Since Jamie has already posted his first column on here, I thought I would join in on the fun. The fall is one of my favorite times of the year, and on Friday night that is even more so. Friday night begins the high school football playoffs, and there are some interesting matchups in Tennessee and North Carolina. A win means you come closer to your dream of a state championship, but a loss means that you can start practicing basketball earlier. There is never a team playing on any given Friday night that wants to lose, and that is even more so this week. I thought I would offer my take on some of the most interesting games on Friday Night.
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Harriman (5-5) vs. Cloudland (7-3)- On paper, this looks to be the most interesting matchup. Both teams are very solid and have great players. Neither team has a clear cut advantage on paper. This one may just come down to pride, and there is not shortage of that. The 'Landers have been the cardiac kids this season and that may serve them well in the playoffs. This is a game you don't want to miss if your a 'Lander fan. A cold Orr Field (The Weather Channel is calling for some snow showers Thursday Night and Friday Morning and a low around freezing for kickoff) will be rocking on Friday Night. (A preview of this matchup will be posted later on this week with the Highlander Gameday post!)
Trousdale County (7-3) vs. South Pitt. (10-0)- When I was working on projected brackets Friday Night, this matchup as a first round game blew my mind. I honestly thought I had made a mistake since it was so late, but it was the case. There was not a single seed set in Trousdale's region until Friday night. Many felt this would be a third round matchup this season, including myself. There may not be 2 other schools with so much football success. Honestly, this may be one of the most anticipated first round games. This is another pretty even matchup that will probably result in a lot of action.
Oak Ridge (9-1) at Dobyns Bennett (7-3)- From 1A to 5A, this game is a rematch from early in the season. Both teams have improved tremendously from when Oak Ridge left DB with a 14-7 win. This looks like another game to be a lot of fun.
North Carolina:
Swain (4-7) at Avery (5-6)- This game has to be the most intriguing. These two teams actually mirror each other on several aspects. The teams are almost equal. Jamie will have a better take on this game which is featured in today's Journal and may be in a later post.
Some other North Carolina games that will be quite interesting. Jamie may have more to add on these games:
Mitchell at Lincolnton: Mitchell controlled its own destiny after Avery upset Owen, but losses to Mountain Heritage and Avery last week have put the Mountaineers in a pretty even matchup with Lincolnton.
Independence vs. Page- This may not even be a close game, but it grabbed my attention because of the issues surronding Independence's coach. Independence boasted the nation's longest winning streak coming into the year, but have lost two games this season. One was last week to rival Butler after Coach Tom Knotts was suspended. If the Patriots let the off field issues affect them, Page will be more then delighted to move into the second round.
On Friday Night, the Avery Journal Times will have you covered for the football playoffs. We will have updates posted as soon as possible after the games. Friday night is a big night for the Avery Journal Times as both Avery and Cloudland will be at home. Since, you can only be at one place we will have you covered. Jamie will be in his usual perch high above MacDonald Stadium working on the radio. I will be at the Cloudland game as usual, so if you see me walking around don't be afraid to say hey. Enjoy the Playoffs!!
