By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — The Salisbury football team is 12-0, and it’s been a devastating 12-0 that includes a 40-0 mauling of Maiden in the second round of the 2A state playoffs.

Still, the Massey Ratings list the second-seeded Hornets as a six-point underdog (34-28 score projection) for Friday’s 7:30 p.m. third-round matchup at Ludwig Stadium with seventh-seeded Shelby. Salisbury has a win probability of 43 percent.

The only way a 12-0 2A team that is playing at home could possibly be an underdog is if that team is playing Shelby.

There’s a lot of respect for Shelby. There’s a reason for it. Shelby has won a lot of championships over the years.

Shelby (9-3) has lost three times but hasn’t lost any to 2A teams. The Golden Lions have won nine in a row since losing early to Kings Mountain, AC Reynolds and still undefeated Crest.

Salisbury has a terrific defense and an effective offense, but the Hornets (12-0), who are coached by Clayton Trivett, are going to be seriously challenged.

Shelby is a throwing team, but it’s a throwing team that can run the ball if the Hornets focus on controlling the passing game.

Shelby’s sophomore QB Lan Farmer hasn’t been a running threat, but he’s one heck of a passing threat. He’s thrown 36 touchdown passes. He threw for 330 yards last week in a 41-21 romp against Lincolnton.

Izay Bridges is a Shrine Bowl receiver. The N.C. Central commit has crazy stats — 64 catches, 1,312 yards and 15 receiving TDs.

Tristan Tate, who carries the Shelby ground game, has 1,214 rushing yards.

The scary thing is that Shelby will mix things up. Bridges will run it some, and they’ve thrown it to Tate some.

Jason McNeilly, a 230-pound defensive end, leads Shelby in sacks with 8.5. Boogie Garnett has a great nickname and makes a lot of tackles.

Salisbury’s Mike Geter hasn’t thrown a TD pass for a while, but he’s certainly capable of a monster game.

Salisbury’s offense has been built around running back Jamal Rule, who has responded with an amazing season — 249 carries, 2,532 yards, 34 rushing TDs. He’s also caught three TD passes.

The Hornets can use a pick or two from Shrine Bowl DB Deuce Walker, Geter and Bennie Howard. Howard leads the team with eight interceptions. Geter has six.

Jaden Warren has 19 sacks. Yes, 19.

From a historical perspective, the programs have met five times, with Salisbury winning three, but the Golden Lions clobbered the Hornets 34-0 in the most recent meeting in the 2019 2AA championship game.

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SPENCER — It is said that those who have green as their favorite color are confident, optimistic, creative and intelligent.

Two confident green teams will meet at 7:30 p.m. in Spencer on Friday in the third round of the 1A state playoffs.

Mountain Heritage, known as “The Green Team,” will travel from Burnsville to play North Rowan, affectionately known as “Big Green Nation.”

The programs have met in football once previously. North Rowan won 20-6 early in the 2014 playoffs when both teams were in 2A.

This is the 4 vs. 5 matchup in the bracket, so it’s supposed to be very even. Both teams have 10-2 records.

The Mountain Heritage Cougars are favored by seven points by the Massey Ratings (35-28 score projection). North is given a 38 percent chance of winning.

Coach Josh Sophia’s Cavaliers haven’t lost to a 1A team. The losses are to Salisbury and Forest Hills, 2As that are still playing.

Mountain Heritage lost early in the season to 2A Chase and to Robbinsville, the top seed in the 1A West bracket, but has won nine straight.

The guy for Mountain Heritage is quarterback Brandon Quinn, who is 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and usually does more damage with his wheels than his arm. He’s fast and strong. He’s a junior who leads a junior-heavy team.

Quinn’s grandfather died shortly before this season. He wears a sticker on his helmet honoring his grandfather and another sticker, with his grandfather’s fingerprint, on the pads under his jersey, next to his heart. Whenever he makes a big play, you’ll see him tap his chest.

“He’s a really good football player, their best football player,” Sophia said. “He’s an athletic kid, a tough downhill runner. We have to go in believing that if we can stop him, then we can stop them.”

Mountain Heritage will show the Cavaliers old-school offenses they don’t face much anymore such as the single wing and the wing-T. They use a lot of guile and misdirection. They’re going to run it, but it’s not just smash-mouth football. There are a lot of wrinkles North will have to deal with.

North speedster Jaemias Morrow figures to present problems for Mountain Heritage, although Mountain Heritage is faster in the secondary than the standard mountain team.

Morrow has rushed 209 times for 1,682 yards and has scored 21 touchdowns. He scored four TDs last week.

North QB Jeremiahh Alford has accounted for 26 touchdowns, and he’s also an excellent linebacker. Alford only threw 11 times but produced his second 200-yard passing game of the season last week.

Amir Alexander has 10 TD catches and continues to make big plays for the Cavaliers.