The parity in the league was apparent; every week at least one upset was waiting to happen.

Not even the eventual conference champ, Green Hope, was safe. The Falcons' only conference loss came at the hands of eighth-place Cary.

But with the start of the 4-A playoffs., these teams get to beat up on those outside the conference.

The action started Tuesday, with some teams scheduling their first round for today. The second round will be Saturday.

Green Hope (14-2-4, 12-1-3) will host West Johnston (9-11-2, 5-9-0), who was given a wild-card spot. The Falcons, ranked No. 9 in the latest statewide poll, allowed just 16 goals in 20 games this year to boast the conference's top defense. And this was after losing the entire back line of defense, including two Division I recruits, from a year ago.

Apex, which is ranked No. 14 in the state poll, faced off against Northern Durham (9-8-0, 4-6-0) on Tuesday. The Cougars (15-5-0, 12-4-0) had lost just once at home during the regular season. Apex has a balanced scoring attack, with four players having 10 or more points on the year.

In a battle of two third-place teams, Fuquay-Varina hosted Leesville Road (9-9-1, 8-5-1) on Tuesday. The Bengals (16-4-1, 12-4-1) had conference's top offense, producing 75 goals in 21 games and topping the 5-goal mark in nine games.

Middle Creek, which overcame a mid-season six-game non-winning streak, played at Sanderson (16-5-3, 8-4-1) on Tuesday. The Mustangs, led by Matt Frongello and his 21 goals to date, finished fourth in the Tri-Nine and with a 10-7-4 (8-5-3) record.

The fifth-place team in the Tri-Nine, Athens Drive, went 3-4-3 down the stretch to finish 11-6-4 (8-6-2). The Jaguars played at Broughton (18-2-3, 11-0-1), ranked No. 2 in the state, on Tuesday. Senior captain Ali Asad, with 14 goals, leads the team.