East vs. Glenn playoffs

Glenn High School is expecting a full house when they host East Forsyth on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in a Class 4-A West third round football playoff game.
The Bobcats and Eagles have always had a big rivalry in football, but it would be difficult to overstate what this game means to the teams involved, the schools involved and the community as a whole.
“No doubt it is a big game for the town of Kernersville. Everybody talks about high school football in Charlotte and in Raleigh. Early in the season and in the playoffs, I said two of the best teams in the state are in Kernersville, and here we are,” said East Forsyth Head Coach Todd Willert.
For the Bobcats, Friday’s game is a chance to make school history.
“We feel good, and of course it is a big game. For Glenn, we have never been beyond the third round of the playoffs. This group could make school history winning on Friday,” said Bobcat Head Coach Antwon Stevenson.
As of 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Glenn Athletic Director Joe McCormick said that 3,000 tickets to the game had already been sold. Stevenson said, “Whatever the max (capacity) is, we will definitely get there by Friday.” McCormick said the max crowd capacity at the stadium is around 4,500 to 4,600, but “that is up to the Fire Marshal.”
East Forsyth (10-1) is the No. 13 seed in the West and is on a seven-game win streak. The Eagles defeated Southeast Guilford 49-0 in the first round of the playoffs and claimed a 17-0 upset win on the road over No. 4 seed Ardrey Kell on Friday. The Eagles’ only loss this season was a 22-18 setback to Reagan on Sept. 17. Glenn (9-2) is the No. 5 seed in the West bracket. The Bobcats lost 30-6 to two-time defending Class 4-AA State champion Charlotte Chambers on Sept. 3 and lost 44-38 in triple overtime to East Forsyth on Oct. 22. Glenn defeated Charlotte Providence 7-3 in the first round of the playoffs, and rallied to defeat Myers Park 54-53 in the second round on Friday. The Bobcats trailed 35-14 at halftime on Friday, and were down by 12 points with three minutes left to play.
“We definitely can’t have the start we had against Myers Park against East Forsyth,” Stevenson said.
Both teams will be challenged on both sides of the ball and on special teams.
“Offensively, we have had so much success winning on third down. The big key is we have to continue to win on third down on offense and defense. Glenn has one of the best defenses we have played against. We struggled a little in the red zone in the last game. They stopped us on fourth and one in the red zone, and they stopped us once on their five-yard line and once on their 10-yard line. Once we get in the red zone, we have to score touchdowns and not field goals. When you get this far in the playoffs, it is about scoring touchdowns,” Willert said. “Glenn has had a lot of big explosive plays on offense. Defensively, we have to limit them on that. We can’t let them score fast.”
East has also had a lot of big plays this season. Stopping the big plays and taking care of the ball will be crucial for the Bobcats.
“The biggest thing for us is not to give up the big play. In our last game against them, three of their four offensive scores were on big plays. We had two pick sixes and six or seven personal fouls, so we have to clean up those things,” said Stevenson. “Offensively, we have to own the line of scrimmage, not turn the ball over and take what the defense gives us. If it is not there, it is not there. We need to just live to play another down.”
Both teams are hoping to win, or at least not lose, the battle on special teams.
“Any time I have (kicker) Andrew Conrad with me, I feel pretty good that we will win the kicking battle. We have to do a better job of protecting Andrew on the punting and kicking game,” said Willert.
Good coverage on kick returns and punt returns is a focus for the Bobcats.
“We have to stop their return game. (Que’sean) Brown is a returner on kickoffs and punts, and we have to corral him as quick as possible. We have to get down field and make tackles. We can’t give up touchdowns on the kicking game,” Stevenson said.