Tobacco Road 6A/7A 2026 Conference Preview

We're officially in full-on preseason mode here at Prep Redzone, and amidst our team previews, we're mixing in some conference previews. The Tobacco Road 6A/7A Conference has the potential to be one of the most improved conferences, top-to-bottom, in the state. There's plenty of college talent, and we're breaking it all down here.   *Use promo code Helms30 at checkout to get 30% off your first billing cycle*   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tobacco Road Conference Preview</h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Top Prospects</h3>   While the Tobacco Road Conference has plenty of college-bound talent, even if a lot of it is consolidated within the top two 7A teams. Here are the seven highest-ranked players from the conference:   [player_tooltip player_id='1217496' first='Jonathan' last='Dillon'] | WR/QB | Southern Durham [player_tooltip player_id='1159953' first='Lance' last='Henderson'] | Ath. | Southern Durham [player_tooltip player_id='1969811' first='Leighton' last='Lascallette'] | TE | Riverside [player_tooltip player_id='1607799' first='Kamari' last='Holloway'] | RB | Southern Durham [player_tooltip player_id='1717897' first='Deuce' last='Geer'] | DB | Chapel Hill [player_tooltip player_id='2112037' first='Jayden' last='Bowman'] | DB | Southern Durham [player_tooltip player_id='2005283' first='Jastin' last='Ikard'] | DB | Southern Durham   You'll notice two things about that list, both of which I'll dive into later in this piece. First, Southern Durham has four of the top seven prospects in the conference. Second, four of the top seven are defensive backs, with a couple of other guys who just missed this list.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Potential Sleepers</h3>    Ranked as a receiver, Lea may be the single most important player in the conference. He's going to play some quarterback this year—a theme in the conference for top athletes—and if he can provide stability at that position, Riverside should be one of the most improved teams in the entire state.     Moore has been efficient in recent seasons, but hasn't truly broken out. We expect that to change in 2026, and he could get a ton of touches for Northern Durham. He's not the biggest guy, but he's electric with the ball in his hands, and we think he'll be the key to Northern Durham's chances of taking a step forward in the conference.     Mayo is the type of do-it-all athlete who can elevate a team. The Hillside defense was elite last season, allowing fewer than 10 points per game, but the offense struggled against top teams. If Mayo can continue his upward trajectory, there's a strong chance the Hornets can take the next step.     Hillside gets two guys on the sleepers section because it's not a star-laden team. Instead, the Hornets are made up of a bunch of guys who know their roles and do their jobs well. Lillie was one of the top linebackers in the state last year, doing a bit of everything. He's the top returning tackler, had two sacks, recovered two fumbles, and thrived in pass coverage last year.     While not the biggest guy, Brooks-McMillan is electric. He'll need to be even better as a senior on an offense that loses a ton of talent, but if he has a big year, Chapel Hill should be a strong team. I'm interested to see if he plays as much defensively this season, as they'll need him to touch the ball more on offense.     A true dual-threat, George didn't have a ton of passing volume in East Chapel Hill's run-first offense. The Wildcats will look for more playmakers on the outside to find balance on offense. Good things happen when the ball is in George's hands, and he put up good numbers for a guy on a struggling offense.     If you're a MaxPreps leaderboard watcher, you'll miss Elmenshawi, as Riverside doesn't usually post defensive statistics. The hybrid linebacker-safety is big, fast, and physical. He's added size and strength this offseason and should play linebacker this year. The Riverside defense wasn't far from being a great unit, and Elmenshawi should help them take a step forward this season.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Three Things To Know About the Tobacco Road Conference</h2>   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">1. The Defensive Backs</h3>   The Tobacco Road Conference is loaded at defensive back. Southern Durham's [player_tooltip player_id='1717882' first='Kobe' last='Whimper'], [player_tooltip player_id='1159953' first='Lance' last='Henderson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2112037' first='Jayden' last='Bowman'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2005283' first='Jastin' last='Ikard'] form one of the most formidable secondaries in the state.   