Which teams will compete in the 2A state championship? Will it be Shelby vs. Clinton, Reidsville vs. Northeastern, Shelby vs. Northeastern, or Reidsville vs. Clinton?

This is a reference for the plot points and significant figures to be aware of in both the Eastern and Western finals.

East Final for 2A: Northeastern (2) vs. Clinton (1)

The regional final tonight will feature the top two teams in the 2A East division this season.

The highly anticipated game between two high-scoring teams will not be the same as originally expected. Unfortunately, Clinton’s star all-purpose player, Josiah McLaurin, is unable to play due to a foot injury. McLaurin was a key player for the team, rushing for 1,170 yards and scoring 27 touchdowns in addition to 509 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in the 12 games he played. Now, the responsibility falls on junior Josiah Robinson, who also has over 1,000 rushing yards, and Amaris Williams, a defensive line commit for Florida, to carry most of the workload in the backfield.

Throughout the season, Northeastern has shown improvement in terms of overall health. Injuries to key defensive players hindered their performance earlier on. However, the offense has been impressive, especially with senior Tyselle Spencer’s remarkable speed, as seen in his 4.3 40-yard dash time. This is evident when watching him play in person. So far this season, Spencer has accumulated 2,491 rushing yards and scored 33 touchdowns.

Before McLaurin’s injury, Clinton was the clear favorite. However, now that he is out, the outcome of the match seems less certain than we had anticipated.

	Northeastern	Clinton
Record	An unbeaten record of 14 wins and 0 losses, with a perfect 7-0 record in conference games.	The team has a perfect record of 14 wins and 0 losses, with 5 wins and 0 losses in conference play.
Common Opp.	2-0	2-0
MaxPreps Rating	16.3	27.4
MaxPreps SoS	-11.7	-10.8
Points Scored/Game	49.9	52.4
Yards Gained/Game	520.6	395.9
Turnovers/Game	N/A	N/A
Passing Yards/Game	252.3	129.4
Completion %	65.0%	67.5%
Passing Yards/Att	14.9	14.7
Passing TDs	43	25
Passing INTs	9	1
Rushing Yards/Game	268.3	266.5
Rushing Yards/Att	11.6	11.1
Fumbles	N/A	N/A
Points Allowed/Game	24.9	12.9
Shutouts	2	1
Yards Allowed/Game	296.9	202.1
Takeaways/Game	2.1	2.1
Yards allowed per game for passing.	97.9	73.7
Completion % Allowed	49.5%	52.2%
Allowed Passing Yards per Attempt	7.1	4.6
Interceptions	12	17
Sacks	35	26
Rush Yards Allowed/Game	199.0	128.5
Yards per attempt allowed in rush plays	5.2	3.7
Forced Fumbles	11	6

The final game in the 2A West bracket will be between (7) Shelby and (1) Reidsville.

The top two 2A programs with the richest history face off in a regional final. Together, they have a record of more than 30 state championships. This is as good as it gets.

Several of the older players on the Reidsville team have a strong recollection of the previous match between these two teams. In the 2021 state playoffs, Shelby eliminated Reidsville in the fourth round.

Al Lee, a quarterback, is seeking retribution against Shelby, who claimed the 2021 2A state championship. In the previous year, Reidsville also made it to the 2A state championship but lost to East Duplin.

Both teams will pass the ball frequently. Al Lee, mentioned earlier, has a receiving group composed of basketball players who were highly recruited in their respective sports.

Lan Farmer, a 6-foot-4 sophomore quarterback for Shelby, has accumulated 3,239 passing yards, 42 passing touchdowns, and only eight interceptions this season. The majority of his yards have been caught by senior Izay Bridges, who has 79 receptions for 1,699 yards and 18 touchdowns and has committed to NC Central.

According to the data, this is the most closely-contested game among all of tonight’s regional finals.

	Shelby	Reidsville
Record	11 wins and 3 losses in total, with 6 wins and 0 losses in conference play.	Thirteen to one overall, with a perfect record of six wins and zero losses in conference play.
Common Opp.	0-0	0-0
MaxPreps Rating	25.9	22.7
MaxPreps SoS	0.8	-3.8
Points Scored/Game	48.5	40.9
Yards Gained/Game	401.4	391.2
Turnovers/Game	1.2	N/A
Passing Yards/Game	233.1	235.8
Completion %	66.5%	64.3%
Passing Yards/Att	11.6	10.3
Passing TDs	43	43
Passing INTs	8	8
Rushing Yards/Game	168.3	155.4
Rushing Yards/Att	6.9	6.5
Fumbles	15	N/A
Points Allowed/Game	19.3	13.3
Shutouts	3	2
Yards Allowed/Game	318.5	236.4
Takeaways/Game	1.4	2.0
Average passing yards allowed per game	186.5	106.8
Completion % Allowed	53.9%	46.6%
Pass Yards/Att Allowed	8.4	6.2
Interceptions	10	16
Sacks	56	23
Yards given up per game	132.0	129.5
Rush Yards/Att Allowed	4.5	4.3
Forced Fumbles	5	12

Source: highschoolot.com