The door was for all of the neighborood trick-or-treaters. Sexton’s job was to hand out candy.

The phone was to arrange his Salisbury soccer team’s first-round 2A state playoff match for Monday night.

Sexton didn’t need to pilfer any of his kids’ candy to enjoy the sweet taste in his mouth. His Hornets are the No. 1 seed in the West and a favorite to win the state championship. He has no injuries. No one is tired.

Sexton knows his team is frightening — and it has nothing to do with his Halloween mask.

“Our kids are really unique,” Sexton said when asked about the reaction over their lofty seeding and championship predictions. “They were pretty subdued. They don’t talk about it. I told them to look at the seedings once and put it aside.”

Starmount, the No. 2 seed from the Northwest Conference, visits Salisbury High tonight at 7, which is quite a feat considering the seedings were only announced Sunday. But with a ominous weather forecast on the horizon, Sexton didn’t want to chance putting it off.

“We’ve played on three really wet nights this season,” said Sexton. “It slows the ball down and kind of changes the game. You keep the ball in the air more.”

Sexton does not consider soccer a minor sport and is glad the North Carolina High School Athletic Association is coming around. This is the first year that teams have been seeded.

Seeds 1-9 are conference champions. Ten through 16 are second and thirds.

The only problem arose with High Point Central, which was placed at No. 16. Rules state two teams from the same conference can’t face off in the first round. So the Bison were moved up to No. 15 and Starmount received the daunting task of facing Sexton’s sensations.

The Bison, by the way, are the only team to defeat Salisbury this season, a 2-1 thriller.

Ledford is the CCC’s second seed, which means the Panthers are seeded 10th and travel to Southern District 7 champ Hibriten.

“Ledford is better than many 1-through-9 seeds,” Sexton said.” Our conference was really tight. We’re battle ready.”

But they go into tonight without doing any homework on the Rams.

“I have no evidence of their record,” Sexton said of the Rams. I looked at the Internet trying to find something but I have nothing concrete.”