By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
The Williams boys’ soccer team did Western Alamance a favor late in the regular season.
No more help at this point. The teams are matched up in the first round of the Class 3-A state playoffs.
Western Alamance (14-5-3) is the No. 10 seed in the East Region, with the Warriors at home for a 7:00 p.m. game Monday against No. 23 seed Williams (10-9-2).
Williams won the 2019 state championship. Western claimed the 2021 title.
Western beat Williams in both regular-season meetings earlier this fall.
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In the Central 3-A Conference, third-place Williams knocked off Cedar Ridge 1-0 on October 18, leaving an opening for Western Alamance to move alone into first place and claim the league championship.
Also in Class 3-A, No. 31 Southern Alamance (10-9-2) goes to second-seeded Greenville Rose (18-2-1).
Eastern Alamance (5-13-1) didn’t qualify.
First-round games are set for Monday, with the second round Thursday. Here’s a look at the other classes:
Class 2-A
Southeast Alamance claimed a playoff spot in the school’s first year, holding the No. 17 seed and going to No. 16 seed Washington (14-5).
The Stallions (15-6) were the second-place team in the Mid-Carolina Conference behind champion Jordan-Matthews.
Graham (10-13), hurt by a three-game losing streak against the top three teams in the Mid-Carolina Conference to close the season, and Cummings (3-10-1) didn’t make the states.
Class 1-A
Central Tar Heel 1-A Conference champion River Mill is the No. 2 seed in the East Region. [See separate story in this week’s edition on River Mill’s championship regular season: https://alamancenews.com/river-mill-soccer-makes-mark-with-perfect-league-record/]
The Jaguars (19-2) take a 16-game winning streak into the states with a game against No. 31 seed Henderson Collegiate (2-13-1).
A victory would send River Mill against either No. 15 seed Eno River (10-8-2) or No. 18 seed Falls Lake (7-10-2). Eno River and River Mill split two non-conference results in a pair of August meetings.
Meanwhile, Clover Garden (6-12-1) is seeded No. 27 and must go to sixth-seeded Lejeune (10-4-1).
Class 1-A
Central Tar Heel 1-A Conference champion River Mill is the No. 2 seed in the East Region.
The Jaguars (19-2) take a 16-game winning streak into the states with a game against No. 31 seed Henderson Collegiate (2-13-1).
A victory would send River Mill against either No. 15 seed Eno River (10-8-2) or No. 18 seed Falls Lake (7-10-2). Eno River and River Mill split two non-conference results in a pair of August meetings.
Meanwhile, Clover Garden (6-12-1) is seeded No. 27 and must go to sixth-seeded Lejeune (10-4-1).
