Monday Musings: Week 3

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Happy Monday! Like the past few weeks, a weather scare pushed a handful of games to Monday. But for the most part, Week 3 is in the books, and we learned a lot about several teams around the state. Unlike my <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/09/week-3-instant-analysis-2/">Friday instant analysis</a>, this Monday Musings piece is a bit more measured. What did we learn in Week 3?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Big Things From Week 3</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Massive Rushing Outputs</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I don't always write about top performers, but the story of Week 3 can't be told without mentioning some running back performances.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>By my count, five guys went over 300 yards.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tarboro senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2092909' first='Antonio' last='Draughn']</strong> is having a breakout year, culminating in a Week 3 318-yard, four-touchdown output against a strong Havelock defense. There's a bit of a "rinse and repeat" element with Tarboro, where the system puts guys in position to succeed year after year. Still, Draughn's contact balance pops. He rarely gets squared up and doesn't go down on first contact. His Havelock tape is ridiculous.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I mentioned <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1616304' first='Teo' last='McPhatter']</strong>'s massive Thursday game on Friday night, and that he has an outside chance to leave as North Carolina's all-time leading rusher. Playing quarterback, he has a couple of wide-open touchdown throws this year because defenses have decided it's better to leave a guy uncovered and add an extra defender in the box. It isn't working, and McPhatter's explosive athleticism makes his tape a seemingly endless highlight reel of long touchdown runs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cuthbertson has struggled a bit to start the year, but found success on Friday. The strategy? Hand it off to sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1651559' first='Drew' last='Cohen']</strong> and watch good things happen. He's a patient, relentless runner who set the school record with 356 yards on 33 carries.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Asheville School's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1728224' first='Shiloh' last='Mukendi']</strong> continued his huge season with a second-straight huge game. Against R-S Central, the bigger back broke dozens of tackles en route to a 343-yard performance on just 17 attempts. He's playing both ways and excelling on defense. Asheville School has made a concerted effort to increase his touches as a senior. He's on pace to double last year's yardage total.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm excited to see <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2144167' first='Sincere' last='Thompson']</strong>'s tape. The patient runner added weight and got faster in the offseason, and it's worked. After 252 yards in Week 2, he exploded for 414 yards and five touchdowns on just 13 carries on Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">A Few Under-the-Radar 4A Teams</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I wanted to highlight a couple of teams I haven't really mentioned this year. Today, let's look at the 4A class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wilkes Central</strong>: The Eagles are 3-0 for the second straight year, but it looks different. They've scored 60+ in every game, and they've held every opponent under seven points. They've got a big game with rival West Wilkes next Friday. Two-way stars <strong>Mason Harris</strong> and <strong>Maleek Hayes</strong> have led a balanced offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Anson</strong>: The Bearcats may have found their level in 4A. They've also found a defense. They're small, but they fly to the ball, rarely miss tackles, and rarely give up explosive plays. Running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2381353' first='Cordarrius' last='Bivens']</strong> has exploded as a junior, running for over 425 yards in the first three games. Last year at this point, the Bearcats were 0-3 and had given up over 110 points. This year against those same three teams, they're 2-1 with two shutouts.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>South Rowan</strong>: Let's see how the Raiders play now that conference play is set to start. That said, there's some promise. The Raiders have a legitimate pass rusher from out of nowhere. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2381358' first='Jeremy' last='Davis']</strong> was an offensive tackle for most of his career. He moved to the defensive side of the ball and has three sacks and 19 tackles, including six for loss. That's taken pressure off of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1678647' first='Owen' last='Smith']</strong> and the linebackers. The Raiders can throw a bit on offense, too, and that balance should help. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2104496' first='Nicolas' last='Woolf']</strong> is still thriving at running back. I think the Raiders can scare some teams this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Some Monday Games of Note</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This Labor Day, there are a few intriguing matchups. I'm excited to see how a young T.W. Andrews team plays up against 2-0 Ragsdale.