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<p>Talented players across the state continue to produce big-time stats on Friday Nights! Check out this edition of Stars of the State, and let us know when you have a big game so you can be featured week in and week out!</p>
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<p>RB [player_tooltip player_id='1110029' first='Isaiah' last='Lackey'] – Hickory – 5 Rushing Touchdowns In Victory Along With 160 Rush Yards - Lackey has been the strong force behind the Red Tornadoes engine the last couple of years. His running helps keep the high-powered offensive attack for Hickory in balance - when teams try to take away [player_tooltip player_id='527014' first='Brady' last='Stober'], [player_tooltip player_id='1070861' first='Jamien' last='Little'], and the passing game - Hickory deploys Lackey for big games such as this. Lackey has a couple of offers at the moment and should have more coming his way. </p>
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<p>WR Jaylon Mckoy – North Stanly – 125 Receiving Yards & 3 Touchdowns In Victory - Jaylon made some huge plays in the Comets triple-overtime win over rival West Stanly. Jaylon has shown to be a primary playmaker with some speed and agility in open spaces. </p>
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<p>RB Shannon Wingate – North Lincoln – 227 Rushing Yards & 3 Touchdowns In Victory - I've written about Shannon, as well as my colleague Will Helms, and it's all been well deserved. Shannon has shown to be a powerful runner week in and week out despite most defenses knowing that North Lincoln is going to run the ball right at you over and over again. Shannon is starting to develop a power/speed combination for a bigger back that should have schools taking a second look at him. </p>
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<p>RB Nathaniel Gagnon – Piedmont – 255 Rushing Yards & Touchdown Run vs. S. Iredell - Nathaniel did everything he could to keep his Panthers in the game. He ran up this impressive yardage on 27 carries, averaging 9.5 yards per carry. Nathaniel is a strong runner with good vision, especially in the inside running game. At 5'10 and 185 pounds, the 2025 prospect will continue to be a focal point for the Piedmont offense going forward. </p>
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<p>RB Zac Frashier – Chase – 311 Rushing Yards & 4 Touchdowns vs. Draughn - It was interesting to review the game film of Zac's performance. He is listed as a WR/DB, but I classified him as a running back because Chase lined him up at quarterback in spread formations and just ran a combination of power and counter with Zac all night long. I thought Zac showed some good speed and really good vision following pulling guards and tackles all night long. Zac is a Class of 2025 prospect. </p>
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<p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='1449673' first='Christian' last='Myers'] – Porter Ridge – 250 Passing Yards & 5 TD's (4 Passing) In Victory - Christian was hurt earlier this season, and his backup QB [player_tooltip player_id='1420953' first='Keenan' last='Sullivan'] performed very well. However, Christian showed the talent that I saw up close at a Spring Showcase where he was selected as a Top 5 quarterback. At 6'3 and 175 pounds, the 2026 prospect has a good arm and sound mechanics throwing the football. </p>
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<p>ATH [player_tooltip player_id='612108' first='Landon' last='Gilmore'] – North Meck – 3 Total Touchdowns In Victory - Landon has been lining up at both running back and wide receiver this season for the Vikings, and has been a dynamic threat with the football in his hands. Landon has shown excellent speed and short space agility, always managing to find a gap or space to gain extra yardage. He will continue to be an essential part of the Vikings offense the rest of the season. </p>
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<p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='1206967' first='Landon' last='Flynn'] – East Rutherford – 421 Passing Yards & 3 Touchdowns vs North Lincoln - Landon had a huge game in a shootout game against North Lincoln. The 6'0 185-pound prospect completed a variety of routes all over the field against a lot of man coverage, placing the ball consistently where his receivers were able to catch and run consistently. It will be a lot of fun to see how Landon backs up a very strong performance moving forward. </p>
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<p>RB [player_tooltip player_id='1295076' first='Josiah' last='Hill'] – Kings Mountain – 146 Rushing Yards & 4 Rushing Touchdowns In Victory - Josiah is a powerful runner that shows some speed in the open field. More importantly, Josiah has shown to be a workhorse for a good Kings Mountain football team. His running helps provide some opportunities for big pass plays down field for a couple of talented players the Mountaineers have in the receiving core. The 2026 prospect stands at 5'11 and 205 pounds. </p>
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<p>RB [player_tooltip player_id='1174849' first='Anthony' last='Hawkins'] – Hickory Grove – 173 Rushing Yards & 2 Touchdowns In Victory - Anthony continues to impress in his senior year, leading Hickory Grove to a 5-0 record to start the season. At 5'9 and 185 pounds, Anthony continues to be the steady rock for the Crusaders offensive attack. They have a real chance to compete for a championship as long as Anthony continues to run hard and find lanes in the inside run game. He is a Class of 2025 prospect. </p>
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<p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='892288' first='Perry' last='Justice'] – Mallard Creek – Threw Game-Winning TD Pass vs. Archbishop Moeller - It is incredibly difficult to come into a game cold as a backup quarterback and make a throw. It is even MORE difficult to do that in overtime in the road. It is MOST difficult to do that, on 3rd down, on a rollout to the left as a right-handed quarterback, against one of the best teams in Ohio on a Saturday afternoon. But that's what Perry did. It will be exciting to see moving forward if Perry can provide the balance the Mavericks need to offset their strong running game. </p>
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<p>RB Camron Kelly – Walkertown – 206 Rushing Yards & 3 Touchdowns vs. N. Davidson - By all accounts, Camron is a fine young man and a leader for Walkertown. The 2025 prospect lists a 3.4 GPA on his Twitter profile, but his on-field intelligence is even higher than that. I love seeing how Camron reads the hole and makes cuts accordingly, showing excellent overall agility and speed getting into and out of the hole. </p>
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<p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='896157' first='Zaid' last='Lott'] – Providence Day – 298 Passing Yards & 3 TDs In Victory - After a couple of tougher games, Zaid broke out in a big way against traditional rival in Country Day. Showing off a strong arm with good accuracy, Zaid connected with a large number of Chargers receivers for big plays all over the field. Per Providence Day's coaching staff, Zaid put up all of these numbers in one half of play, an impressive feat for the North Carolina commit. </p>
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Talented players across the state continue to produce big-time stats on Friday Nights! Check out this edition of Stars of the State, and let us know when you have a big game so you can be featured week in and week out!
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