COVID creates extra playoff drama on final week of high school football season
Fallout from COVID-19 has added a big dose of drama to the final week of the high school football season, with several Observer-area teams facing win-or-else situations.
In squeezing what is usually a 10-month athletic season into seven months, the N.C. High School Athletic Association trimmed the football season to a schedule of seven games, and then cut the size of playoff brackets in half to trim a week off the postseason.
That means 80 fewer teams statewide will make the football playoff field this spring.
Add that’s not all. Game cancellations due to COVID protocols left teams playing uneven numbers of games.
Charlotte Catholic coach Mike Brodowicz talked about the various playoff possibilities in his conference but gave up in exasperation.
“Just go out there and win – that’s the only way to make sure you’re in the field,” he said.
The playoff schedule will be announced Saturday, and here are the changes you need to know about this spring season:
▪ Winning percentage in conference games will be used to determine playoff qualifiers.
▪ Conferences with six or fewer members get one guaranteed berth. Those with seven or eight members get two berths. And those with nine or more members get three berths.
▪ Once the automatic qualifiers are set, then wild-card teams will be added (based on their winning percentages in conference games). There will be 16 playoff qualifiers in both the East and West in each of the four classes.
▪ Once those 16 teams are picked in each region, the field will be subdivided into 4A and AA, 3A and AA, 2A and AA, and 1A and AA. So each class will have 16 teams, eight each in the East and West.
▪ Playoffs will last four weeks, not five, with championships set for May 7-8. Nothing says “Mothers Day weekend” quite like football, right?
So … now that you’re up to speed on how the teams will be picked, here’s how the playoff races look in each conference:
I-Meck 4A (two guaranteed berths)
This one is easy. Hough (6-0) visits Vance (6-0) on Friday. The winner gets the No. 1 berth and home field guaranteed in the first week of the playoffs. The loser earns the second playoff spot. Lake Norman (4-2) is solidly in the hunt for a wild-card berth but must beat 1-5 North Mecklenburg.
SoMeck 7 4A (two guaranteed berths)
This one is tricky. Providence (5-0) visits Ardrey Kell (4-1) on Friday. Olympic (5-1) has finished conference play. If Providence wins, the Panthers get the top seed, Olympic gets the second spot (it beat Ardrey Kell in the regular season), and Ardrey Kell is a strong candidate for a wild-card berth.
Should Ardrey Kell win, and the three teams finish 5-1, a draw would determine the various spots, but all three teams would be in.
Southwestern 4A (two guaranteed berths)
Here’s another cut-and-dried situation. Myers Park (6-0) and Butler (5-1) have clinched the two guaranteed berths. The winner of Friday’s Porter Ridge (4-2)-at-Hickory Ridge (4-2) game is a wild-card qualifier. The loser stays home next week.
Sandhills 4A (two guaranteed berths)
COVID-19 issues have decimated this conference’s original seven-game schedule. Jack Britt is 4-0, Richmond Senior is 3-0, Scotland County is 3-1, and Pinecrest is 4-2. Jack Britt plays Friday at Scotland County. Richmond Senior is sidelined by COVID issues.
Should Britt beat Scotland, a draw would determine whether Britt or Richmond Senior gets the top seed (both would have a 1.000 conference winning percentage). In that scenario, Pinecrest would be a wild-card candidate by beating Seventy-First.
But if Scotland beats Jack Britt, then Richmond Senior is the top seed, Scotland is second, and Jack Britt and Pinecrest are wild-card candidates.
Northwestern 3A-4A
This conference has one guaranteed berth in each class. South Caldwell (3-0) has the 4A spot. Watauga (5-0) has the 3A berth. Alexander Central (4-1) would be a 3A wild-card candidate if it knocked off South Caldwell on Friday.
Big South 3A (two guaranteed berths)
Crest (5-0) visits Kings Mountain (5-0) on Friday, to determine which team gets the first playoff berth, which guarantees home-field advantage for at least one week of the playoffs, and which is second.
North Piedmont 3A (one guaranteed berth)
Thursday’s game between West Rowan (4-0) and Statesville (4-0) determined the conference champion and playoff qualifier. But the loser will have an .800 conference winning percentage, which appears almost certain to result in a wild-card berth.
South Piedmont 3A (two guaranteed berths)
A.L. Brown (5-0) and Jay M. Robinson (4-1) have clinched the two playoff spots. No other team has a record good enough to warrant wild-card consideration.
