Following tonight’s slate of games, the Final Four in all the NCHSAA classifications will be set. Although this new, seemingly unnecessary realignment for public school programs appeared to be a direct money ploy at first, it’s actually made for some highly entertaining playoff games. In turn, we will take a closer look at each of the upcoming semifinal matchups as they are determined, starting with 8A…
Hoggard (1) v. Laney (6)
The Hoggard/Laney matchup is particularly intriguing, both due to their close proximity and array of college-level pieces on both sidelines. One might naturally assume that Hoggard has rolled through the playoffs as the top-seeded team from the East, and they’d be correct. The Vikings’ two playoff wins against Wakefield and Green Level came by 21 and 18 points, respectively. Led by Hunter McGrath, Will Seward, and a batch of meaningful contributors who know their roles (Lukas Batchelor, Porter Morgan, Markell Murphy, and others), this group has been very consistent all season long. These teams have met three separate times this season with Laney reigning victorious twice.
On the other side, Laney has been a quality playoff team and darkhorse contender throughout Coach Donnell’s tenure. Now, they have the opportunity to finish the job. After winning their first-round matchup (Enloe), they proceeded to beat higher seeds (Leesville Road, Apex Friendship) in back-to-back contests to reach the final four. They have a similar team structure as their opponent, where a different guy is capable of exploding on any given night, but their collection of juniors and seniors clearly set the tone for this group. Kareem Anderson, Logan Schumacher, and the Lamb brothers (Colin and Whit) will ultimately decide the fate of this team.
There is no clear favorite going into this contest. Hoggard being the top seed means nothing to Laney, who has found success against this group multiple times. Based on their previous matchups, it seems as if someone will need to step up in a big way. Laney always seems to find strong balance from their aforementioned foursome while Hoggard needs one or multiple of their core pieces (outside of Seward and McGrath) to have a notable showing. Ultimately, these are two extremely talented, well-coached teams that should enjoy a legitimate battle. Whichever squad advances will be a worthy representative for the 8A East.