Quick Final Week

This Thursday night ends the Big East football season and Saturday the 2016 football brackets will be  issued.  They are trying a new seedings process and the Big East teams that make the playoffs are matched up with the I-85 corridor teams which is of course the Alamance County schools and the Guilford County which was the path that Rocky Mount had to take in order to get to Chapel Hill.

That of course was not an easy venture for last year's Gryphons and if each step is as tough this season I doubt that the Gryphons will find themselves in the final game of the year.  Assuming sometimes can be a big word.  If we are going to base each playoff game against all five playoff games from last season is there anyone capable of winning four or five playoff games this year from the Big East?

Rocky Mount's offense has not shown  the burst of speed that they have had since BJ Sanders had his medical issue the week before conference started.  Last year during the playoff run they controlled the ball with power running  in the fourth quarter.  That has disappeared lately.  Is this team walking the Pirates plank thinking they are so good they can win it when needed?  If so they need to have a heart to heart talk with themselves.  This is not last year.  You have to earn everything nobody is going to lie down and shake in their boots just because the Gryphons are on the field.

Southern Nash is enjoying maybe their best football season ever.  They can have an undefeated season by midnight Thursday.  It never hurts any team to have that motivational "win one for the Gipper" deep down in your heart.  Rocky Mount had it last year with the death of their JV player prominently displaying his jersey on the sidelines every game throughout the playoffs.  The Firebirds have that with coach Brian Foster's family auto accident which has taken coach Foster off the side lines for at least two weeks of the season.

They are big  up front and fast in the backfield.  Their defense to me is their question mark making a five game March in the playoffs.  Southern and coach Foster love to pound you to death.  Even though they set you up run-run-run and hit you with a big pass when you are sucked up with eight in the box they are for the most part are four yards 16 play drive type team and that means ball control.  You cannot put the ball on the ground.

Just think back to Rocky Mount's run last year they had a fourth quarter drive to win the game again Morehead that took a score on the last play which was almost all running.  Then the 89 yard drive in Chapel Hill to get the game into overtime.  That drive had a few passes but mostly down the throat running.  Is Southern capable of those type drives?

If the Big East is to make it back to the prom this season it will be in Southern Nash's hands. Remember this the playoffs are five games which is another half season to go and teams have injuries, even improve every week.  The deeper the Firebirds go and coach Foster's life gets back to normal somewhat there is that chance the Firebirds could represent the Big East at the Academy Awards of high school football.

Both Nash Central and Northern Nash had better start packing for first round road games in the playoffs.  They will both be seeded where they will get teams right off the bat on the road that will have finished as a conference champion or second in their league so winning opening round games will be long shots.

The Bulldogs should be proud of the  season they had winning more games that the last three seasons combined.  They had chances to beat Rocky Mount and lose by ten to the conference champions.  Welcome back Bulldogs to respectability.

The Knights are the Denver Broncos of North Carolina High School football. Their defense is capable of stopping any offense and springing and upset. They have a bright future in sophomore quarterback Davontae Wiggins.  As much as their offense has struggled all season I believe I would let Wiggins run more than what he did against Rocky Mount.  He looks like Cam Newton and can stand up to the hits and is hard to tackle.  I would for the remainder of this season find out how far the Knights can go on the legs of Wiggins.