Smoky Mountain will play its final regular season
football game Friday when Enka visits Carr Hooper Stadium/Babe
Howell Field for a 7:30 p.m. Mountain Athletic Conference encounter.
Win or lose, the Mustangs (4-5, 3-4) won't know until sometime
Saturday whether they are in the state 3-A playoffs.
The top three teams in each conference are guaranteed a berth
in the post season. The 64-team field will be completed by taking
teams from across the state with the best records. Prior to
Friday's games, approximately 64 3-A teams had four wins.
The bottom line is a victory would almost certainly mean the
Mustangs will be playing the next week. A loss would leave their
playoff chances up in the air.
"It's strange not to know your playoff situation,"
Coach Tim Hawkins said, "It's kind of like playing a game
without having rules. You don't know if you're in or you're
out."
This is the first time the N.C. High School Athletic Association
has not based playoff participation on a certain number of teams
from each conference qualifying.
SM will face an Enka team that has lost all nine games this
season.
"Offensively, they're not an 0-9 team," Hawkins said.
"They put some points on the board. Defensively, they've
just had trouble stopping people."
The Jet attack is led by quarterback Colby McCoy, tailback Brandon
Harmon and receiver Matthieu Pritchett.
Coach Jeff Conner's team uses multiple offensive formations
and a 50 defense.
Complicating matters for the Mustangs is quarterback Nathan
Medlin entering the week listed as doubtful due to a concussion
sustained Friday at Roberson. If he can't play, receiver Ollin
Dunford will move under center with Matt Gibson possibly seeing
some action there, according to Hawkins.
"We'll have to come up with some things we can do with
our other quarterbacks," the coach said. "We need
to run the football. Defensively, the key is going to be getting
ready for everything they're going to show us."
The teams have split the previous 10 games in the series with
the Jets pulling off a 33-32 upset in double overtime last year.
"I think they came in last year winning three of their
last four games and needed to win to get into the playoffs,"
Hawkins said. "This year I think they'll throw caution
to the wind. I don't know what to expect. We need to get a win
going into the playoffs."
In other injury news, Hawkins said Cody Lewis (bruised spine)
is probable with Ben Robinson (dislocated finger) questionable.
Like Medlin, they were hurt in Friday's 44-14 loss at Roberson.
After falling behind 14-0, SM was in position to tie the game
down 14-7 with a third-and-1 inside the Ram 20. The Mustangs
were stopped for losses on two consecutive plays.
"That was the key to the game," Hawkins said. "It
looked like we were going to tie it 14-14. That stop seemed
to take the wind out of our sails."
The Rams ran up and down the field for 245 rushing yards in
the first half and finished with 333 yards on the ground.
"It was basically one or two plays that we just didn't
pick up the blocking schemes," the coach said. "They
made some good play calls, but we didn't pick them up until
the second half."
