Robinson, First Assembly name new football coaches

Jay M. Robinson and First Assembly announced the hiring of new football coaches this week.

Robinson, which was 3-8 last season, will be led by 26-year veteran John Fitz as the Bulldogs move to 4A this upcoming season to a league that also features A.L. Brown, Hough, Hopewell, North Meck, Mallard Creek, Vance and West Charlotte.

Fitz, who replaces the retiring Bobby Cloninger, coached for 20 years at New Hanover High in Wilmington before spending the last six years at Catawba College, where he served as assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and special team coordinator.

First Assembly will have a familiar face take over for first-year coach Cornelius Street. Craig Kean, who led the Eagles to the 2007 NCISAA Division II championship, will return to coach the team this fall.

Kean was offensive coordinator at Mount Pleasant and served as head coach at Hickory Grove Christian in Charlotte since leaving First Assembly.

The Eagles are coming off a 5-5 season and their sixth consecutive playoff appearance.

Havelock beats Concord for 3A title

WINSTON-SALEM – Havelock used a strong second half to win the 3A state championship by defeating Concord 55-21 Saturday night.

The title is the second straight for the Rams (15-1).

Havelock was first to strike on a Pharoh Cooper 2-yard quarterback keeper, which capped off the Rams’ 75-yard opening drive.

Down 7-0 after the first quarter, the Spiders (13-3) started gaining momentum.

Quarterback B.J. Beecher, who passed for 267 yards on 22-of-36 passing, led the way for Concord in the second quarter by passing for all three of his Spiders’ touchdowns.

Beecher found Alex Asbury, who made a lateral flick to Zosh Heilig for a 30-yard score, to tie the game.

After forcing the Rams to punt, Beecher led the Spiders on an 88-yard drive. The 6-foot-6 senior quarterback capped off the drive with a 37-yard pass to sophomore running back Rocky Reid.

Recovering the ball on a Havelock fumble on the ensuing kickoff, the Spiders seemed to have the momentum on their side despite missing their second extra-point attempt.

But Cooper, also a safety, intercepted Beecher and ran it back 87 yards for a touchdown to get his team within one after a failed PAT.

With 4:07 left in the half, Beecher orchestrated a 72-yard drive that concluded in a 21-yard pass from the Shrine Bowl-bound quarterback to Jerry Burk.

A Logan Sedergren 2-point conversion gave the Spiders a 21-14.

Cooper, the game’s most valuable player after accounting for 146 yards and three touchdowns, led the Rams on a 65-yard scoring drive.

Cooper had two runs – for 28 and 26 yards – before finding Harry Caldwell for an 11-yard touchdown.

Havelock coach Jim Bob Bryant said he made adjustments, including putting six defensive backs on the field to slow down Beecher, after trailing 21-20 at halftime.

“I told them we had 24 minutes left to play,” he said. “We were either going to be the first-place team in the state of the first-place loser.”

Havelock responded, scoring off fumbles in the first two Spider possessions of the half to regain the lead.

“That was a big momentum switch,” said Bryant.

Concord coach Glen Padgett said the two turnovers to start the half changed the game.

“When you play a team with a lot of speed like that, it’s hard to play from behind,” he said.

A.J. Coplon recovered both fumbles, returning the first 61 yards for a touchdown. The Rams found the end zone, on a 2-yard Derrell Scott run, after starting their drive at Concord’s 47-yard line. That increased their lead to 14.

Havelock would add three more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Concord leads Havelock 21-20 at the half

WINSTON-SALEM – Concord leads Havelock 21-20 after the first half of the 3A state championship game at BB&T Field.

Havelock (14-1) was first to strike, easily moving the ball downfield on its first possession.

Pharoh Cooper’s 2-yard quarterback keeper for a touchdown capped the Rams’ 75-yard opening drive.

Both defenses played well early and forced stops.

Down 7-0 after the first quarter, the Spiders (13-2) started gaining momentum.

Quarterback B.J. Beecher, who passed for 189 yards and three touchdowns on 13-of-19 passing, led the way for Concord in the second quarter.

The Spiders’ first touchdown happened after Beecher found Alex Asbury, who made a lateral flick to Zosh Zeilig for the 30-yard score.

After forcing the Rams to punt, Beecher led the Spiders on an 88-yard drive. The 6-foot-6 senior quarterback capped off the drive with a 37-yard pass to sophomore running back Rocky Reid.

