3 Week 1 Winners

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 1 is (finally) in the books, and this year, I'm debuting a new weekly column. This one's called "Week 1 Winners." I've used <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/05/prep-redzone-north-carolina-exposure-camp-winners/">this concept</a> during <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/04/ccc-recap-winners-from-clayton/">camp coverage</a> in the past, and this year I'm going to bring it to my in-season coverage. It won't always be three teams, but it could be players, positions, classifications, or regions. Here are three Week 1 winners.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">3 Winners From Week 1</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">1) Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's always a relief for both the team itself and the media, who are high on it, when a team with "potential" comes out and performs like Cardinal Gibbons in Week 1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An offense that is inexperienced at the skill positions answered a lot of questions. Apparently, the big boys up front are just going to dominate. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1891517' first='Blake' last='Neal']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1607759' first='Malek' last='Griffin']</strong>, and the rest of the offensive line controlled a very good Dudley front seven, giving <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1781963' first='Truth' last='Caesar']</strong> plenty of room to run in his first varsity start. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2135309' first='Mason' last='Karras']</strong> didn't have to do much with his arm, but flashed some impressive scrambling ability. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defense was dominant. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1044292' first='Skylar' last='Alston']</strong> finished with 13 tackles, including four for loss and three sacks. Although I don't have stats, I heard the front four had a huge day, and that <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2151239' first='Kieran' last='Frieary']</strong> more than held his own against a big Dudley offensive line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There just wasn't enough passing volume to properly judge the young receivers, but I moved Cardinal Gibbons up in my <a href="https://x.com/whelms21/status/2092242086435131897?s=20">7A Power Rankings</a> after a huge 45-6 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">2) J.H. Rose Rampants</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I have a feeling <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2264327' first='Kasyn' last='Chase']</strong> will be a household name by October. The senior had a breakout game for J.H. Rose against one of the top teams in the 6A class. He had two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving, in a 20-11 win over Northern Nash.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the "knocks" on Rose was the perceived lack of secondary playmakers to complement <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1852705' first='Jaleek' last='Parson']</strong>. Well, Parson had one catch, and the Rampants won by nine.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm interested to see if the Rampants run the ball a bit more effectively as the season goes on, but I was impressed by the defense and steady offense. <strong>Jayden Webb</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1702575' first='Makai' last='Gibbs']</strong> shared a sack in one of the more "boring" defensive performances of the weekend. Northern Nash, even behind its strong offensive line, just couldn't find any room.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">3) 7A Dark Horses</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Most people agree that there's a considerable gap between Grimsley and the rest of the 7A class. The Whirlies certainly lived up to the hype in a 24-0 shutout win over West Charlotte, behind big games from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2170655' first='Alex' last='Cooper']</strong>, quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1048930' first='Brody' last='Lowe']</strong>, and a suffocating defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That said, I was impressed with some of the other top 7A teams. Obviously, I've already mentioned Cardinal Gibbons, but there were a few other statement wins in Week 1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I thought Weddington would win at Mooresville, but I didn't expect a blowout. The Warriors dominated from the first whistle, jumping out to a 42-10 halftime lead. The Warriors showed off the new and improved passing game, as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='915835' first='Jared' last='Street']</strong> hooked up with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2005357' first='Austin' last='Frazier']</strong> twice on long passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mooresville's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1604676' first='Weston' last='Michalak']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1608303' first='Chanse' last='Bost']</strong> connected for a long touchdown pass, and running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1953797' first='Zy' last='Pharr']</strong>, who landed on our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/08/preseason-all-breakout-offense/">All-Breakout offense</a>, scored late. Overall, however, the Weddington secondary, led by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2206752' first='Ace' last='Clements']</strong> shut down the Mooresville offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I have Southeast Raleigh ranked third in the class right now. The biggest "question marks" were the pass rush and passing game. I <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/08/monday-musings-3-things-from-week-1/">mentioned the pass rushers on Monday</a>, and the passing game (in low volume) popped, with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1656591' first='Tre' last='Belcher']</strong> showing a solid rapport with receivers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1318732' first='Adam' last='Saunders']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2112040' first='Cam' last='Bullock']</strong>. That isn't the strength of the offense, as the Bulldogs will live on the ground behind a dominant line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Belcher, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1251476' first='James' last='Adams'] IV</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='378921' first='Christian' last='Freeman']</strong> each averaged at least 13 yards per carry. So far, so good.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm not taking <em>too</em> much away from Lake Norman's 47-0 win over Sun Valley, as I wasn't as high on the Spartans as some. However, the Wildcats did look good. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1616126' first='Kaden' last='Craft']</strong> was explosive in the passing game, connecting twice on long completions to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1657753' first='Doc' last='Caldwell']</strong>. Craft added two rushing scores, and East Carolina commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1318478' first='Mason' last='Hefner']</strong> had two(!) pick-sixes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Finally, Southern Durham beat a strong Wake Forest team. Wake Forest shut down the passing game, but <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1217496' first='Jonathan' last='Dillon']</strong> ran for over 150 yards and two touchdowns. Perhaps more impressively, the Spartans limited one of the best backfields in the state to just four yards per carry. I've been high on the Spartans, and thought the additions to the defensive line would be key. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1634611' first='Eric' last='George']</strong> had a key run stop, and the linebackers played well. I'm noting that improvement against the run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>We'll have more throughout the week. What did we miss? Who needs to be highlighted? Help us help players and let me know on Twitter, (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>)</em>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->