Yes As a Matter of Fact, Ties Do Exist for the Record

PHOTO BY CHRIS ADAMCZYK - THE NEWS & OBSERVER

Northern Durham was the lone PAC-6 squad in action last evening in non-conference play as they took on the Apex Cougars from the Tri-9.  The game went back and forth with the Knights taking an early lead, only to fall behind and have to mount a comeback late.  After both teams missed PATs on their final scores of the game, the scoreboard read 20-20 at the newly refurbished Durham County Memorial Stadium and it looked like the fans were in for a treat on a brisk October evening, with overtime and more football.  But that wasn't to be the case as this was truly a trick-or-treat night and no treats were to be found, instead of deciding the game on the field in overtime, the game was declared final at 20-20.

So what happened you ask?  According to the rules of the NCHSAA, prior to any non-conference game, both head coaches are asked whether they would like to play overtime if the game is tied at the end of regulation.  If one of the two coaches decides not to play overtime, then the game officially ends as a tie.  The key is that both coaches have to agree to play the overtime session.

Tie Equivalent to Loss in Playoff Speak

Fast forward or perhaps rewind to last evening and with the game tied at the end of regulation, the decision was made to not proceed to overtime.  According to an article in the Durham Herald Sun by Joe Johnson [Blocked PAT leaves Northern with a tie], the decision not to play overtime appears to have been made by the Apex coaching staff.  A quote from the article stated the following: "The game ended in a tie because both coaches have to agree to play overtime before the start of the game and Apex coach Bob Wolfe declined."  From this information it appears that at the very least Apex decided not to play overtime.  The inference is that if that had not been the case, overtime would have been played, which would indicate that the Northern staff had agreed to play overtime.  From the story, it's unclear with 100% certainty that this was the case, but suffice it to say that at the very least one of the two staffs definitely elected not to play overtime.

Knights and Wildcats for First Place?

PHOTO BY MARK DOLEJS - THE NEWS & OBSERVER

Conference races are heating up all over the triangle and tonight should be one of those nights where the races either get just a bit closer or a few schools begin to put some real estate between them and the conference champ imposters.  In the PAC-6, conference championship positioning aside, a number of schools will be looking to simply get a win in an attempt to reach a 'qualifying berth/status' for the playoffs.  We are now reaching that tipping point where a loss this week may mean no playoffs in 2011 for a few teams.

Recent articles on playoffs:  Multiple Endowments, Oh My! and When Does 4 Wins Not Equal 4 Wins?

PAC-6 Match-up, Friday, 10/7/2011

Northern Durham (3-3 overall, 3-0 conference) at East Chapel Hill (2-5 overall, 2-0 conference)

Big question going into 2011 would be how many out there thought that with four weeks remaining in the season, you'd find these two programs with a combined 5-0 conference mark?  I'm sure the answer is a small group, but both teams have legitimate reasons for being where they are at currently.  Northern Durham has one of the best coaches in the state (history proves this out) running the Knights' Castle and when you add a defense that is looking to be more and more Northern-esque (think back to the 90's) then you have a team that in a somewhat down year in the PAC-6 can make noise.  On the opposing sideline the Wildcats have been explosive offensively, something that we knew was bound to eventually get rolling with Davis returning at quarterback as well as a number of skill athletes dotting the field.  Add spread guru Coach Renner to the mix and anytime you can put up the points they have, there is a solid chance of getting the win.

A win is important for both teams as they work to grab one of the automatic berths associated with a first through third place finish, but just as important is picking up as many wins as possible to be competitive when it comes to at-large bids.  At the moment, Northern has the advantage.  With ECH, Hillside and Southern on the schedule, you would think that a win against ECH puts them in a solid position to grab the third place finish assuming the remainder of the season doesn't play out with any major upsets in conference.  And that finish could be better as they technically control their own finish with all of the conference contenders ahead.  They also play Apex, a non-conference game that will be important on a number of levels.  The Knights' only have a 10 game schedule, which means they will retain all W's and L's from a reportable viewpoint.  Sitting at 3-3 currently they need at least one more win to get to the four wins required to be considered if they don't finish in the top three of the conference.  Looking over the current state of the state, it looks as though getting to five wins may be necessary to be considered as it was a year ago.  Assuming they can't reach five wins and perhaps only pick up a win against Apex, they'll still have a strong conference winning percentage at 0.500 if it comes down to that element of the equation.

East Chapel Hill is definitely in the must-win situation this evening and the reality is that they have a team that can win this game!  With only two wins on the season and games remaining against all conference foes, it is imperative that they pick up the win tonight as they have Southern, Hillside and Person to close out the season. A win tonight puts them in a strong position to angle for the third place finish at worst and similar to Northern a first or second place finish as they control they own destiny.  The only way to get to four wins for the Wildcats is for them to get four wins in conference and if that occurs unless some crazy upsets occur, it's hard to imagine them not getting the third place automatic qualifier bid and ending up in an at-large position.  Important point is that tonight's game is big for the Wildcats, not only for the 2011 squad, but for a program in general that has struggled to get to the post-season for some time.

Photographs courtesy of newsobserver.com (The News & Observer)

Are You Ready 4 Some Football? 2011 Style

Courtesy Don Callahan

We are less than 24 hours away from the official start of the 2011 high school football season in North Carolina and local schools are gearing up for the push towards that first day of full-contact, quickly followed by scrimmages and before we all know it - the first Football Friday on August 19th.

