The Avery High Vikings won their state playoff opener Friday night, and they did it without their star quarterback Alex Villanueva.

Villanueva, who suffered a broken collarbone in late September, sat out Avery's Class 1AA post-season opener against Bessemer City, but the Vikings prevailed 42-20  at MacDonald Stadium in Newland. Villanueva reaggravated the injury in last Friday night's regular-season finale against Mitchell.
Senior Dustin Childress, who filled in admirably for Villanueva earlier this season, got the starting nod. But it was Avery's (9-3) running game that put Bessemer City out of its misery. The Vikings ran for 318 yards. Colton Blackburn paced the attack with 144 yards and scored twice; Spencer Blackburn also scored twice.
The Vikings entertain Swain County in a second-round game Friday night. Swain County defeated Hendersonville. 30-7.
Unfortunately, the news wasn't very good for Ashe County. The Huskies (4-8), who endured their first losing season since 2004, lost to Canton-Pisgah 48-14 in the opening round of the Class 2AA playoffs Friday night.
Joe Weaver and Dustin Gay scored for the Huskies, who made the state playoffs for the eighth year in a row.

In Other Games:

N.C. 4AA

East

Garner 42, Raleigh Broughton 9

Middle Creek 41, Raleigh Leesville Rd. 40

Ral. Wakefield 31, Wilm. Laney 28

WF-Rolesville 13, Ral. Millbrook 0

Mideast

Fayetteville Britt 28, Lumberton 13

Fay. Seventy-First 36, Durham Jordan 28

Fuquay-Varina 6, Cary 0

Panther Creek 44, South View 21

Midwest

Butler 56, East Forsyth 7

Greensboro Page 33, West Forsyth 10

NW Guilford 23, Scotland County 22

Richmond Senior 35, Providence 0

West

Ardrey Kell 35, South Mecklenburg 10

Hopewell 35, Garinger 6

Mallard Creek 56, Olympic 0

Vance 14, South Caldwell 3

N.C. 4A

East

Clayton 20, Wilmington Hoggard 14

New Bern 32, Greenville Rose 22

SE Raleigh 35, Harnett Central 20

S. Durham 14, Wilm. New Hanover 7

Mideast

Durham Hillside 46, SE Guilford 0

Lee County 16, Northern Durham 12

Greensboro Dudley 19, Fay. Smith 14

Pembroke Swett 28, Fay. Sanford 14

Midwest

Davie County 35, North Davidson 10

HP Central 28, Greensboro Smith 22

Ragsdale 49, Kernersville Glenn 21

W-S Mt. Tabor 42, SW Guilford 17

West

A.C. Reynolds 42, Asheville Roberson 7

Porter Ridge 49, East Gaston 7

Sun Valley 38, Mooresville 35

West Charlotte 20, Alexander Central 7

N.C. 3AA

East

Northern Nash 26, Southern Nash 7

South Central Pitt 25, West Brunswick 6

West Carteret 20, Nash Central 13

Wilson Hunt 67, Greenville Conley 36

Mideast

Cardinal Gibbons 24, Overhills 14

Fayetteville Byrd 34, W. Alamance 7

Hope Mills Gray's Creek 28, Asheboro 0

N. Guilford 43, Erwin Triton 7

Midwest

Kannapolis Brown 21, Hickory Ridge 18

Statesville 35, North Forsyth 14

Weddington 28, Marvin Ridge 14

Charlotte Catholic 65, SW Randolph 10

West

Asheville Erwin 61, Kings Mountain 40

Crest 29, Gastonia Ashbrook 26

Morganton Freedom 44, Enka 21

South Point 14, Gastonia Forestview 0

N.C. 3A

East

Havelock 55, Currituck 28

South Brunswick 39, Washington 7

S. Vance 22, E. Wayne 14

S. Wayne 35, Hertford County 19

Mideast

E. Alamance 36, Rockingham County 10

Mt. Pleasant 37, S. Guilford 21

NE Guilford 16, Burlington Williams 13

South Johnston 47, Oxford Webb 12

Midwest

China Grove Carson 45, Hickory 33

Concord 31, Concord Cox Mill 12

NW Cabarrus 20, West Iredell 17

West Rowan 34, Harding 8

West

Asheville 32, Waynesville Tuscola 14

E. Henderson 32, Franklin 3

Lawndale Burns 38, West Henderson 7

Lenoir Hibriten 42, Morganton Patton 0

N.C. 2AA

East

Bunn 21, North Pitt 20

Eliz. City Northeastern 39, Topsail 13

Kinston 34, Richlands 19

Wilson Beddingfield 36, SW Edgecombe 28

Mideast

Cedar Ridge 29, Central Davidson 8

High Point Andrews 52, St. Pauls 0

Pittsboro Northwood 41, S. Granville 7

Randleman 38, Reidsville 35

Midwest

Berry 51, West Stokes 20

Marshville Forest Hills 31, S. Iredell 30

Piedmont 28, West Stanly 6

Salisbury 56, North Surry 21

West

Canton Pisgah 48, Ashe County 14

Shelby 38, Claremont Bunker Hill 6

Wilkes Central 35, West Lincoln 27

Black Mountain Owen 28, Newton-Conover 25

N.C. 2A

East

East Duplin 61, NW Halifax 18

First Flight 45, South Lenoir 14

Tarboro 47, Pasquotank 0

Roanoke Rapids 56, Jax. Northside 0

Mideast

Carrboro 55, Whiteville 33

East Bladen 47, North Johnston 40

Fairmont 40, North Brunswick 26

South Columbus 43, Franklinton 7

Midwest

Burlington Cummings 55, E. Randolph 14

Lexington 35, Climax Providence Grove 0

Thomasville 36, Jordan-Matthews 9

W-S Carver 44, West Davidson 0

West

Lincolnton 44, Brevard 7

E. Rutherford 24, Boonville Starmount 14

Mountain Heritage 33, East Lincoln 19

Polk County 52, Maiden 21

N.C. 1AA

East

Ayden-Grifton 42, Rocky Point Trask 21

Gates County 42, Camden County 7

Riverside Martin 47, Perquimans 6

SW Onslow 63, Dixon 0

Mideast

East Columbus 22, Red Springs 19

Goldsboro 44, Dunn Midway 0

Pender 55, East Montgomery 6

Warsaw Kenan 29, Clinton Union 28

Midwest

Albemarle 27, Bishop McGuinness 14

Monroe 34, East Surry 27

Mt. Airy 41, Monroe Central Academy 6

West Montgomery 14, North Rowan 0

West

Avery County 42, Bessemer City 20

Mitchell 49, Cherryville 27

Swain County 30, Hendersonville 7

West Wilkes 21, East Wilkes 7

N.C. 1A

East

Chocowinity Southside 40, Columbia 0

Creswell 20, Northampton-East 8

Manteo 74, Mattamuskeet 0

Plymouth 49, Pinetown Northside 12

Mideast

North Duplin 20, Weldon 6

North Edgecombe 40, KIPP Pride 20

Northampton-West 14, Jones 0

Wallace-Rose Hill 70, Lejeune 16

Midwest

Hobbton 42, Chatham Central 29

North Stokes 12, South Stanly 0

Roseboro Lakewood 35, Princeton 7

Rosewood 35, South Davidson 6

West

Andrews 43, Hayesville 25

Elkin 59, Cherokee 19

Murphy 58, Monroe Union Academy 12

Robbinsville 46, Rosman 28