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All games are at 7:30 p.m. Friday unless noted.

4-AA WEST

No. 12 East Mecklenburg (6-5) at No. 5 Page (9-2)

Page has scored at least 30 points in every game but two, a mark that East has surrendered in four of its last six. The Eagles have only beaten one team with a winning record, Charlotte Catholic (7-4) on Sept. 18, but they've scored more than 35 points a game the last three weeks behind running back Ronald Howard's 468 yards and five touchdowns. The Pirates' third-round run last season ended a two-year string of first-round exits.

No. 15 Northwest Guilford (5-6) at No. 2 Richmond County (10-1)

It's deja vu for the Vikings, who draw the same team that beat them 30-0 in last year's first round.

"What's the saying, 'The devil you know is better than devil you don't know'?" Northwest head coach Joe Woodruff said. "That's the good side of it. The bad side of it is, we're leaving at the same time, on the same bus, eating at the same restaurant on the way down ... it's going to be Richmond County, part two."

Richmond would go on to win the 4-AA state championship, but the Raiders' title game MVP, QB Ledarrius Wiley, separated his shoulder last week and will miss at least tonight's game. That's a huge hit for Richmond's offense, which has topped 30 points seven times this season.

4-A WEST

No. 9 Western Guilford (5-6) at No. 8 Mount Tabor (8-3)

There might not be a better three-loss team than Tabor, which has fallen only to undefeated Matthews Butler, undefeated R.J. Reynolds and 8-3 Glenn. The Spartans, who lost to eventual 4-A champ Fayetteville 71st in last year's second round, put up 460 yards of offense against North Davidson two weeks ago, after which North head coach Mark Holcomb told the Lexington Dispatch that Spartans quarterback Brad Morton was "the best quarterback we've played against all year ... he had Vaseline or something on his uniform." RB DJ McCain has accounted for 327 yards and five scores the last two weeks.

Second-year Tabor head coach Laymarr Marshall told the Winston-Salem Journal last week that "we feel like we're really starting to gel," but the same could be said for Western, which is the healthiest it's been all season and has shown it can score with just about anybody. The Hornets upset Erwin Triton as an 11 seed in last year's first round.

No. 14 Watauga (6-5) at No. 3 Ragsdale (11-0) (7:30 p.m. Sat.)

The Pioneers from Boone have won consecutive games only once, but they've ridden the arm of senior quarterback Devan Corum (84-of-192, 1,326 yards, 10 touchdowns, 10 interceptions) and wide receiver Travis Oliver (30 catches, 692 yards) for big plays when they've needed.

Ragsdale finally gets to see a new playoff face after hosting Southeast Guilford, Western Guilford and Dudley last year. The Tigers have allowed 67 points this season, barely six a game.

No. 10 High Point Central (8-3) at No. 7 Glenn (8-3)

A rematch of mirror-image teams that rely on defense and the running game. Glenn's 14-7 win over the Bison three weeks ago, in which RB Josh Hawkins had 174 yards and the game-winning 50-yard touchdown with six minutes left, gave the Bobcats a final, ultimately fruitless shot at Ragsdale for the conference crown. Now both are coming off defeats, as Central fell to Ragsdale last week and Glenn lost again by a point at East Forsyth. Glenn is back in the playoffs after a 2008 absence, while Central fell to Page in last year's opener.

No. 15 Smith (5-6) at No. 2 Dudley (10-1) (6 p.m. Sat.)

There's no bigger feast-or-famine team than Smith, which has scored 40 or more points four times but also been shut out thrice. The Golden Eagles will likely need to swing for the fences a few times against the Panthers, who controlled them for much of a 22-0 win earlier this season and are allowing just over 10 points a game since then. But not many teams have played Dudley as hard as Smith this year, and the emotion of this rivalry compounding the pressure of the playoffs should make for high drama.

3-AA East

No. 16 Eastern Guilford (4-7) at No. 1 South Johnston (10-1) (7 p.m. Sat.)

South Johnston, alma mater of former Greensboro Grasshopper speedster John Raynor, has come this far from an 0-10 record the year before head coach Joe Salas took over in 2004. The Trojans, champions of the Eastern Carolina 3-A, have beaten five opponents by 35 or more, including an astonishing 84-6 win over North Lenoir two weeks ago that Salas admitted to the Raleigh News & Observer "just looks bad. If I could do it over again, I would, and I would do it differently. We had no malice toward anyone." The Trojans rely on quarterback Pat Dunigan, wideout Dee Williams and tailback Anthony Crumity but have also held six opponents to less than 10 points.