Southern Carolina 3A (two guaranteed berths)
This conference could turn into a mess, if Weddington (5-0) were to lose Friday at 2-3 Cuthbertson. That would leave the Warriors in a tie with the winner of the Marvin Ridge (4-1)-at-Charlotte Catholic (4-1) game. If Marvin Ridge tied Weddington for the crown, a draw would be needed to determine the champion, since the two teams did not meet this season.
But let’s assume Weddington wins and gets the top guaranteed spot. Then the Marvin Ridge-Charlotte Catholic winner gains the second berth. The loser would be in the battle for a wild-card berth.
But wait, there’s more! If Monroe (4-2) beats a 2-4 Parkwood team on Friday, the Redhawks would have a .714 winning percentage – better than that of the Marvin Ridge-Charlotte Catholic loser (.667). So that is another issue.
It’s why Charlotte Catholic coach Mike Brodowicz says the best approach is to win.
Rocky River 2A-3A
The conference’s only 3A member, Montgomery Central, is 0-4 and will not qualify for the playoffs. That leaves one guaranteed berth for the conference’s five 2A members.
And that will be settled Friday, when West Stanly (3-0) visits Mount Pleasant (4-0). The loser is likely to gain the solitary wild-card spot available in the 2A West region.
Central Carolina 2A (three guaranteed berths)
With 10 teams, this conference has three guaranteed berths. Oak Grove visits North Davidson on Friday in a meeting of 5-0 teams, so that will settle the top two playoff spots. Salisbury (3-2) has clinched the third berth.
Foothills 2A (two guaranteed berths)
Hibriten (5-0) and Bunker Hill (5-1) have clinched the two berths. Draughn visits East Burke on Friday in a meeting of 4-2 teams, but a 5-2 record won’t be enough to grab the sole 2A West playoff berth. That will go to the loser of the Rocky River 2A-3A title showdown.
South Fork 2A (two guaranteed berths)
Maiden (5-0) has wrapped up the top berth. West Lincoln (4-2) will get the second berth. East Lincoln (3-2) would tie West Lincoln for second place, but West Lincoln won the head-to-heat meeting (27-21 in double overtime last Friday). And a 4-2 record won’t be good enough for a wild-card spot in 2A.
Southwestern 2A (two guaranteed berths)
This one is messy. Shelby and Burns are tied at 4-1, but Shelby won the head-to-head meeting. Shelby faced a 0-5 East Rutherford team Thursday, expecting to win and get the top playoff berth. Burns, however, travels to 3-2 R-S Central on Friday. And in another meeting of 3-2 teams, Chase travels to South Point.
Should R-S Central win, it would leave the Hilltoppers, Burns and the Chase-South Point winner each at 4-2. It appears as if a draw would be needed to determine the second playoff berth.
And as for 4-2 and a wild-card berth? Check the South Fork 2A above.
CAP 7 4A (two guaranteed berths)
Cardinal Gibbons (5-0 in conference) has clinched the No. 1 berth. Millbrook (4-1) has clinched the No. 2 spot. Even if the Wildcats lose this weekend to Broughton, they own a victory over third-place Leesville Road (4-2). Leesville Road looks solid as a wild-card team.
Mountain Valley 1A-2A
Ashe County (6-0) will get the solitary 2A berth. And Elkin (5-1) has clinched the sole 1A berth. Starmount (3-3) has an outside chance at a 1A wild-card spot.
Western Highlands 1A-2A
Mountain Heritage (2-1) has clinched the sole 2A berth. Polk County (3-0) and Mitchell County (2-0) don’t play one another, so if each wins Friday, a draw would be needed.
Southern Piedmont 1A (three guaranteed berths)
Pine Lake Prep and Thomas Jefferson Academy are each 5-0, with Community School of Davidson at 4-1. They will get the three playoff berths. Pine Lake Prep visits Community School of Davidson on Friday, and that game will determine part of the pecking order.
With six wild-card spots available in the 1A West, Christ the King (3-3) could be a wild-card contender if it beats a 1-3 Highland Tech team Friday.
Yadkin Valley 1A (two guaranteed berths)
North Stanly (5-0) and North Rowan (3-1) have clinched the two berths. South Stanly (2-2) and North Moore (2-3) could be wild-card contenders.
Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle