playoff time
The football coaches around Forsyth County, most of whom I can honestly call friends, might give me a lot of grief for this one. But as I see it, there are three teams in Forsyth County capable of reaching at least the quarterfinals of the playoffs: Carver, Mount Tabor and Reynolds.
I’ll start with Carver. The Yellowjackets have dropped down to Class 2-A after becoming a powerhouse in Class 3-A. Is Carver as good as it’s past state championship teams? I don’t think so. I don’t think Carver is quite as good as it was last season, when it took a late trick play from West Rowan — the eventual 3-A state champs — to knock Carver out in the quarterfinals.
But what Carver has is a nice draw. The No. 3 Yellowjackets open against West Davidson on Friday then would have future games, theoretically, against No. 6 Lincolnton and No.2 Mountain Heritage. They wouldn’t have to face Thomasville or Starmount until the semifinals.
But Carver has cut its teeth on a very difficult schedule against larger schools. The only other team in the bracket that can claim as much is Thomasville. That experience will count for something in the playoffs. Since it jumped into the 2-A portion of its schedule five games ago, Carver has allowed only 17 points.
Only one team, Mount Tabor or Reynolds, can make it past the second round in Class 4-A, because that’s where they will meet if both win this Friday. No. 1 Reynolds will win convincingly against Asheville Roberson in the first round, while Mount Tabor plays a Western Guilford team that has played a murderous schedule is better than its 5-6 record.
When Reynolds beat Mount Tabor 28-21 several weeks ago, it scored touchdowns on a kickoff return from Jake Gainey and an interception return from Vance Mathews. The Demons offense did little in the first half, a recurring theme in their biggest wins this season.
I don’t think Reynolds will be able to overcome another slow start against Mount Tabor. The Spartans’ offense has improved in the last month.
Since most first-round matchups aren’t worth mentioning in these watered-down, expanded playoffs, it’s more fun to look down the road.
One potential third-round matchup looks appetizing — Thomasville at Starmount. Starmount is seeded No. 1 in Class 2-A West, Thomasville is No. 4. That would be a great game between playoff powers. And beyond that, Carver against either Starmount or Thomasville in the semifinals? There’s a lot of football tradition right there.
As for Mount Airy, the only potential interesting matchup I see is Elkin, which would be in the semifinals. But truth is, Mount Airy is too good to lose. The Bears stay healthy and they’ll be playing at BB&T Field on Dec. 12 for their second straight state title.