Three local teams earned bids to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association football playoffs which begin Friday.

Of those three teams, only one will play in their own home stadium as Gates County High School earned a number four seed in their pod and a home game.

The Red Barons are classified 1-AA in the state playoffs and earned the number four ranking in the East pod. They are 4-6 heading into the contest and will host 3-7 Dixon High School.

Gates County won their regular-season finale as they blanked Tar-Roanoke Conference foe KIPP-Pride by a final score of 34-0. That win broke a four-game losing streak in which the Barons fell from 3-2 to 3-6.

The Red Barons bounced back to claim victory Friday and earn their playoff seeding. They will welcome a 3-7 Dixon who fell to Lejeune 47-30 last Friday.

Also earning a playoff spot from the 1-A Tar-Roanoke Conference was Northampton County High School – East. In just his second season at the helm, George Privott led the Rams to a 3-6 mark and a post-season berth.

The Rams are seeded number eight in the Class 1-A Mideast Region and will travel to top-seeded North Edgecombe, who is also a member of the league.

Northampton-East dropped a tough decision to Southeast Halifax in the regular-season finale, but finished 2-3 in the league, good enough for a fourth place finish.

North Edgecombe on the other hand finished 4-1 in the Tar-Roanoke Conference and won the league crown. The Warriors topped the Rams 52-26 in their regular-season matchup.

The final team earning a bid to the post-season locally was Hertford County High School. The Bears finished 4-6 in the regular season and secured a spot in the 3-A playoffs where they will travel to top-seeded Havelock High School.

Havelock is the number one seed in the Class 3-A East and finished the regular season 11-0.  The Bears, meanwhile, are the number eight seed, but have won three straight heading into the post-season.

Last week the Bears blanked rival Bertie High School 27-0 while Havelock scored 76 points for the second straight week in a thumping of West Craven High School. They won 76-14 a week after beating West Carteret 76-27.

Other local playoff contenders include, Northeastern Coastal Conference champion Edenton who will host Class 2-A playoff contest with Croatan. The Aces are 9-0 and seeded No. 2.

Northeastern High School, who finished second in the league, will host Swansboro (7-4) in a battle of number six at number three in the Class 2-AA playoffs.

Tar-Roanoke Conference member Southeast Halifax is the number two seed in the Class 1-A playoffs and will host a contest against Rosewood. The Trojans are coached by Hertford County’s Larry Edwards.

Also, Bertie County native Bobby Curlings has his 9-1 New Bern team ranked number one in the Class 4-A East. They will host Clayton (5-6) Friday night.

Other games of interest include:

Class 4-A  Mideast – No. 8 Harnett Central at No. 1 Scotland County;

Class 3-AA East – No. 8 West Brunswick at No. 1 Wilson Hunt; No. 6 D.H. Conley at No. 3 Cardinal Gibbons; No. 7 Southern Nash at Triton;

Class 3-A East – No. 5 R.L. Fike at West Carteret; No. 7 Washington at No. 2 Currituck;

Class 2-AA East – No. 8 SouthWest Edgecombe at No. 1 Kinston; No. 5 North Pitt at No. 4 Topsail; No. 7 North Brunswick at No. 2 Bunn;

Class 2-A East – No. 8 Greene Central at No. 1 Northside; No. 5 Tarboro at No. 4 East Duplin; No. 6 North Johnston at No. 3 Roanoke Rapids;

Class 1-AA East – No. 6 Camden at No. 3 Riverside;

Class 1-AA Mideast – No. 8 Pender at No. 1 Wallace-Rose Hill;

Class 1-A East – No. 6 Columbia at No. 3 Plymouth; No. 7 Cape Hatteras at No. 2 Creswell.