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A closer look at the second round football playoff matchups
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Published: November 21, 2008
3A STATE PLAYOFFS
No. 8 Statesville Greyhounds at No. 1 West Rowan Falcons
Site: Falcon Stadium, Mt. Ulla
Records: Statesville 9-3; West Rowan 11-1
Last week: Tevin Carr returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown with 32 seconds left to seal the Greyhounds' 24-16 first-round win over Monroe Parkwood; West Rowan held No. 16 Franklin to a field goal in a 37-3 romp.
Next up: Winner advances to the third round, where it will meet either
No. 12 North Buncombe (8-4) or No. 4 Winston-Salem Carver (10-2)
Outlook: This is a rematch, and you can bet the Greyhounds hope to make a better showing.
Statesville looked like it forgot to get off the bus in Week 6. West Rowan scored 1 minute, 1 second into the game and the rout was on. West Rowan rolled to a 41-7 North Piedmont 3A victory. Statesville never got going, amassing only 86 yards of total offense while surrendering 349 to the Falcons.
The Greyhounds weren't at full strength in that meeting, however. Among other bumps and bruises, running back Andre Shepherd had just returned after missing a couple weeks with an injury, and tight end Logan Feimster was still sidelined with an injury. Shepherd picked up 17 yards on 12 carries.
The Falcons' defense has dominated all season. Including last week's playoff win, West Rowan has allowed a total of 103 points. Quarterback B.J. Sherrill is a solid play-action passer and gives the Falcons offense a nice 1-2 punch with star running back Kevin Parks.
Statesville had three three-and-outs and no first downs in the first half of the team's previous meeting, so ball control will be key if the Greyhounds want to avoid overworking their defense again.
3AA STATE PLAYOFFS
No. 7 Mooresville Blue Devils at No. 2 Kings Mountain Mountaineers
Site: Kings Mountain Stadium
Records: Mooresville 9-3; Kings Mountain 9-3
Last week: Mooresville opened up a 14-point lead in the third quarter following Jjshaun Pinkston's second rushing TD and the then held off Sun Valley for a 21-6 win; Kings Mountain prevailed 24-7 over Hickory in a game that was scoreless at halftime.
Next up: Winner advances to the third round to face either No. 6 Charlotte Olympic (9-3) or No. 3 Anson County (9-3)
Outlook: It's potentially a record-breaking night for Pinkston. The senior running back is 135 yards away from tying Mooresville's single-season rushing record held by Corey Alexander.
Pinkston has 2,575 yards and averages 214.6 per game. Alexander piled up 2,710 in 1997.
Kings Mountain, which utilizes a spread offense, features a pair of 1,000-yard rushers, one of whom is Michael Roberts, the quarterback. Roberts has also thrown for 1,000 yards.
The Mountaineers lost three of their first four games by a combined 13 points — all against quality opponents — before going undefeated in the Southwestern 2A-3A to win the conference title. They enter tonight's contest riding a seven-game winning streak.
Mooresville's win last week snapped a four-game losing streak in the first round of the playoffs, putting the Blue Devils in the second round for the first time since 2003.
If the Blue Devils want to get to the third round for the first time since 2002, they may have to mix in a few passes against a stingy Kings Mountain defense, which allows an average 206.8 yards per game.
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