The NCHSAA has revised their rules to state that the 2nd team in a split conference must have a 34% overall winning percentage to clinch the automatic 2nd bid in the division. Cramer is the highest ranked 2A team in Big South and has clinched a playoff spot even if they lose the rest of their games. Lake Norman Charter must win at least one more game and Hunter Huss must win at least 2 games to qualify. It is possible that neither will meet that mark and only Cramer will go on to the playoffs.
While replying to a post of the 2A boards regarding playoff picture, I realized that the 2A standings are an absolute mess and that I had missed a couple of scenarios that could turn that division upside down. Those two wild, but possible, scenarios could end up with the Storm having the better overall record but as the #2 or #3 seed.
Get ready for some major confusion and head scratching.
Based on current standings and remaining games (see below), LKN Charter would need to win at least one more game and Hunter Huss would need to either beat Stuart Cramer or get two more wins to be eligible for playoffs.
Team Overall Conference Games Remaining
Stuart Cramer 5-3 2-2 HH / EG / SP
Lake Norman Charter 3-4 1-3 SP / Ash / NG
Hunter Huss 2-6 1-3 SC / FV / Ash
Hunter Huss
must get the win over Stuart Cramer. Under this scenario (#1), if the Huskies, Storm and Knights go winless for the remainder of the season, Huss would be the 2A #1 by virtue of their win over the Storm who would be the #2 and despite having the worse record overall (3-8; 3-7; 2-5).
Should HH lose to SC, they probably will be out of the playoffs as victories against Forestview and Ashbrook are unlikely. Even though the Ashbrook game is a big rivalry and can yield unpredictable results, that win alone would not be enough.
Stuart Cramer can sew up the #1 2A slot with a win over Huss this Friday but this game is a toss up. While the Storm could upset East Gaston, that is unlikely. Unless South Point fails to show up for the game, Cramer won't get the W. Without another win, Cramer will finish 5-6 overall, 5-5 for playoff purposes, and 2-5 conference.
Lake Norman Charter is almost certain to get a big L against the Red Raiders and probably the Green Wave (although this depends on which Ashbrook team plays - Jekyll (A win) or Hyde (LKN win). The match up with North Gaston is a toss up. By the time these two teams meet, both will have been mauled by the South Point defense. If the Knights fail to defeat the Wildcats, they will not qualify for the playoffs.
There is a scenario (#2) where determining the 2A #1 could be difficult and involves a possible 3-way tie:
- If Huss beats Cramer, loses to Forestview and Ashbrook > 3-8; 3-7; 2-5
- AND Cramer loses to Huss, East Gaston, and South Point > 5-6; 5-5; 2-5
- AND LKN Charter beats North Gaston, and loses to South Point and Ashbrook > 4-6; 4-6; 2-5
Huss defeats Cramer who defeated LKN Charter who in turn defeated Huss. This would probably require a drawing be done the last week of the regular season before the final games are played.
