Wednesday, December 6, 2017

1A Preview: North Duplin vs. Cherokee

North Duplin and Cherokee will be meeting Saturday at Noon at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh to settle the 1A state championship game.

Carter-Finley Stadium

Making their fourth appearance in the state championship game, North Duplin (14-0) is seeking their first football state title since 1972.

North Duplin is known for their rushing attack which averages 323 yards on the ground per game. The Rebels have only completed eight passes so far this season, but five of those passes have resulted in touchdowns. Quarterback Will Archer leads the team with over 1800 yards rushing this season and Kenny Shepherd has scored 17 touchdowns and rushed for over 1400 yards.

Cherokee is looking to make school history with their first state championship in football. This is the second time the Braves have made it to the state title game, and their only other appearance was in 1978 when they lost to Midway.

Cherokee has a balanced offensive attack, averaging 278 yards in the air per game and 150 yards on the ground. Quarterback Tye Mintz has thrown for almost 2,000 yards and rushed for almost 1,600 yards while accounting for 49 of the Braves' touchdowns this season.