Eastern has won four of six since an 0-5 start thanks to the explosive quarterback play of Josh Morehead and improved contributions from tailback Cedrick Johnson and QB-turned-free safety Derek Holbrook. Butch Huffman and Devonte Andre have each scored for the Wildcats the last two weeks.

3-AA West

No. 16 Asheboro (4-7) at No. 1 Northern Guilford (10-1)

Asheboro's promising offense has sputtered all year, managing more than 21 points only once. That outburst came two weeks ago against Southwestern Randolph, a game the Blue Comets had to have along with last week's 14-9 road win over Southern Guilford just to qualify for the playoffs.

Their reward? Only the bracket's top seed, which is riding an eight-game winning streak and last week had five touchdowns of 40 yards or more. The Nighthawks are lined up to face Northeast in round three it both advance.

No. 13 Boiling Springs Crest (6-4) at No. 4 Northeast Guilford (8-3)

The Chargers started 4-0, including the only loss of the season for 2-AA West top seed Shelby. But they've lost four of six since then and have been outgained by 480 yards by their opponents for the season. Quarterbacks Reggie Wilkins and Patrick Bowman have combined to complete only 32-of-103 passes this season, but Wilkins (96 carries, 719 yards, 7 TDs) and Neil Chambers (107 carries, 580 yards, 4 TDs) lead a rushing offense putting up 176 yards per game.

That's still no match for Northeast, which ran for 538 yards against Ledford and only needed to throw twice. The Rams were the postseason's biggest surprise last season, advancing to the fourth round as an eight seed, but they're too good to sneak up on anybody this year.

3-A East

No. 12 McMichael (5-6) at No. 5 Eastern Alamance (10-1)

The Fighting Phoenix is in a tailspin, having lost four straight and only crossed the 20-point mark once since September. The relentless running of senior tailback Ricky Penn has been a constant plus and is mandatory if McMichael's going to control the clock against Eastern, whose only slip-up came 24-23 against Northern Guilford. Eagles quarterback Lamar Ivey is worth the price of admission.

No. 14 Southern Guilford (5-6) at No. 3 Havelock (11-0)

Southern's penalty for a 1-3 finish is a four-hour drive to this coastal town east of Jacksonville, where the Rams haven't been held below 27 points since the season's opening week. Their quarterback, Danny Webster Jr., accounted for six touchdowns last week (three passing, three rushing) as Havelock won its 11th straight home game. Havelock head coach Jim Bob Bryant told the Havelock News that Webster is "hands down the best player I have ever coached."

Havelock was hit by five inches of rain Wednesday thanks to remnants of Hurricane Ida, but it has appeared to weather the storm. No pun intended. Southern's defense has actually been pretty solid the last seven weeks, and the Storm has enough big-play ability to keep it close.

2-AA East

No. 9 Kinston (9-2) at No. 8 Andrews (7-4)

Andrews' four losses — Northeast Guilford, Charlotte Country Day, High Point Central and conference champ Carver — don't look that bad. But the errors that cost them in those games will be punished dearly against Kinston, which gave Havelock its only loss and has been pummeling opponents all season save for narrow defeats to 10-1 Tarboro and 11-0 Southwest Edgecombe. The Vikings are only seeded this low because of those two teams' presence in their conference, and Andrews will likely need some fireworks from Quan Stevenson and Co. to stay close.

No. 14 Wilson Beddingfield (6-5) at No. 3 Reidsville (11-0)

The Rams begin their quest for a three-peat with a team that's battle-tested, having lost to conference foes Kinston, Tarboro and Southwest Edgecombe by a combined 113 points. Beddingfield boasts a nearly four-year starter in 6-foot-4 senior quarterback Lance Price, who has thrown for more than 6,000 yards in his career. Reidsville has won 43 straight and is averaging 49.5 points per game this season.

1-AA West

No. 10 Bishop McGuinnes (9-2) at No. 7 West Montgomery (8-3)

The Villains are still looking for their first playoff win in school history, and the absence of key running back Marty DeFrancesco with an ankle injury the last two weeks is a major obstacle, even if he's able to return tonight. The Villains have still been competitive without him and have proven they have the defense to counter West's 35-points-a game attack.