GATESVILLE – Gates County took care of business Friday night.

They then waited for Heide Trask to do the same.

After the Red Barons, seeded 11th, knocked off East Carteret 34-8 Friday night and Trask topped East Columbus 13-9, Gates County will be at home this week for the second round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 1-AA playoffs.

“It’s huge to have a home playoff game in the second round,” said third-year Red Barons’ skipper Matt Biggy. “Sometimes your legs can get worn out just sitting on a bus. It also breaks your routine.

“Now, we have the opportunity to go through our normal routine Friday,” he added.

This past Friday, Gates County used a different look when they went to East Carteret. Biggy said his team lined up in the Wishbone formation and stayed that way all evening.

“They got tired of us beating on them,” he said. “They got a little sloppy with the football, but it was hard not to in those conditions. They had turnovers and we capitalized on them and that made the difference.”

Also making a huge difference was Emmanuel Knight as the junior running back had 160 yards and three touchdowns for the Red Barons.

Gates County trailed 8-0 after one quarter of play, but scored with four ticks left on the second quarter clock to tie the game. The Red Barons then pulled away in the third quarter, scoring four times to seal the 34-8 victory.

“Our offensive linemen played well,” Biggy said. “We kind of wore them down.”

As he looks to the second round of the playoffs, Biggy said the 14th seeding of Trask shouldn’t be taken into account.

“Their record is not amazing, but they’re obviously not bad,” he said. “They have some good backs. They’re not big up front, but get the job done. They remind me a lot of us.

“If we come out and play our game, stay smart and protect the football, we’ll be okay,” he said.

The Red Barons will host Heide Trask at 7:30 p.m. Friday evening.