3 Things We Learned in Week 1

Let's all breathe. Week 1 was everything we'd hoped it'd be and more. While we'll have plenty of coverage on breakout players, top performers, and specific position groups and classifications throughout the week.   But first, I want to step back and take a big picture, storyline view. Like everything we write, it's about the players, but here I'm looking through the lens of new information. Here are three things I learned in Week 1.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Three Things We Learned in Week 1</h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">The 7A Class is Indeed Loaded</h3>   The highlight of Friday night was a slugfest between Grimsley and West Charlotte. I didn't even realize it until overtime, but it was a matchup between our top quarterbacks in the 2026 and 2027 classes. [player_tooltip player_id='284090' first='Faizon' last='Brandon'] got the final word, but [player_tooltip player_id='1321007' first='Jamouri' last='Nichols'] impressed a lot of people and showed why we're so high on him. But the guy who fell through the cracks was Grimsley WR Hudson Cooper, who once again came up in a huge game, just like he did last season. The deep threat seems to be a giant-killer.   But that's not the extent of Friday's impressive 7A play. Several 7A teams beat 8A rivals. Cleveland rolled over a good 8A Pinecrest team; Southeast Raleigh won handily over a solid Enloe squad behind a massive night from [player_tooltip player_id='378921' first='Christian' last='Freeman']; on the coast, D.H. Conley edged out a talented Laney team; Clayton took care of business against a smaller, but impressive Wilson Prep team; Weddington handled business.   Some sleepers better be careful as well before they bring too much attention to themselves. Porter Ridge looked impressive in a 31-21 win over A.L. Brown. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='1600209' first='Raishawn' last='Elmore'] had three touchdowns and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1616163' first='Makai' last='Henriquez'] lived in the backfield.   Independence won on a huge punt return by elite running back [player_tooltip player_id='1124842' first='Jayden' last='Jones'] after a strong game from [player_tooltip player_id='915835' first='Jared' last='Street']. Receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1332108' first='Ricky' last='Myers Jr']. looked a step quicker as well.   Long story short, Grimsley is the favorite, but there are plenty of great teams in what is probably the best classification in the state.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">4A East Might Not Be A Given</h3>   Coming into the year, many simply assumed Reidsville would roll through the eastern half of their classification, but that might not be the case.   The Rams lost a tough game to Northern Guilford, their first regular season loss in nearly two years and the first back-to-back home losses (including last year's playoff loss) in nearly a decade. It wasn't all bad for the Rams. Diontae Neal thrived when pressed into quarterback duty and [player_tooltip player_id='953008' first='Kendre' last='Harrison'] did his thing with a touchdown pass despite consistent double-coverage. But, are the Rams vulnerable?   East Duplin shut out Wallace-Rose Hill, a team battling a slew of injuries, but the Panthers looked excellent Friday. Known for their rushing, [player_tooltip player_id='1278670' first='Branson' last='Norris'] flashed some high-level accuracy, completing six of eight passes a year after struggling in that category. Along with [player_tooltip player_id='1277716' first='Shawn' last='Davis'] at running back and a strong defense, the Panthers could make some noise.   Perhaps most impressively, West Craven beat powerhouse Havelock, 7-0. I didn't hear much from that game, but we love [player_tooltip player_id='948088' first='DJ' last='Davis'] as a quarterback/athlete and if he's taken another step and the defense is improved, the Eagles will be an enormous threat.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">New 2028 RBs Stand Up</h3>   There's simply no way to keep up with everything that goes on across the state, at least initially, but we know of a few 2027 RBs who need some love.   Chamber RB [player_tooltip player_id='1849424' first='Tahj' last='Brooks'] made his varsity debut against Clover (SC) and let's just say he made it look easy. Brooks finished with 135 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries, showing breakaway speed on a long touchdown run. He's not the biggest guy, but the speed and vision were on full display.   When I <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/07/newton-conover-red-devils-2025-season-preview/">previewed Newton-Conover</a> last month, I barely mentioned sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1715220' first='Jeremiah' last='Pope'], aside from mentioning that the Red Devils don't run much and they might want to get the running backs more touches. Though I don't have his official stats, the speedy playmaker scored four touchdowns and had over 150 yards in the opener.   How impressive is that, in the context of the Red Devil offense? It's one fewer rushing touchdown than the non-quarterbacks had all season a year ago.   I assume more standouts will come up as the week goes on, but I was impressed to see two young backs burst onto the scene.   We'll have more throughout the week. What did we miss? Who needs to be highlighted? Help us help players and let me know on Twitter, (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>)

Let's all breathe. Week 1 was everything we'd hoped it'd be and more. While we'll have plenty of coverage on breakout players, top performers, and specific position groups and classifications throughout the week.