Unbeaten Apex Friendship hosts unbeaten Hoggard at 6 p.m. Thursday for the 8A East title and a trip to the state final. Middle Creek hosts Williams in the 6A East semifinals.

Apex Friendship’s boys soccer team is one win from the state championship game. The Patriots are 23-0-1 and host Hoggard at 6 p.m. Thursday in the NCHSAA 8A East final.

Hoggard, from Wilmington, has not lost either. The Vikings are 18-0-3. The winner plays for the 8A state title at Durham County Memorial Stadium, where the NCHSAA holds its men’s soccer championships Nov. 19-21.

Middle Creek is also still playing. The Mustangs host Walter M. Williams of Burlington at 6 p.m. Thursday in the 6A East semifinals.

Friendship’s season in numbers

The figures are from the team’s MaxPreps schedule, the NCHSAA’s official scores partner.

  • Record: 23-0-1, and 12-0 in the Quad City Seven 8A
  • Goals: 91 scored, 19 allowed
  • Winning streak: 21 games
  • The only blemish: a 1-1 tie with Providence of Charlotte on Aug. 15. Providence is the No. 1 seed in the 8A West.
  • The town rivalry: wins over Apex High of 5-1 on Sept. 15 and 2-0 on Oct. 8

The 23 wins are the most of any season in the program’s MaxPreps history. The previous best was 20-6-1 in 2023. MaxPreps’ computer rankings put Friendship second in North Carolina and eighth in the nation. Hoggard is fourth in the state.

The road to Thursday

Friendship is the No. 1 seed in the 8A East and Hoggard is No. 2, in the NCHSAA’s final bracket. Both had first-round byes.

Round Apex Friendship Hoggard
Second round, Nov. 5 beat Leesville Road 4-1 beat Rolesville 6-1
Third round, Nov. 9 beat Green Hope 5-1 beat Millbrook 3-0
East final, Nov. 12 hosts Hoggard at Apex Friendship

Hoggard’s results are on its MaxPreps schedule.

Middle Creek’s run

Middle Creek is 18-3-3 and the No. 1 seed in the 6A East. The Mustangs beat Felton Grove 6-1 on Nov. 5 and Union Pines 6-1 on Nov. 9, according to their MaxPreps schedule. Williams is the No. 5 seed.

The 6A bracket has one more round per side than the 8A bracket. A Middle Creek win Thursday puts the Mustangs in the 6A East final.

Felton Grove also won a playoff game. The Galaxy, the No. 16 seed, beat Northern Durham 1-0 on Nov. 2, according to their MaxPreps schedule, before losing at Middle Creek.

What it means for you

  • Where: Apex Friendship High School, 7801 Humie Olive Road, and Middle Creek High School, 123 Middle Creek Park Ave.
  • When: both games start at 6 p.m. Thursday.
  • Tickets: NCHSAA playoff tickets are sold online through GoFan. Each team’s MaxPreps schedule page links to its game.
  • If Friendship wins: the state final is in Durham, about 19 miles north, during Nov. 19-21. The NCHSAA sets game days and times for each class.