High School

Predicting the winners of the fourth round of the North Carolina high school football playoffs

See who High School On SI predicts will survive and advance in the NCHSAA football state playoffs

Mike Duprez

Havelock and Jacksonville will battle in Class AAA East semifinal action, but who will win?
Havelock and Jacksonville will battle in Class AAA East semifinal action, but who will win? / Havelock Football Instagram

The fourth round of the NCHSAA state playoffs is here and the cream is rising to the top. Of the 32 teams remaining, 24 are either undefeated or have one loss.

That means plenty of marquee matchups. Here’s our take.

Class AAAA

West

East Forsyth (13-0) at Weddington (12-0)

East Forsyth, led by North Carolina commit Bryce Baker, rallied from 10 points down to beat Mooresville 35-30 last week. Baker threw two touchdown passes while Corey Blair ran for 137 yards and a touchdown. 

Weddington wiped out Northern Guilford 55-0. The defending state champions have won 18 in a row.

WINNER: Weddington

Hough (12-1) at Grimsley (13-0)

Both teams are coming with a full head of steam. Hough pummeled Mallard Creek 34-0 and has won 12 in a row since a one-point loss to South Carolina power Northwestern. Quarterback Tre Blakeney along with elite receivers Sean Brady and Tyran Evans, head up a dynamic offense. 

Grimsley mowed down Charlotte Catholic 42-14. Tennessee commit Faizon Brandon is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. That may be enough to give Grimsley the edge.

WINNER: Grimsley

East

Hoggard (12-1) at Cardinal Gibbons (12-1)

Hoggard held off Millbrook 28-21 in a tough contest last week. Sophomore quarterback Matthew Boring leads a balanced offense.

Cardinal Gibbons rolled past Hillside 52-19. The Crusaders’ junior quarterback, Gannon Jones, has 32 touchdown passes.

WINNER: Cardinal Gibbons

Rolesville (12-1) at Cleveland (13-0)

Rolesville was impressive in a 44-6 rout of Richmond. Senior quarterback Braden Atkinson has 39 touchdown passes against just 3 interceptions.

That scare Cleveland had in the opening round is long gone. Quarterback Jackson Byrd threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more in a 48-28 win over Jordan.

WINNER: Cleveland

Class AAA

West

North Lincoln (12-1) at Hickory (13-0)

North Lincoln is flying high after beating Ashbrook 20-10. The Knights won behind the running of Landen Agee and Shannon Wingate.

Hickory, the defending state champion, had to rally for a wild 63-48 win over Crest. There’s no stopping the Red Tornadoes’ offense. Quarterback Brady Stober threw for 478 yards and 6 touchdowns while Isaiah Lackey had 100 yards and 3 touchdowns rushing.

These teams played in the regular season and Hickory rolled to a 60-25 win.

WINNER: Hickory

West Charlotte (10-2) at Dudley (13-0)

West Charlotte demolished No. 1 seed Erwin 56-0 last week as quarterback Jamouri Nichols tossed three touchdown passes.

Dudley had to shake off an early touchdown before putting down Jay M. Robinson 20-7. 

The Panthers have allowed only 22 points all season. They have recorded 99 tackles for loss and 129 sacks. Jalile Elliott and 6-foot-6 sophomore Andrew Rogers both have over 20 sacks.

WINNER: Dudley

East

Jacksonville (11-1) at Havelock (12-1)

This is a rematch. Havelock won 21-14 in the regular season despite three interceptions as Lebron Sharpe had 197 yards of total offense and all three touchdowns.

Jacksonville features two 1,000-yard runners in North Carolina commit Demon June and Eric Griffin. 

Havelock has been unstoppable in the postseason.

WINNER: Havelock

J.H. Rose (5-8) at Seventy-First (13-0)

The Rose Rampants have been the underdog story for the ages. Can they do the unthinkable and topple Seventy-First?

Seventy-First has a superd dual threat quarterback in DeAndre Nance and many other outstanding players. The Falcons are averaging 52 points in the playoffs.

The Cinderella story comes to an end.

WINNER: Seventy-First

Class AA

West

Forest Hills (10-3) at Brevard (10-2)

Quarterback Zach Dillworth and Forest Hills rallied from a two-touchdown deficit to take down No. 5 seed Salisbury. 

Brevard is coming off a 42-6 smackdown of East Rutherford, the team that ousted defending champion Reidsville. 

WINNER: Brevard

Monroe (12-0) at Shelby (11-2)

Monroe is having a fabulous season. The Redhawks had three runners – quarterback Kaegan Chambers, Nymir Kendall and Zion Lindsey – rush for over 100 yards in a 48-21 pounding of West Stokes.

Shelby, led by quarterback Lan Farmer, is one of North Carolina’s premier programs and the Golden Lions have won nine in a row.

But Monroe appears to have a slight edge.

WINNER: Monroe

East

James Kenan (12-1) at Northeastern (13-0)

James Kenan edged archrival Wallace-Rose Hill 14-13 in overtime, avenging the Tigers’ only loss. 

Northeastern’s closest margin of victory has been 20 points. Quarterback Trevaris Jones and wide receiver Tyell Saunders lead an explosive offense.

WINNER: Northeastern

Kinston (9-4) at Whiteville (12-1)

Kinston has made a nice run in the playoffs as a No. 19 seed, with quarterback Tyler Jones and 1,000-yard wide receiver Tyreek Copper leading the way.

Whiteville overwhelmed Eastern Wayne 48-14 last week as Nallegam Powell and Cameron McKvian each had three touchdowns.

WINNER: Whiteville

Class A

West

Corvian Community (13-0) at Mount Airy (13-0)

Corvian Community, led by 1,000-yard rusher Cam Johnson, has the task of trying to take down the two-time defending state champions.

Mount Airy keeps rolling behind Taeshon Martin, who has 2,274 yards and 37 touchdowns rushing. Bryson Taylor has eight interceptions for a stingy defense. 

The Granite Bears have won 43 consecutive games.

WINNER: Mount Airy

Murphy (12-1) at Mountain Heritage (11-0)

This is a classic Western North Carolina clash. Both teams lean heavily on the run. 

Sophomore Cameron Clem leads Murphy, which has won 12 in a row, with 1,429 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Brandon Quinn heads up coach Joey Robinson’s quarterback-oriented running attack with 1,445 yards and 22 touchdowns. 

WINNER: Mountain Heritage

East

Pender (10-3) at Tarboro (11-1)

Pender has one of the state’s most powerful running offenses, piling up 392.8 yards per game. Leading the way is senior Jeremiah Johnson with 2,524 yards and 43 touchdowns.

Tarboro has lost to Mount Airy in the last two state championship games and the Vikings are trying to make another run. They are coming off a 71-0 rout of Warren County.

WINNER: Tarboro

Lakewood (10-3) at Wilson Prep (11-1)

Lakewood ousted previously unbeaten North Duplin 26-20 last week.

Wilson Prep is potent both running and passing. Quarterback Travon Usher has nearly 3,000 yards of total offense and has accounted for 31 touchdowns.

WINNER: Wilson Prep

Published
Mike Duprez
MIKE DUPREZ

Mike Duprez became a freelance sports journalist for Scorebooklive.com several months after retiring from the newspaper business. A native of Oakland, California, Duprez moved around as a child due to his father’s service in the United States Marine Corps. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1981. Duprez, who lives in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, had 30 years of experience in newspapers as well as other endeavors before retiring at the end of 2021. He covers stories in both North Carolina and South Carolina for Scorebooklive.com.

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