The North Carolina High School Athletic Association released the brackets this weekend for the 2023 high school football championships. All four Stanly teams have qualified for their respective playoffs, with two teams playing at home.

2A Playoffs

North Stanly

The Comets, coming off Friday’s loss to Albemarle, have the top 2A seed from the split 1A/2A Yadkin Valley Conference.

North, ranked 23rd in the 2A overall, will host the T.W. Andrews Red Raiders from High Point. The Red Raiders, seeded 24, enter the playoffs with a 6-4 record, having finished third in the 2A MidState Conference. T.W. Andrews has won four of its last five games and is ranked 31st in the 2A, according to MaxPreps.

Friday’s football game will be the first between the two schools.

West Stanly

The Colts wrapped up the regular season with a road loss to Monroe, and will be on the road in the opening round of the 2A playoffs. West finished fourth in the Rocky River Conference standings and returns to the state playoffs for the first time since 2021.

Seeded 27th in the Western Region, West Stanly (5-5) will be at No. 6 Randleman (9-1). The Tigers lost the 1A/2A Piedmont Conference championship Friday night to Eastern Randolph, 22-21, ending the team’s nine-game win streak.

Friday’s playoff game will be the first meeting on the football field between the two schools.

1A Playoffs

Albemarle

The Bulldogs, winners of the Yadkin Valley Conference championship, enter the postseason having won five times in the team’s last six outings.

Earning a home game in the opening round, Albemarle (5-5) received a No. 6 seed in the 1A West. The Bulldogs will host former YVC opponent South Davidson.

The Wildcats (4-6) finished sixth in the seven-team 1A/2A Central Carolina Conference, and ended a six-game losing streak Friday with a win over winless West Davidson.

Albemarle is 19-2 lifetime against South Davidson; both losses to the Wildcats were wins on the field but later were forfeited.

South Stanly

The Rebel Bulls, under first-year head coach Terry Shankle, lost the last game of the regular season to Union Academy, 14-12, last week.

Despite the loss, South Stanly, ranked 38th in the 1A by MaxPreps, returns to the state playoffs for the first time since 2021. The Rebel Bulls (4-6) travel to No. 8 Bessemer City (5-5).

The Yellow Jackets, seeded eighth in the 1A West and ranked 19th in the 1A by MaxPreps, finished fourth in the 1A/2A Southern Piedmont Conference. The hosts have lost three of the team’s last four games, but ended the regular season with a 60-0 win versus Cherryville.

Friday’s meeting will be the first between the two schools.