For many high school football players and coaches, there’s a very special feeling about practicing on Thanksgiving Day.  In the past, a post-Thanksgiving game meant playing for a sectional championship.  This year, with the NCHSAA’s shorter schedule, the game on Friday is for a regional championship and a chance to play for a state title.  With only two weeks left in this year’s football season, be sure to go out and support your local team this Friday.

Playing football in December is something special. Teams that have made it this far can truly be proud of their accomplishments. Each of the teams have fought hard to get to this point. Nothing says good football like the first Friday in December. This week's games are for the regional championship and a chance to play for a state championship next week.

Carolina Gridiron's Game of the Week

We're going back to the 2A bracket with the regional championship game. After much deliberation and gridlocked voting the past few days, Winston-Salem Carver at Lincolnton has been voted the game of the week.

Carver is coming into this game riding an eight game winning streak. Last week, Carver surprised a lot of people by knocking off Burlington Cummings on the road by a score of 47-14. Carolina Gridiron had picked the Cavaliers in a close one, but the Carver Yellow Jackets exploded on offense and defense to pick up an impressive 33 point win. Carver, coached by Melvin Palmer, is averaging 37 points a game on offense while only giving up 15 points on defense. Carver is 6-1 on the road this year, losing only to powerhouse Dudley 6-2 in the first week.

Coaches Corner - Have not received Carver response yet


Coach Scott Cloninger's Lincolnton Wolves come into this week's contest at a perfect 14-0 with playoff wins over Mountain Heritage, Brevard, and Polk County. In the regular season, Lincolnton knocked off traditional powers Shelby and Maiden by a combined score of 59-7 while also taking out defending 3AA champion South Point in a 43-42 shootout. Lincolnton has been beating opponents by an average of 27 points, scoring 42 a game on offense while giving up 15.

Coaches Corner - Coach Scott Cloninger feels like his players are excited yet very focused for this week's game. Although they are still a young team with many juniors playing on both sides of the ball, Coach Cloninger feels like they are having a great season. "Anytime your team is playing this late in the year you have to be happy with that" is what Coach Cloninger had to say when asked his feelings about the season so far. Key players for Friday night's game include QB Brandon Wilson, RB Dee Littlejohn, and OG Brandon Carpenter on offense and DL Jamie Stamper and DB Jonathan Sherrill on defense for the 14-0 Wolves. Thanks Coach Cloninger for providing this information.


Both teams have won state titles in the past; Carver won the 3A title in 1998 and 2002, while Lincolnton won the 2A crown in 1993 and 2007. This game is a rematch of last year's barnburner in the second round of the 2A playoffs with Lincolnton winning 16-14.

The simulations came back virtually tied, so we went with home field advantage for this week's pick. Follow our updates on Twitter, @NCGridiron.



The official CGI pick: Lincolnton 33 Carver 32



(Helmets appear courtesy of mghelmets.com and are not the property of Carolina Gridiron)

These teams have earned the right to play for the regional championship next Friday, December 3rd.

1-A
East
Plymouth (13-1) at Wallace-Rose Hill (14-0)
West
Hobbton (10-4) at Murphy (12-2)

1-AA
East
Pender (12-2) at Southwest Onslow (13-1)
West
Mitchell County (8-6) at Albemarle (10-4)

2-A
East
East Bladen (11-3) at Tarboro (14-0)
West
Carver (12-2) at Lincolnton (14-0)

2-AA
East
Cedar Ridge (12-2) at Northeastern (12-2)
West
Shelby (9-5) at Salisbury (11-3)

3-A
East
Eastern Alamance (12-2) at Havelock (11-3)
West
Hibriten (12-2) at West Rowan (14-0)

3-AA
East
Northern Guilford (12-2) at Wilson Hunt (12-2)
West
Crest (10-4) at Charlotte Catholic (14-0)

4-A
East
New Bern (13-0) at Durham Hillside (14-0)
West
Davie County (8-6) at Porter Ridge (13-1)

4-AA
East
Panther Creek (13-1) at Wake Forest-Rolesville (13-1)
West
Vance (11-3) at Butler (13-0)

We're now taking votes for the game of the week.