As of now, Pinecrest faces defending state 4-A champion Wilmington Hoggard in the first round of the state 4-AA football playoffs.

The pairings are preliminary, and the games are subject to change.

The Patriots enter the postseason as a 15th seed, coming out of the Mid-Southeastern Conference with a 3-4 conference mark. They are 7-4 overall, having lost their last three games.

Hoggard is 9-1 and comes out of the Mideastern Conference with a 9-0 record. Last year, Hoggard won the 4-A division, while its conference rival New Bern tacked on the 4-AA title. Pretty good football in those parts.

North Moore and Union Pines failed to make the 64-team fields in their respective divisions. Each of the four state classifications divide into two divisions for the playoffs, creating two 32-team brackets for each classifications.

Joining Pinecrest in the brutal East Region of the playoffs are fellow conference members Jack Britt and Richmond Senior. Jack Britt, the conference champion, earned a top seed, while the Raiders, who were beaten by Pinecrest this season, enter the playoffs as an eighth seed.

Two other conference teams got berths in the 4-A bracket. Douglas Byrd is a ninth seed, while Seventy-First, who beat Pinecrest Friday night, is an eighth seed.