Rams slotted as third seed for playoffs

On a first glance at the preliminary playoff brackets, Havelock coach Jim Bob Bryant saw his team as the top overall seed in the 3A east region.

But a mistake by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association gave Cardinal Gibbons (10-1) the wrong record. So Havelock (10-1), Cardinal Gibbons and Hertford County had to re-draw for the No. 1 seed.

The Coastal Conference champion Rams came out with the No. 3 seed and will host Southern Guilford (5-6) on Friday in the first round of the playoffs.

“I’m pretty ticked off about it,” Bryant said of the error. “This is the fourth year in a row for me that the brackets have been switched after they’ve been posted. All four years, I’ve gotten the short end of the stick on it.”

Instead of having homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, Havelock will be guaranteed just two games at Wilbur Sasser Stadium, if they continue to win.

The winner of Friday’s game will play East Rowan or South Brunswick.

Homefield advantage may be a factor in the Rams’ playoff push. They’ve won 11-straight home games, which began with an 8-0 win over West Craven in the final game of the 2007 season.

Havelock won its 20th conference title, and first since 2001, with a 42-40 victory over West Craven on Friday.

Junior Danny Webster Jr. became the first Rams quarterback to break the 2,000-yard passing mark for a season.

“We are excited about being in the playoffs,” Bryant said. “Our kids played hard (Friday) night. We pretty much played mistake-free football with no turnovers. Having a chance to win a conference championship at Havelock on senior night was special.”

Last season, Havelock suffered a 35-24 loss to Washington in the first round of the playoffs. Havelock's last playoff victory was a 40-14 triumph over Greensboro Smith in 2000.

“We are a different team than what we were last year,” Bryant said. “We have got different kids on the team and the returning kids have been in our system for two years. They have bought into our system and have done a great job. Our kids will be ready to go and our coaches will be ready to go.”