Making it to the third round of the playoffs is special for any team.  Teams that have made it this far consider the third round as the make or break round on the way to a state championship.  Although the pod system has caused much debate because of the uneven matchups it can present in the early rounds, by round three the best teams are still remaining and beginning to face off.  Be sure to go out and support your team or catch the big local game this Friday night.

Carolina Gridiron Game of the Week

3A football has been extremely exciting to watch this year across the state.  Programs that compete in the 3A level have both the combination of larger teams with more athletes while still keeping that hometown football team feel.  The teams in this week's matchup are no different.  This week's game of the week features the three-time defending 3A champion West Rowan Falcons taking on the Concord Spiders in the Midwest 3A sectional championship.

Scott Young's West Rowan Falcons (11-2) are no stranger to late playoff runs.  Along with their three recent titles, they were one of the winningest programs in North Carolina over the last ten year.  They have made the playoffs in each of those seasons, going multiple rounds in most of them.  The Falcons are led by offense by running back Dinkin Miller, whose explosive speed and quick moves on the field have allowed the Falcons to once again dominate the North Piedmont 3A conference.  Defensively, Logan Stoodley leads a defense that has only given up 15.4 points a game.  West Rowan defeated Mount Pleasant 31-12 in the first round of the playoffs and fought back to defeat Statesville last week.  A last second score gave the Falcons a 32-27 victory.

The Concord Spiders, led by coach Glenn Padgett, are 10-3 and in the third round for the second year in a row.  Concord is led on offense by quarterback B.J. Beecher and running back Denzel Philips.  Catching a lot of Beecher's passes is UNC-bound tight end Terrance Knox.  Offensively, the Spiders score 35.2 points a game while only giving up 17 a game on defense.  The Spiders finished second in the South Piedmont 3A conference and earned the #3 seed in the Midwest.  Concord defeated county rival  30-6 in the first round and Rockingham County 35-8 last week.

It looks to be a great game Friday night in Mt. Ulla.

We’ve reached Round 2 of the state football playoffs, and it’s time for some great football action.  The temperatures are dropping towards the freezing mark and while many of the linemen show their toughness by playing without sleeves, the fans are bundling up in the stands.  Be sure go out and support your local team this Friday night.

It’s playoff time in North Carolina.  Teams who can put together the complete effort will move on, while other teams will be getting ready for basketball season.  The brackets are set, the teams and fans are excited, and it’s time to win or go home.  Be sure to go out and support your local team this Friday night.

Carolina Gridiron Game of the Week

This week’s matchup is from the most brutal of all of the pods, the 3AA Midwest.  Four of the top five seeds in the western region are located in the Midwest.  The top four teams in the Midwest went a combined 39-2 during the regular season.  The games in the Midwest are sure to be some great matchups between great teams.  This week’s game is just that.  The Carolina Gridiron Game of the Week for Week 12 features the 7-3 Berry Academy Cardinals traveling to Waxhaw to take on the 9-1 Marvin Ridge Mavericks.



Marvin Ridge is only it its fifth year of existence, but they have made the playoffs every season.  Coach Scott Chadwick’s Mavericks have averaged 9 wins a season over the last three years.  This year’s Mavericks team was not expected to have as much success, having to replace 18 starters from last year’s playoff team.  But, the Mavericks have worked together as a team on a mission this year.  The Mavericks have “exceeded expectations this year…both individually and as a team” according to Coach Chadwick.

KANNAPOLIS – Fans enjoy watching a good football game with some good weather on Friday nights.  Mother Nature had different plans for football fans this week though.  It was cold and rainy on Friday night as the longest continuous rivalry kicked off for its 81^st year.  Although the Concord Spiders gave it their best in a comeback attempt, it was the A. L. Brown Wonders who won this year’s “Battle of the Bell” in front of a capacity crowd with a score of 31-26.

The final week of the regular season is here and now it’s do or die in many conference races across the entire state. Playoff berths and home playoff games are on the line. Which teams will make it to the big dance and which teams are going to stay home? Be sure to go out and support your local team this Friday night.



The Battle for the Bell is in its 81^st year, with Concord holding a slight advantage, 39-37. There have been also been four ties in the series (1936, 1937, 1942, 1950) and one forfeit (2001). This year’s matchup features two teams looking to battle for the South Piedmont conference title, something not unique to this series. Although quite common in this series, there was an eleven year period (1989-1999) where the game between Concord and Brown actually decided the SPC 3A title in the final week of the season.

