By Eric Lusk
Sports Editor
elusk@elkintribune.com

Wilkes Central’s recent two-game losing skid has taken some of the luster off the final week of the football regular season in the Mountain Valley 1A/2A Conference.

But both Starmount — which hosts Wilkes Central tonight — and the visiting Eagles still have a lot at stake going into the finale, even though the Rams have already locked up the MVAC championship.

Starmount now is playing for one of the top seeds in the upcoming 2A state playoffs. Some have projected the Rams going as high as No. 2 — maybe even No. 1 — if they win tonight to improve to 9-2.

The state lets each team that has played 11 games throw out one of its losses, so Starmount will be considered 9-1 for seeding purposes if it tops the Eagles this evening, 8-0 in conference.

Mountain Heritage likely also will end up 9-1. Those two teams could have the best records in the Western part of the state for the “Small 2A” bracket. Such a strong seed would give Starmount the opportunity to stay at home for several rounds, provided it keeps on winning.

Wilkes Central now finds itself playing for the No. 2 seed among the 2A schools in the MVAC. If the Eagles lose again, and Ashe County (5-5, 4-3 MVAC) beats East Wilkes (6-4, 4-3 MVAC) tonight at home, Ashe will jump over them in playoff seeding. The Huskies beat Wilkes Central last Monday night, 14-7.

Starmount coach Scott Johnson said he isn’t about to overlook Wilkes Central, despite the somewhat surprising 41-8 defeat the Eagles absorbed at home last Friday against Elkin. That loss came four days after the Ashe game, which was rescheduled to a Monday night because of weather issues.

“It was as short week for them, and I think that had something to do with it,” Johnson said. “I’m sure they didn’t get as much preparation time as normal.”

Wilkes Central coach Jeremy Funderburk has Yadkin roots. He currently lives in Yadkinville and was once an assistant at Forbush. Starmount and Wilkes Central led the way in the MVAC 2A last season.

“He’s got a young team this year,” Johnson said. “They’ve got like 38 kids, and there are 20 freshmen and sophomores on that list.”

One of the top juniors at Central is running back Trae Alexander. While Ashe County and Elkin held him in check for the most part, Alexander still has more than 1,200 rushing yards for the season. If he makes it into the open space, he’s tough to catch (see seven touchdowns vs. East Wilkes a few weeks ago).

“He’s definitely one of the faster kids in the league,” Johnson said. “He can go when he touches it. That’s a big concern.”

Starmount will honor its seniors tonight before the game. The Rams’ senior night festivities will start around 7:10 p.m., with kickoff for the game set for 7:30.

The N.C. High School Athletic Association plans to release state playoff brackets for football on Saturday afternoon around 4 p.m.. Their Web site is www.nchsaa.org. Click on the “playoff brackets” section to reach the football pairings.

Also around the Mountain Valley Conference tonight, Elkin (8-2, 6-1 MVAC) will host Forbush (1-8, 0-7 MVAC) and Alleghany (4-6, 2-5 MVAC) will visit West Wilkes (3-7, 3-4 MVAC).

Elkin has already clinched the No. 1 seed for the 1A playoffs from the conference. The Buckin’ Elks, like Starmount, are hoping a senior night win translates into a high seed for the post-season.

Forbush, on the other hand, would like to spoil that, plus give outgoing head coach Pat Mitchell a victory in his finale.

East Wilkes is aiming to hold on to its fourth-place positioning in the final conference standings.

The Cardinals will finish all alone in fourth (second among 1A schools) with a victory in West Jefferson this evening.