High school football: All eight area teams set to kick off state playoffs
Every public school in the county, plus Greene Central and John Paul II, advanced to the upcoming NCHSAA football playoffs scheduled to get under way on Friday — but only one earned a bye. J.H. Rose’s first undefeated regular season in 20 years earned the Rampants the No. 1 seed in the East 6A bracket. Therefore, Rose (10-0), the Big Carolina 6A/7A Conference champion, has a bye through this week’s first round and will await the winner of No. 16 South Johnston and No. 17 Felton Grove (a new high school in Apex which opened its doors in 2025) on Nov. 13 at Percy Daniels Fields at the Farley-Minges Complex. The Rampants’ defense recorded four shutouts and yielded an average of 12.6 points per game, while the offense scored at least 20 points per outing and averaged 41.1 per game. A primary point of emphasis, though, could be cutting down on penalties. J.H. Rose committed 16 infractions, six of those personal fouls, in a 53-0 victory over D.H. Conley. “We have to do some extracurricular activities on those [practice] days,” Rampants coach Will Bland said, referring to extra sprints and running in practice. “We’ve got to clear up some penalties
