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It was an interesting Saturday for Butler High football coach Mike Newsome.
Friday night, his team beat Independence for the third time in school history. Butler became the first team to beat Independence twice since the Patriots' run of dominance began in 2000. That had to feel good.
Then he saw the initial playoff seedings come out Saturday afternoon and his team was seeded No. 2 behind Richmond Senior, a team the Bulldogs beat this season.
That had to feel bad.
Being No. 2 meant having to potentially play state powers Providence and then maybe Independence or Mallard Creek on back-to-back weeks in the second and third rounds.
The N.C. High School Athletic Association, which uses head-to-head games to help break ties, corrected the brackets later Saturday and correctly installed Butler at No. 1. That means home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and if the Bulldogs can advance, they won't face any team seeded higher than No. 4 until the state semifinals.
It also meant the Bulldogs could have an Independence rematch in the state semifinals next month.
"In the first bracket they had us in, we were back with all the teams we played during the regular season, which makes it kind of tough," Newsome said. "Now, the other half of the west bracket has Mallard Creek in it, Independence, Providence and now Richmond County. That half of the bracket is brutal, really."
Newsome said when he boarded the bus after Friday's big win, he had 32 text messages of congratulations waiting. His phone rang constantly Saturday.
"It was a good ballgame and a big win for our program," Newsome said. "But we really, truly expected to win and that was the difference in the football game. We've put ourselves in position in the past, and when we had adversity it kind of crumbled apart. That didn't happen, but we are now just getting ready for playoffs. To win the (Southwestern 4A) conference is nice and to beat Independence is great, but the ultimate goal is still out there."
Butler has home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, meaning the Bulldogs would host four games, but they likely won't play them all on campus. The NCHSAA requires 2,500 seats on the home side and 1,500 on the visitors' side for playoff games. Butler seats 2,600 total, athletics director Jim Boone said..
Boone expects to get a special waiver to host Friday's first-round game against West Charlotte. If Butler wins, he said the school could get permission to host the second-round game against either West Forsyth (8-2) or Lake Norman (7-3). After that, however, Butler will probably be forced to find another place to play.
Really impressed with Independence quarterback Anthony Carrothers and how he bounced back from four interceptions in the first half against Butler Friday. He never seemed to press or panic as he led his team back from 21 points down. He had Independence in the red zone with a chance to tie. That was special.
Butler quarterback Christian LeMay was special, too. The zip he can put on a pass and the touch he has is amazing to watch. He can put the ball places most high school quarterbacks cannot. He had two throws that really impressed me: He made a pretty play-fake on fourth-and-2 and threw a 17-yard pass to a wide-open Tony Yorio. Later, he audibled at the line of scrimmage and laid up a pretty 65-yard pass to Yorio for another score. Yorio ran under the pass in full stride.
