Week 3 Instant Analysis

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Three weeks (almost) down, and the biggest non-conference week of the season so far did not disappoint. I'm back, as always, with my thoughts on the results and performances. This isn't a film study or deep dive; instead, I'm giving my raw thoughts and instant reaction to the night's games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Week 3 Instant Analysis</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Near Upsets</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Millbrook/Wake Forest</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were some big games across the state, but we've become accustomed to the top teams in the state rolling, even against top competition. But that's not what happened on Friday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After beating Wake Forest 48-7 last season, the Millbrook struggled to shake a strong Cougars team. The Wildcats struggled offensively, failing to find any running room. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='485965' first='Bryson' last='Gray']</strong> hit sophomore <strong>Antonio Robertson</strong> for a 20-yard touchdown on the first drive of the game to take a 7-0 lead, and then the Wildcat offense went dark after that.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2099368' first='Landen' last='Perry']</strong> hit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2142898' first='Micah' last='Olu']</strong>, who broke about 97 tackles over the course of the game, to tie the score at seven, where it remained for a while. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Millbrook defensive line suffocated a strong Wake Forest rushing attack and pressured Perry. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1553113' first='Rashad' last='Streets']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1782184' first='Chase' last='Sizer']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1158999' first='Markez' last='Wilbert']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1666240' first='Jacob' last='Bowen']</strong> lived in the backfield and eventually broke the tie by forcing an errant throw that <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1372991' first='Darius' last='Smith']</strong> picked off and took back for a touchdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Later, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='651173' first='Quinton' last='Cypher']</strong> had a massive sack off the edge on a fourth down deep in Millbrook's territory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East Forsyth/Grimsley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're accustomed to Grimsley putting games out of reach early, but a couple of early fumbles and a lightning delay stopped the Whirlies' rhythm.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like Millbrook-Wake Forest, it was 7-7 at the half. Then <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1815393' first='Ty' last='Shoemake']</strong> scored a long touchdown to take the lead, 13-7, after a missed field goal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Eagles drove down to the upper red zone at the end, but couldn't convert, dropping a close one, 13-7.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Thursday Results of Note</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We had a couple of fantastic games on the Thursday slate this week, and with them, some incredible performances.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The one that stands out first is the wild 70-56 Seaforth win over Princeton. Seaforth quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2134913' first='Duncan' last='Parker']</strong> completed 80% of his passes for over 400 yards and six touchdowns. Two receivers went over 100 yards—<strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2138383' first='Max' last='Hinchman']</strong> with 100 yards and three touchdowns, and <strong>Noah Fuller</strong> with 151 yards and two scores.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But the star of the day in a loss was no surprise. Princeton running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1616304' first='Teo' last='McPhatter']</strong> didn't quite reach the 384 yards he had last year against the Hawks, but still put up 343 yards and six touchdowns on the ground, catching two passes in the game for the first time in his career. It's still early in his junior season, but the all-time North Carolina rushing mark is at least in the realm of possibility.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tarboro running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2092909' first='Antonio' last='Draughn']</strong> had the best game of his career in a 37-28 win over Havelock. He racked up 318 yards and four touchdowns, including a long run at the end of the game to ice it. Tarboro bounced back well from its close loss to Hunt last week, and the offense is rolling. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the topic of lower-classification state champions that looked impressive in wins over bigger schools, Wilson Prep ran all over a great Greene Central team. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2158953' first='Tyquan' last='Whitaker']</strong> and <strong>Ny'Dariun Daniels</strong> each ran for over 100 yards, and lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1853840' first='Zalik' last='Cannady']</strong> had a huge game defensively for the Tigers, who got into the win column and solidified their status as the top team in 1A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Elsewhere in 1A, Hobgood Charter shut out a strong North East Carolina Prep offense. The Raiders only have 192 yards on offense, but <strong>Luke Lanier</strong> scored a touchdown, and Hobgood moved to 2-0, despite failing to score 15 points in a game this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Checking In on Some State Championship Candidates</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There were 15 games this weekend between teams each ranked in the Top 10 of my rankings for their class. I've mentioned a few, but I wanted to touch on a couple of others. Results are still trickling in, and I'll have more later this week, but here's what I've compiled so far.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>— <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2065235' first='Kaveaun' last='Pless']</strong> scored twice as South Point survived a late T.C. Roberson comeback attempt to win 19-16 on a short <strong>Wilson London</strong> field goal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>— Weddington's defense shut down a strong Monroe attack, allowing only a late touchdown in a 31-7 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>— Crest's offense was frustrated by a pesky Asheville defense for most of the game, only scoring a late field goal before halftime. