The Hertford County Bears try to put their latest loss behind them while Bertie tries to win its fourth straight after turning their season around.  Meanwhile, Gates County tries to stay unbeaten in conference while chasing Plymouth and Lawrence heads to the post-season for the first time in two years.

HERTFORD CO. at FIRST FLIGHT

Last Friday Hertford County dropped a Northeastern Coastal Conference game to league-leader and state-ranked Northeastern.

“The kids played hard, I was proud of the effort, but we just came up short,” said first-year coach Terrance Saxby.

This Friday night the Bears (2-7, 1-3, NCC) head to the coast to face First Flight (2-8, 0-5, NCC) with the Nighthawks seeking their first conference win.

“First Flight is a very sound team,” said Saxby. “They don’t beat themselves.  Offensively they run misdirection plays to keep you off balance.”

The Bears are led by quarterback Christian Folston who has passed for 1,158 yards and 12 touchdowns so far this season.  However, freshman running back Kyeem Perry was injured in the Northeastern loss and may or may not be available in Kill Devil Hills.

“For us to be successful Friday night we need to execute our game plan offensively and defensively,” concluded Saxby. “We have to minimize mistakes and not turn the ball over.”

BERTIE at EDENTON HOLMES

Bertie successfully celebrated Homecoming by beating Pasquotank last Friday night.  For the Falcon seniors it marked their first Homecoming win in high school.

“We’re playing well,” said first-year coach Tyris Hill. “We are also happy to have a three-game win streak.”

This Friday Bertie (5-4, 3-1, NCC) travels to Edenton J.A. Holmes (7-2, 3-1, NCC) for one of the Falcons’ last two conference tilts.

“Edenton is a good team,” adds Hill. “They are fast and talented.  The Aces have a good quarterback and two great running backs. It will be a good game as we go for our fourth win in a row.”

The Falcons are in the thick of things for the conference’s final playoff spot, too.

“For us to be successful Friday night we have to maintain and stay focused,” closed Hill. “We also have to play with confidence.  We’re happy to be in the thick of things in the conference race as this is a big game for both teams since each of us has only one conference loss.”

CAMDEN CO. at GATES CO.

Gates County remained in a first-place tie with Plymouth in the Coastal 10 Conference Friday night after beating Columbia.

“It was a good conference win,” said coach Matt Biggy. “We made some big plays and the defense played great.”

This Friday Gates County (7-2, 5-0, C10) will host Camden County (6-3, 4-1, C10). A team they lost to in a non-conference scrape just three weeks ago.

“They’re a good team,” acknowledged Biggy. “They beat us earlier this season, 27-25.  But this one counts in the conference race and it’s a big game for our team.  We’re excited to be playing them.”

But can the Red Barons win the one that counts?

“For us to be successful Friday night we have to eliminate mistakes and turnovers, Biggy concluded.  “We need to run the ball and play better defense than we did the first time we played them.”

Gates can’t overlook the Bruins by focusing on co-leader, Plymouth, coming up next week.

TARBORO at NORTHAMPTON COUNTY

Last week, in a rare Thursday night game, Northampton lost at home to North Edgecombe.

“We made a couple of turnovers and we didn’t tackle well,” said coach George Privott.

This Friday night Northampton (2-7, 0-3, 2Rv) will host Tarboro (6-3, 3-0, 2Rv) in their home finale.

“Tarboro is a good team and they are well-coached,” Privott added. “They run the straight-T offense and are a power-running team.  They are undefeated in conference and tied for first place.”

The Jaguars will be trying to close their home season with their first conference win.

“For us to be successful Friday night we have to limit turnovers and tackle better,” Privott closed. “We have to just play well both offensively and defensively.”

LAWRENCE at ROCKY MT. ACADEMY: NCISAA PLAYOFFS

Last Friday night Lawrence Academy beat Community Christian 80-50, and with the win clinched a berth in the state independent schools’ 8-man football championships.

This Friday night Lawrence (2-7) travels to Rocky Mount Academy (9-0) in a first-round game.

“I’m very proud of my guys for achieving a goal we set from the beginning of the season,” said Warriors coach Robert Kravitz. “We’re looking to go into Rocky Mount Academy to play the Eagles and surprise everyone. We are going there to play with nothing to lose.”

RMA beat Lawrence 64-8 during the regular season and the Eagles are the defending 8-Man independent schools state champions.