4A, Havelock and Crest in 3A, Clinton and Reidsville in 2A and Tarboro and Robbinsville in 1A. Six of the No. 2 seeds have advanced this far, along with five No. 3 seeds and five No. 4 seeds.
The highest remaining seed is No. 23 Independence (10-3), competing in the 4A West bracket. A pair of 13 seeds will travel to face top seeds: Northern Nash in the 3A East and East Bladen in the 1A East. East Bladen has advanced this far despite having five losses.
There are 13 undefeated teams in the bracket across all classifications. In the powerhouse 3A West, all four remaining schools boast 13-0 marks: Crest, Hickory, West Henderson and Dudley.
The regional semifinals and finals will be played at the higher seeds. This year’s NCHSAA state championships will be held the weekend of Dec. 8-9. UNC’s Kenan Stadium will host the 1A and 3A games, while NC State’s Carter-Finley Stadium will host the 2A and 4A contests.
Here are tonight’s playoff match-ups. We’ll post a NC high school football playoff scoreboard as games go final:
4A East: No. 5 Cardinal Gibbons (11-2) at No. 1 Rolesville (12-1); No. 3 Hoggard (12-1) at No. 2 Cleveland (13-0)
4A West: No. 4 Grimsley (13-0) at No. 1 Weddington (11-2); No. 23 Independence (10-3) at No. 6 Butler (12-1)
3A East: No. 13 Northern Nash (12-1) at No. 1 Havelock (13-0); No. 3 Southern Alamance (12-1) at No. 2 Seventy-First (13-0)
3A West: No. 4 Dudley (13-0) at No. 1 Crest (13-0); No. 3 West Henderson (13-0) at No. 2 Hickory (13-0)
2A East: No. 4 Nash Central (11-2) at No. 1 Clinton (13-0); No. 6 Whiteville (11-2) at No. 2 Northeastern (13-0).
2A West: No. 4 Bunker Hill (13-0) at No. 1 Reidsville (12-1); No. 11 Forest Hills (12-1) at No. 7 Shelby (10-3)
1A East: No. 13 East Bladen (8-5) at No. 1 Tarboro (11-0); No. 3 Wilson Prep (11-1) at No. 2 West Columbus (11-1).
1A West: No. 4 North Rowan (11-2) at No. 1 Robbinsville (12-1); No. 3 Eastern Randolph (12-1) at No. 2 Mount Airy (13-0).
