Halloween is looming, and with it, the last week of the regular season for our Johnston County high school football teams.
The expansion to eight classifications has changed more than a few things about how we approach the sport in North Carolina, and one of the biggest variances is about to unfold.
More teams make the postseason these days, and as such, there’s a little less on the line for this final game for some teams.
That’s not true in a couple of places, however. The playoff implications aren’t as heavy as they may have been in recent years, but a pair of county rivalries where the urgency never wavers are the highlight of a otherwise tepid slate of contests.
Games that mean a lot
Cleveland at Clayton
Records: Cleveland 9-0, 5-0 Greater Neuse River 7A; Clayton 7-2, 4-1
Last week: Cleveland downed Smithfield-Selma, 62-6, while Clayton dropped Garner, 34-22.
Massey Rating spread: Cleveland -9.5
Media Watch: Everybody. 102.3 FM, jocofootball.com, JOCORadio.com, CRN and WRDC
HighSchoolOT Playoff projection ($): Cleveland is projected as the top seed in the 7A East, while Clayton is slated to be the fifth seed. Both teams would receive byes in this scenario.
Breakdown: Back in August, Joel Bryant from HighSchoolOT asked me for a Clayton/Cleveland prediction at the end of the 919 Football Preview, and after some waffling and stalling, I picked Clayton.
I caught some grief for that from some of my friends in the Cleveland program, but that’s how it looked to me on paper back then.
The season hasn’t played out that way, though. Cleveland is still doing the thing where it doesn’t lose regular-season games, and aside from the Southeast Raleigh game and the Krisjon Clark situation a couple of weeks ago, hasn’t really faced much adversity.
The Comets have been living up to their nickname. Coming and going, burning brightly and then not at all. Their games have been flashes of brilliance (the last three quarters against Garner, last week) and dark, cloudy affairs (Hoggard, SE Raleigh).
The Massey computer doesn’t care that four points have separated these teams in the past two seasons, and the last time they met at Nixon-Fowler Stadium, it took a last-second heave into the end zone for the Rams to emerge victorious. It coldly spits out a number that reflects the body of work of the two teams this season.
There’s nothing cold about this game, however. The winner is the Greater Neuse River 7A champion. Both teams are getting first-round playoff byes, but Clayton could improve its seeding with a win.
On paper (there’s that phrase again), the 9.5-point number looks a shade high to me. But it’s a fair reflection of what we’ve seen in 2025. Cleveland trailed in the second half before rallying to beat Southeast Raleigh, while Clayton hurt itself with penalties and turnovers in a 22-19 loss to the Bulldogs.
I’m expecting Clayton’s best effort on Friday night. The Comets will be ready, eager to snap Cleveland’s 61-game regular-season winning streak in front of what should be a massive crowd.
One of the questions that had some folks down on the Rams back in the summer is how the offense would look with Owen Hulbert at quarterback. He’s been fine (1,487 yards, 65.3%, 15 TD, 5 INT), but the emergence of Kaleb Ferrell (698 yards, 15 TD) and Porter Bennett (563 yards, 5 TD) at running back is the secret sauce for an attack that’s averaging 48.2 points a night.
Clayton has been hurt defensively this season by teams with just enough passing threat to go with a solid ground game. Hoggard ran for just shy of 165 yards on the Comets, while Southeast Raleigh topped 200.
Clayton had enough game wreckers on defense to flip that script, but I think it’s the one we’ll see most often.
Prediction: Cleveland 27, Clayton 21
West Johnston at South Johnston
Records: South Johnston 6-3, 4-2 Carolina Pines 6A; West Johnston 4-5, 3-3
Last week: South Johnston grounded Triton, 41-0, last Thursday, while West Johnston took down Western Harnett, 35-7
Massey Rating spread: South Johnston -8.5
Media Watch: NFHS ($)
HighSchoolOT Playoff projection: South Johnston is projected as the 11 seed in the 6A East, while West Johnston is slotted in at No. 20.
Breakdown: The last two meetings have been playoff eliminators for these schools, so at least we know that both are in the field no matter what.
Still, the fact that it’s a rivalry game keeps it in this category. The Trojans would like to extend their four-game winning streak and keep building momentum.
The offense, behind running back Holt Langston (1,281 yards, 15 TD) and resurgent quarterback Tyler Williams (715 yards, 7 TD, 5 INT) have been supporting a defense, led by all-action linebacker Mason Weaver (113 tackles, 24 for loss) which is allowing just under 11 points per game.