Recovering the ball on a Havelock fumble on the ensuing kickoff, the Spiders seemed to have the momentum on their side despite having missed their first extra point attempt.

But Cooper intercepted Beecher after the Spiders had reached the red zone, returning the pick-six 87 yards to get his team within one.

With 4:07 left in the half, Beecher orchestrated a 72-yard drive that concluded in a 21-yard pass from the Shrine Bowl-bound quarterback to Jerry Burk.

A Logan Sedergren 2-point conversion gave the Spiders a 21-14.

Cooper, who ran for 57 yards and pass for 52 more, led the Rams on a 65-yard scoring drive.

Cooper had two runs – for 28 and 26 yards – before finding Harry Caldwell for an 11-yard touchdown.

Concord quarterback wins $40,000 scholarship

Concord High quarterback B.J. Beecher was named the first recipient of the Charlotte Touchdown Club’s Michael A. Kahn Scholarship.

The $40,000 scholarship, named after the owner/CEO of the Charlotte Checkers, celebrates community service as well as academic and athletic accomplishments.

Beecher is a four-year starter at Concord, having taken over at quarterback for the Spiders midway through his freshman year. That season, he led an 0-6 team to six consecutive wins and a trip to the second round of the state playoffs.

Beecher, a 6-foot-7, 200-pound senior, threw for 2,606 yards and 32 touchdowns as a sophomore to lead Concord to a 9-5 season. He followed that up with 2,957 yards and 32 scores for the 10-4 Spiders last year.

He has thrown for 3,786 yards and 48 touchdowns this season, making him only the third player in North Carolina high school football history to amass 10,000 career passing yards. Independence’s Chris Leak (15,593) and Burlington Cummings’ Ernest Tinnen (10,836) are the other two.

Beecher, who also plays basketball and tennis at Concord, maintains a 3.3 grade-point average while also being involved in his school’s Young Life organization. As a junior, he traveled to the Dominican Republic as part of a medical mission team.

Concord (13-2) will play in the 3A state football championship Saturday against Havelock in Winston-Salem.

Spider coach Glen Padgett told the Observer that Beecher will be a game-time decision for Saturday's game after injuring his right thumb - on his throwing hand - in the second quarter of the 3A semifinal against Morganton Freedom.

Spider, Wonders named to Shrine Bowl roster

Concord quarterback B.J. Beecher as well as A.L. Brown's Kalif Phillips and Keeon Johnson were named to the North Carolina team that will play in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas, which will be played Dec. 15 at Wofford College in Spartanburg.

Here's the full roster:

Last Name	First Name	High School
Phillips	Kalif	A. L. Brown
Johnson	Keeon	A. L. Brown
Prince	R.J.	Albemarle
Oliver	Demetrius	Ashbrook
Beecher	B.J.	Concord
Rogers Jr.	Dane	Crest
Patterson	Quinton	Crest
Wiggins	Sean	David W. Butler
Blankenship	Cole	Davie County
Lewis	Garry	Douglas Byrd Senior
Blair	Chris	East Forsyth
Clay	Aaron	Eastern Alamance
Thorb	Tim	Garner Magnet
Roane	Patrick	Gray’s Creek
Coplon	A.J.	Havelock
Cooper	Pharoh	Havelock
Wilson	Daryl	Hendersonville
Francis	Khris	Hillside
Wiggins	Korrin	Hillside
Neal	Lewis	Hunt
Tocho	Jack	Independence
Walker	Brian	Mallard Creek
Matau	Christian	New Bern
Logan	T.J.	Northern Guilford
Mann	Dequaivs	Northern Nash
Wogan	Matt	Porter Ridge
Covington	Devante	Richmond Senior
Crowder	Tyrone	Richmond Senior
Jones	Nazair	Roanoke Rapids
Diggs	Malik	Scotland
Robinson	Artemis	Scotland
McCauley	Eric	Shelby
Smith	Lachasten	South Iredell
Starnes	Jordan	South Stanly
Gilmore	Greg	South View
Mumford	Tristan	Statesville
Parker	Carlis	Statesville
Deleon	Jeff	T. C. Roberson
Suber	Noah	T. C. Roberson
Lewis	Tyquan	Tarboro
Gould	Ryan	West Forsyth
Dueitt	Blake	William A. Hough
Donaldson	Kirk	Zebulon Vance
Braynt	Larenz	Zebulon Vance

Eagles named all-conference

Several First Assembly soccer and volleyball players were named to their respective All-Metrolina Athletic Conference teams. Josh Denton, Michael Djali and Clarence Massalay were named all-conference in soccer, while Kathryn Eudy and Caroline Zwick were honored in volleyball.

