DURHAM – Charlotte Catholic rushed for 272 yards on their way to the 3A state championship on Saturday. The win was the Cougars' fifth in school history. Milan Howard's 160 rushing yards were enough to garner the game's most valuable player award.

Both teams exchanged long scoring drives in the first quarter as Chris Walton found Paul Neel to open up an early lead for Charlotte Catholic and Havelock responded with a Khalil Barrett run to tie the game at 7 after the end of one quarter.

Walton added a rushing touchdown in the second quarter and Havelock immediately responded with a Zack Sabdo touchdown pass to take a 14-13 lead. The score stayed like this until sophomore Lamagea McDowell hit pay dirt twice to finish out the scoring.

Championship Game Awards

East (Havelock) Most Outstanding Defensive Player – Welton Spottsville
East Most Outstanding Offensive Player – Zach Sabdo

West (Charlotte Catholic) Most Outstanding Defensive Player – Chase Foley
West Most Outstanding Offensive Player – Lamagea McDowell

Championship MVP – Milan Howard

Harding racked up 400 yards of total offense and held on to beat Scotland County 30-22 in the 4A State Championship game at BB&T Field. The Rams claimed the school’s third championship, and first since 1953.

Scotland opened the scoring as Warren Bell cracked the goal line from two yards out just 3 minutes into the game giving the Scots the lead 7-0. It took the Rams a little while, but they were able to respond on the first play of the second quarter as Quavaris Crouch sliced in for a 10-yard score to knot the game at seven. Crouch finished as the game’s M.V.P. with 141 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.

Bell tacked on a 4-yard touchdown run on the ensuing Scotland drive, capping off a 7-play, 85-yard drive and giving the Scots a 14-7 advantage. Bell was named Scotland County’s Most Outstanding Offensive player with 153 yards through the air and a score on 7 of 10 passing. He rolled up 111 more yards on the ground with 2 more touchdowns.

Harding ripped off the next 23 points, scoring on a Crouch 8-yard run with 5:56 to go in the first half, and adding an Alejandro Guevara 39-yard field goal with just two seconds to go in the opening half to give the Rams a 17-14 lead at intermission.

Harding opened the fourth quarter with a score as Braheam Murphy hit Reggie Burns for a 20-yard touchdown pass to push the Harding lead to 24-14 with 11:47 to play. Then with just over two minutes to go, Murphy broke off a 95-yard run to the end zone, lifting Harding to a 30-14 lead. Murphy was named Harding’s Most Outstanding Offensive player rushing for 135 yards on 10 carries and a score. He added another 53 yards and a touchdown through the air.

Scotland drove the ball down the field valiantly in the final minutes, scoring on a 25-yard pass from Bell to Bruce Wall. Syheam McQueen rushed for the two-point conversion to make it a one-score game at 30-22 with 1:28 to play. The Rams recovered the kick and were able to run out the clock for the victory.

Defensively the Rams were paced by Trayvon Corbett who had 11 tackles, three of those for loss, adding one interception which he returned 41 yards and a pass break up. Chris Williams led the Scots on the defensive side of the ball, with 9 tackles, 1.5 of those for a loss and was named Scotland’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

Hibriten slugged their way to a 16-14 victory over East Duplin in the first football State Championship appearance, claiming the school’s first title. Hibriten used a bend but don’t break defense and a great game from their punter to bend the field position and the game in their favor.

East Duplin took their third play from scrimmage, handing it to Melvin Scott, who ripped off an 81-yard run for a score, putting East up 7-0 with just over 8 minutes to go in the first quarter. Scott was named the East Duplin Most Outstanding Offensive Player for his three-carry, 108 yard and a touchdown performance.

The two teams trade possession uneventfully until East Duplin intercepted a pass at their own two early in the second quarter, taking over deep in their own end. On the next play from scrimmage, Chris Benson was nabbed for a two-yard loss and a safety, cutting the East Duplin lead to 7-2. After the free kick, Hibriten used a halfback pass from McKinley Witherspoon to a wide-open Miles Simon to take a 9-7 lead with 9:26 to go in the second quarter.

Later in the quarter, Simon hauled in a 43-yard pass from quarterback Jaylen Scott for another touchdown, extending their lead to 16-7 with 1:53 to go in the first half. Simon was named the game’s Most Valuable Player, hauling in just the two catches, for a total of 96 yards and two scores.

East Duplin made a last push to make the game very interesting late, driving 99 yards on 20 plays in the fourth quarter, capped off by a 1-yard run by Chris Benson to make the score 16-14. Despite outgaining Hibriten 359-190 yards on the day, East Duplin just couldn’t overcome the tough field position they found themselves in most of the day.