The Wildcats have been almost as good defensively, holding four of the last five opponents to 10 points or less. But the West Johnston offense has been the trouble spot. It has one fewer offensive touchdown (14) as a team than Langston does on his own.
The defense has carried the mail for West this season, but the load will be a bit too heavy this week against a red hot Trojan squad.
Prediction: South Johnston 21, West Johnston 7
Millbrook at Corinth Holders
Records: Millbrook 9-0, 6-0 CAP 8A; Corinth Holders 4-5, 2-4
Last week: Millbrook mauled Wakefield, 55-0, while Corinth Holders dropped a nailbiter to Enloe, 28-22.
Massey Rating spread: Millbrook -39.5
Media Watch: Hudl
HighSchoolOT Playoff projection: Millbrook projects as the No. 2 seed in the 8A East, while Corinth Holders is projected to be the first team out of the field.
Breakdown: Remember last week when we said on the podcast that Corinth Holders needed to find a way to win that Enloe game? This is why.
The Pirates are likely facing a must-win game against one of the best 8A teams in the state this week. It’s possible they could still make the postseason if other results break their way, but it sure looks like a 4-6 record won’t quite cut it in 8A this season.
Prediction: Motivation won’t be a problem, but the Wildcats are just too good. Millbrook 42, Corinth Holders 21.
Games that mean a little
North Johnston at SouthWest Edgecombe
Records: North Johnston 5-4, 2-3 Three Rivers 4A; SouthWest Edgecombe 4-5, 2-3
Last week: North Johnston roared past North Lenoir, 48-25, while SouthWest Edgecombe lost 44-19 at West Craven.
Massey Rating spread: SW Edgecombe -28.5
Media Watch: NFHS ($)
HighSchoolOT Playoff projection: North Johnston is projected as the 14th seed in the 4A East, while SouthWest Edgecombe is in at No. 13.
Breakdown: With both teams out of the conference title picture, but very much in the 4A playoff bracket, there isn’t much to play for here other than seeding.
A Panther win would result in them leapfrogging the Cougars in the projected bracket, however, setting up a potentially more favorable first-round foe.
If you’re wondering why a SouthWest Edgecombe team that has lost three games in a row is a four-touchdown favorite over North, check the schedule. The Cougars’ win over Eastern Wayne is better than any victory on the Panthers’ schedule, and that 14-0 loss to might Tarboro is an RPI booster as well.
Me? I’m wondering about the three-game skid since that Eastern Wayne game. I’ll buy the Cougars as a favorite, but not by that many.
Prediction: SouthWest Edgecombe 32, North Johnston 22
Games that are on the schedule
Rosewood at Princeton
Records: Rosewood 2-7, 2-3 Swine Valley 2A/3A; Princeton 5-4, 2-3
Last week: Rosewood fell to Wallace-Rose Hill, 58-0, while Princeton lost to James Kenan, 49-14.
Massey Rating spread: Princeton -28.5
Media Watch: NFHS ($)
HighSchoolOT Playoff projection: Princeton is slotted in as the 10 seed in the 3A East, while Rosewood is projected as the 17th seed in the 2A East.
Breakdown: Princeton is a huge favorite in a game that’s only important for seeding purposes. Corinth Holders fans will grouse at the fact that a 2-8 Rosewood team is playoff bound, but when you split schools this many ways, you get split conferences. And this is the result (more on that in a bit).
Prediction: Princeton 48, Rosewood 22
American Leadership Academy at Nash Central
Records: ALA 4-5, 0-4 Quad County 2A/3A/4A; Nash Central 2-7, 1-3
Last week: American Leadership Academy fell to Roanoke Rapids, 32-14, while Nash Central lost to Wake Prep, 29-21
Massey Rating spread: Nash Central -34.5
Media Watch: None
HighSchoolOT Playoff projection: America Leadership Academy is currently slated to be the 13th seed in the 2A East, while Nash Central is projected as the 15th seed in the 4A East.
Breakdown: As the only 2A team in a 2A/3A/4A league, four wins were always going to be enough for the Patriots to earn their first-ever playoff berth. That might be all they get in the regular season with a trip to Nash Central looming.
The Bulldogs’ 2-7 record isn’t anything to write home about, but single-digit losses to Bunn, Wake Prep and Louisburg are concerning for fans of the transitive property.
That 26-point win over the team that knocked off ALA last week is worth noting, too.
Prediction: Nash Central 35, American Leadership Academy 20