Two powerful narratives will intersect Friday night in Southern Pines when Clayton visits Pinecrest.

For the Comets (9-2), it has been a resurgent season under second-year coach Scott Chadwick. Clayton has posted the most wins in a season since 2018, and are a sleepy second half against Holly Springs and a desperation heave against Cleveland away from being undefeated.

Ironically, 2018 was also the last time the Patriots won 11 games. In that season, the Patriots advanced all the way to the state title game before falling to Wake Forest.

Still, the first round was a bit wobbly for Pinecrest, as it had to rally to knock off South Garner, 45-31, to remain unbeaten.

Now, the temptation is to run the transitive property and point out that Clayton walloped those same Titans, 49-6, back in early October.

Playoff football is rarely that straightforward, however, but it does provide the best method of direct comparison between the schools.

The Massey Ratings have the Comets down as a 6.5-point favorite, and when you consider that home field advantage accounts for about three points, the computer believes that Clayton would be almost 10 points better than Pinecrest on a neutral field.

This is likely due to the Patriots’ schedule, which is not exactly stout. They have an excellent win at Scotland County, but struggled with mediocre teams like Middle Creek (27-24), Richmond (20-12) and, of course, South Garner.

They’ll have to deal with Clayton quarterback Johnathan Montague, who has rushed for an eye-popping 2,192 yards and 36 touchdowns while throwing for 1,407 more yards and a dozen more scores. All he did last week was account for 341 total yards and seven touchdowns, and he seems intent on ending his prep career with a flourish.

You can catch the game on Moore Sports Radio or CRN, and it should be a fun one.