What a great time of year when the playoffs hit...I'm beyond excited to get another month of HS football before speculating about what ifs and puffin our chests out about what we have coming next year. A combined 2A is truly going to break some monetary records around the state! The West is loaded (and the 2A for that matter!) and to be successful here is something to truly be proud of.
As for the CVAC - our conference is sending 5 teams into the playoffs - the most of all western conferences. Three of our schools will host having higher seeds. We come in ranked 3rd, 7th, 12th, 26th, and 31st in the RPI standings and a combined record of 34-15 (69%). While our qualifying offenses range from 17 - 40 points per game, our defenses boast a combined average of 15 points per game allowed (ranging from 7 - 21 points). Defense truly is king in our conference. We are arguably the most competitive conference, mainly due to so many split conferences, but I believe we truly are competitive and in total the most complete conference in the West...I may be a tad biased.
#31 Newton-Conover @ #2 East Surry
East Surry has one of the most potent offenses in the state averaging 51 points a game while only allowing 9 points on average. Newton, while having a losing record, on average has outscored their opponents 18-17. While I believe Newton's defense and special teams will give East Surry a fit at times, it won't be near enough in the end. East Surry wins this matchup 35-7.
#26 Lincolnton @ #7 Monroe
Monroe is the biggest unknown to me in the West. From being 2A in the cycle before the last, to being 3A last conference cycle, to being back to 2A now, they are still dangerous and if anything, battle tested to larger competition. They finished 1st in their abbreviated 2A/3A schedule, missing out on 3 games this year due to COVID. With a full schedule we would have a better idea of what kind of team they really are. With the games they have played they have on average waltzed over their competition 40-10. Lincolnton had a rough start to the year and came on the second half and are well oiled going into the playoffs. While they only allow 21 points a game, their offense can't seem to score to help them out much like Newton, averaging only 17 points per game. Lincolnton coaches will put together a great game plan and will keep the ball out of Monroe's hands like they did to Maiden, but won't be able to put up enough points to win. Monroe wins this matchup 28-7.
#14 West Lincoln vs #19 Surry Central
West Lincoln and Surry Central each finished 3rd in their respective conferences. This should be the best game of our 5 this week. Surry Central has a winning record but has been outscored by their competition 26-25 on average. Allowing 260 points this year, the most of all 10 of the teams in this post, they are fortunate to face a West Lincoln team that only puts up 19 points per game. While numbers never lie, they can be deceiving, West Lincoln can score like that because of how well they control the clock and how good their defense is, only allowing 14 points per game on average. West Lincoln will ground and pound you to sleep and then hit you with a pass. West Lincoln wins this matchup 24-14.
#11 Bunker Hill vs #22 East Davidson
Bunker Hill finished 2nd and East Davidson finished 3rd in their respective conferences. Averaging scores of 30-14 and 26-24 I believe this game will come down to the better defense and I believe Bunker Hill has that. This game is very interesting and I believe will be the 2nd best game this week for the CVAC group. What makes this interesting for me is that when the limelight was the brightest against Maiden, Bunker Hill came out flat and never recovered. Bunker Hill came out and tried to power run against Maiden which confused us fans because of their potent shotgun success. If Bunker Hill sticks to what has made them successful they'll be better off. Nothing cute or off-brand, just hard-nosed football. Every playoff game is a limelight moment, but I believe Bunker Hill won't make that same mistake twice, especially at home. Bunker Hill wins this matchup 31-14.
#3 Maiden vs #30 Mount Pleasant
The cream of the CVAC crop has put together their second consecutive undefeated season and the third such season in Head Coach Will Byrne's 6 seasons here in Maiden. With an offense that averages 40 points per game and a starting defense that has only allowed 4 points per game (7 per game as a team) including keeping 6 offenses scoreless, they will be a tough draw for anyone. The story with Maiden is even if you can slow their offense down, their defense won't let you take advantage of it. Even with our offense at it's worst for several games this year, our defense has been a steady blockade against all offenses. Finishing 3rd in their conference, Mount Pleasant has outscored their opponents 25-12 on average. That being said, there are several outliers in Mount Pleasant's schedule in 1A competitors Union Academy/South Stanly/Albemarle (4-24 combined record) in which they outscored 142-0. Mount Pleasant's other competition outscored them 124-104 (average of 12-10). The 2nd place team in their conference North Stanly didn't qualify for the playoffs. Head Coach Will Byrne's first playoff game at Maiden was a 2016 1st round home game versus Mount Pleasant that Mount Pleasant won 35-21. Everyone in Maiden remembers how well their D-Line contained our scrambling QB and how well their offense grounded and pounded our defense...Revenge is a dish best served cold. Maiden is hungry for playoff success and we have the defense to make a statement. Maiden wins this matchup 35-0.
As always in the playoffs I wish success to all our CVAC teams. I hope for an injury free, clean played, well refereed week 1 of the playoffs. Play violent through the whistle and keep your head on a swivel.
