news-record.com

MCLEANSVILLE - Aside from membership in the same conference, Ledford and Northeast Guilford had about as much in common as Keith Olbermann and Rush Limbaugh on Friday night. Not that there was a debate or anything.

Amassing 425 yards of total offense in the first half, the Rams overwhelmed the Panthers 53-0 to secure the Mid-Piedmont 3-A championship. And the amazing fact of the night: Ledford began the night with a chance at the same title.

"We were confident we could win the game, but we sure didn't expect this," Northeast coach Tommy Pursley said after earning the 201st victory of his career. "That's a good football team. They throw the ball well."

The Rams (8-3, 5-0) led 32-0 after running 19 plays from scrimmage. They never needed more than seven plays to score. They never punted. And so on. The Panthers (6-5, 3-2) occasionally moved the ball with an intermediate passing game but couldn't generate anything of substance.

Northeast quarterback Darius White scored on option runs of 80 and 82 yards to lead a running game that amassed 538 yards. White attempted two passes, one of which went for a score.

Trey Ingram (35 yards) and Rayshawn Trader (44) burst long TD runs of their own for the Rams, whose only difficulties came in penalties. Only one possession failed to produce points, and it ended on downs deep in Ledford territory.

Northeast outscored its regular-season opposition in league play 220-40. It owns a 185-33 scoring margin in its ongoing six-game winning streak and expects a top-four seed in the playoffs.

Of course, nothing about the postseason can be predicted with great accuracy. The 2006 Rams, 7-3, merited a No. 13 seed. Two years later, they were 4-6 and seeded eighth.

Pursley says he doesn't know whether his club will be assigned to the East or the West. He can feel pretty confident about the way it's playing, however.

"We know we're conference champions, and that's our No. 1 program goal," Pursley said, "because we do know we'll get a better seed with that."

NE-Trey Ingram 35 run (Shayne Flippin kick)

NE-Rayshawn Trader 16 run (kick failed)

NE-Rayshawn Trader 44 run (run failed)

NE-Darius White 2 run (Flippin kick)

NE-Darius White 82 run (kick failed)

NE-Michael Sanders 16 pass from White (Flippin kick)

NE--Darius White 80 run (Flippin kick)

NE-Sanders 52 interception return (Flippin kick)