Predicting the North Carolina High School Football State Semifinals

Here are our predictions on who prevail at the NCHSAA state semfinals and earn sports in the state championship games

Seventy-First’s Ziare Ealy blocks J.H. Rose’s Martis Bradley as Seventy-First’s Deandre Nance slides by for a touchdown during the third quarter on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, at Seventy-First High School. / Andrew Craft / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association state semifinals are Friday night and there are plenty of excellent matchups. Two teams – Hickory and Weddington – are defending champions.

Here is our take.

Class 4-A

East

Rolesville (13-1) vs. Cardinal Gibbons (12-1)

Here’s a classic rematch. Rolesville won 30-27 in overtime back in September. It doesn’t get any closer than that. 

Rolesville is coming off a powerful 49-6 wipeout of No. 1 seed Cleveland. Quarterback Braden Atkinson has thrown 42 touchdown passes with only 3 interceptions. The Rams have elite receivers in Jaedon Alford and Gavin Waddell.

Cardinal Gibbons was equally impressive in whipping Hoggard 38-0. The Crusaders are led by dual threat quarterback Gannon Jones, who has accounted for 40 touchdowns. Sam Dodd and Brayden Karras are big-play receivers.

This rates as a toss-up with Cardinal Gibbons getting a slight edge playing at home.

WINNER: Cardinal Gibbons

West

Weddington (13-0) at Grimsley (14-0)

This is a rematch of last year’s semifinal, when Weddington took a 44-27 victory. 

Weddington beat East Forsyth last week as quarterback Greg Fee threw two touchdown passes. Nick Diamond had touchdown runs of 34 and 58 yards. The Warriors haven’t had a close game since beating Butler 27-19 in September.

Faizon Brandon’s 25-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Howerton lifted Grimsley to a 35-28 win over Hough. Brandon is one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

Weddington might have an advantage on defense.

WINNER: Weddington

Class 3-A

East

Jacksonville (12-2) at Seventy-First (14-0)

Jacksonville dominates with an explosive ground attack featuring 1,000-yard rushers Demon June and Eric Griffin. June, a North Carolina commit, had three touchdown runs totaling 198 yards in the third quarter of the Cardinals’ 56-28 win over Havelock last week.

DeAndre Nance is the ultimate dual threat quarterback for Seventy-First with over 1,000 yards both running and passing. He has accounted for 42 touchdowns. Donavan Frederick has 1,213 yards and 15 touchdowns rushing. 

The Cardinals have 24 interceptions as a team. They’ll have to contend with Falcons’ wide receiver Jy’tavious Whitted, who has nine touchdown receptions.

This looks to be a high scoring game.

WINNER: Seventy-First

West

West Charlotte (12-2) vs. Hickory (14-0)

Hickory had to survive a wild 49-46 scare with North Lincoln as quarterback Brady Stober had another huge game. The Red Tornadoes, who have won 30 consecutive games, have a 1,000-yard rusher in Isaiah Lackey and a 1,000-yard receiver in Jamien Little. On defense, Brett Rowland has 10 interceptions.

The Red Tornadoes yielded 391 yards rushing to North Lincoln, something West Charlotte could exploit.

West Charlotte is coming off a 39-13 drubbing of Dudley, a team that had given up only 22 points all season. Led by dual threat quarterback Jamouri Nichols, the Lions are peaking at the right time. Davion Jones (7 interceptions) and K.D. Cotton (5 interceptions) lead the defense.

WINNER: West Charlotte

Class 2-A

East

Whiteville (13-1) at Northeastern (14-0)

Here’s another playoff rematch. Northeastern won a 17-14 squeaker in the fourth-round last season. The Eagles feature a high-powered passing attack with quarterback Trevaris Jones accounting for 50 total touchdowns. Jones can run it, too. So can Ty’jae Simpson, who had 145 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Eagles’ 46-28 win over James Kenan last week.

Nallegem Powell and Cameron McKvian lead a powerful Whiteville running attack.

WINNER: Northeastern

West

Brevard (11-2) at Monroe (13-0)

Monroe has been lights out all season and the Redhawks made a statement win last week when they took down Shelby 41-23, handing the Golden Lions their first home playoff since 2009. Kaegan Chambers is a topflight dual threat quarterback, accounting for 29 total touchdowns. Zion Lindsey and Nymir Kendall are two solid running backs.

Brevard impressed by walloping Forest Hills 57-14 last week. Braylon Thompson has over 1,200 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns.

WINNER: Monroe

Class 1-A

East

Wilson Prep (12-1) at Tarboro (12-1)

Tarboro enters the game with plenty of momentum after blasting high-scoring Pender 50-0. The Vikings lean on a high-powered run game featuring Kamerin McDowell-Moore, Mason Satterfield and Caiden Everette, who have combined for 43 touchdowns. Tyler Powell is the quarterback and also leads the defense with 19 sacks.

The Vikings have surpassed 50 points in their last seven games.

Wilson Prep quarterback Travon Usher has over 2,000 yards passing and over 1,000 yards running. 

WINNER: Tarboro

West

Corvian Community (14-0) at Mountain Heritage (12-0)

Here comes a classic in the mountains. Corvian Community is flying high after ending Mount Airy’s 43-game winning streak. Running back Cam Johnson and quarterback A.J. Jackson lead the offense. Jackson is also a star on defense, where he has six interceptions. Adrian Scott has 14 of the Cardinals’ 65 sacks.

Mountain Heritage is run-first with the quarterback carrying most of the time. Brandon Quinn has 1,631 yards and 27 touchdowns rushing. He can throw when needed. Quinn has 11 touchdown passes with no interceptions. Cason Jones is the Cougars’ Swiss Army knife with 534 yards and 5 touchdowns rushing and 12 receptions for 329 yards and 7 touchdowns. He also has thrown a touchdown pass.

It's clear Corvian can play defense after shutting down Mount Airy. At the same time, Mountain Heritage is one of the toughest places in the state for a visiting team. The stands will be full and the crowd will be loud.

WINNER: Mountain Heritage.