Third Round Twin County Playoffs

One of the biggest problems coming from Hurricane Matthew and having to delay the state championships one week was securing the legal rights the following week to the stadiums..  The paper work has now been secured and if Rocky Mount can win two more playoff games they would play at 11:05 am on Saturday December 17th at BB&T Stadium in Winston Salem in the 3A championship game.

Two more Vikings victories by Tarboro and they play on Friday night December 16th at 7:30 in Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill for the 1AA title.  If North Edgecombe is still alive they play in Chapel Hill at 11:05 Saturday the 17th for the 1-A crown.

Week three of the state football playoffs moves into December and North Edgecombe, Tarboro and Rocky Mount still remain in the state playoffs.  Got all three games right last week and after two weeks of playoff picks stand 9-1 and 80-26 on the season.  If all three of our locals lose then it will be time to concentrate on basketball.  Will this be the last week?

North Edgecombe 11-1 @ Plymouth 10-3:  Recent history the Vikings had had great success in basketball and football on the state wide stage.  The Vikings have scored 468 points while the Warriors 469 but the Warriors have played one less game.  Plymouth is averaging 36 while North Edgecombe 39.

Plymouth has held their 13 game opponents to 17 points per game.  The boys of Leggett are holding their foes to 15.  They have played two common games Riverside from Williamston Plymouth lost 27-47 while North Edgecombe won 74-56.  Columbia played both losing 52-0 to Plymouth and 44-0 to the Warriors.

We have reached the point in every game that there will be no clear favorite but home field can be the most advantadious factor.  I do like that in the two common games that North Edgecombe has a slight advantage.   I have every reason to pick the Warriors but I think Plymouth at home is big in this one Plymouth 36 North Edgecombe 32

Tarboro 11-2 @ East Carteret 12-1:  The Mariners are winners of 11 in a row while Tarboro 8. East Carteret is rushing for 202 yards per game while the Vikings 302.  The Mariners are sending it through the air for 199 yards per game while the Vikings you might as well say they don't pass getting just 23 per game.  Every time the Mariners run they get 9.5 yards while the Vikings 9.4

The Mariners have completed 70% of their passes and get 9.8 per every pass attempt.  So that means on every play the Mariners get 9.6 yards every time they touch it.  Plymouth scores 47 per game while the Vikings have held they 13 games to just a tad over 6 points per game.  The Vikings average nearly 40 while the Mariners give up 10.  A big question in this game have the Vikings seen any body pass the way the Mariners do?

If you go by stats this game falls to the home team East Carteret with their offensive numbers.  I do however have to think back where did those two losses come from that the Vikings suffered.  They lost to Northern Nash on a Monday and Southern Nash on Friday.  I see nobody on the schedule that matches up well for East Carteret as those two..  Tarboro 26 East Carteret  22

Rocky Mount 11-2 @ Southern Guilford 11-2:  We have already talked earlier in the week about this match up and there is every indication this could be a great game.  The storm has lost to Eastern Guilford 3A 13-0 still while one of the Gryphon losses was to 4A Middle Creek 13-0.  The Storm second loss was to 3A SE Guilford 7-5 while the second Gryphon failure occurred to Southern Nash 12-1.

I think this game comes down to the turnovers.  If Rocky Mount is the team that puts it on the ground twice and lose both that is potential points that will  never be given a chance to get back and that will be hard to catch up.  Have the Storm been hit like they are going to be hit in this one and do they put the ball on the ground? Can the Storm match the Gryphon team speed?  2014 they could.

I think the Gryphons live to play another week  Rocky Mount 24 South Guilford 21