Instant Analyis: Playoff Round 2

The top teams in the state are off their byes and starting their quest for a state title, and there was plenty of incredible action from across the state. As I do every week, I'm giving my raw thoughts, reacting immediately to the top storylines of the night. Here's my Round 2 instant analysis.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Playoff Round 2 Instant Analysis</h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Eastern Plains 2A/3A Conference Flexes</h3>   If you've heard me say this before, it's because I've said it multiple times; the Eastern Plains 2A/3A Conference is DEEP. The teams beat up on each other during conference play, but it's not surprising to see the conference—even the lower-seeded teams—playing so well in the playoffs. All six teams made the playoffs, and while Greene Central and Beddingfield bowed out in Round 1, Kinston, Farmville Central, and Ayden-Grifton in 3A, and Tarboro in 2A all advance.   And because the losses were inflated from having to play each other, Kinston, Farmville Central, and Ayden-Grifton all advanced as lower seeds playing on the road.   We know a lot about the Kinston passing attack, led by quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1337049' first='Tyler' last='Jones'] and receivers [player_tooltip player_id='1368098' first='Tyreek' last='Copper'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1539536' first='Brennan' last='Chambers'], but it was the running game that got it done early. The Vikings then had a punt return for a touchdown (I haven't heard of the name, but [player_tooltip player_id='2047969' first='Jemorris' last='Poole'] has been the primary punt returner this season). The Vikings' defense shut down an excellent Midway offense, allowing just a kickoff return touchdown and a late rushing score in the 34-13 win.   After giving up a second-quarter touchdown, Ayden-Grifton blitzed Whiteville, thanks to a special teams and a defensive score from [player_tooltip player_id='1704848' first='Nygel' last='Morgan']. [player_tooltip player_id='1704843' first='Loyalty' last='Fuller'] added a touchdown in between. Whiteville battled back to cut the lead to one, but couldn't get over the hump, and Ayden-Grifton held on, 27-26.   I don't have much from Farmville Central's 58-27 win over Louisburg, but the Jaguars are hot, and based on the score, we can't count them out next week either.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">4-5 Games Don't Disappoint</h3>   There were plenty of blowouts across the state; that's to be expected early in the playoffs. But some of the games between closer seeds (4 and 5 in 1A/8A and 8 and 9 in 2A-7A) were classics. Specifically, the 8A 4-5 games were incredible, testaments to the defensive talent at the 8A level.   No. 5 Apex Friendship went to No. 4 Rolesville in a game I expected Rolesville to win handily. The defenses came to play, forcing several turnovers throughout the game. Rolesville RB [player_tooltip player_id='378957' first='Amir' last='Brown'] opened the scoring late in the first quarter after a Kailen Johnson interception.   The teams traded punts before Apex Friendship tied the game on a scoop and score. After that, the teams once again traded punts, picks, and fumbles, with a missed field goal mixed in. Regulation would end 7-7, before Brown scored again in OT, and the Ram defense stuffed Apex Friendship's attempt to extend the game. What an impressive defensive performance by Rolesville.   At Mallard Creek, we saw a few more points, but it wasn't a shootout by any means. West Forsyth's defense dominated early, turning a fumble recovery deep in Mallard Creek territory and a pick-six into 16 early points. When the Titans didn't get excellent starting field position, they struggled to move the ball. Mallard Creek battled back to cut the lead to 16-10 before a long West Forsyth touchdown run (I assume from either [player_tooltip player_id='1671870' first='Mozes' last='Morris'] or Ja'Mare Shepherd, though I don't have confirmation yet) extended the lead for the visitors.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">A *Few* Upsets</h3>   Unsurprisingly, it wasn't pure carnage in Round 2, but a few top seeds went down on Friday. At the 2A level, 14-seed Mountain Island Charter took down Alleghany in a defensive struggle. That's probably a bigger upset on a bracket than in actuality (I picked the Raptors to win in my <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/11/which-lower-classification-teams-can-pull-off-round-2-upsets/">upset predictions piece</a> earlier this week), but it's still an example of a double-digit seed going on the road to beat a team coming off a first-round bye.   The 3A level had some big results, unsurprising to anyone who has followed this high school season. That classification is the deepest in terms of true state title contenders, and a lot of the top teams played up in the non-conference, leading to some weird seedings. We already mentioned No. 13 Farmville Central and No. 14 Kinston.   On the west side of the bracket, No. 10 Shelby rolled (not an upset, but still a noteworthy double-digit seeded road win) while No. 12 West Davidson won. No. 13 East Surry and No. 4 North Stanly played a back-and-forth shootout. East Surry's [player_tooltip player_id='2050293' first='Nate' last='Kiger'] had four touchdowns, and [player_tooltip player_id='1870839' first='Braxton' last='Davis'] caught two scores to take North Stanly to the brink in a 49-45 loss. Similarly, Princeton's [player_tooltip player_id='1616304' first='Teo' last='McPhatter'] and Taylor Parrish combined for five touchdown runs to nearly take down No. 6 Pasquotank County.   In 4A, North Pitt and Southwest Edgecomb each took late leads to secure wins as the No. 11 and No. 12 seeds in the east, respectively. All the home teams won in the west, though not without drama, as West Iredell and Tuscola were within striking distance late.   No. 10 Oak Grove and No. 12 Havelock are both hot in 5A, and playing to their potential after slow starts to the season. [player_tooltip player_id='1705638' first='Zyking' last='Patillo'] had a big game in a Havelock win, while Oak Grove pulled away late. Notably, No. 1 in the east Hunt barely survived.   6A went largely according to seeding, unsurprising given what we know about that class, though Dudley and Kings Mountain—two of the stronger lower seeds in any class—pulled off close road wins. Dudley's defensive line, led by [player_tooltip player_id='1393063' first='Robert' last='McCollum'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1953561' first='Devin' last='Cotton'], was dominant in the win, and McCollum scored as a running back, as well.   Perhaps unsurprisingly (since there's a fairly large gap between the elite and pretty good at these levels), 7A and 8A had few upsets. No. 6 Richmond Senior needed a late comeback after Porter Ridge took a 28-14 lead behind three touchdowns from [player_tooltip player_id='1600209' first='Raishawn' last='Elmore']. Elmore would score twice more, including the go-ahead score with three minutes left, but it was [player_tooltip player_id='2050368' first='Chance' last='Crowder']'s night for Richmond. The junior scored six touchdowns, including the game-winner with a minute to go in a 48-43 thriller.   The only other road team to win was Apex Friendship, though an excellent Leesville Road team gave 8A East No. 3 Jordan a scare. Despite a key [player_tooltip player_id='1607844' first='Xavier' last='Perkins'] sack, Leesville Road scored to take the lead with about four minutes remaining. Jordan struggled to get momentum on the ensuing drive until [player_tooltip player_id='1667009' first='Michael' last='Young'] broke off a long, game-winning run from his own side of the field in a 28-24 win.   Round 2 is in the books. We'll have more content recapping key players and storylines from the night, and turn the page to Round 3 early next week.   Follow Prep Redzone for more high-quality coverage throughout the playoffs and offseason. Want to get in front of our scouts this offseason? Our next PRZ Carolinas Stock-Up Showcase is Dec. 7. <a href="https://events.prepredzone.com/e/2124/register/stock-up-showcase-carolinas">Register here</a>. Promo Code HelmsWinterPRZ will get you $10 off registration. 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The top teams in the state are off their byes and starting their quest for a state title, and there was plenty of incredible action from across the state. As I do every week, I'm giving my raw thoughts, reacting immediately to the top storylines of the night. Here's my Round 2 instant analysis.