Here are the complete All-MAC teams:

Boys' soccer

Caleb Allen – Covenant Day School

Aaron Armstrong – Gaston Christian School

Cameron Church – Covenant Day School

Josh Denton – First Assembly Christian School

Michael Djali – First Assembly Christian School

Zach Dunn – Northside Christian Academy

Yohei Kawabata – Northside Christian Academy

Jonathan Love – Hickory Grove Christian School

Christian MacArthur – SouthLake Christian Academy

Joey Magnani – Gaston Christian School

Clarence Massalay – First Assembly Christian School

Matthew McKnight – Covenant Day School

Justin Melton – Gaston Christian School

Alex Pardue – Hickory Grove Christian School

Dylan Ritch – Hickory Grove Christian School

Mark Steele – Covenant Day School

Michael Stewart – Covenant Day School

Rhem Stubbs – SouthLake Christian Academy

Ty Stubbs – SouthLake Christian Academy

Volleyball

Hannah Billiard – Covenant Day School

Sumerlyn Carruthers – Westminster Catawba Christian School

Megan Embry – Covenant Day School

Kathryn Eudy – First Assembly Christian School

Christina Goforth – Covenant Day School

Hannah Griffin – Hickory Grove Christian School

Meghan Haigler – Metrolina Christian Academy

Katie McGuire – SouthLake Christian Academy

Hunter Moxley – Westminster Catawba Christian School

Shelly Nassar – Covenant Day School

Emily Oliver – Westminster Catawba Christian School

Anna Parson – Hickory Grove Christian School

Chezney Templeton – Hickory Grove Christian School

Caroline Zwick – First Assembly Christian School

Top performers - week 5

B.J. Beecher, Concord

Senior quarterback threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns on 11 of 17 passing to help the Spiders get off to a 5-0 for the first time since 1998.

Brian Jernigan, Cox Mill

Junior linebacker had 18 total tackles and a fumble recovery as the Chargers defeated Mount Pleasant 27-14.

Malik Johnson, Cox Mill

Senior ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns while also catching for 95 yards and two more scores against the Tigers.

Nick Tyson, Hickory Ridge

Senior quarterback passed for three touchdowns as the Ragin' Bulls defeated then-undefeated rival Central Cabarrus 33-26.

Friday's scores

Cannon 13 at Asheville School 14

Trinity Christian 6 at First Assembly 7

Concord 47 at Northwest Cabarrus 0

Jay M. Robinson 21 at A.L. Brown 69

Central Cabarrus 26 at Hickory Ridge 33

Cox Mill 27 at Mount Pleasant 14

This week's games

First Assembly (3-1) at Christ School (4-0)

A.L. Brown (4-1) at Central Cabarrus (4-1)

Concord (5-0) at Jay M. Robinson (2-3)

Hickory Ridge (4-1) at Cox Mill (4-1)

Northwest Cabarrus (1-3) at Mount Pleasant (3-2)

Cannon (1-4) - BYE

Top performers - week 3 and 4

Covering social media during the Democratic National Convention kept me from my normal job last week, so I didn't have time to put up any blog posts. But better late than never, right?

Week 3

Myles Martino, Cannon

Senior ran for 240 yards on 14 attempts, a 17.14 yard per carry average, as the Cougars defeated Walkertown 52-25. He also rushed for two scores.

Jerry Burk, Concord

Junior linebacker had 10 solo tackles to lead the Spider defense in a 21-7 win over Monroe.

Kalif Phillips, A.L. Brown

Senior receiver ran for 252 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Wonders in a 38-21 win against Rocky River. He also had a 96-yard kickoff return for a score.

Week 3 scores

Cannon 52 at Walkertown 25

First Assembly 6 at High Point Christian 27

Monroe 7 at Concord 21

South Rowan 21 at Northwest Cabarrus 26

Rocky River 21 at A.L. Brown 38

Jay M. Robinson 14 at Piedmont 35

Hickory Ridge 48 at Carson 30

Central Cabarrus 49 at Central Academy 0

West Stanly 0 at Mount Pleasant 47

Pinecrest 44 at Cox Mill 27

Week 4

Alex Asbury, Concord

Senior receiver caught for 211 yards and three touchdowns on only four receptions as his Spiders defeated Huss 48-28.

