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Reynolds wins draw, can play at home through Class 4-A football playoffs RIGHT AT HOME
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Published: November 8, 2009
Luck had nothing to do with Reynolds' unbeaten regular season.
But the Demons can thank a bit of good fortune for this -- as long as they win in the NCHSAA's Class 4-A playoffs, they will play at home until the state-championship game.
The Demons (11-0) won a three-way draw that also included Ragsdale (11-0) and Greensboro Dudley (10-1) to get the top seed when playoff brackets were released yesterday. The Demons are scheduled to play Asheville Roberson (4-7) at Deaton-Thompson Stadium on Friday, when first-round playoff games in all four classifications will be played across the state.
"I am proud," Coach Mike Propst of Reynolds said. "I am proud of the boys and that's testament to the team, but there are two other teams that are undefeated. People are going to shoot for you, especially if you are a No. 1 seed."
While it's the first No. 1 seed for the Demons since the NCHSAA started seeding the playoffs, Mount Airy must be getting used to it. The Granite Bears, 11-0 and seeded No. 1 in Class 1-A, have won 27 straight games and will be at home against Goldsboro Rosewood (2-8) on Friday as they start a playoff run that could end with a second-straight state championship.
Thirty teams from Northwest North Carolina received spots in the NCHSAA playoffs, which will start Friday and end with state-championship games on Dec. 11 and 12. The championship games will be held at BB&T Field (1-A, 1-AA), Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill (2-A, 2-AA, 3-AA) and Carter Finley Stadium in Raleigh (3-A, 4-A, 4-AA).
Reynolds is on the opposite side of the 4-A West bracket from Dudley and Ragsdale. But the sledding could get tough for Reynolds early. There's the potential for a rematch with Mount Tabor in the second round, and the Demons needed all that they could muster -- offense, defense and special teams -- to beat Mount Tabor 28-21 on Oct. 16.
"What I have got to do this week is just take it one day at a time and one week at a time because that's what the playoffs are about," Propst said. "Roberson is next, and we have to beat them, we have to win Friday before we worry about everything else. And the kids have taken that approach every week.
"I told the kids if we get to Thanksgiving, anything that happens after that will be great."
Mount Airy, which hasn't lost a regular-season game since 2006, had to replace 17 starters from last year's championship team, but it hardly knocked the Bears off their course during a season that had a bulked-up schedule that included a win at Thomasville.
Coach Kelly Holder of Mount Airy said that all the extra games his team has played in recent years have helped.
"The confidence level that you get when you go through something like that is huge," Holder said. "Elkin was in that situation when they were having their state-championships runs. They won it one year and I thought there was no way they could do it again, but they had a lot of people step up and had young players play well and hopefully we will be as fortunate."
Eight teams from Forsyth County qualified for the playoffs: West Forsyth and East Forsyth in Class 4-AA, Glenn; Mount Tabor and Reynolds in Class 4-A; North Forsyth in Class 3-AA; Carver in Class 2-A; and Bishop McGuinness in Class 1-AA.
Carver, the champion of the PAC 6 2-A, is a No. 3 seed and will open at home against West Davidson. West Forsyth, which won nine straight games before losing to Reynolds and Mount Tabor the last two weeks, is seeded No. 8 in 4-AA and will play No. 9 Lake Norman at home. West could go to Richmond Senior, the defending state champion, in the second round.
Mount Tabor (8-3), which has hit its stride over the last few weeks, will be at home against Western Guilford (5-6). Glenn (8-3) will have a chance to beat High Point Central (8-3) again. The Bobcats beat Central 14-7 on Oct. 23.
Starmount made a surprise run to the Class 2-A semifinals last season, and the Rams are back but won't be facing any road trips after getting the No. 1 seed. Starmount (9-2) will be at home against No. 16 Surry Central (2-9) on Friday.
mlinker@wsjournal.com.
727-7324
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