Hibriten had a fantastic performance from their punter, Noah Haney, who punted six times for an average of 46 yards kept East Duplin deep in their own end most of the night. Five of those Haney punts were downed inside the 20-yard line, three of them inside the ten. He was named Hibriten’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player. The Defensive Award for Most Outstanding Player for Hibriten went to Charles Tassinari, who had 16 tackles including an assist on a tackle for loss.

East Duplin’s most outstanding player defensively was Amaru Herring. Herring registered 10 tackles on the day, including three tackles for a loss, which was the second highest tackle total on the team.

In a back-and-forth affair that saw the lead change hands five times, New Hanover got the better of A.C. Reynolds, 27-17, capturing the school’s fourth NCHSAA State Championship in football.

Both teams exhibited great balance offensively, with A.C. Reynolds slightly outgaining the Wildcats 353-330 in the game. Wiz Vaughn opened the scoring with a three-yard touchdown run with 4:30 to play in the second quarter, giving the Wildcats a 7-0 lead. He added another touchdown later with 6:07 to go to help New Hanover pull away to a 27-17 lead.

Vaughn was the championship M.V.P. scoring twice and picking up 74 yards on 18 carries. He also hauled in six receptions for 50 yards on the night.

A.C. Reynolds answered Vaughn’s score with 1:12 to go in the half when Alex Flinn found the end zone on a 10-yard run. The Rockets took the lead for the first time in the early third quarter on a 29-yard field goal by Cole Tanner.

New Hanover’s next play from scrimmage saw Blake Walston hit Cole Tanner for a 75-yard pass for the score, putting the Wildcats back in front 14-10 with 8:40 to go in the third. Reynolds marched their next possession 9 plays and covered 55 yards as Nathan St. Onge found Talon James from 8-yards out for a touchdown, giving the Rockets a 17-14 lead.

New Hanover answered the bell again, going 8 plays and 63 yards as Walston went across on the ground from one yard out, putting the Wildcats in front for good at 20-17. Walston was named New Hanover’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player with 206 yards passing, completing 12 of 22 attempts. He had two touchdowns, one through the air and one via the running game.

Defensively the Wildcats were led by Francis Meehan who had six tackles and an interception in the game. He was named New Hanover’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player. Frank Torres took home the same award for A.C. Reynolds, making 3.5 tackles and breaking up a pass. I’dre Bell was the Most Outstanding Offensive player for the Rockets, rushing for 75 yards on 13 carries and catching seven passes for 56 yards.

New Hanover won the school’s first state championship since 1951, their fourth overall. The Wildcats won back-to-back championships in 1927 and 1928. New Hanover also holds a Division II championship from 1983.

Wallace-Rose Hill captured the school’s seventh football state championship in a thrilling 35-28 victory overtime victory against Reidsville. The game featured two defending state champions as Reidsville came in the defending 2A champion while the Bulldogs held the 1AA championship from a season ago.

Wallace-Rose Hill jumped on top quickly, with Javonte Williams ripping off a 73-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage giving the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead. Reidsville got the game right back even with an 11-play, 78-yard drive that was polished off by Titus Jones’ 14-yard touchdown run.

In a game of heavyweights, it was the Bulldogs that landed the next two punches, scoring two more times before the end of the first quarter. Desmond Newkirk cashed in from one yard out with 7:04 to go in the quarter, and on the ensuing Reidsville drive, Quavion Basyden picked off a Titus Jones pass with the Rams driving deep in Bulldog territory. Basyden returned the interception, untouched, 97 yards for a touchdown to give Wallace-Rose Hill a 21-7 lead. Baysden was named the Bulldogs’ Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

The Rams hung in the game as they stopped the Bulldogs on fourth and two from the Rams 16 yard line, turning the Bulldogs over on downs. Reidsville made it a one-score game at the half when Titus Jones squeezed a pass into a tight window to Travion Canada for an 8-yard touchdown with just 16 seconds to go. That throw made the score 21-14 at the break. Jones earned Reidsville’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player honors rushing for 46 yards on 14 carries and completing 16 of 28 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown.

The Rams came out of the break with the ball and drove 11 plays and 71 yards capped by a 1-yard Travion Canada touchdown to even the game at 21. It wasn’t until Javonte Williams’ 5-yard touchdown run with 10:18 to go in regulation that the Bulldogs would claim the lead again, this time 28-21. Williams was named the Championship M.V.P. for his 2 touchdown, 22-carry and 207 yard performance.

