For five county teams, a night to forget ends several football seasons to remember

When a high school football team is eliminated from the playoffs, there is a deep unpleasantness that each player, coach and fan carries with them. But after a certain amount of time, reflections of the entire season filter through and most realize just how many strides were taken in the program.

Last Friday night was not a good night for five of the six Randolph County teams which were competing in the second round of the NCHSAA state tournaments as five were eliminated, including four at home. Eastern Randolph was the only team from Randolph County to advance to the third round.

Asheboro, Randleman, Southwestern Randolph and Providence Grove were all upset, according to seeds, while Wheatmore had a tough draw at one-loss Walkertown. 

The results from an early Black Friday:

■ The sixth-seeded Blue Comets dropped a hard-fought 21-6 decision to No. 11 Dudley.

■ No. 9 Eastern Wayne recorded a 49-0 win over No. 8 Southwestern Randolph.

■ No. 12 West Davidson avenged a regular-season loss with a 31-21 win over No. 5 Providence Grove.

■ No. 5 Randleman fell just short in a back-and-forth affair with No. 12 North Pitt, 28-23.

■ No. 22 Wheatmore, which had upset No. 11 West Wilkes in the first round, traveled to No. 6 Walkertown and lost 67-0.

Dudley 21, Asheboro 6

AHS had numerous opportunities, getting into the red zone five times but coming away with only one score.

“We had four trips in the red zone that resulted in zero points,” AHS third-year coach Calvin Brown said. “We had more than 400 yards of offense and scored six points. Things didn’t go our way.”

After a semi-onside kick on the opening kickoff that Asheboro recovered, the Blue Comets drove down the field, but fumbled with the ball being recovered by the Panthers at the 1-yard line. Dudley went 99 yards for the score, getting a 72-yard pass for the score on a third-and-20. 

Dallas Brinton scored AHS’ only points on a 4-yard TD run on the next drive (the PAT was wide right), but Dudley added two more touchdowns in the first half for a 21-6 lead, a lead it held throughout the rest of the night.

AHS, which earned a first-round bye, saw the season end at 7-4, the most wins in a single season since 2016.

“The world we live in is instant gratification, everyone wants to win now,” said Brown, who led the Blue Comets to their first home playoff game in a decade. “We knew it would be a long process. What we did this year was incredible. You want them to see that success. The first winning season since 2016, the second round of the playoffs, that hasn’t happened here since these kids were in third grade. 

“I told the seniors they have set the foundation and standard for future teams.”

Three of the four teams who defeated AHS this season — Dudley, Northern Guilford and NE Guilford — are still alive in the playoffs. “We were in all those games and the next step for us is beating those really good teams,” Brown said.

North Pitt 28, Randleman 23

In a back-and-forth game, Randleman led 23-20 after three quarters but could not hold on for the win as North Pitt had the lone touchdown in the final period. The Tigers finished 7-4 in David Diamont’s first campaign.

John Kirkpatrick completed 11 passes for 169 yards with touchdown throws to Nazir Staton, Tate Andrews and Jamari Rice. Kirkpatrick also led the rushing game with 83 yards on 18 carries. Owen Leonard was 2-for-2 on conversion kicks and made good on a 30-yard field goal try. 

Eastern Wayne 49, SW Randolph 0

The visitors scored at least once in every quarter, taking a 7-0 lead after the first quarter, extending that to 28-0 at halftime and then scored two more touchdowns in the third and once in the fourth for the road win.

The Cougars finish the season 7-4 after a second-place finish in the Four Rivers Conference, the highest league-finish in school history.

West Davidson 31, Providence Grove 21

The Patriots led 21-17 at halftime, but couldn’t add on as West Davidson scored the only points of the second half.

Jackson Lawver connected with Holden Swift for a score and Andrew Thomas rushed for two touchdowns for the first-half lead, but the Dragons, who dropped a 23-22 decision to PG during the regular season, rallied for the win.

PG finished 8-3, tying the school record for wins in a season and earning the Central Carolina Conference championship, the first league title for the football team.

“For me, personally, I was able to see it last night,” head coach Cody Moran said of the positive strides the program took this season. “But the seniors, I am not upset about losing the game, but who we are losing. 

“As a coaching staff and as a whole, they knew we loved them and it just wasn’t about football. When kids know you care about them, they will work for you. It’s been a few years since football has been fun here and a lot of that comes from them. They create an atmosphere that makes it fun.”

Moran also praised a young coaching staff which helped the players believe in the success they could accomplish.

Walkertown 67, Wheatmore 0

Coming off a road playoff win over West Wilkes, the Warriors were simply outmanned against a high-octane Wolfpack offense and a defense that recorded its fourth straight shutout. 

WHS carried the ball 22 times for 19 yards and quarterback Connor Benton was 8 of 16 for 124 yards. Walkertown (9-1) led 28-0 after one quarter and 54-0 at halftime.