The Concord Spiders, led by head coach Glen Padgett, come in to this week's game with 8-2 record. The Spiders have had some big non-conference wins against West Charlotte and Monroe this season and have taken down most of their conference foes. They were tripped up last week by Hickory Ridge but are looking to rebound and clinch at least a share of the South Piedmont 3A conference title.

Offensively, the Spiders are led by junior quarterback B. J. Beecher who has thrown for over 2072 yards and 22 touchdowns this year. Beecher will be making his third start in the Battle for the Bell, going 1-1 with a win in his freshman year. One of Beecher’s favorite targets is tight end and UNC recruit Terrance Knox. The Spiders have averaged 37 points on offense while only giving up 17 points a game on defense pitching two shutouts along the way.



It looks to be a great game Friday night in Kannapolis. Check with the Carolina Gridiron livescoreboard and follow us on Twitter, @NCGridiron and @NCGridironNews for information about the game.

THOMASVILLE – It was a chilly night at Thomasville’s Cushwa Stadium as the hometown Bulldogs took on the defending 2AA state champion Salisbury Hornets.  Although Thomasville came into the game with a 4-5 record, this was a battle to see who would site at the top of the Central Carolina 2A conference.  Thomasville was not intimidated by their opponent this evening as they took advantage of multiple Salisbury turnovers on their way to a 34-27 victory.

It’s week 10 of the North Carolina high school football season. The weather's turning cold and the conference action is heating up. Teams are fighting for the top three spots in their conference to guarantee playoff berths. With only two weeks left in the regular season it's now or never for some football teams. There are sure to be some great games this week. Be sure to go out and support your local team this Friday night

Carolina Gridiron Game of the Week

Some conference races are coming down to the wire. This week's game features two teams looking to fight for the top spot in their conference. Both teams have won state titles in the last five years so it should be a battle. This week matchup features the Salisbury Hornets traveling to Thomasville to take on the Bulldogs in Central Carolina 2A conference action.

Salisbury, the defending 2AA champion and #12 in the Carolina Gridiron 2A FAIR Rankings, is led by Coach Joe Pinyan. The Hornets are 8-1 on the season with their only loss coming to county rival and defending 3A state champion West Rowan.

On offense, the Hornets stay on the ground and try to run their option offense to keep defenders guessing where the ball is going to go. Quarterback Brian Bauk leads the Salisbury offense and Coach Pinyan feels he “may actually be the quickest player in our backfield…he is a fierce competitor that constantly puts the ball in the correct places in our option offense.” The offensive MVP of last year’s state title game, Dominique Dismuke is having another great season as well at running back and is joined in the backfield by Justin Ruffin and Max Allen. But, teams have not been able to stop this Salisbury running attack as the Hornets are averaging over 45 points a game this season.

On defense, the Hornets are led by Kavari Hillie, last year’s state championship defensive MVP. Along with Travis Byrd and Keion Adams joining him in the linebacker corps and William Brown and Dequan Robertson in the defensive secondary, the Hornets are only giving up 11 points per game this year.

Coach Pinyan had the following to say about his team: “I feel like we are a little better on the offensive side of the ball than we might have expected to be and our defense has been pretty solid. But in reality, nobody really cares what you have accomplished to this point. The goal is to get better each week. We don't want to look at what we have done, but rather at what can be done. Our kids believe that you describe your season every time you put on the helmet --- put the ball down, let's play.”

The Thomasville Bulldogs are led by Coach Allen Brown. Thomasville, winners of four 1AA state titles in the last seven years are now playing in 2A due to higher enrollment. Although facing off against a tough non-conference schedule earlier in the season has left Thomasville with a 4-5 record, the Bulldogs have turned it up in conference action averaging 34 points a game on offense while only giving up 11.

Salisbury Coach Joe Pinyan had the following to say about Thomasville and this week’s game: “regardless of their record, Thomasville is a team that draws your utmost attention and requires extensive mental and physical preparation. They are well coached, athletic, and possess a quality tradition that brings out the best in everyone in the program. It's a battle for the Conference Championship which seems to find its way run through these two programs. Expect Thomasville to be physical with tremendous quickness and hopefully, we can eliminate some of our mistakes from last week and compete. Both teams pride themselves on great defense with solid kicking games. This game has all the ingredients of what a great high school football game should have to be entertaining to a great crowd.”

It looks to be a good game Friday night at Thomasville’s Cushwa Stadium.  Follow the game on our live scoreboard or on Twitter, @NCGridiron or @NCGridironNews

Week 9 of the high school football season is here and the conference races are coming down to the wire. Teams are playing their best football as they look to separate themselves into groups of contenders for long playoff runs. Fans are getting excited just thinking about potential playoff matchups in only a few short weeks.

