Four Wayne teams — and Princeton — have title shots as football brackets are released

The 2022 North Carolina High School Athletic Association Football Playoffs brackets are final and, man, there are some potential storylines that are, well, juicy.

Here’s what we know about who is in from Wayne County — and we’ll throw in Princeton for good measure — and what could happen, depending on how the chips fall in the first round:

Charles B. Aycock High School (3A): It’s true that the Golden Falcons were upset in Dudley Friday night against a Southern Wayne team that seemed unwilling to allow their cross-county rival to bask in a perfect regular season, but it’s also true that Aycock, when fully healthy, is as dangerous as any Wayne County team in recent memory. Despite the loss, CBA earned a No. 5 seed in the playoffs and if the Golden Falcons can regroup and win a home game against No. 28 Triton — a team that lost five games this season — they would host either Hunt or Smithfield-Selma in the second round in Pikeville. Did we mention Aycock beat both those teams this year by a single possession?

Eastern Wayne High School (2A): The Warriors are on a four-game winning streak and earned a No. 17 seed in the playoffs. They’ll travel to No. 16 Heide Trask to battle an opponent that can put points on the board in a hurry. But let’s, for a moment, dream about what would happen if EW won their first-round game. They would play the winner of their heated rival Goldsboro vs. conference foe Princeton. Let’s face it. If that happens, fans win either way.

Goldsboro High School (2A): You would think, after losing star player Braxton Morton for the season early in their 2022 campaign, that the 2-8 Cougars would be happy just to get an invite to the playoffs. You would think the boys from the Boro believe they have no chance to knock off the No. 1 seed Princeton — particularly after the Bulldogs rolled them 55-0 in early October. But we guarantee head coach Ronnie McClary will have his team ready to compete in what will, if the game goes the way it did during the regular season, be a chippy contest. And the chance to get a rematch against Eastern Wayne in the second round will add fuel to their fire. The Bulldogs could very well dominate the Cougars again Friday, but this one will absolutely be worth the price of admission.

Rosewood High School (1A): The Eagles are used to being highly ranked in the state playoffs and this year’s No. 3 seed continues that tradition. And luckily for locals, as long as they win, they’ll be at home for the foreseeable future. No. 30 Chatham Central comes to town Friday and Rosewood faithful hope the game is just the first of many they will get to take in from the comfort of their stadium as the Eagles, again, chase a state title.

Here are the complete brackets.