Schools in the area have been hard at work throughout the summer in non-mandatory summer workouts and competing in a number of passing leagues [Hillside, Jordan, Southern Durham, Northern Durham, Person, East Chapel Hill, Wakefield, Leesville Road] in an effort to be ahead of the curve when midnight strikes this evening and the NCHSAA officially allows schools to begin the process of official practice.

Some schools, including Northern Durham and Riverside will take to the field literally at midnight.  The Knights have coined their start to 2011 under returning head coach Gary Merrill - MidKnight Madness.  According to their school athletic website for football, they'll get underway at Northern at 12:00 AM on Saturday (7/30/2011).  As for the Pirates, another PAC-6 school under new leadership, they'll have a cook-out on Friday evening and then hit the turf in earnest at midnight. Riverside will be looking to rebound in 2011 under new head coach David Hackney, a Jordan graduate that led the Falcons, years ago, as the starting quarterback [Pirates Suit-Up for Midnight Practice].

Southern Durham and Hillside are slated to start the season on Saturday, July 30th, with the Spartans beating the heat with an early morning practice according to their football-centric site.  Person will also begin the season on Saturday morning with an 8-11 AM practice [Person Athletic Site].  The Jordan Falcons will also try to beat the heat with a morning practice on Saturday beginning at 8 AM [Jordan Practice Announcement].

HighSchoolOT.com will be holding their pre-season get-together [Link to article on this event] with area head coaches and players from local schools later today to discuss what the site, WRAL and 99.9 The Fan and 620 The Buzz will be doing this upcoming 2011 season to support the Football Friday scene.  Representatives from each of these entities will be in attendance to give a break-down of what to look forward to this season.  Of course you can find all of the information about this event and any news that breaks at the event at HighSchoolOT.com.

PAC-6 Order: Summer Style

Courtesy Marques Burnett/iHigh.com

There is no doubt that football fever is taking hold here in the Carolina's and I don't know about y'all, but I'm ready for things to get rolling!  So many story lines are present as we head into the 2011 campaign after the huge success of the 2010 Hornets and a strong conference and playoff push by the Spartans.  The biggest question being asked here in Durham is who will take the PAC-6 crown this season and which team may be the unexpected bunch to put in a strong push to be the 'Northern Durham' of 2011.

I'm not going to go into great detail in this posting, but I thought I'd put out a list of how I think this upcoming season may go from a conference perspective.  This list is based on taking a number of factors and pretty much throwing them into a big pot and giving you my gut feeling as we head into the summer.  Some things I felt pertinent to consider as I thought about this list included:  what I learned from last season, how teams were playing as the season progressed, who will be returning and what I know about the teams in a general sense, and what I know about the coaching staffs.

With that, I'll give you the list - but before I do that, feel free to post your comments after the story as I look forward to hearing what folks think about this upcoming 2011 season in the Bull City!

PAC-6 Conference Order:  Summer Style

1. Hillside Hornets - This is close between the Hornets and Spartans, but at the moment, I'll have to go with the team that downright dominated Durham a year ago - and yes, in many ways, that Hornet/Spartan affair wasn't nearly as close as the score indicated a year ago!  Check out a recent article on the 2011 Hornets

2. Southern Durham Spartans - This is the team that should make the move this year and if the Hornets play sloppy ball as they did a year ago against the Spartans - look for Southern to take the game and take it handily.  Check out a recent article on the 2011 Spartans

3. Person Rockets - What - Person?  Ya, you betcha!  The Rockets were a team on the move as the season progressed and I'll be honest I think Coach Geary has a solid chance to move that program to the next level.

4. Northern Durham Knights - I have to admit, I wasn't thrilled by the whole coaching change thing on Milton Road, but you can't deny the fact that they brought in one incredible 'replacement'!  Coach Merrill knows how to win football games and there is no doubt that when it comes to the in-game chess match he'll compete and compete at a high level.  There are a lot of questions in how the players will respond to the brand of football Coach Merrill has been successful with in the past - if you aren't familiar, it's a lot different then the finesse and spread you out ball you saw the last few years.  With those questions in hand, I see the Knights dropping a spot from a season ago, but to be honest, there isn't a thing wrong with that when you look at the high level of football being fielded in Durham of late.

5. Jordan Falcons - Honestly, with the loss of one of the best football players to ever step foot in Durham, in T.J. Thorpe (UNC), I find it difficult to see the Falcons do much better than a year ago.  They picked up three conference wins a year ago and with Person moving up and with Coach Merrill having Coach Briggs number (he hasn't lost to Coach Briggs) as well as a number of other items - I see the Falcons finding themselves middle of the pack yet again.

6. East Chapel Hill Wildcats - I see a lot of similarities between this Wildcat team and the Rockets.  They have a coach that understands offensive football and have a system that can put up points.  They also have a quarterback that has a year under his belt in a system that relies heavily on that individual making solid decisions.  Add to that the fact that through my 'aka grapevine' I've heard about some more athletes from other sports believing that playing in this type of system can be fun and thus - coming out.  Put those elements together and I think you have a team that can get a win in conference and quite possibly might be able to get one or two more.

7.  Riverside Pirates - There is no doubt that Coach Hackney will bring a solid level of excitement to the Pirate Nation, but the reality is that after years of being beaten down I find it tough to believe that they'll make a huge rebound in year one.  I personally think that as time progresses, there will be more wins on the gridiron for the Pirates and much of that will be as a result of battles won in the off-season.

There you have it - if you like what you see or not - make sure to comment and give it a +1 - As always, thanks for stopping by BCF4S - Greatly Appreciated!!

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