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1154024' first='Namajay' last='Thompson']</strong> caught a big touchdown to extend the lead in the third quarter. The Chargers then tacked on a late touchdown in a 17-3 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>— West Craven hung around with New Bern until the Bears' rushing attack broke things open in the second half. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1092182' first='Ezekiel' last='Best']</strong> had a long touchdown, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1084981' first='Karvin' last='Magwood']</strong> capped off the scoring late in a 34-14 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>— Chambers' wide array of weapons was too much for 2A Corvian Community. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1321007' first='Jamouri' last='Nichols']</strong> hit <strong>Kameron Guy</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1301243' first='Keland' last='Shelton Jr']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1332088' first='Malachi' last='Gant']</strong> for touchdowns, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1607756' first='Shawn' last='Blackshear II']</strong> added two on the ground.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>— Garner beat Middle Creek 42-31 in a game I'm excited to watch back later this week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>— In one of the most surprising results of the night, Reagan got Reidsville to a running clock before the fourth quarter started. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2127005' first='Eli' last='Davis']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2166792' first='Seven' last='Glover']</strong>, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1616114' first='John' last='Evans Jr.']</strong> each scored multiple touchdowns in a 57-13 win. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1617737' first='King' last='Kalama']</strong> had a big game off the edge, with a sack and a forced fumble.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>— Cardinal Gibbons took down Southern Durham in a back-and-forth 31-20 game. I'm looking forward to diving into that one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>— Christ School overcame a 27-14 halftime deficit to eke out a win over Harrells Christian, 42-41. Quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1654910' first='Mak' last='Anderson']</strong> and receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1821736' first='Dreshun' last='Smith']</strong> had massive games, while long-snapper <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2089461' first='Sean' last='Kraft']</strong> had a key fumble recovery. The Greenies took the lead late in the game on a clutch final drive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>— Finally, Hough dominated Providence Day, 30-3, to solidify itself as the unquestioned top team in the state. The Huskies broke things open in the second quarter with three quick touchdowns. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='254550' first='Ethan' last='Royal']</strong> scrambled for a long touchdown, then <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='950967' first='JaMarion' last='Morrison']</strong> scored a short run. Finally, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='378926' first='Davion' last='Jones']</strong> forced a fumble, and defensive tackle <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1637458' first='Caleb' last='Dorsett']</strong> returned it for six. Royal hit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2072205' first='Mason' last='Pearsall-Brown']</strong> for a late touchdown to seal it.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Impressive, impressive win. I'll say it: I'm not sure anyone in North Carolina can even keep it close against the Huskies.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Some Big Performances</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>— Eastern Alamance running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2144172' first='Sammy' last='Raphael']</strong> had five total touchdowns in a big win over Central Davidson.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>— <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2198468' first='Levi' last='Kerr']</strong> had a big game as Marvin Ridge got to a running clock against Ardrey Kell, hitting two long touchdowns in a 42-21 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>— In a big win over Green Level, Enloe quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1646740' first='Leo' last='Gorga']</strong> and receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2243018' first='James' last='Chapman']</strong> had big games. Gorga threw for 300 yards and four total touchdowns before halftime. Chapman had 249 yards and four total touchdowns, including a kickoff return score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>— Fike lowered its offensive points per game in a 55-0 win over Ayden-Grifton. Quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2142468' first='Sam' last='Finch']</strong> had six total touchdowns in the first 15 minutes of the game, hitting <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1953798' first='Darryl' last='Loatman']</strong> on three attempts for 185 yards and three scores on the first three drives of the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>— Typically a run-first team, Seventy-First quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1334992' first='R'Maunni' last='Watson']</strong> had a big game in a win over Pine Forest, with four total touchdowns, showing off both his arm and legs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>— Green Hope safety <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1715611' first='Bridger' last='Guillory']</strong> had a huge game defensively, with two interceptions and a fumble recovery for the Falcons. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2344490' first='Amir' last='Davis']</strong> continued his historic start to the year, with a touchdown in three different ways (rushing, receiving, punt return). Quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2374706' first='Ryder' last='Schorzman']</strong> continues to impress with both his arm and his legs, with over 100 yards rushing and four total touchdowns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Obviously, I can't hit everything in this one piece, but what did I miss? Who do I need to write about this week? Let me know on Twitter (<a href="https://x.com/whelms21">@whelms21</a>)</em>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->