What We Learned on Thursday Night: Regional Finals

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Weather moved seven of the 12 Regional Finals games from Friday to Thursday, meaning we got a fairly even split, with both games in the 5A and 7A classifications and one each in 2A, 3A, and 4A, moving a day early. Since the rain messed up my early-week content plan, I decided to take advantage and split my weekly recap into two parts. Here's what we learned on Thursday night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Three Things We Learned in Thursday's Regional Finals</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">1) The Eight-Class System is Awesome</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've always been in favor of an eight-class system, but not everyone has been a fan. I'm sure somebody out there still hates it, but we got some phenomenal games on Thursday in almost every classification. The two 7A games were fantastic. There's very little to separate the 7A and 8A classes, so getting multiple championships from the best teams in the state, rather than dumping 80+ schools into one big class, is huge.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Three of the seven games came down to the final possession, while the 5A West game between Crest and Hickory was close for almost three quarters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>More close games let more players shine. In 4A, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='869974' first='Dionte' last='Neal']</strong> put the team on his back on both sides of the ball to complete a late comeback against West Craven. After the Eagles took a 21-20 lead on a <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='948088' first='DJ' last='Davis']</strong> pass to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1664518' first='Christopher' last='Person Jr'].</strong>, Neal took over at quarterback to lead a game-winning drive, then picked off a pass with under a minute left to seal it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Weddington-Grimsley, the defenses dominated. The only offensive score was a <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1815393' first='Ty' last='Shoemake']</strong> touchdown run. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1661003' first='Kosci' last='Barnes']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1157260' first='KD' last='Cotton']</strong> were two of the best players on the field on both sides of the ball, as Barnes stepped up at receiver when <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='909357' first='Kaden' last='Catoe']</strong> went down with an injury, and Cotton was one of the only constants on offense for the Warriors. Both had big takeaways, with Cotton returning a fumble for a touchdown as Weddington's only score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Grimsley's defense is seriously good, and we saw that Thursday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In Clayton-Cardinal Gibbons, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1243204' first='Aiden' last='Smalls']</strong> had four rushing touchdowns, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1165755' first='Keshawn' last='Stancil']</strong> had several huge plays defensively. Smalls found <strong>Parker Ferguson</strong> in the end zone to cap a game-winning drive and seal the win, 35-32.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">2) Kinston, Tarboro Take Care of Business</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3A Kinston and 2A Tarboro's playoff runs will be linked by their Eastern Plains 2A/3A Conference ties. As predicted at the beginning of the season, that conference ended up being one of the best top-to-bottom in the lower classifications. <strong>James Kenan</strong> had previously eliminated two other Eastern Plains teams, after <strong>Farmville Central</strong> and <strong>Ayden-Grifton</strong> won a combined three road playoff games before falling to the Tigers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thursday, the best of the bunch, the third-place Eastern Plains <strong>Kinston Vikings</strong> got the job done with a smooth 30-7 win. The Vikings were one of only two teams to challenge Tarboro this season, whose non-conference schedule included three teams that reached the regional semifinals in the 4A and 5A classes. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was the usual suspects for Kinston, at least early. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1337049' first='Tyler' last='Jones']</strong> hit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1368098' first='Tyreek' last='Copper']</strong> for a first-half touchdown, giving Copper a receiving touchdown in an NCHSAA-record 16th-straight game. Marshall commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1539536' first='Brennan' last='Chambers']</strong> had a few tough catches, as well. In the second half, <strong>Genesis Wiggins</strong> took over, scoring twice for the Vikings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tarboro rolled. Again. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473838' first='Kamerin' last='McDowell-Moore']</strong> ran for several touchdowns, and quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1408773' first='Tyler' last='Powell']</strong> got in on the action as both a passer and a runner, hitting <strong>Caiden Everett</strong> for a touchdown in a 40-0 win, the Vikings' sixth shutout of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">3) Hunt, Crest Set Up Fantastic Matchup</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For the first time since 2004, Hunt is in the state title game as one of six 1-seeds to punch their ticket so far.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Their opponent next week will be a team that had to win twice on the road, including a victory over 5A West 1-seed South Point last week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So, the stage is set in 5A. How did we get here?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Neither team dominated early, though they both jumped out to modest leads. Northside-Jacksonville actually moved the ball decently well against Hunt, but the Warrior defense turned up the pressure in the red zone and later in the game as the Monarchs were forced to throw more. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1610537' first='Randy' last='James']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1106602' first='Judah' last='Harris']</strong> had massive nights, especially in the second half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1953755' first='Mez' last='Harris']</strong> had a pick for Hunt, while Northside-Jacksonville's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1687459' first='Reginald' last='Gray']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='534079' first='Rahlai' last='Anderson']</strong> played well in a season-ending loss. 2025 was one of the best seasons in school history for the Monarchs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crest struck first, as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1144640' first='Ely' last='Hamrick']</strong> hit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154024' first='Namajay' last='Thompson']</strong> on a long touchdown pass, but the Chargers actually trailed Hickory, 8-7, after the first quarter when Hickory picked off a pass and blocked a punt through the end zone for the rare, two-field goal plus a safety eight-point quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Thompson scored again before Hickory's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2074450' first='Jaheem' last='Jenkins']</strong> got going. Hickory kept closing the gap before Crest pulled away. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1671903' first='Michael' last='Edwards']</strong> and <strong>Malachi Gamble</strong> tacked on later rushing touchdowns to seal it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In my <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/12/5a-regional-finals-preview/">5A Regional Finals Preview</a>, I wondered if either passing offense would struggle against strong secondaries, and Crest bottled up the Hickory passing game. Now, they'll need to shift gears against a tough Hunt rushing attack.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>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>.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->