Time: 7:30 p.m.
Bracket: 3A West
Seeds: No. 3 Asheville Cougars vs. No. 2 West Rowan Falcons
Records: Asheville 11-0-1, West Rowan 13-0
Head coaches: Asheville: Danny Wilkins; West Rowan: Scott Young (12th year, 116-37)
Asheville offense: 39.4 ppg
Asheville defense: 10.5 ppg
West offense: 42.6 ppg
West defense: 8.6 ppg
Asheville vs. winning teams: 4-0-1 (includes victory against Elizabethton, Tenn., tied Tuscola opening game) n West vs. winning teams: 6-0
Asheville on the road: 4-0
West at home: 7-0
Series: First meeting
Next week: Winner travels to No. 1 Hibriten or plays host to No. 4 Waynesville Tuscola.
Game notes: Two unbeaten teams, and there will be four Shrine Bowlers on the field in West back K.P. Parks (the leading rusher in NCHSAA history), West DL Chris Smith, Asheville tight end/DE Trevor Sawyer and Asheville linemen Jamil Hawes. Asheville also has junior DE Jeoffrey Pagan, who has been offered a scholarship by UNC.
Asheville won the 4A/3A Mountain Valley, which includes 4A power A.C. Reynolds, while West won its sixth straight NPC crown.
Asheville has a great passer in Brandon Whitesides, in addition to a 1,000-yard rusher in Tysean Holloway. Whitesides threw five TD passes last week and has 3,401 passing yards for his career.
Asheville has several players going both ways, so West may have an edge in the second half. The only common opponent is West Iredell. Both beat the Warriors pretty easily.
West will need big games from QB B.J. Sherrill, WR Jon Crucitti and PK Bertin Suarez. ó Mike London