The Eastern N.C. 2A high school football championship will be at stake Friday night at 7:30 when the South Columbus Stallions and Northside Monarchs (both with 14-0 records) square off at South Columbus.

The Northside team from Jacksonville will play in the Eastern 2A title game for the third straight year. Coach Bob Eason’s Monarchs lost to Clinton in each of the last two regional title games.

Northside advanced Friday with a 27-7 third-round victory over East Central Conference rival East Duplin.

South Columbus should have plenty of incentive going against the Monarchs as it was Northside that knocked the Stallions from the playoffs in each of the last two seasons.

Last year, South Columbus fell to the Monarchs 14-13 after holding a 13-0 halftime lead in a first-round game in Jacksonville. In 2005, the Monarchs came away with a 10-0 third-round victory over the Stallions at South Columbus.

South Columbus will play in the Eastern Regional championship game for the third time in the school’s 13-year history. The Stallions fell to Clinton in both the 1996 and 2002 regional title clashes.

Friday’s winner will travel to N.C. State University’s Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 8 to take on the West N.C. champion (Lincolnton or East Lincoln) for the state 2A championship at 3:30 p.m.