North Carolina Football Association (NCFA)

4-5 Durham 15 at 5-4 Charlotte

     This was a big loss for Charlotte and a big win for Durham.  Durham played a good defensive game and got solid play from HB Hal Workman (77yds on 22car) and QB Nate Mustoe (13/22 138yds 2TDs).  S Jim Smith was the big star for Durham though with 2 Ints and 7 tackles.  This was the second loss in a row for Charlotte as they seem to be watching their playoff chances slip away.  Royce Scott really hurt them in this game throwing 3 ints and only managing to throw for 148yds.  Charlotte's offense has struggled all season and over the past two weeks they've only managed 12 points.  Their hopes are not yet gone, but they will have to step up their play if they hope to beat Gastonia next week.  Durham hopes to continue to play spoiler, since their playoff hopes are gone, when they take on Kinston next week.

 

 

9-0 Salisbury 24 at 3-6 Gastonia

     No surprise was how Salisbury's defense dominated Gastonia's offense, Miguel Johnston had 6 of the teams 13 sacks.  What was a surprise was that Gastonia actually managed to  handle David Harley (48yds on 20car 1TD).  And worst for Salisbury was that Harley went down in the game and will not be seen again until the playoffs.  It's been a long year for Gastonia and they'll have to regroup for next season.  Salisbury on the other hand still looks like the team to beat.

 

 

2-7 Greensboro 0 at 2-7 Winston-Salem 7

    This was not a pretty game by any means as two young and struggling teams went up against each other.  James Martin (20/39 175yds 1TD) won the battle of the young QBs as Jason Fisher (22/43 227yds 2Int) struggled for the first time since taking over the starter reigns.  Greensbor plays Asheville this next week to determine the worst team in the league and decide who will get the first pick in the draft. 

 

 

4-5 Kinston 7 at 8-1 Burlington 27

     As Salisbury wins with their defense, Burlington wins with their offense.  Thaddeus Schlotter had another great game (14/25 249yds 3TDs), while Greg Caufield and Dino Snider combined for 183yds rushing.  Kinston can be happy with their offensive play but this is a team that has not shown any consistency all season.  They will have to win out their remaining games if they want any hope of making the playoffs.  Burlington now just wants to stay healthy and hope that they can meet Salibury in the finals with their offense firing on all cylinders.

 

 

6-3 Rocky Mount 7 at 4-5 Wilson 23

     Wilson's defense struggled to control Rocky Mount but late turnovers gave Wilson a comfortable win and the chance still to win the Coastal Division.  Derrick Smith (14/21 180yds 1TD) had the best game he's had in a while, and the defense did a great job of shutting down Bernie Hall (22yds on 12car).  But the real stars of this game were Giff Cunningham (5 sacks) and Dedrick Tjader (Int for a TD, 1 sack, and 17.5yds per punt return).  If Wilson hopes to win out they will have to see their defense and Smith continue to play like they did this week.  Rocky Mount just can't seem to put anything together late in the season and now they have to travel to Salisbury where no one will be expecting them to win.  They'll be looking toward their final game against Wilson and hoping that Raleigh falls apart so they can win the division.

 

 

2-7 Asheville 9 at 6-3 Raleigh 13

     Raleigh doesn't make any wins pretty, but that may be the Tom Smythe way.  He won with Bennie Berwick for those years in Wilson and seems to be learning how to do the same with Marcus Musson in Raleigh.  Musson is not the same young player he was when Smythe came into Wilson and he seems to be learning how to fit into the Smythe system.  His numbers are not the kind of numbers we've seen from Musson throughout his career (12/24 for 168yds), but they reflect solid play.  The realy surprise on offense has been the play of John Alli (11car for 56yds) as he seems to be making plays when the team needs them.  Freddie Friar had a huge game against Asheville with 15 tackles and 1 sack and they seem to be headed toward their first win of the Coastal Division.  All they have to do is beat their old rivals Wilson next week and it's a done deal.  Asheville meanwhile is still struggling to show any signs of life, and Joe Maryland knows his time may be running out as their coach.  He's had a successful tenure in Asheville but unless he can show the management that he has the ability to transition this team into new players he may be gone.  Asheville has a real shot to end the season on an up note facing two of the other bad teams of the leauge Greensboro and Gastonia.

Mountain:
Salisbury has clinched

 

Piedmont:
Burlington has clinched the Piedmont Division

 

Coastal:
Raleigh can clinch with a win over the next two games
Rocky Mount can win if they win out and Raleigh loses out
Wilson can win if they win out and Raleigh loses out

 

Wild Card:
Charlotte, Raleigh, Rocky Mount, Wilson, and Kinston are all still fighting for the this slot.  Durham is out because the best they could do is end at 6-6 tied with Rocky Mount who beat them during the regular season.