First Round East Playoff Report: Three Key Stories

After a wild First Round of the NCHSAA Playoffs, it's time to take a breath and reflect on the state as a whole. In this two-parter, we'll look at three key stories from each half of the state in the first round. As always, even when we're looking at the big picture, we're focused on the player aspect of these storylines. Here, we'll focus on the eastern part of the state and talk about the western side of the brackets later this week.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Three Key Stories From the First Round</h2>   We want to balance celebrating the players whose seasons continued Friday, we also want to highlight some players whose seasons ended. Here, we've got three story lines that made us look twice.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Cleveland Survives Heritage Scare</h3>   It was dicey for about 47 minutes and 40 seconds, but Cleveland survived a potential historic upset. The No. 1 seed in the 4A East, Cleveland nearly became the first No. 1 seed to fall to a 32 seed in and classification of any sport.   Heritage did what underdogs have to do to make it tough, hitting several big plays through the air. Senior quarterback Dylan Schmitt averaged 10 yards an attempt, hitting several big throws.   Three of his 12 completions were to senior running back LaDainian Person, who had a huge night, with 95 yards on the ground and another 85 with two touchdowns as as receiver. Junior Owen Wood added three more catches for 81 yards.   In the end though, a talented defense led by [player_tooltip player_id='1076281' first='Cameron' last='Melvin'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1083631' first='Sawyer' last='Lowe'] made the stops when needed. And when they desperately needed a score at the end, star quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='264956' first='Jackson' last='Byrd'] was there yet again. That shouldn't be surprising for one of the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2024/09/midseason-2025-quarterback-check-in/">state's all-time leaders in touchdowns</a>.   It wasn't Byrd's best game through the air, but he was there when it mattered most. Cleveland got a great game from receiver Malachi Thomas to keep it close until the end.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">JH Rose Pulls Off the Upset</h3>   Count me as one who didn't think JH Rose had a chance Friday, but the Rampants proved me (and others) wrong.   The overall offensive numbers weren't exceptional, as the Rampants ran for fewer than 35 yards. But the passing game was timely and the defense stepped up when needed.   Through the air, junior [player_tooltip player_id='1367394' first='Jimmy' last='Martin'] and senior Dason Davis combined for over 120 yards and a touchdown. Junior Jaidon Lovett added another 95 yards and a score.   Defensively, the Rampants picked off three passes, one each by juniors Quivaughn Tyson and Greg Ransome, and another by senior Wright Collins. Do-it-all safety [player_tooltip player_id='280339' first='Quinn' last='McCaffrey'] also added 10 tackles, including one for loss, and a two-point conversion.   After beating No. 3 Northern Nash, JH Rose will face superstar running back [player_tooltip player_id='1018711' first='Tylik' last='Mitchell'] and Southern Nash in Round 2.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Lower Seeds to Watch</h3>   We're still early in the playoffs, but there are a few lower seeds to watch (as well as some standout players) to watch going forward.   Here are a few lower-seeded teams that could make some noise in the East.   1A: No. 26 Pamlico County, No. 9 Perquimans   Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='1408773' first='Tyler' last='Powell'], QB/Edge, Tarboro; [player_tooltip player_id='1531843' first='Jeremiah' last='Johnson'], RB, Pender; [player_tooltip player_id='444280' first='Jordan' last='Hamm'], Edge, Wilson Prep   2A: No. 24 West Craven, No.19 Kinston, No. 20 Southwest Edgecomb   Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='1368098' first='Tyreek' last='Copper'], WR, Kinston; [player_tooltip player_id='959863' first='Trevaris' last='Jones'], QB, Northeastern; Hassan Kornegay, LB, Kenan   3A: No. 12 Jacksonville, No. 14 Southern Nash, No. 13 Cape Fear   Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='1453983' first='Geronimo' last='Sanchez'], QB, Cape Fear; [player_tooltip player_id='612252' first='Christopher' last='Bispham'], Edge, Havelock; Jayden Hill, WR, Lee County   4A: No. 13 Clayton, No. 23 Hillside, No. 11 Millbrook   Players to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='1702833' first='Tyquan' last='Richardson'], Edge, Garner; [player_tooltip player_id='371947' first='Braden' last='Atkinson'], QB, Rolesville; Amareon Blue, RB, Jordan

After a wild First Round of the NCHSAA Playoffs, it's time to take a breath and reflect on the state as a whole. In this two-parter, we'll look at three key stories from each half of the state in the first round. As always, even when we're looking at the big picture, we're focused on the player aspect of these storylines. Here, we'll focus on the eastern part of the state and talk about the western side of the brackets later this week.