NORTHAMPTON COUNTY (7-5, 2-3 TWO RIVERS) AT SOUTHSIDE (10-1, 4-1 COASTAL PLAINS)

Location: Chocowinity

Time: 7:30 p.m.

 

CHOCOWINITY — The opponent may change, but the mission remains the same. No. 2 Southside (10-1) continues its trek toward the 1-A state championship Friday at home when it hosts No. 10 Northampton County (7-5). The Seahawks will aim to keep doing what they’ve done all season — dominate on the ground.

With the exception of a 62-42 loss at East Carteret back on Oct. 23, Southside’s potent offense has led it to a nearly perfect season. The offense left its mark even in that loss. It was the defense’s struggles with stopping the Mariners’ aerial assault that resulted in the blemish on an otherwise flawless season.

Ironically enough, considering the Seahawk moniker, expect Southside to continue pounding its opposition on the ground. Lawrence Brown and Matt Baxter have proven, time and time again, their effectiveness as a one-two punch in the backfield. The duo carried the ball 22 yards for a combined 269 rushing yards and three touchdowns in last Friday’s first-round matchup — a 51-6 walloping of Southeast Halifax.

“We just do us, as usual. We’ve said that all year long,” said head coach Jeff Carrow after Southside’s first-round win. “We look at what the other team will give us, just prepare and nothing special.”

The Trojans are one of two common opponents. Northampton County handled them 35-6 during the regular season. The other is Riverside. The Seahawks barely escaped with a 46-42 win, but the Jaguars were overwhelmed, 44-6, at home in their encounter with Riverside. They conceded 239 rushing yards in the loss and also struggled with turnovers.

That game was back on Oct. 9. The Jaguars have gone 3-2 since then. Their two losses in that span came against their conference’s No. 1 and No. 3 teams in Tarboro and South Creek. The Seahawks can still find a useful blueprint from Riverside’s domination of the Jaguars.

Northampton County has a strong backfield, too. Senior running backs Montrell Squire and William Cumbo are the Jaguars’ go-to options for running the ball. Mobile quarterback Ja’Quan Buffaloe adds a different wrinkle to the offense, though. He is a threat to pick up big chunks of yardage running the ball and is especially effective in the red zone.

Defensively, the game plan shouldn’t be much different than the one Southside used to stall Southeast Halifax. The Seahawks limited the Trojans to 189 rushing yards on 42 attempts (4.5 yards per carry). They were able to stack the box, which did result in the Trojans getting opportunities in the air. However, Squire doesn’t have the same passing prowess, so Southside may be able to commit to stopping the run even more.

The defense was able to award the offense favorable field position last week. The Seahawks scored a defensive touchdown, too. They will look to continue that trend. Carrow also indicated after their first-round win that he’d like for his kick returners to do a better job setting the offense up. The offense will be more than capable of capitalizing on any opportunities provided by defense and special teams.

PREDICTION: SOUTHSIDE 42, NORTHAMPTON COUNTY 21