Charlotte Area + Beyond Round 1 Playmakers

All across the Charlotte Metro Area & beyond in Round 1 of the State Playoffs, there were big-time performances, and we're going to highlight them here with a bit of commentary tacked on as well for select players. Please make sure you are sharing your performances with me via Twitter/X @pepman704, especially if you are in the Charlotte Metro Area, to be considered for inclusion! We will have this series all year long on Prep Redzone North Carolina, and we will recognize everyone – including linemen! Stats and film will help a TON when being evaluated for inclusion! All right, let's get started.   Kaden Sanders - West Rowan - 13 Tackles, 7 Tackles For Loss, ½ Sack - Kaden has been the leading tackler all season for the Falcons, and he delivered another double-digit tackle stat line in the biggest game of the year so far. The Falcons go on the road to face Monroe, a perennial power - but I think they have a legitimate chance to move on to Round 3.   [player_tooltip player_id='1277000' first='Damonte' last='James'] - Central Cabarrus - 244 Rushing Yards, 2 Touchdowns, 52 Receiving Yards, & an Interception - I'm not sure what else to say about Damonte at this point, other than our All-State Preseason selection for him was probably the smartest thing we've done all season, lol. He came up with possibly his best game all season for an impressive road win in Round 1. If he can produce like this again on the road against Freedom in Round 2, the Vikings have a chance to keep going.   [player_tooltip player_id='1278063' first='Jackson' last='Coble'] - West Mecklenburg - 9 Perfect Long Snaps - Excellent Work All Season Long   [player_tooltip player_id='1702088' first='Faison' last='Manning'] - AL Brown - Three Quarterback Sacks and consistent pass rush pressure all night - Over the past couple of weeks, Faison has started to get home to the quarterback multiple times a game. The 2027 prospect is trending up at the right time, and I'm excited to see him take this momentum into the offseason.   [player_tooltip player_id='1751631' first='Callaway' last='Williams'] - South Mecklenburg - 4 Total Touchdowns, 4 Tackles For Loss, 2 Pass Breakups - Callaway gave all he had in what ended up his final game in a South Meck uniform. Accounting for 24 of their points, Callaway should be a player getting some recruiting attention - he's a true athlete that can be a playmaker for someone on the next level.   Grae Ponder - West Lincoln - 22 Carries, 161 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing Touchdowns, Plus TD Reception   [player_tooltip player_id='1678618' first='Kylan' last='Polk'] - Forest Hills - 12 Carries, 100 Rushing Yards, Rushing Touchdown, Plus 98 Kickoff Return Touchdown - One of the most dynamic players in his classification, Kylan was a big reason Forest Hills was eventually able to get past a pesky Smoky Mountain team in Round 1.   Kyshaun Jenkins - Olympic - Offensive Lineman with No Penalties or Sacks Allowed - A 2026 prospect at 6'5 and 255 pounds, Kyshaun is growing into a prospect that could be a late steal for a college program looking for offensive linemen.   Chris Peavy - Providence Day - Offensive Lineman Graded out at 95 Percent Overall - In the 2027 class, Peavy is showing to be one of the more technically sound prospects in the Charlotte Metro area from an offensive lineman perspective.   [player_tooltip player_id='1692741' first='Jackson' last='Laws'] - Cannon School - Five Tackles For Loss, Up to 105 Tackles, and 19 Sacks On The Season - Jackson helped Cannon School get some retribution for a regular season loss at Charlotte Latin, going back and beating them on their field for a first round victory. His speed off the ball and hand usage are fun to watch from a fundamental perspective.   [player_tooltip player_id='525514' first='Cole' last='Hough'] - Palisades - 271 Passing Yards and 3 Passing Touchdowns - Excellent Game! - Cole played probably one of his most complete games this season in leading the Pumas to victory. I liked the touch on his deep ball, and he made smart decisions all night in the passing game.   [player_tooltip player_id='1149068' first='Bryce' last='Taylor'] - Providence - 2 Interceptions, 4 Tackles, and 3 Pass Breakups - Against a pass-first offensive attack in Ardrey Kell, Bryce came up big, playing some excellent coverage and showing some impressive ball skills on his two interceptions. The Panthers will need a repeat performance if they are going to pull an upset in Round 2 over West Charlotte.   [player_tooltip player_id='1301243' first='Keland' last='Shelton Jr'] - Providence - 4.5 Quarterback Sacks, Double Digit Tackles - Big Win Against Rival In Playoffs! - Keland went out and played an even better game the 2nd time around against their rival, Ardrey Kel,l in the first round of the playoffs. Some colleges are sleeping on Keland - he has major EDGE potential, and if he focuses 100 percent there on the next level, he can be really special.   [player_tooltip player_id='1678619' first='Dominik' last='Danzy'] - West Stanly - 6 Catches, 111 Receiving Yards, 2 Touchdowns - Huge Win As 24 Seed! - Dominik helped pull the biggest upset of Round 1, leading his 1-9, 24-seeded, West Stanly Colts into Lexington and beating them 24-22. Dominik has played a number of positions offensively this season, but he's at his best as a dynamic threat with speed at the receiver position, and he showed that here.   [player_tooltip player_id='1788150' first='Infinite' last='Morrow'] - Central Cabarrus - 10 Tackles, 3 Tackles For Loss, 45 Receiving Yards - Infinite is a big and strong defensive lineman who also can play some tight end as a tough blocker with some soft hands. His size should garner him interest going forward - I really would like to see him in some offseason camps up close.   Bryce Cuadra - Mountain Island - 10 Tackles, Sack, Punt Return For Touchdown - The Raptors earned a strong 40-7 win over Elkin and Round 1, and as has been the case mostly all season, Bryce was a double-digit tackler from the linebacker position. The new part of his game is the punt return touchdown, and getting those added bonuses for the Raptors will be important going into a tough Round 2 game on the road at Alleghany.   [player_tooltip player_id='1656741' first='Ethan' last='Presley'] - Hunter Huss - 355 Passing Yards, 3 Passing Touchdowns, Plus 1 Rushing Touchdown   [player_tooltip player_id='1607074' first='Caden' last='Ingle'] - Erwin - 408 Passing Yards, 2 Passing Touchdowns, 53 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing Touchdowns - Coming down the mountain from Asheville, Caden put on a show in the air in a big Round 1 defeat of Hunter Huss. I have always thought Caden has a strong arm and nice accuracy, and he really let his talent shine bright in this one.   [player_tooltip player_id='1654186' first='Brody' last='Hunt'] - South Iredell - 81 Receiving Yards and 2 Interceptions - Leading South Iredell WR in School History!   [player_tooltip player_id='1260987' first='Brendan' last='Ravin'] - Providence Day - 9 Catches, 148 Receiving Yards, 2 Receiving Touchdowns, Plus 2 Interceptions - Brendan sometimes gets overshadowed by the bigger names for the Chargers, but he's always steady and reliable, and in this game, the ball found him a lot where he could do some special things on both offense and defense.   Levi Haines - Marvin Ridge - 3 Total Touchdowns - 2 Receiving and 1 Return, Plus 104 Receiving Yards   [player_tooltip player_id='402307' first='Zyon' last='Hailey'] - Chambers - 4 Passing Touchdowns and Game-Winning Touchdown Run - Incredible Road Comeback Victory! - Zyon probably played his best overall game in his career in probably the best win Chambers has had in a couple of years. Down 31-13 in the 4th quarter, Zyon started finding connections in the passing game against man coverage with impressive accuracy and touch. His dynamic running ability got the ball in the end zone and the Cougars into the second round against Myers Park.   Zac Jones - Hopewell - 19 Carries, 214 Rushing Yards, and 3 Touchdowns   [player_tooltip player_id='1453997' first='Brady' last='Swett'] - Bandys - 237 Passing Yards and 4 Passing Touchdowns - Brady's impressive performance helped lead Bandys to scoring over 70 points in round 1! They are a dangerous 10 seed because of that explosive offensive ability, and their game against Stuart Cramer this week stands to be a classic showdown.   Bryce Nixon - Olympic - 18 Carries, 153 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing Touchdowns - Bryce should be ranked by us at this point - he's a heck of an athlete getting it done on both sides of the ball. His running style is downhill, but he shows good vision to make one cut and get north & south. He will be a major player in Round 2 against a good Sun Valley team.   [player_tooltip player_id='1905611' first='Jonas' last='Woods'] - Shelby - 5 Carries, 153 Rushing Yards, 3 Rushing Touchdowns - Jonas is a FRESHMAN running back with some impressive production in his first-ever playoff game. I think it's impressive the Golden Lions trust Jonas, and going into a big Round 2 game at East Rutherford, he will probably be asked to contribute once again.   [player_tooltip player_id='1616140' first='Lucas' last='Lopez'] - Cannon School - 215 Passing Yards & 5 Passing Touchdowns - Big Rematch Win! - Lucas has quietly had a strong sophomore season for the Cougars, and we need to start looking at him as possibly one of the best Class of 2028 quarterbacks in the state. I'm eager to see him up close in a camp setting this upcoming offseason.

All across the Charlotte Metro Area & beyond in Round 1 of the State Playoffs, there were big-time performances, and we're going to highlight them here with a bit of commentary tacked on as well for select players. Please make sure you are sharing your performances with me via Twitter/X @pepman704, especially if you are in the Charlotte Metro Area, to be considered for inclusion! We will have this series all year long on Prep Redzone North Carolina, and we will recognize everyone – including linemen! Stats and film will help a TON when being evaluated for inclusion! All right, let's get started.