Area teams open football playoffs tonight

Kinston’s captains head to midfield before last Friday’s regular-season finale against Ayden-Grifton. The Vikings travel to West Craven tonight. NeuseNews/Rudy Coggins

Are you ready for some Thursday night football?

You can thank Mother Nature for the change.

Due to inclement weather forecasted for Friday, two of the area's three football teams will kick off their respective journeys in the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs this evening.

Kinston travels to West Craven, co-champion of the Eastern Carolina 2-A Conference. Ayden-Grifton heads to Coastal 1-A/2-A champ Southwest Onslow. Each game starts at 7:30 p.m.

North Lenoir is the guest of South Granville on Friday. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m.

Follow #NeuseNewsScores on Twitter for live updates from our team.

The breakdown:

Kinston (6-5 overall) at West Craven (8-3) - The Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to win 28-13 at Jordan Stadium in mid-October. The Vikings lost quarterback Demetri Holmes late in the second quarter that night, and endured their seventh loss in the series since 2004.

Ayden-Grifton (8-2) at Southwest Onslow (9-2) - The Chargers are riding a four-game win streak, while the Stallions have galloped to nine consecutive victories. These two teams last met in the playoffs in 2012. Ayden-Grifton hasn't won an opening-round playoff game since 2016.

North Lenoir (8-3) at South Granville (6-0) - The Hawks' remarkable turnaround from last year's 0-10 campaign has a tough reward - a battle against the Northern Carolina 1-A/2-A Conference champ. South has won seven straight and its defense has yielded just 75 points total in its last six outings.