PrepsNow Playbook: Fuquay-Varina and Middle Creek stay low-key before big game

Middle Creek coach Randy Ragland was the starting quarterback when Fuquay-Varina hosted the 1985 2A championship game.

This Friday’s game with Fuquay-Varina may be just as exciting.

But both coaches have tried to rein in their teams, hoping to avoid a perfect storm of hype.

“I like to think we’re accustomed to playing big games at Middle Creek,” Ragland said. “Last week, we didn’t talk a lot about them, we used that time to work on a few things we needed to correct.”

Middle Creek and Fuquay-Varina, rivals who have combined to win at least a share of the conference title in nine of the last 10 seasons, are used to playing big games and big games against one another.

But this one is special.

This late in the year, both teams are still undefeated. Despite their success, that isn’t the norm.

Fuquay-Varina, which had five straight 11-win seasons from 2006-10, was last 8-0 in 1996. Middle Creek, which has never missed the state playoffs in 14 years, had never started a season better than 6-0.

Both teams were off last week, allowing extra time to prepare – and for the excitement to build.

“I always tell them it’s the calm before the storm. You’ve got to be confident in what we’re doing, and then when Friday gets here, it’s time to bring it on,” Fuquay-Varina coach Jeb Hall said. “We try to keep them as calm as possible and get them ready for Friday.”

The Starting 11: players of the week

(The Starting 11 appearances in parentheses.)

Donald Fuller, Ravenscroft (1): Had 12 carries for 148 yards and four touchdowns.

Isaiah Gibbons, Cary (1): Ran 23 times for 184 yards and two TDs.

Montel Goods, Northwood (3): Ran 31 times for 213 yards and four TDs.

Kyle Grewe, Wakefield (1): Caught 11 passes for 108 yards and a TD.

Zach Jacobs, Cleveland (1): Offensive lineman helped pave the way for 628 yards of total offense.

Drew Lemaster, Orange (1): Carried 18 times for 124 yards and a TD, also had a 44-yard interception return for score.

Ankhenaten Martin, Northern Durham (1): Two interceptions on back-to-back possessions.

Matt McKay, Wakefield (2): Completed 19 of 34 passes or 199 yards and two touchdowns (one interception) while runnning 25 times for 124 yards and one touchdown.

Caiden Norman, Cleveland (4): Ran 24 times for 134 yards and three TDs, completed 19 of 25 passes for 276 yards and one TD.

Devon Perry, Ravenscroft (1): Returned two kickoffs for touchdown – both for 86 yards.

Tray Staten, Holly Springs (1): Rushed for a school-record 319 yards and two touchdowns.

3-point stance: top defenses

Hillside: Allowed just 67 yards of total offense in a 48-0 shutout of Riverside.

Northern Durham: Forced six turnovers in a 46-0 shutout of Person.

Wake Forest: Two interceptions and a blocked punt helped defeat Heritage 63-6.

Quick hits

▪ Carrboro is expecting four players back from injury, enough to field a team this week in its Mid-State 2A game against Graham. The Jaguars forfeited last week’s game to Bartlett Yancey, citing too few healthy players in the program.

▪ St. David’s will put its 8-0 record on the line at Rocky Mount Academy on Friday. A win will likely give the Warriors a 10-0 record when the NCISAA 8-man football playoffs begin on Nov. 6.

▪ Former N&O football player of the year Vad Lee, who led Hillside to a perfect 16-0 season and 4A championship in 2010, has led James Madison to a No. 3 ranking in the FCS coaches’ poll. James Madison will host ESPN’s College GameDay this Saturday.

▪ As part of the NFL’s Super Bowl High School Honor Roll program – where players who have participated in a Super Bowl return to their high schools to present a commemorative golden football to their former high school – to celebrate the league’s 50th Super Bowl, former Denver Bronco and college football coach Steve Wilson will return to Northern Durham on Wednesday. At 6 p.m., he will talk to this year’s Knights team. Wilson started for the Broncos in Super Bowl XXII in 1988. He went on to be the head coach at his alma mater Howard as well as Texas Southern.

Postcard

Fuquay-Varina’s big night: Drive around one of Fuquay-Varina’s two downtowns – Fuquay Springs, which was once a separate town on the side of the tracks where Fuquay-Varina Middle School stands today, and Varina, which was once its own town on the same side of the tracks as present-day Fuquay-Varina High School – and you’ll see Bengals. The small statues are in front of area businesses who want to show small-town pride, even if Fuquay-Varina isn’t quite the small town anymore. The town has always loved its football. This Friday is a perfect opportunity to see what it’s all about, but get there early. Parking is already at a premium at the old school, so getting there closer to kickoff may mean parking off the shoulder of a side street.

This story was originally published October 19, 2015 at 4:26 PM with the headline "PrepsNow Playbook: Fuquay-Varina and Middle Creek stay low-key before big game."