10 North Carolina high school football games to watch this August
![Coming off an 1,800-yard rushing season, Jayden Jones is back to lead Independence into is season-opening match-up with Myers Park. Coming off an 1,800-yard rushing season, Jayden Jones is back to lead Independence into is season-opening match-up with Myers Park.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_1198,h_673,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/high_school/01j4s9wnmjga9wpnvejc.jpg)
The teams are practicing with full pads, they’re playing in scrimmages and participating in dress rehearsal jamborees. The 2024 kickoff off is on Aug. 22 and here are 10 games to watch over the rest of August.
This season starts off with a bang – the Keep Pounding Classic doubleheader at Bank of America Stadium.
1. Independence vs. Myers Park – Aug. 22
Independence brings back plenty of talent from a team that went to the 4-A semifinals, including 1,800-yard tailback Jayden Jones. Myers Park, 7-4 last season, added standout quarterback Jared Lockhart via transfer from Porter Ridge. Lockhart has offers from Syracuse and Boston College.
2. Providence Day vs. Weddington – Aug. 22
This was already a marquee matchup. And then Kendre Harrison transferred from Reidsville to Providence Day, which is becoming a national power. Two state champions lock horns in what will be a measuring stick game.
3. Hoggard at Cleveland – Aug. 23
Two highly ranked teams square off in this season-opener and rematch of their fourth-round state playoff game, in which Hoggard took a 51-35 win. Hoggard went 14-2 and reached the 4-A state championship game season. Cleveland was 13-1 returns star quarterback Jackson Byrd.
4. Rolesville at Butler - Aug. 23
Rolesville is coming off a 12-2 season and prolific quarterback Braden Atkinson returns. Butler is also highly ranked. The Bulldogs have a lot of talent back, including tailback Jayden Williams, who ran for 1,324 yards last year.
5. Scotland at Dillon (S.C.) – Aug. 23
Scotland was 10-3 and got to the third round of the 4-A state playoffs. The Scots have plenty of offensive firepower returning. They’ll be making the short trip to neighboring South Carolina for a challenging game with a Class AAA title contender.
6. Clinton at Wallace-Rose Hill – Aug. 23
The War Horses were 15-1 last season, losing to Reidsville in the 2-A state championship game. Then they lost their head coach and several starters to Marlboro County (S.C.). They will be challenged right out of the gate by reigning East Central Conference champion Wallace-Rose Hill and star tailback Irving Brown, who ran for 1,696 yards last season.
7. Prince Avenue Christian (Ga.) vs. Mallard Creek at Westside (S.C.) – Aug. 24
Mallard Creek was 7-5 last season and reached the second round of the 4-A state playoffs. The Mavericks are taking on one of the premier programs in Georgia. The Wolverines are coming off a 14-1 season and a 1-A state championship, their second in a row.
8. A.C. Reynolds at Shelby – Aug. 30
It sure seems like Shelby is a title chase every year. The Golden Lions went all the way to the 2-A semifinals last year. They will try to run it back one more time with 6-foot-4 quarterback Lan Farmer. A.C. Reynolds was 9-4 and reached the third round of the 3-A playoffs.
9. Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Ga.) at Christ School – Aug. 30
Rabun Gap, which plays in the NCISAA, handed Providence Day its only loss of the 2023 season and lost by a touchdown to the Chargers in the state championship game. That says a lot. The Eagles return plenty of starters. Christ School quarterback Mason Holtzclaw is reeling in the offers. The 6-foot-4 sophomore just picked up his latest offer from South Carolina. He has 16 offers altogether.
10. Grimsley at Rolesville – Aug. 30
Grimsley five-star quarterback Faizon Brandon, fresh off committing to Tennessee, leads the Whirlies against powerful Rolesville.
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