Upper-Classification Upset Picks: Round 4

Last week, I started a weekly "<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/11/upper-classification-upset-picks-round-3/">upper-classification upset picks</a>" piece, then went 0-3 on the week. I'm back this week to improve my record, however, with three more underdog picks for the 5A-8A classes. What makes upset picks here difficult is that we simply haven't seen many upsets: Road teams went 4-24 last week in 5A-8A, so it's not like I had many opportunities to be correct. Let's try again this week.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3 Potential Upper-Classification Upsets</h2>   Like last week, an upset counts as any lower seed winning. At this point, there aren't many true underdogs remaining, but there are several road teams with a real shot to advance. Here are three potential upper-classification upset picks.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">West Charlotte (8A West No. 2) Over No. 1 Hough</h3>   Let's start with a bang. Two of the top two or three teams in the state meet on Friday with a spot in the 8A State Championship on the line, and the only shocking result would be a blowout in either direction.   Both West Charlotte and Hough have allowed fewer than eight points a game, and while Hough is 3-0 in one-score games, the Lions are 0-2, losing both by inches.   The quarterback battle is among the best we'll see this year, with West Charlotte's [player_tooltip player_id='1321007' first='Jamouri' last='Nichols'] and Hough's [player_tooltip player_id='254550' first='Ethan' last='Royal'] throwing for over 1,800 yards and running for close to 500. When the game's on the line, these guys are at their best, especially as runners.   It's also a matchup of the two best linebacking corps in the state. Hough's duo of [player_tooltip player_id='950969' first='Ryan' last='Peterson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='974827' first='LJ' last='Porter'] are elite against the run, while West Charlotte's [player_tooltip player_id='949642' first='Michael' last='Griffin Jr']. and [player_tooltip player_id='1170182' first='Elijah' last='Littlejohn'] (Who just flipped from Penn State to Georgia) have more pass-rushing juice. The seniors (Littlejohn and Porter) are each ranked as <a href="https://prepredzone.com/north-carolina/rankings/2026-rankings/">top-35 prospects in the state</a>, while Griffin and Peterson are inside the top seven of their respective classes.   West Charlotte's [player_tooltip player_id='473951' first='Sam' last='Johnson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1887310' first='Kayden' last='Smith'] probably give the Lions a slight edge on the defensive front, while Hough's [player_tooltip player_id='284097' first='Samari' last='Matthews'], [player_tooltip player_id='1153738' first='Micah' last='Bright'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1788073' first='Jackson' last='Heath'] have formed an elite Hough secondary, but there's obviously plenty of high-level talent on both sides (Like Lions safety [player_tooltip player_id='378926' first='Davion' last='Jones'], who has six forced turnovers and a blocked punt this year).   Expect this one to be low-scoring, and one-score games tend to be mostly random. I personally think West Charlotte can get one or two more plays late to win a game that ends up 17-14 or something like that.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Union Pines (6A East No. 4) Over No. 1 Jacksonville</h3>   I originally named Jacksonville a team that I've already pencilled into the state title game. As far back as mid-September, I called the Cardinals the favorites in the East.   On October 1, I <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/10/6a-midseason-check-in-teams-storylines-to-watch/">ranked Jacksonville second in the class</a>, while I had Union Pines outside of the top 10 (though I did call them a "lower-ranked team to watch" and predicted them to go undefeated in conference play). I mention that not just for transparency, but to show what I think of the Cardinals. When I <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/07/union-pines-vikings-2025-season-preview/">previewed Union Pines</a> at the beginning of the year, I was optimistic about the offseason improvements, especially defensively. All of that being said, I was not prepared for the defense to be this good.   Since a close loss to 8A Pinecrest in August, the Vikings have allowed 4.8 points per game with four shutouts and four opponents in single digits.   The defensive line has been outstanding, led by 19 combined sacks from [player_tooltip player_id='1706217' first='Duncan' last='Obst'], [player_tooltip player_id='1610571' first='Dylan' last='Benedict'], and linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='1572073' first='Elijah' last='Clayton']. They've been solid on the back end and have suffocated teams' running games.   They'll need to do that against a potent Jacksonville rushing attack led by [player_tooltip player_id='1895409' first='Amari' last='Pearson']. If they can force the Cardinals to go to secondary options, and contain [player_tooltip player_id='2063433' first='Anthony' last='Washington'] as a runner, they'll have a good chance of pulling off a huge win.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Crest (5A West No. 4) Over No. 1 South Point</h3>   This feels like low-hanging fruit, and perhaps taking a chance on No. 3 Hickory in this bracket, but per the rules I set forth, Crest is an easy choice here. To be honest, I'm not quite sure how RPI ranked the Chargers as the four seed, especially behind a South Point team they thrashed in the regular season.   The Chargers lost by six to 6A Ashbrook and played 7A Weddington as close as any 5A school could, finishing second in the Big South 5A/6A conference.   I like South Point a lot, but the Chargers may just be a bad matchup for them. To be fair, everything that could go wrong did go wrong in that first game, ending in a slightly misleading scoreline. Crest thoroughly outplayed the Red Raiders, but there were some game-script issues after the Red Raiders lost three early fumbles, forcing South Point to deviate from its elite running game.   But there's reason to believe that could happen again. [player_tooltip player_id='1144640' first='Ely' last='Hamrick'] found some success in chunk plays in that first matchup, hitting [player_tooltip player_id='1154024' first='Namajay' last='Thompson'] for a 23-yard touchdown, and capping a two-minute drive with a short touchdown run. He later hit D'Various Surratt as the South Point defense cheated forward.   This one's on the road, and it's a rivalary game. Last time, Crest held both [player_tooltip player_id='2065235' first='Kaveaun' last='Pless'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1277021' first='Patrick' last='Blee'] well under five yards a carry, forcing the Red Raiders to drive the length of the field. South Point's best offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1815332' first='Landon' last='Suttle'] has the talent to the tone, and I expect South Point to play much better. Still, I think the Chargers' big-play ability is enough to get it done.   Follow Prep Redzone for more high-quality coverage throughout the playoffs and offseason. Want to get in front of our scouts this offseason? Our next PRZ Carolinas Stock-Up Showcase is Dec. 7. <a href="https://events.prepredzone.com/e/2124/register/stock-up-showcase-carolinas">Register here</a>. Promo Code HelmsWinterPRZ will get you $10 off registration. And don't forget to vote for our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/11/who-is-the-2025-prznc-player-of-the-year/">PRZNC Player of the Year</a>.

Last week, I started a weekly "upper-classification upset picks" piece, then went 0-3 on the week. I'm back this week to improve my record, however, with three more underdog picks for the 5A-8A classes. What makes upset picks here difficult is that we simply haven't seen many upsets: Road teams went 4-24 last week in 5A-8A, so it's not like I had many opportunities to be correct. Let's try again this week.