Robert Johns, Mount Pleasant

Sophomore defensive back had a season-high 13 total tackles, including 11 solo hits, to lead the Tiger defense as the team upset the state's top-ranked 1A team Albemarle 26-14.

Cox Mill's running game

Led by seniors Diron Chloe (144 yards) and Abreus Boyd (107 yards), the Chargers ran for 395 yards in a 54-21 win over Piedmont. Malik Johnson rushed for three touchdowns, while quarterback Kelly Hall ran in two more.

Friday's scores

Cannon 14 at Harrells Christian 56

Huss 28 at Concord 48

Northwest Cabarrus 0 at Mooresville 49

Porter Ridge 41 at A.L. Brown 14

Carson 21 at Jay M. Robinson 27

Hickory Ridge 49 at East Rowan 27

Central Cabarrus 54 at West Stanly 0

Mount Pleasant 26 at Albemarle 14

Cox Mill 54 at Piedmont 21

First Assembly (BYE)

This week's games

Cannon (1-3) at Asheville School (0-2)

Trinity Christian (0-3) at First Assembly (2-1)

Concord (4-0) at Northwest Cabarrus (1-2)

Jay M. Robinson (2-2) at A.L. Brown (3-1)

Central Cabarrus (4-0) at Hickory Ridge (3-1)

Cox Mill (3-1) at Mount Pleasant (3-1)

Cabarrus County top performers - Week 2

Rocky Reid, Concord

Sophomore ran for 293 yards and four touchdowns in the Spiders' 42-20 win over East Rowan.

Khalif Phillips, A.L. Brown

The senior rushed five times for 89 yards, caught two passes for 85 more and scored four times in Kannapolis' 62-6 win over South Rowan.

Friday's scores

(Winners in bold)

First Assembly 25 at Cannon 14

East Rowan 20 at Concord 42

Carson 28 at Northwest Cabarrus 13

South Rowan 6 at A.L. Brown 62

Parkwood 7 at Central Cabarrus 42

Monroe 54 at Jay M. Robinson 14

Cuthbertson 16 at Hickory Ridge 14

Mount Pleasant 19 at South Stanly 22

Central Academy 0 at Cox Mill 35

This week's games

Cannon at Walkertown

First Assembly at High Point Christian

Monroe at Concord

South Rowan at Northwest Cabarrus

Rocky River at A.L. Brown

Jay M. Robinson at Piedmont

Hickory Ridge at Carson

West Stanly at Mount Pleasant

Pinecrest at Cox Mill

Cabarrus County top performers - Week 1

B.J. Beecher, Concord

Senior quarterback led the Spiders by passing for 454 yards and seven touchdowns, including five in the first half, in a 62-35 win at West Charlotte.

Hasaan Klugh, Central Cabarrus

Junior passed for 363 yards and five scores in a 66-31 win against South Rowan. Klugh played for only three quarters and made all his touchdown passes in the first half.

Cox Mill running game

The Chargers rushed for 305 yards and four touchdowns as a team Friday in their 53-0 win against Harding. Diron Chloe led the way with 104 yards and a score. Tre Knox had 93 and a touchdown.

Friday's scores

(Winners in bold)

North Raleigh Christian 42 at Cannon 3
First Assembly 6 - Forsyth Country Day 0
Concord 62 at West Charlotte 21
A.L Brown 44 at Shelby 0
Central Cabarrus 66 at South Rowan 31
Jay M. Robinson 16 - Lexington 7
Piedmont 17 at Hickory Ridge 23
Mount Pleasant 41 at North Stanly 28
Cox Mill 53 at Harding 0

Northwest Cabarrus (BYE week)

This week's games

First Assembly at Cannon
East Rowan at Concord
Carson at Northwest Cabarrus
South Rowan at A.L. Brown
Parkwood at Central Cabarrus
Monroe at Jay M. Robinson
Cuthbertson at Hickory Ridge
Mount Pleasant at South Stanly

Central Academy at Cox Mill

Kannapolis starts season with dominant win

A.L. Brown defeated Shelby 44-0 Thursday night to kick off the high school football season.

The Wonders’ ground game led the way. South Piedmont Conference co-offensive player of the year Kalif Phillips ran for two touchdowns for Kannapolis.

Dante Pinkston, Malik Patterson and South Rowan transfer Ricky Sherrill rushed for a score each.

