High school football players who lose their helmets during play in the 2012 high school season must leave the field for one play according to a rule change adopted by the National Federation of State High School Association Football Rules Committee.

Cary High and Orange High will be among the host sites for the quarterfinal and semifinal round rounds of the N.C. High School Athletic Association dual-team wrestling tournament on Thursday.

South Johnston High has set its spring sports tryout dates. Tryouts for softball, baseball and boys tennis will begin at 2:30 at the field of play on Monday (Feb. 13). Tryouts for girls soccer begin at 4 p.m. on Monday, while boys golf tryouts begin at 3 p.m. at Reedy Creek Golf Course. Track and field tryouts will begin Feb. 20 at 2:30 p.m.

All prospects must have a completed physical form turned into their respective coach before participating in tryouts. Physical forms are available in the school's main office.

The N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs are set to start this Tuesday. The first and second rounds will be played at one school site. With exception to the 1A bracket, the third and fourth rounds are held at a school on Thursday (the 1A only has one match that day for the regional title.

All four state championships Saturday between the East and West champion, also held at a school.

Three Johnston County high schools will host first and second round pods Tuesday as the NCHSAA dual team wrestling playoffs begin. Northern Carolina 2A Conference champion Corinth Holders, North Johnston and Clayton will all serve as host schools.

If you haven't read this blog on how the NCHSAA basketball playoffs will be seeded, do so now and come back here. You read it yet? Opened the excel spreadsheet? Good.

Now let's take some time to visualize what this year's boys and girls basketball playoffs would look like under these changes

Green Hope and Panther Creek made requests to the N.C. High School Athletic Associaton on Tuesday to place the schools in a league with other current Tri-Nine 4A schools.

The N.C. High School Athletic Association clarified at least one part of its new playoff format for the boys and girls basketball playoffs.

While the NCHSAA is switching from its old playoff structure to one much that looks much like how the football brackets are decided, it will not be changing how teams qualify for the playoffs.

N&O wrestling rankings (with last week's ranking in parentheses). We have one new team in the top 12, and some teams leapfrogged others after impressive weekends.

Girls Basketball
Cleveland 48, South Johnston 42
East Wake 57, West Johnston 31
Garner 51, Harnett Central 48
Southeast Raleigh 85, Smithfield-Selma 27
Wake Christian 42, Lee Christian 27

Boys Basketball
South Johnston 66, Cleveland 43
Corinth Holders 64, Louisburg 51
East Wake 63, West Johnston 51
Garner 74, Harnett Central 60
Bunn 51, North Johnston 47
Wake Christian 62, Lee Christian 52
Goldsboro 52, Princeton 51

Prep Dual Wrestling
Cleveland 55, Triton 18
West Johnston 63, Harnett Central 15