News-Record.com

OK, who out there was NOT expecting a shootout today between Western Alamance and North Gaston, two teams scoring over 40 points a game this season?

Guess what? It's a shootout. At halftime, the Warriors lead 34-24. But the lead hardly feels safe. Not after North Gaston QB AJ Blue and Princeton Brooks put up huge rushing numbers by flying through huge holes up the middle in the first half. They combined for 286 rushing yards and 3 TD's.

Of course Western was busy putting up 361 yards of offense, with Levon Curtis rushing for 69 and a TD and scoring two on long pass plays while totaling 150 yards receiving.

In the 5 minutes it took me to type that, the Warriors got a nice long kick return from Kenneth Lindsay and QB Donald Britt went in from 4 yards. Western, 41-24.

Warriors coach Hal Capps decided at one point in the first half that his best defense was an onside kick. You figure: 50-50 chance we get the ball back and keep AJ Blue off the field for a few minutes. They got it but ended up punting. Still, three valuable minutes of rest for Western's defense.

Now let's see if they've made halftime adjustments and can close up the middle. The Warriors have good speed at linebacker and do a good job of stopping plays to the perimeter. But they better keep the lanes closed inside or else ...

Here's an example of what Britt and his teammates have been hearing all week: A woman came up to him Friday night at the Food Lion and said, "We're not going to have any of this losing stuff tomorrow, are we?"

For those just tuning in, the Warriors have been in the 3-A final four straight years. Heartbreak visited Capps' team the previous three. They'll try to win the school's first football state title in the next hour or so.

While I'm thinking of it, if you want to follow the game from home in the Triad or Alamance County, I highly recommend the radio coverage of WPCM-920. Byron Tucker and his crew do an excellent job of calling the high school game and really seem to know and enjoy each other a lot. That helps make their call of the game very listenable.