BILL KISER

BILL KISER

sports@newstopic.net

Hibriten High School's football team has had a few days to enjoy posting its first-ever perfect regular-season record, and winning a conference title.

But the Panthers now face a new challenge -- the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs, which begins tonight against Charlotte's Harding University in a first-round 3A West regional matchup.

The game will be played at Jeff Storie Memorial Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Hibriten -- 11-0 overall after last week's 48-7 victory over Alexander Central, which also gave the Panthers the outright Northwestern 3A-4A title -- is back in the playoffs for the eighth consecutive year under head coach Chuck Cannon.

It also helps that the Panthers get the No. 1 seed in the 3A West regional playoff bracket -- winning a draw with undefeated and defending state 3A champ West Rowan -- guaranteeing them home games throughout the playoffs until it really counts -- the state title game at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh on Dec. 12.

"I'm hoping we've got that in perspective now," said Cannon, in his 11th season coaching at Hibriten. "All that was nice, but that was last week. Now the season really starts. We've had a good week of practice. I think the kids really understand that, because a lot of them have been here before."

That includes a 12-2 season last year, with both losses coming by a total of two points -- to Fred T. Foard 21-20 during the regular season, and to East Henderson 14-13 in the 2AA West regional semifinals.

The first loss kept the Panthers from getting the No. 1 seed in the 2AA West bracket -- they went in as a No. 3 seed -- and forced them to go on the road for their regional semifinal matchup against No. 2 East Henderson.

Those two losses -- and what last year's team could have achieved without them -- is in the back of the Panthers' players minds entering tonight's game.

"We hope so," Cannon said. "We lost those two games, each of them by one point. I'm hoping that (the players) understand that they don't get many opportunities to get there, and when you do, you've got to play perfect football."

Just from looking at the stat sheets, Hibriten has been playing near-perfect ball. Since beating East Burke 21-19 on Oct. 2, the Panthers have outscored their opponents 328-88, including a 230-35 margin in the first half alone.

That alone -- not to mention how Hibriten put those points on the scoreboard -- impresses first-year Harding University head coach Jeremy Buck.

"They're a No. 1 seed for a reason," Buck said. "They're a dadgum good football team. They run the ball hard, their offensive line is huge, their defense is really big up front and athletic at their linebackers ... and their cornerbacks really go up for the ball.

"There's not many holes on that team -- that's why people are picking them or West Rowan to bring this thing (the state championship) home. We just hope to get in the way for a little while."

While the Rams (4-7 overall, 3-3 MEGA 7 3A-4A, and seeded No. 16 in the 3A West bracket) have had their struggles over the past several years -- Buck is their fourth head coach in the last five years, and they've only had two .500 or better seasons this decade -- Cannon isn't counting them out.

"They're not a bad team," Cannon said. "They're awfully talented. They run it pretty good and throw it pretty good, and their defense runs to the ball pretty well. ... They've given up some big plays, but all in all, they're a solid team.

"It's hard to change coaches just about every year and accomplish something, but they're really not a bad team, they're really not. ... You can tell they've been coached."

And Harding is a team on somewhat of a roll entering the playoffs -- the Rams won four of their last six games, including two by two-point margins, experience that could serve them well against the Panthers.

"We're cautiously optimistic," Buck said. "We know we have a tough opponent, a tough challenge against Hibriten ... but this is one of those deals where we've gone into every game this season feeling we've got a chance to win. We certainly want to go into the playoffs with that same attitude.

"We don't feel like we're a sacrificial lamb ... our kids have played a tough schedule this year, so we're feel like we can go up there and compete."