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RALEIGH — Dudley coach Steven Davis said his team's 14-7 overtime loss to Triad 3-A rival Western Alamance was a big reason the Panthers will play for the 3-AA state title Saturday.

Can Dudley take Charlotte Catholic? How about Western Alamance over North Gaston? Reidsville beat Shelby? Join the discussion at the Debatables blog.

Western Alamance coach Hal Capps feels the same way about the game and its effects on his Warriors.

To Davis, the close loss to the No. 1-ranked 3-A team in the state was confirmation of what he and his staff had thought since the summer — that his young Dudley team had the potential to go deep in the playoffs.

"Western was blowing people out 40 or 50 to nothing, and we held them scoreless until the last two minutes of the game," Davis said. "From that point on, our kids kind of took the attitude that, 'We're ready.'"

That's the same attitude the Warriors took away, but for a different reason. Western Alamance had spent much of the season scoring almost at will — its previous low was 28 points in a tough game against Northeast Guilford. Capps wondered how his team would respond when a defense finally held the Warriors in check. The game against Dudley told him what he needed to know.

"They physically smacked us around a little bit," Capps said. "We grew up from that game. That made us a tremendously better football team."

Dudley will play Charlotte Catholic. Western Alamance will play North Gaston for the 3-A title.

RAMS TOUGH? The closest thing Reidsville has had to drama this season came back in mid-September when it knocked off Northeast Guilford 34-28. Since then the Rams have been destroying the opposition. Reidsville has won its four playoff games by a combined score of 214-49. Could it be a problem that the Rams haven't had a defining test like the one Dudley and Western Alamance experienced?

"We do talk about it some as a staff," said Reidsville coach Jimmy Teague. "But again, I think that's a good problem to have."

If Teague sounds unconcerned, it's because he has three factors in his favor.

One, Teague thinks the Rams' blowout victories are an indication that they have come out focused, game-in and game-out, regardless of the opponent. Two, Teague really likes the leadership qualities of his senior class. Three, the players don't need Teague to convince them that Saturday night's

2-AA opponent, Shelby, is tough. Several key members of that senior class, including Tayon Graves, Marcus Pickard, Joe Brown and Kerry Hammock, were on the field in 2005 when Reidsville lost to Shelby 26-18 in the 2-AA title game.

"I think that helps a lot," Teague said.

FAMILIAR FACES: It's not a shock that Reidsville is facing a rematch in its state title game. That's what happens when you take a team to the finals four times in six years, as Teague has.

That's impressive, but really, it was just part of the scenery Monday at the state championship news conference at Carter-Finley Stadium. Shelby is playing in its fourth straight title game (2-A in 2004, 2-AA in 2005-07). Western Alamance is also in the finals for the fourth straight year (2-AA in 2004, 3-A in 2005-07).

Dudley is making its third title game appearance in six years. Charlotte Catholic, is another four-peat team (2-AA in 2004, 3-A in 2005-07).

Charlotte Independence, which saw its 109-game winning streak snapped in September, is seeking to extend its string of championships. Independence has won a state-record seven straight titles — 4-A in 2000-01 and 4-AA in 2002-06.

Western Alamance's opponent, North Gaston, is one of the few newcomers. Coach Bruce Clark, an Alamance County native, has led the Wildcats to their first title game in North Gaston's 36-year history. Don't worry: Clark already had his Norman Dale speech from "Hoosiers" prepared for when North Gaston sets foot inside Kenan Stadium on Saturday.

"I don't worry about the euphoria of playing at the University of North Carolina," Clark said. "It's still 100 yards long. They're not going to try to change the game on Saturday."

Contact Jim Young at 373-7016 or jyoung@news-record.com