PLYMOUTH — After seeing its eight-game winning streak snapped at the hands of Manteo, Plymouth has responded by putting together back-to-back masterpieces as the Vikings head into the second round of the playoffs having outscored opponents 120-0 in their last two games.
The third-seeded Vikings (10-1) will look to continue their domination tonight as they hit the road to take on No. 2 Creswell (9-1) in attempt to win their third straight district title.
Plymouth opened up the playoffs with a convincing 56-0 win over Columbia on a cold and rainy night and will look to stay hot tonight against the Tigers.
Vikings coach Robert Cody said the best part about his opening round win was that everybody left the game in one piece.
“It was a really cold night and there was a lot of rain, but nobody got hurt and that’s a big thing,” Cody said.
Creswell, the winners of the Tideland Conference, also cruised to a first round win as the Tigers blew by Cape Hatteras 46-0.
That win set up a second round showdown with the Vikings for the second straight year.
Plymouth won the matchup comfortably last year, but Cody said that doesn’t mean anything come kickoff time.
The Tigers, who run a wing-T offense but mix it up with other formations, and feature a strong rushing attack that will keep the Vikings’ defense on their toes.
“Their quarterback is really fast and he throws the ball well,” Cody said. “They got some kids in the backfield that can run pretty good so we have to make sure we align properly and tackle really good.”
Plymouth will counter with a wing-T offense that has been one of the best in the state and is led running backs Kendrick Pitt, Devontae bland and Quadrie Pettiford.
The Vikings scored 26 points in their win over a quality Ayden-Grifton team in their season opener and have not scored less than 40 in a game since.
“Devontae, Quadrie and Kendrick have been really good but they get a lot of help from the boys up front,” Cody said. “We have three sophomores and two juniors on the line and they really made a commitment to the weight room and bust their butts.”
Plymouth has been equally stellar on the defense, and aside from its 46-40 overtime loss to Manteo, the Vikings have not allowed a team to score over 26 points this year and have pitched four shutouts.
Cody said that unit has received a big boost from Carly McRay, a running back who has also put in time at nose guard.
“Carl McCray has been really good, we put him down at nose guard and he’s really helped us,” Cody said. “He’s really quick, he makes you look really smart when he shoots that gap.”
Cody said the key for his team tonight is to go out and perform the fundamentals at a high level.
“We’ve been working a lot on blocking and tackling this week,” Cody said. “We have to go out there tonight and do those two things well and not turn the ball over.”