How rematches, rivalries highlight the second round of N.C. football playoffs

Welcome to rivalry week – North Carolina high school football style.

While the nation’s college football teams square off against traditional rivals this Thanksgiving weekend, the second round of the N.C. playoffs have the same theme.

Some examples:

▪ Myers Park, No. 7 in the Observer’s Sweet 16, is at No. 6 Butler in 4AA. The Southwestern 4A powers meet for the fourth time in two seasons.

▪ Hough, 10th-ranked in the Sweet 16, is at No. 1 Mallard Creek in 4AA. A regular-season game, followed by a playoff rematch, is a regular occurrence for these I-Meck 4A teams.

▪ West Charlotte at West Mecklenburg in 4A. Longtime westside rivals meet for the second time this season.

▪ Indian Trail Sun Valley at Asheville Reynolds in 3AA. Reynolds got a last-minute field goal a year ago for a 28-25 victory over the Spartans in the regional finals. This year, they meet in the second round.

And there are a number of other rematches and rivalries, such as Boiling Springs Crest at Gastonia Huss (3A), Monroe at Charlotte Catholic (3A), East Lincoln at North Lincoln (2AA) and Belmont South Point and Lenoir Hibriten (2AA).

In 2017, Butler beat Myers Park in the regular season, and the Mustangs got revenge with a playoff victory. This season, the Bulldogs handed Myers Park its only regular-season loss – 39-22 on Oct. 5.

That time, Butler coach Brian Hales said narrow losses the previous two games to Mallard Creek and Richmond Senior had helped his team. “Playing those close games the last two weeks, it started to give these guys confidence,” he said.

Hales also said he thought Myers Park was hurt by not having any close games before meeting the Bulldogs. That has changed, as the Mustangs were pushed by Indian Trail Porter Ridge earlier this month, in addition to the loss to Butler.

One other factor to consider: This is Butler’s first game in nearly a month. The Bulldogs played Oct. 26 but won by forfeit on Nov. 2 and 9, when half the Southwestern 4A’s teams were sidelined following fights during games in late October. Then Butler drew a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Hough and Mallard Creek also have played in the regular season and playoffs the past two years. Mallard Creek bounced Hough 26-10 on Nov. 2, rushing for 419 yards.

“They’ve got a lot of good players there,” Mavericks’ coach Mike Palmieri said of Hough. “But on film, we knew we could run it on them.”

Here’s a look at some of this week’s top playoff games:

Hough (10-2) at Mallard Creek (10-0), 7:30 p.m. (4AA playoffs): The Huskies moved the ball well in the first half against the stout Maverick defense in their first meeting but didn’t score points often enough. Mallard Creek’s two-dimensional offense is a nightmare to prepare for.

Myers Park (11-1) at Butler (9-2), 7:30 p.m. (4AA): The Mustangs’ defense was exposed in the first meeting with Butler. The big question is what kind of impact the four-week layoff had on the Bulldogs.

West Charlotte (7-5) at West Mecklenburg (8-2), 7:30 p.m. (4A): West Meck pounded the Lions 53-24 in an Aug. 24 meeting, and the key here is whether West Charlotte’s defense can shut down quarterback Preston Brown and the West Meck passing attack.

Indian Trail Sun Valley (10-2) at Asheville Reynolds (11-1), 7:30 p.m. (3AA): This game seems almost too good for a second-round match. Reynolds quarterback Alex Flinn has thrown for nearly 3,000 yards this season, but Sun Valley quarterback Sam Howell has more than 3,100 passing yards.

Belmont South Point (9-3) at Lenoir Hibriten (12-0), 7:30 p.m. (2AA): The reigning state champion has steamrolled everyone in its path, but South Point might be its toughest test this season. With a running attack producing an average of 300-plus yards a game, the Red Raiders will hope to keep Hibriten’s explosive offense off the field.

Greenville Southside (9-3) at Chester (12-0), 7:30 p.m. (S.C. 3A): The visiting Tigers are a strong defensive team, but they’ll have their hands full with Chester’s ground attack, which features two 1,000-yard rushers.