By CHRIS HOBBS
HobbsDailyReport.com
Previewing tonight’s first round 3AA state football playoff games involving teams from the Northwestern 3A-4A (all seeds are in the West bracket and all statistical references are unofficial totals):
3AA
No. 13 CUTHBERTSON (4-7) at No. 4 ALEXANDER CENTRAL (10-1), 7:30 p.m.
The 13th trip to the state playoffs for Alexander Central head coach Butch Carter comes tonight in Taylorsville – two with the Cougars and his other 11 were as the skipper at South Caldwell.
Since Carter arrived prior to the 2016 season, Alexander Central has gone 17-6 and been the team you most expect to get Friday statistics from and see a team having gained 400 or more yards. More times than not, that was Alexander Central … but the Cougars can get into some high-scoring, high-octane offensive nights.
This is Alexander Central’s 17th postseason bid since 1978, and Carter has them back on track with back-to-back state playoff trips. They once went 10 times in 11 years, then missed for two straight seasons.
QB Gunnar Anderson and RB Bryson Godfrey lead the Cougars, with Anderson having the kind of season he’s been waiting for. In his first few varsity seasons, he was often a spot starter because of injury to another QB. That got him ready to be the type of QB he has become.
This could be a big let’s-get-it-done postseason for Alexander Central, 4-16 in the playoffs since 1978 with only two home postseason wins – 17-6 over Olympic in 2004 and 38-21 over Porter Ridge in 2009.
Tonight’s game is No. 8 at home in that same time span – the Cougars are 2-5 – and they’ve never gotten past the second round.
Cuthbertson finished fifth in the Southern Carolina 3A and has lost four straight, scoring only 41 points over that stretch and only 10 points in the last two games.
Junior QB Davis Walker, who is 6-foot-5, has thrown for 1,870 yards and 17 scores. Junior RB Myles Wallace has rushed 224 times for 1,003 yards and eight TDs, and the Cougars’ secondary will have to clamp down on senior WR Joshua Blocker (54-574, two TDs), who is 6-5, and 6-2 junior WR Trevor Grant (35-498, 7 TDs).
Next up: The winner meets No. 12 Sun Valley or No. 5 Marvin Ridge. The Cougars would be at home for the second round and Cuthbertson would travel to Sun Valley or Marvin Ridge.
No. 9 ASHEVILLE (7-4) at No. 8 WATAUGA (9-2), 7:30 p.m.
The Pioneers, making their seventh straight postseason bid and 16th since winning the 1978 state 3A title, play a team that started 0-3.
Asheville finished one game back of Western Mountain 3A winner A.C. Reynolds and won five straight at one point after a three-game losing streak in which it was outscored 97-39 by Franklin, Webb (Tenn.) and North Davidson.
The Pioneers have made the state playoffs in all five of head coach Ryan Habich’s seasons in Boone with QB Anderson Castle playing a key role this season.
Habich is 42-18 at Watauga and within reach of 100 career victories by next season (92-32, 10th season).
Next up: The winner meets No. 16 Ashbrook or No. 1 Mount Tabor. Ashbrook would travel to Asheville or Boone, and the Cougars or Pioneers would go to Mount Tabor.