NCHSAA Round 4 Weekly Recap

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're nearly home, as the 1A and 8A State Championships are set, and the regional finals for the 2A-7A classes are set to take place on Friday. Like I do every week, I'm here to break down the best of the weekend's action in this Round 4 Weekly Recap.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Round 4 Weekly Recap</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">No Surprises in 1A or 8A</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I will have <em>plenty</em> more over the next two weeks on these games, but for now, I can't say anyone is surprised at not only which teams advanced, but <em>how</em> they advanced.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In 1A, the two best offenses (and strongest offensive lines) imposed their collective will against strong competition. 2-seeds <strong>South Davidson</strong> and <strong>Northside-Pinetown</strong> bowed out after strong seasons, but return the bulk of their production. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1752108' first='Sincere' last='Columbus']</strong> finishes an impressive career for Northside-Pinetown, but the Panthers return most of the rest of their production. South Davidson quarterback <strong>Gage Underwood</strong> graduates after leading the team in passing and rushing, while most of the rest of the offense returns.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 1A championship will be between <strong>Wilson Prep</strong> and <strong>Robbinsville</strong>, two teams that like to bully opponents up front, and the matchup in the trenches is intriguing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In 8A, we got two excellent defensive games, and we should have a low-scoring championship. <strong>Hough</strong> and <strong>Millbrook</strong> square off next week after allowing just 17 total points apiece in their three playoff games to date after Hough shut out a fantastic <strong>West Charlotte</strong> team, 24-0, and <strong>Millbrook</strong> held off <strong>Hoggard</strong>, 14-7.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The two teams allowed a combined 263 yards to their high-powered opponents. <strong>Hoggard</strong> found some success with its elite quarterback-receiver tandem as <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1678657' first='Matthew' last='Boring']</strong> hit <strong>Desyn Durrand</strong> for a touchdown and 92 yards on five catches, but Millbrook also picked him off twice. The 2027 tandem returns next year, as do four of the six leading tacklers on a defense that allowed under 14 points per game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Charlotte</strong>'s offense ran into a buzzsaw of a Hough defense. The Lions will lose some key players, such as receiver <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1299433' first='Donte' last='Nicholson']</strong> and defenders <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1170182' first='Elijah' last='Littlejohn']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='473951' first='Sam' last='Johnson']</strong>, but quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1321007' first='Jamouri' last='Nichols']</strong>, running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='422544' first='Jamil' last='Watson']</strong>, and impact defenders <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='949642' first='Michael' last='Griffin Jr'].</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='378926' first='Davion' last='Jones']</strong> all return on a team that should be considered one of the favorites in the 8A class next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Close Upsets in 3A-6A</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've often remarked that the middle classes are the most intriguing with the new 8-class system. The teams in the top and bottom classes have been largely unaffected; the middle classes are in flux. In 3A, we have 1, 8, 10, and 14 seeds remaining, while eight of the 16 quarterfinal games in 3A through 6A were one-score games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That includes six close wins by road teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3A: <strong>Shelby</strong>, <strong>Kinston</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4A: <strong>Maiden</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5A: <strong>Hickory</strong>, <strong>Crest</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6A: <strong><a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/11/contender-profile-middle-creek-mustangs/">Middle Creek</a></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Since I'll have more on 3A and 6A this week, I'll focus on 4A and 5A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We haven't written much about <strong>Maiden</strong>, but the Blue Devils have quietly produced an impressive season. Their 6-4 regular season looks much better, given that the losses were by one to 6A <strong>A.C. Reynolds</strong>, to 5A <strong>East Lincoln</strong> and <strong>Hickory</strong> (The latter of which plays in the regional final this week), and in overtime to <strong>Newton-Conover</strong>, the 3-seed they beat last week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They beat No. 2 <strong>Hiberten</strong> the same way they've beaten a lot of teams: Behind a consistent running game and a hyper-explosive pasing game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Running back <strong>Shannon Wingate</strong> has turned into a workhorse for the Blue Devils (Something we could easily see coming before his transfer. He's averaging over 20 carries a game, while quarterback <strong>Grant Lawing</strong> hit <strong>Hampton Reed</strong> on multiple long passes. <strong>Sawyer Hudson</strong> had a massive fourth-quarter interception to set up a 1-yard Wingate touchdown for a 29-28 win, after <strong>Carter Wright</strong>'s extra point.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In 5A West, that Hickory team went on the road to squeak out a victory over <strong>Jay M. Robinson</strong> and came back home on Friday, thanks to <strong>Crest's</strong> 28-14 win over rival South Point.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hickory overcame solid nights from quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1607782' first='Aury' last='Greenfield']</strong> and running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1332096' first='LJ' last='Watson']</strong>, as well as 16 tackles for loss (Shoutout to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1113123' first='Landen' last='Harding']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='861458' first='Aiden' last='Black']</strong> for huge games), but <strong>Maddox McRee</strong> was excellent, and <strong>Jaheem Jenkins</strong> racked up over 150 rushing yards. The defense picked off Greenfield three times to set up an intriguing matchup with Crest and quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1144640' first='Ely' last='Hamrick']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hamrick wasn't quite himself in a rematch against South Point, but the offense had four rushing touchdowns, including an 81-yarder to seal the game from <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1671903' first='Michael' last='Edwards']</strong>.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I won't spoil too much, since we'll preview the game later this week, but the secondary matchup should be outstanding in the 5A West Regional Final. Crest's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1032738' first='D'various' last='Surratt']</strong> and Hickory's <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1732008' first='Dorrian' last='Medley']</strong> are two of the best in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Follow Prep Redzone for more high-quality coverage throughout the playoffs and offseason. Want to get in front of our scouts this offseason? Our next PRZ Carolinas Stock-Up Showcase is Dec. 7. <a href="https://events.prepredzone.com/e/2124/register/stock-up-showcase-carolinas">Register here</a>. Promo Code HelmsWinterPRZ will get you $10 off registration. And don't forget to vote for our <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2025/11/who-is-the-2025-prznc-player-of-the-year/">PRZNC Player of the Year</a>.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->