Hillside loses some key pieces from its secondary, but returns [player_tooltip player_id='1730595' first='Cameron' last='Hargraves'] and Jakari Lyons-Upchurch to a dominant defense.   [player_tooltip player_id='1717897' first='Deuce' last='Geer'] remains one of the most underrated corners in the state,   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">2. Southern Durham's Dominance?</h3>   One look at the player rankings tells you which team is the most talented in the conference, but the Hillside was just one point away from taking the title last year. Southern Durham, on paper, added plenty of talent to widen the gap. Is it really the Spartans and then everyone else?   To me, that depends on whether teams can run the ball on Southern Durham. In particular, the Spartans struggled to stop mobile quarterbacks last year. Hillside's [player_tooltip player_id='1656584' first='Xavier' last='Stevenson'] had an efficient game on the ground in a close 14-13 loss to Southern Durham.   The Spartans allowed six rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks in their five losses last year, and a couple of bigger running backs caused them issues, too. Defensive linemen [player_tooltip player_id='2109373' first='Kye' last='Johnson'], [player_tooltip player_id='1942149' first='Ja'quez' last='Johnson'], [player_tooltip player_id='2153515' first='Caleb' last='Lyons'], and transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1634611' first='Eric' last='George'] will be crucial to taking the next step.   <h3 class="wp-block-heading">3. Most of the Quarterbacks Are Playing Out of Position</h3>   This is an intriguing point because the Tobacco Road Conference is a 6A/7A conference, not a 1A or 2A conference. This is not a slight towards anybody playing the quarterback position in the conference. It's actually a compliment.   By my count, over half of the teams in this conference will start a player at quarterback who has started at another position. Hillside's [player_tooltip player_id='1656584' first='Xavier' last='Stevenson'] had more rushing attempts than completions last year; [player_tooltip player_id='1217496' first='Jonathan' last='Dillon'] (Southern Durham) is a Power Four receiver prospect who moonlights as a talented passer; [player_tooltip player_id='2141130' first='Leo' last='George'] (East Chapel Hill) is a talented defensive back; Amir Liles' passing volume dropped significantly in 2025, while he ran the ball more in Northern Durham's run-first system; Riverside may start [player_tooltip player_id='1667016' first='Taylen' last='Lea'] at quarterback, and he's ranked in our system as a receiver.   Several of these teams are run-first, and all of them put their athletes in the best place to succeed, even if they don't play one single position.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Potential Conference MVPs</h2>    As previously mentioned, Dillon is a future Power Four receiver. He also threw for nearly 2,000 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just one interception, adding 500 rushing yards in the process. He will likely play quarterback again, though we could see him elsewhere, too.     Lascallette is the most productive receiver at the tight end position in the state, and last year, he racked up over half of Riverside's receiving yardage. He averaged 20 yards per catch on 25 receptions, but only scored three touchdowns last year. We expect that to change this year, and he should help Riverside score a lot of points.     Holloway won't have to do it all by himself, but the East Carolina commit can break the 1,500-yard mark if he gets enough touches. He's a physical runner, even without being the biggest back. His vision might be the best in the state, and he has the speed to break off huge runs.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tobacco Road 6A/7A Predicted Order of Finish</h2>   1) Southern Durham   2) Hillside   3) Riverside   4) Chapel Hill   5) Northern Durham   6) East Chapel Hill   Coaches, if you want your team featured in a team preview, <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeB9YBH_he_sOP-lhvI26XRh0P9vobS8PsVJy_5QCJ4jQLTvQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=118251332469799088451">fill out our preseason survey</a>.

We're officially in full-on preseason mode here at Prep Redzone, and amidst our team previews, we're mixing in some conference previews. The Tobacco Road 6A/7A Conference has the potential to be one of the most improved conferences, top-to-bottom, in the state. There's plenty of college talent, and we're breaking it all down here.