The Reidsville defense, led by the Most Outstanding Defensive Player, Will Blackstock, got another critical stop midway through the fourth quarter. His nine tackles, including one for a loss, were second on the team.

With the defense giving the offense a chance, the Rams drove 12 plays and 93 yards to tie the game on a 1-yard touchdown run by Jalen Easley. Easley’s touchdown knotted the game at 28 with just 42 seconds to go in regulation.

In the overtime, the Bulldogs went on offense first, and despite backing themselves up with a penalty, were able to push across the goal line on a 1-yard run by Desmond Newkirk on fourth down to take the lead. Newkirk finished the game as the Bulldogs’ Most Outstanding Offensive Player, running for 62 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Reidsville ripped off seven yards on first down of their overtime possession. But on second and goal from the three, Jalen Easley coughed up the ball when he got hit by Rarkell Simmons, as the ball was recoverd by the Bulldogs to seal the victory.

It took a little while, but when the Tarboro ground game woke up in the second quarter, it never stopped, as the Vikings ran for 300 yards and sprinted to a 32-7 victory over Mount Airy in the 1AA State Championship game at Carter-Finley Stadium. The win was Tarboro’s fifth state title and their first since 2011.

Both offenses sputtered in the game’s opening frame, combining for just 79 yards of total offense. In the second, Tarboro’s Deontae Williams got loose, running for 75 yards in the quarter on just five carries. His rushing attack set the stage for a six-yard scoring run by Keon Caudle that put Tarboro up 6-0 with 9:32 to go in the second, and the Vikings never looked back.

Williams added two touchdowns in the fourth, one from a single yard out and the other from 14, on his way to being named the game’s M.V.P. His second touchdown increased the Tarboro lead to 25-7. Williams finished the day with 118 yards on just 12 carries. Cliffton Joyner was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player for the Vikings, racking up 87 yards on 10 carries. Jyron Albritton took home the Most Outstanding Defensive Player with five tackles in the game.

Mount Airy struggled offensively, only managing 175 yards of total offense in the game, only 40 of that coming via the ground game. Ian Holder completed 11 of his 20 passes for 135 yards and one touchdown. Holder found Donovan Greene from 35 yards out for the Granite Bears only touchdown. Holder was named the Granite Bears Most Outstanding Offensive Player. Greyson Tucker took home Most Outstanding Defensive player of the game honors for Mount Airy leading the team with 11 tackles.

Charlotte Catholic dominated the time of possession and the ground game on the way to their fifth State Championship victory, a 28-14 win over Havelock at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium.

The Cougars rolled up 272 yards on 58 running plays while holding on to the football for more than 31 minutes of the 48 played. Milan Howard carried 29 times for the Cougars totaling 160 yards without finding the end zone. Howard was named the game M.V.P. for his workhorse performance.

Catholic opened the scoring early when Paul Neel hauled in a five-yard pass from Christopher Walton capping off a 14-play, 70-yard drive that chewed up 6:17 to open the game. Havelock answered the bell, ripping off a 15-play, 79-yard drive of their own that took 5:34. The Rams knotted the score at 7 with a two-yard touchdown run by Khalil Barrett, ending with just 8 seconds left in the first quarter.

The two teams made much quicker work of their next possessions. Charlotte Catholic cashed in a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Walton, giving the Cougars a 13-7 lead after the point after failed. Just 48 seconds later, Zach Sabdo hit Welton Spottsville for a 27-yard touchdown, taking the lead for the first time after the PAT with 8:06 to go in the first half. Spottsville took home Defensive Most Outstanding Player awards for the Rams with five tackles on the game while Sabdo took the Offensive honors with 207 yards and a touchdown through the air on 16 of 21 passing.

Charlotte Catholic got a pair of touchdown runs in the fourth quarter by Lamagea McDowell, one from five yards out and the other from two, to build out a 28-14 lead. McDowell was named Catholic’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player with 63 yards on 18 carries including the two for scores. Chase Foley led the Cougars defensively with seven tackles in the game and was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player for the Cougars.

WINSTON-SALEM –John Jiles hauled in a 20-yard pass in the end zone with 5:25 left in the fourth quarter which ended up being the go-ahead score for Wake Forest, giving the Cougars their second straight 4AA state championship, 14-0, over Mallard Creek. This was the third time these two teams have matched up the state title game, but the first time Wake Forest was able to top its Charlotte foe.

Devon Lawrence led Wake Forest with 135 yards rushing but found himself bottled up for most of the first half of the game. Fellow running back Marquis Dunn broke through for a 54-yard score with 3 minutes left in the game and Lawrence added a late score to seal the scoring for the Cougars and get Wake Forest back to the type of running stats that the Wake Forest faithful are used to seeing.

