Fayetteville saw a mix of highs and lows this past Friday as eight of its ten public high school football teams kicked off their NCHSAA playoff journeys. Out of those teams, three emerged victorious in their first-round matchups, while the city’s four 4A teams had no luck this time around.
In the 3A East division, the Cape Fear Colts made headlines with a convincing 31-0 win against the Southern Alamance team. This marked Cape Fear’s sixth shutout of the season, showcasing their dominant defense. Standout performances came from Damien Gary and Aydin Leonard, who combined for four turnovers on their own, with Gary grabbing two interceptions and Leonard recovering two fumbles, including a return for a touchdown. Cape Fear quarterback Geronimo Sanchez threw for 87 yards and added a rushing touchdown to his stats, while King Faison and Tai Phillips also contributed significantly to the ground game. Looking ahead, the Colts (10-1) will face CB Aycock (11-0) in the second round.
Unfortunately for the 4A East teams, Jack Britt suffered a narrow loss to Wake Forest, finishing the game with a close score of 21-20. The Bucs led at halftime and even put together a late surge but were ultimately defeated after Wake Forest scored with just 8 seconds left in the game.
Meanwhile, in the NCISAA Division II Championship, the Trinity Christian Crusaders made it to their second straight championship match. However, they couldn’t hold onto their two-touchdown lead and fell to Asheville School with a final score of 28-14. Despite the loss, there were strong performances from Amir Jackson, who scored two touchdowns, and Elijiah Oehlke who had a solid game throwing for 126 yards.
As the playoffs continue next week, fans can stay tuned to watch these exciting games as Fayetteville teams look to make their mark in the postseason.
