There are many ways to build this up, and I believe I'll do so chronologically:
Maiden HC Will Byrne and East Surry HC Trent Lowman are no strangers to football, success, or each other. It seems their paths are bound by fate to intertwine for a lifetime.
Their dads are historic Catawba County coaches. Randy Lowman coached at Bandys for 26 years (1987-2012) and Fred Byrne was Tom Brown's right hand man and defensive guru for many many years (I'm unsure of how long, haven't been able to get that info yet).
Byrne and Lowman were even Shrine Bowl teammates. (According to Chris Hobbs, Hobbs Daily Report)
As coaches, Byrne and Lowman have met 5 times total, 2 of those times as head coaches:
| Maiden | | Bandys | |
| Byrne - Asst | 21 | 2013 | 19 | Lowman - HC |
| Byrne - Asst | 21 | 2014 | 29 | Lowman - HC |
| Byrne - Asst | 41 | 2015 | 0 | Lowman - HC |
| Byrne - HC | 56 | 2016 | 40 | Lowman - HC |
| Byrne - HC | 35 | 2017 | 21 | Lowman - HC |
Byrne leads the series as Head Coaches 2-0
Lowman has a 1-4 record all-time against Maiden
Their Head Coaching careers are off to historic starts as well:
In his 9th season, Lowman has a career record of 70-39 (64%) and a career playoff record of 13-5 (72% - wow). He spent 5 years at Bandys (23-36 record - 0-3 in playoffs) and is in his 4th season at East Surry with an overall record of 47-6 (89%) - 34-4 in season and 13-2 in playoffs including a 1-2 record in State Championship games.
In his 6th season, Byrne has a career record of 55-14 (80%) - 51-9 in season and a career playoff record of 4-5 (44%). This 4th round game is the deepest Byrne has coached and as deep as Maiden has been since the 2004 season.
Maiden and East Surry, to the best of my knowledge, have only ever met twice. Both games were playoff games and at East Surry. In 2002 Maiden won in the second round 31-6, Byrne's younger brother Mike was a senior that year and I was a freshman, it was one of the coldest games I've ever played in. In 2003 Maiden won in the 1st round 21-12 and I was awarded the "Hit of the Week" honor for that game. Maiden holds the series 2-0 over East Surry.
Currently, Maiden has not won a road playoff game since 2011 at Polk County and East Surry has not lost a home playoff game since 2015 versus Walkertown. Either East Surry finally beats Maiden, or Maiden finally gets a long awaited road playoff win...someone's got to fold.
These current teams are something to behold. Both undefeated and both made it out of a 3rd round matchup that very few saw them winning. Both have an exciting passing offense and stingy defenses.
| Round 4 | Maiden | East Surry |
| Season PF | 40 | 51 |
| Season PA | 7 | 9 |
| RS Shutouts | 3 | 3 |
| RS Games <= 8 PA by defense | 7 | 5 |
| Most PA in RS | 21 | 22 |
| Playoff PF | 39 | 26 |
| Playoff PA | 9 | 12 |
| PO Shutouts | 1 | 0 |
| PO Games <= 8 PA by defense | 2 | 1 |
| Most PA in PO | 20 | 20 |
| NCHSAA RPI | #3 | #2 |
| MP 2A West Rank | #1 | #5 |
| MP 2A Rank | #1 | #5 |
| MP State Rank | #19 | #33 |
| MP Rating | 35.4 | 28.1 |
While most people on here seem to lean towards Maiden being the favorite, I believe the opposite is true. Maiden, figuratively and physically, have a mountain to climb still. East Surry has proven playoff success and are looking for their 4th consecutive year to play in the State Championship game. After 5 years struggling in the playoffs under Coach Byrne, Maiden has finally found their groove.
For both of these teams, as exciting as the offenses are, Defense is king. Neither defenses have faltered all year. The difference in these teams is how the offenses have struggled: Maiden struggled at times during the regular season and are back in stride during the playoffs while East Surry seems to find their offense not as potent in the playoffs as they had been during the regular season. Neither defense has allowed more than 3 scores all season: Maiden on 2 occasions - East Surry 3 times. Both teams have a statement win, both last week against formidable competition.
For Maiden I wonder: Will the lack of deep round playoff experience catch up to them? Will the first test of a true passing team expose the defense at last? Will on and off special teams play be a factor?
For East Surry I wonder: Can their offense find itself again versus the toughest defense they've seen all year? Will their playoff margin of victory that went from 27 points to 17 points to 1 point finally be eclipsed under the weight of a 4th round 2A opponent? Can their Head Coach and Football Team finally get over the Maiden hump?
While the game last week filled me with nervous anticipation, this week I feel nothing by pure excitement. This is what playoff football is all about in a game that is now obvious to me was always meant to be. This will not be the last time these schools, and coaches, will meet in the playoffs (hopefully at Maiden at some point in my lifetime).
Both of these offenses are capable and have shown signs of struggling from time to time. Both of these defenses are gritty, keep plays in front of them, and take great angles. Both of these coaches are in sync with their players and are getting maximum effort. Both of these fan bases will be in full force and at maximum octave on Friday night. In a clean game (no heavy penalties, no turnovers) I believe the difference makers will be Maiden's run game and East Surry's special teams play. In all honesty, this game may be as simple as "which offensive line plays the best".
If you Pilot Mountain boys can slip Barney Fife an extra $20 to keep the stoplights green for the blue wave coming up the road, we'll pay you back when we get there.
Prediction: Maiden by 11 -- Maiden 28 - East Surry 17
Good luck to both teams. Play violent through the whistle and keep your head on a swivel. LET THE SMOKE ROLL!!