Carolina Gridiron Game of the Week

Carolina Gridiron always looks for best matchups around the state, and this week we believe we’ve found a game that meets all of the requirements of becoming legendary. The FAIR Rankings presented by Carolina Gridiron are one way of comparing teams based on a mathematic formula. This week’s teams are both ranked highly in the 4A rankings as well as multiple media polls and power rankings. This week’s matchup features the #1 ranked 4A Lumberton Pirates traveling to face the traditional power Richmond County Raiders in Southeastern 4A Conference action.

The 7-0 Pirates, coached by Mike Brill, don’t score many points, but they give up even fewer. Lumberton has only given up 75 points the entire season, beating teams like Jack Britt, South View, and 71st along the way.

Richmond, 6-1 so far this season, is led by Coach Paul Hoggard. The Raiders move the ball well on offense, averaging 43 points a game. But, Richmond is also proud of their defense, with defensive lineman Antoine Crouch and defensive back Stephen Houston recently being named to the Shrine Bowl roster.

Last year, Richmond beat Lumberton 35-14, but this year the Pirates are looking to exact some revenge on the Raiders’ home turf.

It looks to be a good game Friday night in Rockingham. Be sure to support your local team this Friday.

It’s week 8 of the North Carolina high school football season.  Fall has finally arrived and teams are starting to make that final push to the playoffs as we enter the last month of the regular season.  As the winds begin to cool the evenings down, conference races are heating up.  Make sure you go out and support your local football team this Friday night.

The lights shined bright and the air was crisp as the Porter Ridge Pirates took on the Marvin Ridge Mavericks in a matchup of 5-0 teams.  Both teams sought to use this week’s game as a springboard to the conference lead.  But, only one team emerged victorious, and tonight it was the Pirates as they defeated the Mavericks 27-3 in Southern Carolina 3A/4A action.












Porter Ridge faces off against Parkwood next week while Marvin Ridge hosts Sun Valley in conference action.

It’s week 7 in the high school football season and most schools are fighting it out in their conference for future playoff berths.  Coaches are looking for leadership to emerge, and players are beginning to play each game with more intensity.  We’re getting to the point now where some rivalry games are beginning to be played.  Be sure to go out and support your local team this Friday night.






The Mavericks, coached by Scott Chadwick, are even stingier on defense than their counterparts, allowing only an average of 14.8 points per game.  For a team that lost 18 starters from last season, Marvin Ridge has also played with a chip on their shoulders and has started 5-0 for the third season in a row.  Strong line play and experience at the skill positions, led by quarterback Tyler Chadwick, has fueled this fast start.

It’s the midpoint of the high school football season in North Carolina.  Teams are getting into their stride and pushing towards conference championships.  Front runners have emerged in their conference races and they know they’ll be getting their opponents’ best each week the rest of the season.  Be sure to go out and support your local team this Friday night.

It’s week five in the 2011 North Carolina high school football season, and for many teams it is the start of conference play. Teams finally begin playing games that have implications on playoff berths and seeding. For the teams that scheduled softer games in their non-conference schedule will now be challenged. The teams that went up against the state’s best are now battle-hardened and ready to take on all conference foes.

Carolina Gridiron Game of the Week for Week 5

Being the number one team can have its perks. Showing up on Friday night highlight shows, getting recognition by media sources from around the state, and having players noticed by higher profiles college coaches. But, it also means that there is a large target on your back and every team is gunning for you and will make the matchup with you the biggest game of their season. This week’s game features the number-one ranked Mallard Creek Mavericks hosting the Mooresville Blue Devils in the I-MECK 4A conference opener.

After knocking off the two-time defending 4AA champions in the first week, Mallard Creek has earned the consensus number one spot in state-wide polls. With top-five national recruit and Florida-bound DJ Humphries anchoring the defensive line, opposing teams fear running up the middle on the Mavericks. Offensively, the Mavericks are led by wide receivers Jela Duncan and Jamel Harbison who seem to score touchdowns at will against their opponents.

On the visitor’s sideline will be Hal Capps, in his second year as head coach of the Mooresville Blue Devils. The Blue Devils made national headlines in Week 1 when they knocked off three-time defending 3A champions West Rowan, ending the nation’s longest winning streak. The Blue Devils have made quite a turnaround since Coach Capps took over last year, making the playoffs after finishing 0-11 in 2009.

