For the only time this season, week 10 brought two match ups featuring two county teams.
Seaforth extended its win streak over Jordan-Matthews to three with a 41-0 victory, while Northwood finished its conference slate with a 62-0 win over Chatham Central, putting the county-wide record at 12-24.
At this point of the season, only one team remains in good playoff standing with Northwood sitting at 25th in the 2A East RPI standings as of Sunday (32 teams from each region make the playoffs). Although it may take a miracle, the Hawks playoff chances are still somewhat alive as they sit at the 35th spot, and Chatham Central is knocking on the door on the 1A side while in 33rd place. However, things are on track for the county to have just one playoff team for the first time since 2022.
Here’s a deeper look into Friday’s football action, a preview of next week for each county team, conference standings and the latest football power rankings:
Northwood
Northwood (6-4, 6-2) had seven different Chargers score a touchdown in the win over Chatham Central Friday.
Senior Antoine Brewington had two scores on the ground, and junior Cam Fowler got his two touchdowns through the air from junior quarterback Grayson Cox. Cox threw one more touchdown pass on a 46-yard completion to Isaiah Blair to put the Chargers up 62-0 in the fourth quarter.
On an explosive night from Northwood’s offense, a 52-yard touchdown run from Brewington on its first play from scrimmage foreshadowed the ease at which the Chargers found the end zone.
Senior defensive lineman Aj Rhone-Mason even joined junior running backs Robert Tripp and Leo Mortimer with contributing one rushing touchdown.
Northwood will look to finish the regular season strong in a meeting with Hoke County (2-8, 1-5 3A/4A Sandhills) at home Friday at 7 p.m. Hoke County, a 4A program, has lost six of its last seven games, however, Northwood is 0-2 against teams in higher classifications this season. The Bucks have seen tough competition this year, thus the Chargers can’t take them lightly. With a big win over a 4A school that has played good teams this season, Northwood can possibly improve its position in the RPI standings and receive a higher seed in the postseason.
Seaforth
Seaforth (3-5, 3-4) has a must-win at Bartlett Yancey (3-6, 3-4) Friday if it wants to possibly squeeze into the postseason.
Bartlett Yancey and Seaforth have had somewhat similar seasons with their only wins over the bottom three teams in the Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference.
For Seaforth to differentiate themselves in this game, the key will be its ability to find offense outside of quarterback Duncan Parker. Against tougher teams, the Hawks have struggled to find consistent success in the pass game, and turnovers have hurt them in numerous situations this year.
With the same defensive intensity it has shown all season, solid execution and complimentary football by the offense can put Seaforth over the top.
Chatham Central
Chatham Central (1-8, 0-7) has just one game left this season against North Moore at home Friday at 7 p.m.
For the Bears, this will be one last effort to slide into the bottom of the 1A East playoff field. However, North Moore has won four of its last five games, and defending its run-heavy offense won’t be easy.
Last year, the Bears played an older and more experienced North Moore team tough in the first round of the playoffs, falling 28-0 after losing to the Mustangs 42-8 a week prior.
Should that improved performance carry over into this season, Chatham Central will have to play disciplined and physical to slow down the Mustangs’ familiar yet deadly rushing attack.
Jordan-Matthews
Jordan-Matthews (2-7, 1-6) has a good chance to win three games for the first time since 2015 when it hosts Graham (1-8, 1-6) Friday at 7 p.m.
Although the Jets are still down key players Kenneth Dula and Namir Wiley, they still have solid options in the run game with strong running from Jakari Blue and Omarion Sanford.
Jordan-Matthews will just have to do a better job of stopping the run on the defensive end. Graham averages just over 7 points per game while allowing at least 49 points in eight of its nine outings. If the Jets can control the run game on both sides of the ball, they can possibly celebrate their highest win total in nearly a decade.
Power Rankings
Last week: 1. Northwood; 2. Seaforth; 3. Jordan-Matthews; 4. Chatham Central
This week’s rankings: 1. Northwood; 2. Seaforth; 3. Jordan-Matthews; 4. Chatham Central
Mid-Carolina 1A/2A conference standings:
Southeast Alamance (9-0, 7-0); 2. Cummings (8-1, 7-0); 3. Northwood (6-4, 6-2); 4. North Moore (4-5, 4-3); 5. Seaforth (3-5, 3-4); 6. Bartlett Yancey (3-6, 3-4); 7. Jordan-Matthews (2-7, 1-6); 8. Graham (1-8, 1-6); 9. Chatham Central (1-8, 0-7)