— by Jeff Jenkins, WIZS
Friday, November 24, 2017 — South Granville is still alive in the 2AA East bracket of the playoffs, after defeating outclassed West Craven in Creedmoor last Friday night by a lopsided 50-12 final score. Meanwhile, 1A Granville Central was soundly trounced in its playoff game 45-0, leaving the Vikings the lone team to carry the Northern Carolina Conference banner into the third round.
With basically two warmup playoff games behind them, the #3 seed Vikings (13-0) will give up home field advantage this Friday when they square off against #2 seed North Davidson (12-1) in Lexington – about a 150-mile trip (one-way) for South Granville’s team and their fans. This game will be the toughest test of the season for both teams, and the winner will play for the 2AA east regional championship on December 1 against either #1 East Duplin or #4 Randleman (which eliminated Roanoke Rapids in the opening round).
The Knights of North Davidson won their first playoff match 52-18 over the #15 seed, and then barely avoided an upset loss to #7 seed with a 17-10 squeaker. Matching up very closely on paper with the Vikings, the Knights are a true “football school,” with a huge (for 2A) 76-man roster. They won their Central Carolina 2A title with a perfect 8-0 record (like South Granville). They average scoring 41 points per game (to the Vikings’ 43), and their defense allows 8.2 points per game (even better than the Vikings’ 8.9). ND’s running game is highly effective (like SG’s), but is pretty much a 1-man show: Senior RB T. J. Boyce (5-11, 190 lb) leads the conference with 2000 yards on the season, 32 rushing TDs and 206 total points. SG has their own dominant runner in Allajah Mitchell (1700 yards, 26 TDs), BUT the Vikings have at least three other experienced and effective runners, including QB Tucker Brown, who ran for 4 TD’s last week to raise his total to 14 on the ground.
The major difference is in the passing game, and this could determine the outcome. Unlike South Granville, the Knights gain almost as many yards per game through the air as on the ground, and their QB has over 1800 yards passing on the season for 21 TD’s. By contrast, because the Vikings’ rushing attack has been so consistent and dominant, QB Brown has thrown for under 500 yards and just 6 touchdowns. This should be a great game between two real champions — it’s a shame it is not closer to home.