Albemarle coasted to a 49-0 home shutout win over South Davidson in the opening round of the state football playoffs.
The No. 6 Bulldogs (6-5), the Yadkin Valley Conference champions, entered the NCHSAA 1A bracket on a winning streak and extended it to four games with a dominant win over the No. 27 Wildcats (4-7).
Albemarle got ahead early with a 21-point first quarter and extended that lead to 28 by halftime.
Senior quarterback Ander Artis completed 8 of 13 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns, and backup quarterback Dre Davis added a passing score of his own. Wideouts Ja’Zyion Geiger, Jason Wall and Christian Harris each had a touchdown reception.
The Bulldogs also excelled on the ground with running backs Malik Watkins and Kaine McLendon combining for 155 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries.
Albemarle safety Jaylen Pinkney added a fumble recovery for a touchdown early in the game.
The Bulldogs will stay at home for the second round of the playoffs when they host No. 11 Thomasville (8-3), which defeated No. 22 Andrews (4-7) 49-6 on Friday.
North Stanly 34, T.W. Andrews 32
Ninth-seeded North Stanly used a last-minute touchdown to overcome No. 24 T.W. Andrews in New London and move on to the second round of the 2A bracket.
With North down 32-27 with under a minute to play, wide receiver Jaylon McKoy hauled in the game-winning pass from quarterback Chance Blake to give the Comets (8-3) a two-point win over the Red Raiders (6-5).
The Comets will now hit the road to face No. 8 Brevard (9-2). The Blue Devils took down No. 25 Trinity (5-6) 44-13 in the first round, extending their winning streak to nine games.
Randleman 43, West Stanly 0
West Stanly’s season came to an end Friday night as the No. 27 Colts were shut out 43-0 at No. 6 Randleman (10-1) in the first round of the 2A bracket.
Randleman (10-1) now moves on to host No. 11 Forest Hills (10-1).
Playing on their home field, the Tigers got two touchdown passes from John Kirkpatrick and four rushing touchdowns — including three from Edison Hernandez — to blow past the Colts (5-6).
West Stanly opened its season with three wins before losing six of the next eight games.
Bessemer City 52, South Stanly 32
In the 1A bracket, No. 25 South Stanly suffered a 52-32 road loss to No. 8 Bessemer City.
The Rowdy Rebel Bulls (4-7) were outgained 391-266 in total yardage, allowing 340 yards on the ground despite holding the Yellow Jackets (6-5) to just 51 passing yards.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Rowdy Rebel Bulls led Bessemer City briefly in the second quarter before the Yellow Jackets jumped to an 18-12 halftime lead and pulled away in the second half. The Yellow Jackets will host No. 9 Swain County (10-1) in the second round.