CHAPEL HILL -- Coach Glen Estacio's Chapel Hill boys lacrosse team had just won a state playoff game by 10 goals, but afterwards he looked like they had just lost by 10.

"That was the longest game of my life," he told an official.

Estacio knows all too well how intense things will be every time Chapel Hill faces Jordan in the state playoffs. It's happened three of the past four years, and "chippy" doesn't begin to describe it.

There will be lots of body checks and maybe an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty here or there, probably enough penalty minutes to make a hockey goon blush, and plenty of short tempers.

Knowing both local teams were in the top half of the N.C. High School Lacrosse Association's playoff brackets, Estacio knew long before game time Friday that the match-up was coming. And how it would be played.

Still, in the words of Mark Twain, "you can always talk about the weather, but you can't do anything about it."

"Lots of people talk about the Chapel Hill-East Chapel Hill rivalry," said Estacio. "That is big, but Jordan and Chapel Hill is almost as big because we almost always wind up on the same side of the bracket. It's always going to be a battle.

"I think we respect each other. But, frankly, I don't think we like each other very much."

Despite trailing fourth-seeded Jordan early Friday, the top-seeded Tigers used 10 second-quarter goals to defeat the Falcons 21-11 in the second round of the NCHSLA playoffs. John Haus scored five goals while Stephen Burns had four goals and four assists.

The Tigers pelted Jordan goalkeeper Ben Diehl with 44 shots and won the ground ball battle 36-21. After trailing 5-3 early, CHHS outscored the Falcons 10-3 in the second quarter.

Even though the Tigers (19-2) still haven't lost to a North Carolina public school team in two years, they have been tested more recently. The Jordan game was the third straight contest where they trailed at the end of the third quarter.

"It's kind of cheesy, but it builds character," said Estacio. "It's one thing to just roll over people the way we did last year, but I think it only makes us play better."

The semifinal opponent for the Tigers will certainly be a familiar face. East Chapel Hill (18-4) defeated Charlotte Providence 13-9 on Friday night in the state quarterfinals. Scot Meyer, an All-American candidate slated to attend Duke next year, paced East with five goals while Tom St. Geme and Ryan Lucey added three each. Scott Elkins added five assists.

In their two previous match-ups against East, Chapel Hill's depth has proven too much over the long haul. The Tigers used a 7-1 first half run to roll 17-6 in the initial match on April 4.

Yet there's an omen for the Wildcats, the last public school team to defeat the Tigers. In 2006, Chapel Hill captured both regular season meetings, only to fall 10-2 in the state championship game.

It appeared the two teams were again on a collision course in last year's state tournament. But Greensboro Page pulled a mild upset when they defeated the Wildcats, leading to a dominant performance by the Tigers on their way to the state championship.

Wednesday's game will be played at Chapel Hill High. The winner moves on to the state championship game at Duke's Koskinen Stadium.

Long way to win

CHARLOTTE -- East Chapel Hill had to take a three-hour bus ride to Charlotte for its NCHSLA playoff win at Providence, and once there had to survive a delay for rain, strong winds and lightning.

"The stoppage due to lighting took us out of our rhythm, but the guys were able to put up two fast goals," coach Franklin Zirkle said. "Our seniors responded in the way we knew they could, Scot Meyer was automatic tonight and Tom St. Geme was a force both offensively and defensively.

Senior defenseman Will Devlin and goalkeeper MacKenzie Turvey (13 saves) helped East weather several Providence rallies in the second half. "Matt Shaban, Culen Wilson, Thomas Moore and Karsten Bench played well in the midfield, and this helped us keep the other guys fresh," Zirkle said.

In a girls' playoff game, No. 3 East battled past No. 6 Broughton 17-14, thanks in part to five goals from Kara Fisher and four apiece from Julia Daugherty and Casey Moran. Helen Newton, Melissa Swikehardt, Chloe Edgerton, Delaney Reardon and Mackie Kennihan each added goals for the Wildcats (14-3-0). The Caps scooped up more ground balls (25-16) and out-shot the 'Cats, but East's Cristina Frieberger came up with 10 saves to help preserve the win.

CHHS advances

Chapel Hill (15-5-3) blanked Pine Forest 4-0 in their first-round soccer game Wednesday. Abby Lehman, Chelsea Stark, Frances Staelin and Carly Mayes each scored for the Tigers, who hosted Middle Creek (9-13-0) Saturday night in the second round.

In 2-A games, Carrboro once again had trouble with DSA, and this time the Bulldogs' 1-0 win knocked the Jags (15-6-3) out of the NCHSAA playoffs. Surprising Northwood (16-5-1) has reached this week's district final with wins over Southern Guilford and then West Stokes. The Chargers could face DSA (13-9-1) in the next round, pending the Bulldogs' outcome Saturday against (16-1-3) Roanoke Rapids.

'Cats knocked out

East Chapel Hill saw its great streak come to an end Friday in Raleigh, with a 4-3 loss at Millbrook in the NCHSAA 4-A baseball playoffs. Travis Smith picked up the win on the mound by scattering six Wildcat hits over six innings. James Heine took the loss. East Chapel Hill ended up 14-9 after winning eight of its last 10 regular season games. Millbrook (16-7) advanced to meet either J.H. Rose or Jack Britt this week.

East nets gain

East Chapel Hill beat Wakefield 9-0 in the first round of the NCHSAA 4-A Dual Team Tennis Championships. Senior Tim Bayus won his match at No. 1 singles (6-1, 6-4) and then freshmen Sam Weissler, Michael Goldstein, Peter McDonald and Kassim Alani all scratched out wins against Wakefield.

In next Tuesday's second round, East Chapel Hill (18-4) will travel to Southern Pines Pinecrest, which beat Garner.

CHHS, playing on the road because of its No. 2 seed out of the PAC, crushed Clayton 6-0 last. Now, given the way the NCHSAA pre-sets its brackets regardless of records the (16-3) Tigers must travel to (16-1) Raleigh Broughton for a second-round game.

Cedar Ridge and Northwood were both alive in the 2-A second round after wins over Green Central and West Stokes, respectively.

Tigers rebuilt

CHHS softball has done a remarkable job rebuilding one year after reaching the 2007 NCHSAA championship series for the first time. The Tigers finished third in the PAC-6 after compiling a 9-5 record. They'll play a first-round state playoff game at either Leesville Road or Wakefield, depending on Saturday's seedings of the Cap-7 Conference. (See http://www.newsobserver.com for complete pairings.)

Lest the difference between third and fourth be lost on the average reader, please contemplate what East Chapel Hill (8-6) gets after finishing one game and one spot behind CHHS. The Wildcats have to travel to Wilmington, most likely to face Laney (18-2). The Buccaneers took the Mideastern Conference title by going undefeated in the league. Their two losses came against Victor (N.Y.) and Forbush out of the 4-A West.

Northwood and Orange both look to make the 2-A playoffs.

Top finishes

Led by multi-talented Lindsey Fuller and Jordan Lee, Cedar Ridge was third with 67 points Friday in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association women's 2-A track and field championships at the Irwin Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University on Friday. Burlington Cummings won its third consecutive NCHSAA women's title and Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons, paced by victories by Heather Beichner in both the 800 and 1600, finished second with 80.5 points.

Every girl who qualified for Cedar Ridge scored in the meet, and all but one boy. (See Scoreboard on Page B2 in the May 11 Chapel Hill News for results.)

Shelby held off perennial men's track power North Rowan in the boys' competition, scoring 61.50 points to 36 for North, which was seeking its fifth title in the last six years and 10th in the last 15.