Six Alamance County high school football teams have qualified for the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s playoffs, which kick off Friday night.
Southeast Alamance clinched the No. 3 seed in the East Region of the 2A division of the NCHSAA Football Playoffs, and the Stallions will host Heide Trask in Haw River at 7 p.m.
Walter M. Williams secured the No. 5 seed in the East Region of the 3A division and will host East Wake at 7 p.m.
Western Alamance garnered the No. 16 seed in the East bracket of the 3A division and will host Vance County in Elon at 7 p.m.
Hugh M. Cummings High School earned the No. 13 seed in the East region of the 2A division and will host SouthWest Edgecombe at 7 p.m.
Southern Alamance earned the No. 20 seed in the East region of the 2A division and will travel to Fayetteville to take on Cape Fear High School at 7 p.m.
Eastern Alamance locked up the No. 29 seed in the East region of the 2A division and will travel to Pikeville to take on C.B. Aycock High School for a 7 p.m. game against the Golden Eagles.
In only its second season of existence, Southeast Alamance defied the odds, going undefeated during the regular season and wrapping up the 1A/2A Mid-Carolina Conference crown with a 31-3 victory over Hugh M. Cummings High School on Nov. 1.
“It has been an amazing journey for this team,” Stallions’ head coach Tony Aguilar said. “We set this goal [of going undefeated] when we lost last year in the third round to Clinton.”
Aguilar said Southeast’s coaches and players have always believed in one another, and the team’s relentless work ethic in the offseason has been key to the squad’s success this season.
“Our coaching staff does an amazing job of getting these guys prepared and ready to play each week,” Aguilar said. “We are able to compete in practice, which forces players to push themselves.”
Walter M. Williams (9-1) reeled off nine consecutive victories after dropping its season opener to Northwest Guilford. Led by senior quarterback Dan Mahan, the Bulldogs’ high-powered offense has put up more than 44 points per game. A dual threat, Mahan has found the end zone 35 times this season — racking up 29 passing touchdowns and rushing for six — helping lead Williams to a Central 3A Conference title.
Williams head football coach Patrick Stokes said his squad’s mental focus has been razor-sharp on each snap this season.
“Our level of preparation at each position is very fundamental and intentional,” Stokes said. “We do our best to break the game down into minute components and teach our players the proper skills and techniques in order to achieve a desirable result.
“On each play, every person has an assignment and the identified objective is to win that individual battle. That focus remains regardless of the opponent or the context of the game.”
Western Alamance (7-3) finished the regular season with a tough loss to Southern Alamance on Nov. 1, but the Warriors still garnered the No. 16 seed in the East bracket of the 3A division and will host Vance County in Elon at 7 p.m.
Warriors’ head football coach Jeffrey Snuffer said his squad has taken full advantage of the extra week of preparation heading into the playoffs.
“We were able to add some elements to our offensive and defensive schemes during the bye week,” Snuffer said. “We will continue to set a high bar for our football team. We have great tradition and culture at Western Alamance and we expect our players, coaches, and supporters to achieve high levels of success every year.”
Snuffer said his players at Western Alamance have built an atmosphere within the football program that will set the standard for years to come.
“This game teaches values that are life-lasting, and we want our players to be successful while they are here and long after they are gone,” Snuffer said. “We also want to teach our players that life is bigger than themselves — they are here to make a positive impact on those around them and that starts with being a great teammate to everyone.”
Aguilar said the secret ingredient to Southeast Alamance’s stellar season has been his players’ willingness to sacrifice for the greater good of the team.
“No one player or coach is bigger than this team,” Aguilar said. “We are trying to build a ‘Stallion Standard’ for which we do things on and off the field. Our players have bought into this team, this school, and this community — we truly believe.”
Stokes said his players have embraced two things this season — his personal philosophy of coaching and the championship tradition of Williams High School football. Stokes said his philosophy is expressed succinctly by the team’s motto of “Onward Bulldogs.”
“We engage and empower young people to make a positive difference in his or her community,” Stokes said. “This puts the onus on each individual to maximize opportunity and instills a strong sense of personal accountability to the betterment of the team as a whole. We echo this mission in all that we do so that it is embedded in the culture of our program.”