Concord-Kannapolis II. This time at Memorial Stadium.

Concord never had a doubt that third-seeded Kannapolis would win its first-round game against South Iredell. And the Wonders knew that despite the Spiders’ underdog No. 11 seeding and killer road trip to North Surry, the Spiders would still be around for the second round. Even when early radio reports had E.Z. Smith’s black and gold troops down 14-0 last Friday, the Wonders knew in the backs of their minds that their arch-foes would find a way to win. And, as usual, they did.

Physically, the Wonders (12-0) probably aren’t thrilled about playing the Spiders (8-4) so soon after their vicious 10-7 win at Bailey Stadium on Nov. 5. The bruises from that night are still fresh.

But pyschologically, it’s wonderful to be playing Concord. For a change, the Wonder coaching staff can skip its standard second-round speeches about taking each game one at a time and about how anyone can beat you if you’re not ready to play. There’s no need to fear a letdown this Friday. There are no concerns about being flat. The Wonders were already sky-high for Concord on Monday afternoon and are guaranteed to stay that way all week.

The Wonders are fully aware that Concord is one of a handful of teams in the state’s 3A ranks that can beat them. They remember that two short weeks ago, they were one dropped touchdown pass away from losing to the Spiders and 4.8 seconds from having to venture into overtime.

Historically, it’s very good for Kannapolis that it is facing Concord in the playoffs.

The two times that’s happened previously — 1991 and 1997 — the Wonders wound up finishing the season in Chapel Hill’s Kenan Stadium. They won it all in ‘97 and finished runner-up to High Point Andrews in ‘91.

n

Kannapolis and Concord will always be the Hatfields and McCoys of Cabarrus County. There is little love lost between the two teams. But the trash-talking of a couple of years ago seems to have diminished. At least, as far as the players are concerned.

This is a very quiet Wonder team compared to the past two. There is no Evar Johnson to predict the 75-0 destruction of the Spiders. And there is no Fluff Johnson predicting a record number of sacks (and sack dances).

Wonder defensive lineman Des Williams says he’s “just going to try to do his job, same as last time.”

Receiver Blair Hardin said two weeks ago that the Spiders were a great team and would go far in the playoffs. Of course, he hadn’t seen the pairings at that point. He won’t be pleased if Concord advances past this week.

Linebacker Marcus Rivens put things this way: “Everyone in the community wonders why we’ve got to play them again. But if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best and Concord’s always one of the best. We can’t worry about who we play, we just have to go through whoever it is and get to the next round. This Friday, it just happens to be Concord.”

Respect is a good thing, especially where the Spiders, who have beaten Kannapolis 30 times over the years, are concerned.

Both teams missed the playoffs exactly one time in the decade of the ‘90s. And the one time the Spiders did miss out ( in ‘95), they went 10-1. The lone loss was in a 5-0 struggle in the mud with Kannapolis.

n

This game will likely be different in style from the last one. Expect more offense from the Wonders, because Kannapolis, despite an injury to tight end/defensive end Justin Chambers, which kept him on the sidelines for Monday’s practice, is much healthier than the first time the Spiders saw them.

In the first meeting, quarterback Justin Hardin was out with a dislocated shoulder, and the Wonders were extremely conservative on offense. Backup QBJosh Lee was asked to throw just six passes, and Concord responded by massing nine men against the Wonder running game.

With the threat of a healthy Hardin, the Spiders will be forced to spread out and perhaps even double-team red-hot wideout Ryan Craft (nine TDs). And that should open running lanes for Wonder workhorse Marcello Stanback (1400 yards rushing).

Hardin has thrown 40 touchdown passes and only seven interceptions over the past two seasons, which says as much about his decision-making as his arm. He has not been picked off since opening night.

Fullback Duran Lipscomb, who also missed the first Concord game, will be in action Friday. His blocking is a huge factor.

Kannapolis scores better than 40 ppg, but the key to its hopes for a third state title is its defense. It has yielded only 27 points over the past seven weeks. Both Kannapolis and Concord played turnover-free football in the first meeting. Odds are, the way these teams hit and with the weather turning increasingly chilly, that won’t happen again.

“Each week brings a team a little closer to its destiny,” said retiring Wonder defensive coordinator Bill Wightman, as he contemplated the final Kannapolis-Concord battle of an illustrious career. “The good teams rise to the occasion and do what it takes.”

They’re both good teams, but it’s likely it will be the Wonders who rise a bit higher one more time. Still, this one has all the makings of another classic in a classic series.

n