Both Sides of the Ball

It’s never too early to start thinking about All-Area postseason awards.
That’s especially true when you think you will have many choices for the individual honors.
Take soccer, for example. With a few weeks left in the regular season, a handful of players have performed well enough to be in consideration for offensive and defensive players of the year, as well as coach of the year.
I have counted three kids who could possibly win the top offensive honor, Jacksonville’s Jimmy Johnson, Swansboro’s Christian Rhue and Richlands’ Edgar Garcia. Meanwhile, the Cardinals’ Zach Scott, the Pirates’ Tim Riggs and Dixon’s Garran Browning are among those who could be considered as the top defender.
There are obviously more, but these players are the first ones that came to my head.
What does everyone else think?

1. Jacksonville (14-2, 7-1)

2. Swansboro (14-3, 10-0)

3. Richlands (12-3-1, 7-2-1)

4. White Oak (9-7-1, 4-4)

5. Topsail (8-4, 4-0)

6. Dixon (7-7-3, 4-2)

7. Southwest (7-7-2, 6-4)

8. Clinton (9-7-2, 3-5-1)

9. Lejeune (9-4-2, 1-3)

10. East Duplin (6-8-2, 4-4-2)

11. Croatan (7-10, 5-5)

12. Northside (2-9, 2-7)

By The Associated Press
RALEIGH — The Associated Press state high school football poll for North Carolina for the week of Oct. 7, first-place votes in parentheses, records and total points as voted upon by a statewide panel of prep sports writers:

CLASS 4-A
1. Charlotte Independence (12) (4-0) 138 1
2. Matthews Butler (2) (5-0) 128 2
3. Fayetteville Britt (5-1) 78 6
T4. Davie County (5-1) 67 5
T4. East Mecklenburg (5-0) 67 8
6. Fayetteville Seventy-First (6-0) 58 T10
7. Wilmington Hoggard (4-1) 46 7
8. Raleigh Millbrook (6-1) 39 3
9. Winston-Salem Mt. Tabor (6-1) 38 9
10. Asheville Reynolds (5-1) 37 T10
Others receiving votes: Richmond County 21, Raleigh Leesville Road 16, West Forsyth 13, Mallard Creek 12, West Johnston 7, Wake Forest-Rolesville 3, Raleigh Wakefield 1, East Burke 1.

CLASS 3-A
1. Greensboro Dudley (9) (6-0) 135 1
2. Rocky Mount (5) (5-1) 131 2
3. Eastern Alamance (6-0) 99 3
4. Belmont South Point (6-1) 78 5
5. Jamestown Ragsdale (6-0) 77 4
6. West Craven (6-0) 66 6
7. Waynesville Tuscola (6-0) 58 7
8. Winston-Salem Carver (5-1) 47 8
9. Harnett Central (5-1) 22 9
10. West Rowan (5-1) 18
Others receiving votes: Oxford Webb 17, SouthWest Edgecombe 6, Monroe Sun Valley 5, Charlotte Catholic 3, Wilson Beddingfield 3, Asheville 2, Mooresville 1, North Buncombe 1, Kinston 1.

CLASS 2-A
1. Reidsville (14) (6-0) 140 1
2. Jacksonville Northside (6-0) 123 2
3. Newton-Conover (5-0) 106 3
4. Southwest Onslow (6-0) 94 4
5. Lenoir Hibriten (6-0) 78 6
6. Eastern Guilford (6-0) 56 8
7. Tarboro (5-1) 39 10
7. South Columbus (5-1) 39 9
9. East Lincoln (6-1) 23
10. Salisbury (6-0) 20
Others receiving votes: Canton Pisgah 17, Lincolnton 15, Monroe 7, Shelby 7, Bunn 4, East Duplin 1, Elizabeth City Northeastern 1.

CLASS 1-A
1. Warsaw Kenan (9) (6-0) 130 1
2. Thomasville (3) (6-0) 127 2
3. Mt. Airy (2) (6-0) 117 3
4. Murphy (7-0) 99 4
5. Albemarle (5-1) 78 5
6. Siler City Jordan-Matthews (6-1) 54 6
7. Dunn Midway (6-1) 47 8
8. Plymouth (5-1) 26 9
T9. East Bladen (6-1) 22 10
T9. Topsail (6-0) 22
Others receiving votes: Cherokee 12, Robbinsville 10, Jones County 10, Louisburg 8, Hendersonville 5, Elkin 3.
 

This is how I just voted for the Associated Press state prep football rankings.

