Predicting Every Northeastern Coastal Team’s MVP

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's June, which is close enough to the season to start preseason content, at least in my mind. We're bringing back one of my favorite series from last season, but this time it's a bit earlier in the summer. Here, we're looking at several conferences to predict one player per team as their team MVP. Let's look at the Northwestern Coastal 3A/4A/5A Conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Predicting Northeastern Coastal 3A/4A/5A Conference Team MVPs</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Editor's Note: Since we started these much later in the offseason, we rolled these into conference previews. We'll preview conferences in the future, but here, we're just focusing on team MVPs.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Other Team MVP Pieces:&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-every-albemarle-conference-teams-mvp/">Albemarle 2A</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-every-southern-carolina-teams-mvp/">Southern Carolina 6A/7A</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-every-quad-city-seven-teams-mvp/">Quad City Seven 8A</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-every-carolina-pines-teams-mvp/">Carolina Pines 6A</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-each-big-carolina-teams-mvp/">Big Carolina 6A/7A</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-every-eastern-plains-teams-mvp/">Eastern Plains 2A/3A</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-every-big-east-teams-mvp/">Big East 5A/6A</a> | <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/predicting-each-cap-8a-teams-mvp/">CAP 8A</a></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Northeastern Coastal 3A/4A/5A conference is one of those in remote areas of the state that goes undercovered. That said, there's some legitimate college talent in the conference, and we hope to spotlight some of that this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hertford County Bears</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2226936' first='Chase' last='Everette']</strong> | Edge</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's some serious college talent at Hertford County, and Everette might be my favorite of three true Division II/FCS prospects on the roster. He has excellent length and get-off, helping him put up 7.5 sacks last season. He's had a strong offseason, from what we've heard, getting bigger and stronger. It's an experienced roster, and we wouldn't be surprised to see Hertford County take a step forward in 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others Considered:&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2226935' first='Ayden' last='Everette']</strong> (RB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2043968' first='Charles' last='Eure']</strong> (OL/DL)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Martin County Gators</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1159168' first='Jordan' last='Matthewson']</strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/player/blake-beckwith/"></a>&nbsp;| RB/WR/LB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Arguably the top prospect in the conference, Matthewson quite literally does a bit of everything for the Gators. He's one of the biggest guys you'll ever see consistently carry the football, but he can also play Wildcat quarterback, line up outside at receiver, or play a multitude of positions defensively. The Gators lose some productive seniors, but should still be a strong 3A contender.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others Considered:&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1607846' first='Noah' last='Congleton']</strong> (TE/Edge), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1608330' first='Khirye' last='Jones']</strong> (OL/DL)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Northeastern Eagles</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1854319' first='Zak' last='Ishman']</strong> | QB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You have to start at the quarterback position for one of the 3A class's top passing teams. Ishman is one of the <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/06/3a-4a-quarterbacks-to-know/">top returning passers in the class</a>. The Eagles lose a lot of offensive skill position talent, but a few guys stay in what should once again be a high-flying offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others Considered:&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2155887' first='Damari' last='McNeill']</strong> (RB/LB), <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1717095' first='Mekkhei' last='Williams']</strong> (DL)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pasquotank County Panthers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2226991' first='Dudley' last='Bradshaw']</strong> | DB/LB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pasquotank County's defense did not get enough credit for its performance last year, including from us. The Panthers allowed 10.6 points per game in the regular season with four shutouts against a decent schedule. They stifled opponents without being overly opportunistic, too. Instead, it was a "line up and shut them down" defense with lots of three-and-outs and punts. The Panthers return some key guys on that side of the ball, including Bradshaw, the team's leading tackler last year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others Considered: <strong>Josiah Bennett</strong> (QB)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">First Flight Nighthawks</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2226995' first='Cash' last='Woods']</strong> | QB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>First Flight struggled last season, especially offensively, as the Nighthawks had trouble moving the ball consistently. Woods is a prototypical pocket passer with great size and a good arm. If his receivers can find space deep on a more consistent basis, Woods has the arm to deliver accurate throws over the middle and deep, giving the Nighthawks a chance to be more explosive in 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Currituck County Knights</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2104426' first='Kayden' last='Smith']</strong> | RB/LB</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Smith flew under the radar last season, but had a strong year for the Knights as a sophomore among plenty of seniors. This year, he'll be heavily relied upon for not just production, but experience, as well. The offense loses a ton of talent, so getting Smith back will be key to repeating last year's success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Others Considered:&nbsp;<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2226934' first='Easten' last='Binckley']</strong> (DB)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Our preseason coverage is just getting started. Coaches, if you want your team featured in a team preview,&nbsp;</em><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeB9YBH_he_sOP-lhvI26XRh0P9vobS8PsVJy_5QCJ4jQLTvQ/viewform?usp=sharing&amp;ouid=118251332469799088451">fill out our survey</a>.<em>&nbsp;Want to share Prep Redzone with a friend? Help them get 30% off their first billing cycle with promo code Helms30.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->