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No. 6 Northeast Guilford at No. 5 Dudley 7:30 p.m. today

KEYS FOR NORTHEAST GUILFORD (6-2, 2-1 TRIAD 3-A)

Wouldn't it be nice for the Rams if talented QB Kendall Bratcher could stay healthy? They didn't have that luxury last year, and he has battled through ankle and knee injuries this season. He'll take a pounding against Dudley in this Triad 3-A Conference game, but he'll need to churn out some long, grind-it-out drives to give Northeast the upper hand. The Rams also must stop RBs Kyree Ward and Joseph Jackson and force Dudley to the air more than it would like.

KEYS FOR NO. 5 DUDLEY (7-1, 3-0 TRIAD 3-A)

The Panthers have outscored their conference opponents 108-6, but that's before playing Northeast and Western Alamance. The most vital job for Dudley's defense tonight is containing Bratcher and FB Tyler Woods. The Panthers won their playoff game against Northeast last November largely because they limited Bratcher's inside runs.

LAST TIME

Dudley won 20-12 in the first round of the 3-AA state playoffs last year. The Panthers' defense scored early off a fumble, then made two big fourth-down stops and closed it out with a Chris Neal sack and Kenny Okoro interception in the final 30 seconds. Dudley's Keith Lee ran for 143 yards. Dudley won the regular-season matchup 34-14.