Dixon 58, Rockingham County 50, 2 OT

JJ Gulat and Dixon football made history.

Gulat rushed for 429 yards and seven touchdowns on 36 carries to lead the No. 18 Bulldogs to their first playoff victory in program history with a double overtime win at No. 15 Rockingham in the first round of the NCHSAA 5-A playoffs.

Gulat now has 3,138 yards rushing and 40 touchdowns for the season.

The Bulldogs got the ball first in the second overtime, and Gulat scored a touchdown and two-point conversion to make it 58-50. Dixon then stopped Rockingham to end the game.

The Bulldogs trailed 50-42 in the first OT before Gulat tied the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion. Hunter Talley had a sack in the second OT for the Bulldogs.

Dixon trailed 42-36 before Gulat scored with 1:12 to tie the game. The Bulldogs trailed 42-28 with nine minutes left in the game.

Dixon also trailed 34-22 in the third after the Bulldogs led 22-21 at halftime. Shondell Parker’s touchdown gave the Bulldogs a 14-6 lead in the second quarter.

Dixon (6-5) plays at second-seeded Northeast Guilford (8-2), which had a first-round bye, in the second round. Rockingham ended 5-5. 

White Oak 33, Eastern Guilford 22

Josh Smith rushed for 193 yards and two touchdowns and threw for another as No. 18 White Oak earned its first playoff victory since 2004 with a win at No. 15 Eastern Guilford in the first round of the NCHSAA 6-A playoffs.

The Vikings (5-6) play at second-seeded Northern Nash (9-1), which had a bye, in the second round. Eastern Guilford ended 4-7. The first-round win also snapped a five-game skid for White Oak.

Smith also completed five of eight passes for 88 yards. 

Smith’s 4-yard touchdown run and two-point conversion gave the Vikings a 16-14 lead at halftime. Smith then threw a touchdown pass to Edrick Pineda in the third before running in the two-point conversion to make it 24-14 with eight minutes left in the third.

Montez Jimenez added a rushing touchdown in the fourth to make it 32-14. Jimenez ran for 105 yards on 15 carries. 

Nehemiah Toleito and Chris Smith each intercepted passes for the Vikings. 

Havelock 47, Richlands 0

Richlands managed just one first-half first down and 94 yards of total offense as the No. 21 Wildcats fell at No. 12 Havelock in the first round of the NCHSAA 5-A playoffs.

The Wildcats ended 3-8 while the Rams (6-5) visit fifth-seeded Currituck (8-2), which has a first-round bye.

Zy’King Patillo had five catches for 110 yards and returned the third-quarter kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown to extend the Rams’ lead to 41-0. Jayden Howard rushed for 91 yards on nine carries, scoring on runs of 5 and 11 yards in a 26-point second quarter.

Michael Gatling added a 54-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second while Kaleb Montanye threw touchdown passes of 8 and 3 yards to Lloyd Jones in the first and fourth quarters. Andrew Williams added a short touchdown run in the third. 

Northampton County 50, Lejeune 7

Lejeune allowed 28 second-half points as the No. 21 Devilpups fell at No. 12 Northampton County in the first round of the NCHSAA 2-A playoffs.

Grady Mafaffey’s short touchdown run and extra point kick brought Lejeune to within 16-7 with 1:01 left in the second quarter, but Northampton scored late in the half to extend the lead to 22-7.

The Devilpups ended 1-10. Northampton (4-7) visits fifth-seeded Manteo (6-3), which has a first-round bye, in the second round. 

SouthWest Edgecombe 50, Southwest 0

Southwest Onslow managed just 108 yards of total offense as the No. 22 Stallions lost at No. 11 SouthWest Edgecombe in the first round of the NCHSAA 4-A playoffs.

The Stallions ended 2-8. SouthWest Edgecombe (6-5) next plays at sixth-seeded Bunn (8-2), which had a first-round bye. 

Sandhills Classical Christian 22, Liberty Christian Academy 6

Liberty Christian’s quest for an NCISAA Christian Independent 8-man conference title came up short as the Heat fell to Sandhills Classical in the league title game at North Moore High.

The Heat trailed 14-0 entering the fourth quarter. Liberty Christian’s only touchdown came when Eddie Deptola threw a touchdown pass to Jayden Biggs.

Liberty Christian ended 6-3 while Sandhills moved to 8-2.