Conference games are always a toss-up as teams begin to play with a little more intensity. It looks to be a good game in Charlotte on Friday night, but if you can’t make it be sure you support your local team this Friday night.

Mother Nature has apparently not been a fan of football the past two weeks, causing massive cancellations and postponements. This week though, the skies are blue, the temperature isn’t as oppressive as it has been, and it’s time for more high school football. Make sure you go out and support your local team this Friday night.

Carolina Gridiron Game of the Week for Week 4

There are a lot of good matchups in the state of North Carolina this week, but one game caught the eye of everyone at Carolina Gridiron as possibly the best game of the entire season. Two top-5 caliber 3A teams, each with their own unique styles, battling it out in one of North Carolina’s nicer stadiums was just too much to pass up. This week’s game of the week is the Burns Bulldogs at the South Point Red Raiders.

The Wonder crowd was pumped to see how their team would perform under new coach Mike Newsome. The stands at Kannapolis’ Memorial Stadium were full thirty minutes before kickoff. And UNC recruit Damien Washington did not waste any time in letting the Kannapolis faithful know that good things were in store for the Wonder football team this evening. His 97 yard kickoff return for a touchdown set the tone for how the first half would play out.

After a botched Shelby punt on their first possession, Washington struck again with a 17 yard run around the left side for a score. Less than five minutes into the first quarter the Wonders had a 14-0 lead. Washington would end the night with three touchdowns.

Although Shelby had a tough time moving the ball on offense against Kannapolis in the first half, All-Gridiron was wreaking havoc all over the field for the Golden Lion defense. But, his multiple rushes on the quarterback and solo tackles for loss were not enough to stop a Wonder offense that appeared to be bigger and faster than their counterparts.

A 30-0 halftime lead had many Kannapolis fans feeling like the game was over, but before they could head home early to watch football highlights on television, the Golden Lions decided to make a game out of it after all.

Some great plays by the Golden Lions and some costly penalties and turnovers by the Wonders led to three Shelby touchdowns in the second half. After the Shelby defense forced a touchback the score sat at 30-24 with more than ten minutes remaining.

Unable to capitalize any further, Shelby was forced again to try to contain the speedy Wonder offense. But, the Golden Lions were not successful as the Wonders put the game out of reach late and won by a score of 43-24.

“This was a great first win,” Kannapolis coach Mike Newsome commented after the game. “We had a great first half, but made some first game mistakes in the second half. The guys did a great job of showing resilience in not giving up and doing what Wonders do best.”

Shelby coach Lance Ware shouldered the blame for his team’s performance in tonight’s game. At halftime, Coach Ware told his team that “we need to play Shelby football and come out and fight.” On the rest of the season: “defensively, we’ve got some big holes to fill. We need to simplify some things to let them play more aggressively.”

It's football season again. The sights and sounds of Friday nights are right around the corner and fans everywhere are ready to watch their favorite teams take to the gridiron in victory. Carolina Gridiron is ready to join in the experience as we go throughout our coverage area searching for the best games, food, and stadium atmospheres.

Carolina Gridiron Game of the Week

There are a lot of good games taking place in Week 1, but one stood above the rest in its matchup of historically great teams. The Carolina Gridiron Game of the Week for Week 1 is Shelby at A.L. Brown. Both teams have won multiple championships in their history and ironically, both teams are breaking in new coaches. Shelby promoted long-time assistant Lance Ware to replace Chris Norman as head coach of the Lions. Brown hired Mike Newsome away from Butler to replace Ron Massey as coach of the Wonders.



Stay tuned to Carolina Gridiron for more information on the Game of the Week. Follow our Twitter, @NCGridiron, for updates from the game.

Teams from across North Carolina have engaged in scrimmages and game situations to get ready for the 2011 football season.  Talk about your favorite team in the Carolina Gridiron Discussion Forums.

South Meck Scrimmage
South Meck, Independence, Ashbrook, Crest, Sun Valley, Page, Davie, Northwestern


Cleveland County Jamboree
Shelby vs. Hickory, Kings Mountain vs. Mooresville, Crest vs. A.L. Brown, Burns vs. East Lincoln


Border Battle at Concord High School
Mount Pleasant vs. North Rowan, Northwest Cabarrus vs. East Rowan, Concord vs. South Rowan

Carolina Gridiron is looking for the best games to cover in North Carolina this upcoming season. We already have a Week 11 game scheduled and need your help to fill in the rest of the schedule. If you are a coach, player, administrator, or fan, go to the High School Football Board on the Carolina Gridiron Discussion forum and put your suggestions in today!