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1896729' first='Jayden' last='Pipkins']</strong> leads the Red Raiders in receiving and tackles, while freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1697370' first='RJ' last='Hawkins']</strong> has flashed elite deep-threat potential. They're not afraid to play young guys.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ragsdale is big up front, and <strong>Asante Muhamed</strong> has stepped up this year at offensive tackle, but the Tigers aren't really a team that will ride the running game. The matchup of quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2165782' first='Sion' last='Stevenson']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1114069' first='Maurice' last='Dines Jr']</strong> and the other receivers against Pipkins, Hawkins, and the rest of the Red Raider secondary is intriguing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hillside and Dudley can make a statement. Hillside isn't really counted among the state's powers, but the defense was elite last season. Has it taken a step back? And if it has, the offense looks like it may be more consistent. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2153486' first='Cam'ron' last='Scott']</strong> has stepped up as a senior, and they've had some new additions to the linebacker room, including former Mt. Zion junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1605598' first='Malkiel' last='McKenzie']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We still don't know much about Dudley after big losses to clear top-10 teams. Could this be the game we see either <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1607877' first='Vermont' last='Carmack']</strong> or running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2166452' first='Michael' last='Boone']</strong> break out? And can a strong defense shut down <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1661190' first='Eric' last='Mayo']</strong> and a versatile Hillside offense?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm waiting for a shutout game from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2172185' first='NaShon' last='Overby']</strong>. He's going to have at least one game this year where he completely wrecks the offensive game plan. Linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1857998' first='David' last='Johnson']</strong> has had a couple of strong games in losses. As Dudley's schedule slowly moves away from state elites, can the Panthers step up? We'll find out very soon (Noon kick).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Finally, I <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2026/09/predicting-winners-and-mvps-for-every-top-10-matchup-in-the-east/">briefly previewed</a> 3A Northeastern at 2A Holmes. My two questions: Can Holmes' offensive line open up enough holes for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2067025' first='Kazzure' last='Downing']</strong> to get room in the open field? And can the Holmes defensive line put pressure on <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1854319' first='Zak' last='Ishman']</strong>? Northeastern could throw the ball all over if Ishman has time to get through his progressions and push the ball. If not, we could have a wildly competitive game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Other Notes</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>I'll have a long-form piece on Week 3 winners, but a few impressive teams that probably won't be mentioned, given how much I've written about them recently:<br>- Hough<br>- Cardinal Gibbons<br>- Weddington<br>- Crest<br>- South Point</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>A couple of elite performances from last week:<br>- <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1957195' first='Davis' last='Weycker']</strong> | LB | Piedmont (12 tackles, three interceptions, pick six)<br>- <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2134913' first='Duncan' last='Parker']</strong> | QB | Seaforth (448 passing yards, 78 rushing yards, nine total TDs)<br>- <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2153787' first='David' last='Echevarria']</strong> | QB | Ambassador Christian (16-19, 285 yards, four TDs)<br>- <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1607779' first='Jaxon' last='Dollar']</strong> | TE/Edge | East Lincoln (11 receptions, 165 yards, TD; two sacks)<br>- <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2243018' first='James' last='Chapman']</strong> | WR | Enloe (Seven receptions, 249 yards, three receiving TDs, KOR TD)<br>- <strong>Tyson Chavis</strong> | WR | Ledford (Six receptions, 206 yards, two TDs)<br>- <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1687761' first='Baganley' last='Donzo']</strong> | DL | Trinity Christian (two sacks, two forced fumbles)<br>-<strong> Teshaun Poindexter</strong> | LB/DB | Winston-Salem Prep (10 tackles, three sacks, forced fumble)<br>- <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1715611' first='Bridger' last='Guillory']</strong> | DB | Green Hope (four tackles, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries)<br>- <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2381388' first='Felix' last='Kihosa']</strong> | K | South Garner (4-6 field goals, first career attempts)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- 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 -->