Stars of The State Week 1 - Defensive Edition

Several defensive players had really big games statistically across the state of North Carolina in the first week of public school action! We will highlight some of those players in this article.   [player_tooltip player_id='1264410' first='Cole' last='Webster'] – DL – Cuthbertson – Dominant Film in Victory – Several Sacks & Tackles For Loss - Cole is committed to James Madison University, and he has picked up right where he left off last season as an explosive defensive lineman prospect on the interior.   Chris Hilliard – DL – Hough – 2 Sacks, 6 Tackles, Pass Break Up vs. Northwestern - The Huskies had some trouble slowing down the talented Trojans, but Chris had a great game, showing the ability to play off blocks in the run game and make tackles on the interior of the line. I also liked his pass rush moves to get to the quarterback in his pass rush.   [player_tooltip player_id='403556' first='Jacob' last='Simmons'] – LB – Charlotte Christian – 4 Sacks in Victory over Cox Mill - Jacob was impressively explosive off the edge in rushing the quarterback from both sides of the defense. He will be a player to watch as a Class of 2026 prospect to see how he continues to grow in this role.   Landon Hollifield – LB – Shelby – 7 Tackles, Forced Fumble, INT in Victory over Kings Mountain - The 2027 prospect keeps the famous Hollifield name in Shelby alive with a strong performance to start the season for the perennial state championship contenders.   [player_tooltip player_id='664451' first='Antonio' last='Armstrong'] – LB – Kings Mountain – 8 Tackles and a sack vs. Shelby - Antonio has long been one of my favorite players to evaluate - he is a 6'2 215 pound pass rushing threat off the edge who can also shed blocks well in the run game.   [player_tooltip player_id='1246060' first='Caleb' last='Gordon'] – LB – Ashbrook - 9 Tackles, 2 Tackles F/Loss, Sack in Win over Forest Hills – Caleb is off to a strong start along with his defense forcing turnovers and scoring 3 times in a huge win over Forest Hills to kickoff the season.   [player_tooltip player_id='415457' first='Bryce' last='Johnson'] – DB – JM Robinson – 2 Interceptions, Fum. Recovery TD, 5 Tackles In Victory - Bryce had a majorly impressive game against his former school, showing excellent man coverage skills and awareness on defense. He also did a good job of run support from his corner position.   [player_tooltip player_id='1159997' first='Jace' last='McCallum'] – DL – Hickory Ridge – 3 Sacks, 14 Tackles in loss to JM Robinson - In a losing effort, Jace had one of the more dominant performances that I can remember seeing in a loss. Jace did an excellent job rushing the passer, stopping the run coming to his side, and had multiple QB pressures as well.   Alique Hart – LB – Chambers – 2 Sacks in loss to Clover - Alique did a good job of speed rushing off the edge when he got the opportunity and helped keep his Cougars in the game defensively.   [player_tooltip player_id='1332065' first='Ethan' last='Dempsey'] – ATH – Mt. Pleasant – 3 TD's, 276 Total Yards, 6 Tackles, 2 PBU's in Victory over Carson HS - Ethan played an impressive all-around game in the 31-14 victory for his Tigers. He will be a name that we will continue to hear all season long.   Dewayne Davis – ATH – North Gaston – 4 Sacks, 11 Tackles, 2 Rushing TD's in Victory - I was impressed in Dewayne's all-around athletic game. He showed well when I saw him in person this summer in 7 on 7 and it has carried over to the season.   [player_tooltip player_id='1321140' first='Ja'Shawn' last='Shaw'] – LB – Berry – 8 Tackles and 1.5 Sacks in Victory - Ja'Shawn is an excellent pass rusher off the edge and he showed it in a defensive struggle type of game in their 10-6 victory over East Mecklenburg in Week 1 action.   [player_tooltip player_id='205617' first='Luke' last='Faulkner'] – ATH – Southern Nash – 12 Tackles, 4 TFL, 88 Total Offensive Yards in Victory - Per Luke's Twitter profile, he played over 100 snaps in this game for Southern Nash - impressive effort and execution for this young man.   AJ Jackson – ATH - Corvian - 2 Passing TDs, 3 Rushing TDs, Sack in Victory - Playing both sides of the ball, AJ has got off to a great start and showed why he is a leader and major piece for a Corvian program that some people have moved to a Top 10 team in the 1A Classification.   Ben Fijalkowski – DL/OLB – Charlotte Catholic - 17 Tackles, Sack, Forced Fumble In Victory - I believe for Charlotte Catholic to be a state title contender this season, their defense has to improve from last season, and Ben is showing to be a huge contributor on that side of the football with this impressive production.   Jon Fijalkowski – S/OLB – Charlotte Catholic - 10 Tackles, Interception, Touchdown In Victory - Jon has been an impact player for the Cougars for the last two years, and his Pick 6 was a major play in their Week 1 victory over South Mecklenburg.

Several defensive players had really big games statistically across the state of North Carolina in the first week of public school action! We will highlight some of those players in this article.