Quarterback Keeon Johnson found Keenan Medley for the Wonders’ only passing touchdown.

The varsity game was played Thursday to accommodate the American Legion World Series, which begins Friday in Shelby.

For more results, stay tuned to cabprepsports.blogspot.com. Football scores and updates from fall sports across Cabarrus County will be posted on the blog throughout the season.

Coach comes home to take over Central Cabarrus football program

Courtesy of Tuscola High

Donnie Kiefer, a 1975 Central Cabarrus graduate, will return to his alma mater to take over the school’s football program.

Kiefer, who accepted the Viking job earlier this week, comes back to Concord after five seasons at Waynesville’s Tuscola High, where he had a 39-24-1 record.

A former all-conference football and baseball player for the Vikings, Kiefer has had the chance to rebuild football programs at Southwest Guilford, Gates County, Andrews, Hibriten, Roanoke and East Carteret before arriving at Tuscola in 2007. That will come handy, as Central won its first two games since 2007 last season.

Kiefer replaces Chris Shinn, who stepped down in January after three seasons as head coach.

The school plans to hold a meet-and-greet with Kiefer March 15 at 6 p.m. Parents, players and anyone in the community interested is invited to attend.

Cabarrus football playoff update - week 2

NCHSAA football
Both A.L. Brown and Concord won Friday, moving on to the third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs. The Wonders (12-1) defeated Weddington 41-20 in the 3AA bracket, while the Spiders (10-3) routed Rockingham County 35-8 in the 3A tournament.


Here are the state quarterfinal match-ups (local teams in bold):

A.L. Brown at Charlotte Catholic

Concord at West Rowan

NCISAA football

First Assembly defeated fellow Cabarrus County team Cannon 28-3 to reach the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Divions II finals. The Eagles (8-3), the tournament's No. 2 seed, will host No. 4 seed Asheville School for the title.

Cabarrus football playoff update - week 1

NCHSAA football
Only A.L. Brown and Concord moved on to the second round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs. The Wonders defeated Ledford in the 3AA bracket, while Concord defeated South Piedmont Conference foe Northwest Cabarrus in the 3A tournament.

Here are full scores (local teams in bold):

3A
West Rowan def. Mount Pleasant 31-12
Statesville def. Cox Mill 32-22
Concord def. Northwest Cabarrus 30-6

3AA
Charlotte Catholic def. Hickory Ridge 42-14
A.L. Brown def. Ledford 54-28

Friday's games:
Rockingham County at Concord
Weddington at A.L. Brown

NCISAA football
Cannon and First Assembly both got out of the first round of the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II playoffs. Cannon upset Christ School 37-27 to win the school's first football playoff game, while defending champions First Assembly dominated a 48-29 game against North Raleigh Christian.

First Assembly (7-3) will host Cannon (6-4) Friday in the state semifinals. It will be the Concord schools first meeting of the season.

10/31 playoff update

Football

Brackets for both the N.C. High School Athletic Association and N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association football playoffs were released during the weekend. Here are the match-ups for Cabarrus County teams (local teams in bold):


NCHSAA
3A
No. 8 Mount Pleasant at No. 1 West Rowan
No. 5 Cox Mill at No. 4 Statesville
No. 6 Northwest Cabarrus at No. 3 Concord


3AA
No. 8 Hickory Ridge at No. 1 Charlotte Catholic
No. 6 Ledford at No. 3 A.L. Brown


NCISAA

Div. II

No. 6 Cannon School at No. 3 Christ School

No. 7 North Raleigh Christian at No. 2 First Assembly


Cross country

Natalie Andrejchak led the Jay M. Robinson girls to a second-place finish in the NCHSAA 3A Midwest regionals Saturday. Robinson's Brooke Johns finished in seventh place.

Northwest Cabarrus' Maddie Lowe finished fifth in the race, advancing to states as an individual. The trojans finished sixth at regionals. A.L. Brown was fifth, Cox Mill was seventh and Hickory Ridge finished eighth.

On the boys' side, Robinson finished third behind Clifford Buck and Andrew Fried, who were sixth and seventh respectively. A.L. Brown's Jose Navarette, Northwest's Gil Gilreath and Cox Mill's Taylor Page advanced to states as individuals. Kannapolis finished seventh overall, while Cox Mill was eighth, Hickory Ridge 10th and Northwest Cabarrus was 11th.

For complete results, N.C. Runners has them compiled.

The state championships take place Saturday.


