PIKEVILLE — Few moments in the 61-year history of Charles B. Aycock’s football program have possessed the magnitude of the opportunity the Golden Falcons will be presented with on Friday night.

Aycock (10-0) reached the 10-win mark this season for just the third time in program history, but this season is the first time the Golden Falcons have started 10-0.

A win over Eastern Alamance (3-7) on Friday night at Hardy Talton Stadium in the first round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 3-A state playoffs would give Aycock its first 11-win season.

The game can be heard on 98.3 WGBR and Goldsborodailynews.com, beginning with the UNC Health Wayne pre-game show at 6:30 p.m. Kickoff is at 7.

“I think one thing is they’ve just stayed constant,” Golden Falcons head coach Tom Zietlow said of his team. “There really hasn’t been a lot of ups and downs. It’s been the same kind of mentality each week. They’ve been able to handle it and know there’s more we want to achieve as each week goes on. There’s a lot this senior class can leave behind legacy wise that they’re looking to add to their resume.”

Friday night marks the third time all-time meeting between Eastern Alamance and Aycock. Both prior match-ups came in the postseason, and the Eagles were victorious in the 2012 and 2015 meetings.

The Eagles outscored the Golden Falcons 97-20 in those two meetings.

Aycock is also seeking to reach the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Ironically, the Golden Falcons’ season ended that year with a 42-6 loss at Eastern Alamance.

The Golden Falcons’ undefeated regular season centered largely around a defense that held opponents to 9.9 points per game and has yet to surrender a point in the first quarter.

Aycock has held nine of its 10 opponents to 14 points or less and has forced 27 turnovers (19 fumble recoveries/8 interceptions).

Senior linebacker Antwain Grantham leads Aycock with 82 tackles and 15 tackles-for-loss.

“I think a lot of has to do with the leadership in the middle,” Zietlow said. “We’re strong all the way from front to back, but definitely the leadership in the middle with Antwain (Grantham) and Jasaan (Williams), and then Jadon (Best) up front, they set the tone. Everyone just kind of falls in, and we have some kids that are starting for the first time for us, and they’ve caught on and really helped us out.”

Eastern Alamance endured a brutal schedule facing three teams that are currently 10-0, and two more that are 9-1. The Eagles’ 10 regular season opponents are collectively 69-31.

Despite having an uncharacteristic season in 2024, Eastern Alamance is no stranger to success, having won 49 games between 2019-2023.

The Eagles are making their 20th consecutive playoff appearance.

Offensively, Aycock has been anchored all season by a running game that has rushed for 2,638 yards (263.8 yards per game/8.2 yards per carry) and 40 touchdowns.

Senior tailbacks Ricky Elliot and Caleb Frederick have tallied 29 touchdowns and have been a security blanket for junior quarterback Sid Lancaster, who is making his first playoff start on Friday night.

Elliot has rushed for more than 100 yards eight times this season as part of a Golden Falcons’ offense that averages 42 points 336.5 yards per game, and 8 yards a play.

Eastern Alamance has its own running back duo in seniors Tyrek Samuel and Jaden Russo. Samuel has been the focal point of the Eagles’ offense, while Russo provides a reliable second option behind sophomore quarterback Braxton Ballard.

“Tyrek provides that spark for our offense,” Eagles head coach Mitch Mitchener said. “He’s a dynamic player who has carried the load for us most of the year, and Jaden does a great job of coming and still being able to give us a little bit of a punch while Tyrek catches his breath. They’ve done really well as a tandem.”

After starting the season 0-6, Eastern Alamance finished the regular season by winning three of its last four games.

The Eagles averaged 30 points a game during that stretch, and their defense forced 13 turnovers and recorded 26.5 tackles for loss.

Senior middle linebacker Deshan Hairston leads Eastern Alamance with over 100 tackles.

“I think we have started to kind of gel together offensively and find out offensive identity,” Mitchener said. “Our defense, we got guys in the right spots and they’re pursuing the ball like they’re supposed to do on defense. Special teams wise, we also had to make some adjustments and get some guys in the right spots and that’s paid off for us as well.”