4-A

1. Charlotte Independence

2. Matthews Butler

3. Davie Co.

4. Fay. Britt

5. Hoggard

6. East Mecklenburg

7. Raleigh Millbrook

8. Raleigh Leesville Road

9. W-Salem Mt. Tabor

10. Fay. Seventy-First

3-A

1. Greensboro Dudley

2. Rocky Mt.

3. Eastern Alamance

4. Jamestown Ragsdale

5. Belmont South Point

6. West Craven

7. Waynesville Tuscola

8. W-Salem Carver

9. Harnett Central

10. Oxford Webb

2-A

1. Reidsville

2. Jacksonville Northside

3. Southwest Onslow

4. Newton Conover

5. Lenoir Hibriten

6. Eastern Guilford

7. South Columbus

8. Tarboro

9. Lincolnton

10. Bunn

1-A

1. Warsaw Kenan

2. Thomasville

 3. Mt. Airy

4. Murphy

5. Albemarle

6. Siler City Jordan Matthews

7. Dunn Midway

8. Plymouth

9. East Bladen

10. Cherokee

The NCHSAA just released the brackets for the boys soccer playoffs, with no local team to have homefield advantage throughout the East Regional because of the current rotation.

The No. 1 3-A seed from the Mideastern 3-A/4-A Conference, which will likely be Jacksonville, will host the fourth seed from the Eastern Carolina Conference in the first round. Meanwhile, the MEC’s second seed, perhaps White Oak, will host the second seed from the Coastal 3-A/4-A Conference in the opening round.

The East Central 2-A Conference champion (looking like Swansboro right now) will welcome a wildcard for the 2-A first round, while the ECC’s runner-up (likely Richlands) will also host a wildcard, and the ECC’s third seed will travel to the third seed from the Eastern Plains Conference. 

The Coastal Plains 1-A Conference champion (Topsail for right now) will host a wildcard for the first rund, while the CPC’s second seed (Dixon right now) will also host a wildcard.

There is still a lot of soccer to be played, so everything is still up in the air regarding which team will fit in each slot.  

Members of last spring’s White Oak High girls soccer team will receive their state championship rings at halftime of next Friday’s (Oct. 10) football game with Hoggard.

For many of the Vikings, this will be their third state title ring, as White Oak made it three straight with a 4-0 win over T.C. Roberson in May.

As soon as I find out when the Dixon High girls soccer squad will earn their rings for their state 1-A title I will let you know.

4-A

1. Charlotte Independance

2. Butler

3. Fayetteville 71st

4. Raleigh Milbrook

5. Leesville Road

6. East Mecklenburg

7. Hoggard

8. Richmond Co.

9. Davie County

10. Fayetteville Britt

3-A

1. Dudley

2. Rocky Mount

3. E. Alamance

4. West Craven

5. Harnett central

6. Ragsdale

7. South Point

8. Tuscola

9. Wilson Fike

10. Kinston

2-A

1. Reidsville

2. Northside

3. Southwest

4. Newton Conover

5. Lincolnton

6. Hibreiton

7. Bunn

8. East Lincolnton

9. Tarboro

10. South Columbus

1-A

1. James Kenan

2. Thomasville

3. Mt. Airy

4. Murphy

5. Albemarle

6. Jordan Matthews

7. Plymouth

8. East Bladen

9. Topsail

10. Jones Senior

1. Jacksonville (10-2, 3-1)

2. Swansboro (10-3, 6-0)

3. Richlands (10-2, 5-1)

4. Topsail (6-3, 2-0)

5. White Oak (7-5-1, 2-2)

6. Dixon (4-6-3, 1-1)

7. East Duplin (5-6-1, 3-2-1)

8. Southwest (5-5-2, 4-2)

9. Lejeune (8-2-2, 0-1)

10. Croatan (4-9, 2-4)

11. Clinton (7-5-2, 1-3-1)

12. Northside (1-9, 1-5)

 I decided to include East Central 2-A Conference team Clinton in the area soccer rankings, despite the Darkhorses are not truly being a readership area team as we don’t sell newspapers in that area. However, many Clinton folks read our stuff online, and head coach Brad Spell calls in his team’s results.

Head coach Buddy Carroll doesn’t look at his White Oak High soccer team’s latest outing as a set back.
Though the 3-A Vikings played to a 2-2 tie at 1-A Dixon on Wednesday, Carroll, instead thinks this wasn’t a typical case of a bigger school that should have won over a smaller school.
“Dixon is a decent team and those kids play hard,” Carroll said. “They know a lot of our kids and we know they are no push over.”
Bulldogs head coach Kevin Hicks was pleased with his club’s performance.
“White Oak has been good for years and they are still good, so this shows that we have progressed,” he said. “I am really pleased with the way we have created the last two matches.”

 Congratulations to former Richlands High goalkeepers Whitney Beverly and Horatio Bynes for once again being named Peach Belt Conference Goalkeepers of the Week for UNC-Pembroke. 

This marks the second consecutive week these two former area standouts have both been named to this honor, and it is the third straight weekly award for Beverly.