NCISAA

Cannon's Tim Gruber finished 26th at the NCISAA 3A state championships Saturday to lead the Cougars to a 10th-place finish at states. The girls, led by Darby West's 40th-place finish, were also 10th.

First Assembly finished 17th in the 2A boys regionals and 16th on the girls' side.

For complete results, check out the NCISAA's website.

Quick hits: May 10

Newsome is new Wonders coach

There were big news coming out of Kannapolis Monday night, as Mike Newsome was announced as the new football coach at A.L. Brown. Newsome, who led Butler to back-to-back 4AA state championships, will take over for Ron Massey. He starts at Kannapolis July 1. For a full article, click here.

Bulldogs still in contention for state title

The Jay M. Robinson boys' golf team was in sixth place after the first day of play at the 3A state championship tournament. Senior Trevor Cone's one-under 71 led the way for the Bulldogs, who had a team score of 311, 23 shots behind first-place Gastonia Forestview.

Robinson's Chris Johnson shot a 76, while Tom Farell had a 79. Concord individual qualifier Wainwright Ritchie shot a 74 thru the first 18 holes.

Hickory's J.T. Poston, last year's individual champion, is leading the way again, shooting a NCHSAA record nine-under 63 in the first day.

SPC softball tourney starts today

The South Piedmont Conference softball tournament gets under way tonight. Want previews for every team? You can read freelance writer Jay Edwards' article from this week's Cabarrus News.

Chargers ranked in Observer's girls' soccer Sweet 16

The Cox Mill soccer team is ranked 16th in the Observer's area rankings. This marks the first time the second-year school has been ranked in the Sweet 16. The Chargers will face South Iredell Wednesday in the first round of the NCHSAA 3A soccer playoffs.

Hickory Ridge's Burdette making name for himself, team

When the 2009 football season began, Hickory Ridge and junior defensive end Dillon Burdette were under the radar.

Now, the both the Ragin' Bulls and Burdette are making names for themselves amongst the best in the Charlotte area.

Burdette, 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, led his team with 87 tackles, 32 tackles for a loss, 11 sacks and 10 hurries on the way to Hickory Ridge's first winning season at 7-6. The Ragin' Bulls also made their first playoff appearance losing in the second round to No. 1 Northern Guilford.

Burdette, who also boasts a 3.93 grade-point average, has recruiting interest from Clemson, Wofford and Gardner-Webb.

Burdette is also a key player on the Hickory Ridge basketball team.

-Jay Edwards

Football scores: Nov. 13

This week marked the first round of the NCHSAA playoffs for five South Piedmont teams, four of which played against each other Friday.

3A West:
Concord 29, Northwest Cabarrus 20

3AA West:
Hickory Ridge 25, North Forsyth 6
A.L. Brown 30, Jay M. Robinson 14

The NCISAA semifinal game between First Assembly and Forsyth Country Day was postponed until tonight (Saturday) at 7:30 p.m.

Rainy conditions could affect playoff games

Langston Wertz Jr. posted on the Prep Insiders blog today about how this weeks rain is affecting the playoff games in football and soccer this week. Many soccer games in the Charlotte area have been rescheduled to Thursday, which is leaving some schools only 24 hours to get the already damaged fields ready for Friday night's football games.

Look for some of these matches to get postponed until Saturday.

Football playoff pairings announced

The NCHSAA football playoff pairings were announced Saturday and five South Piedmont Conference teams will have a chance for the state title.

Jay M. Robinson, Hickory Ridge and A.L. Brown are in the 3AA West bracket while Northwest Cabarrus and Concord are in the 3A West bracket.

Here are the first round pairings:

Class 3AA West:

No. 5 Hickory Ridge at No. 8 North Forsyth
No. 14 Jay M. Robinson at No. 3 A.L. Brown

Class 3A West:

No. 9 Northwest Cabarrus at No. 8 Concord

Two first round conference rematches should be interesting Friday. Northwest Cabarrus beat Concord 40-32 in their last meeting, while A.L. Brown beat Robinson 34-14 earlier in the season.

To look at the full brackets, visit www.nchsaa.org. Games will be played Friday night.

Football Scores: Oct. 23

Concord 20, Mount Pleasant 14

First Assembly 14, Westminster Catawba 3

Jay M. Robinson 46, Cox Mill 7

A.L. Brown 38, Hickory Ridge 13

Northwest Cabarrus 42, Central Cabarrus 0