Mallard Creek's Nasjzae Bryant tried to get the Maverick offense moving, but the Wake Forest defense stood tall throughout the game. Bryant's 100-plus yard day was minimized by poor snaps and other miscues that kept the Mavericks out of the end zone.

Both quarterbacks were limited in passing action, possibly as a result of the inclement weather. The Wake Forest defense was stifling and only allowed 112 yards of offense by Mallard Creek. Javon Terry played a role in this by picking off a pass and tallying a couple tackles.

With the win, Wake Forest became the first team from Wake County to win back-to-back titles since Raleigh High School won three straight in 1912 to 1915.

Championship Game Awards

West (Mallard Creek) Most Outstanding Defensive Player – Jacob Roberts
West (Mallard Creek) Most Outstanding Offensive Player – Nasjzae Bryant

East (Wake Forest) Most Outstanding Defensive Player – Javon Terry
East (Wake Forest) Most Outstanding Offensive Player – John Jiles

Championship MVP – Wake Forest – Devon Lawrence

RALEIGH – The Cherokee Braves won their first football championship on Saturday with a 21-13 win over North Duplin in 1A action at Carter-Finley Stadium. Quarterback Tye Mintz led the Braves with 113 yards rushing and two touchdowns and was named the Most Valuable Player of the game.

Also moving the ball well for Cherokee was Isaiah Evans, who rushed for 112 yards on 19 carries. Evans's 11-yard scamper with 9:02 left in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winning score and the Braves' defense withheld a late North Duplin rally and held on for the victory.

The Rebels were able to move the ball well throughout the game, but were plagued by turnovers. William Archer and Kenny Sheppard each scored for North Duplin in an effort that fell just a bit short.

Click the image for stats from the game.

The 3:00 game at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem features two undefeated 4AA teams in Wake Forest and Mallard Creek. These two teams have met in the title game twice before with Mallard Creek victorious both times, in 2013 and 2014, but Wake Forest broke through last year and defeated Page in the title game. The Cougars come into this matchup with the targets on their backs as the defending 4AA state champion.

BB&T Field

Wake Forest has a fairly balanced offensive attack, averaging 238 yards on the ground and 134 yards through the air. Leading the rushing attack for the Cougars is senior running back Devin Lawrence, who has found the end zone 32 times this season. Quarterback Chris James has passed for over 1800 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Coach Reggie Lucas is especially proud of his defense, which has held eight opponents to ten points or less this season and has posted three shutouts.

The Mavericks with Mallard Creek of played one of the toughest schedules in North Carolina this season with two state finalists and two regional finalists on the slate of games. And the Mavericks had to do it with almost entirely new line up. Coach Mike Palmieri wasn't sure how his team was going to be on the field this season with 19 new starters, but after 14 games it's clear to see in that they're back to playing the type of Mallard Creek football that won three straight state titles between 2013 and 2015.

The 4A state championship game features two teams with head coaches that are each seeking their first title. Richard Bailey and the Scotland Fighting Scots are looking for their second title in school history while coach Sam Griner and the Harding Rams are looking for their first title in over 60 years.

BB&T Field

Scotland rushes for an amazing 425 yards per game on average. Most that yardage had come from the nation's top-ranked running back Zamir White, but the five-star, Georgia-bound recruit suffered a torn ACL in the second round of the playoffs and will miss the title game. Stepping up in White's absence has been senior quarterback Warren Bell and junior running back Syheam McQueen who have collectively rushed for over 2000 yards to keep the chains moving for the Fighting Scots.

Scotland won an overtime thriller in the regional final against Hoggard. After Hoggard had rallied from a 25-point deficit to force overtime and scored a touchdown to pull ahead, Scotland scored on a fourth-down on its possession and had a successful 2-point conversion for the win.

Like Scotland, Harding relies on its running game to get its offense moving. Lining up in the backfield is junior Quavaris Crouch, listed by some scouting services as the nation's top junior running back. Blocking for Crouch is Shrine Bowl-bound offensive lineman JoVaughn Gwyn.

Defensively, the Harding Rams have been stingy and have not given up twenty points in a game since September. Also, like their title game counterparts, Harding had to rely on a big play at the end of the game to defeat their opponent in the regional final. An interception with no time remaining in the end zone secured the win against Vance and sent the Harding Rams back to the title game for the first time in thirty years.

One interesting feature in this game is that both teams come into the game with only one loss, but that one loss was for each team was to the same opponent, 4AA state finalist Mallard Creek. Scotland played Mallard Creek in the season opener, falling 28-21 while Harding played a tough game against Mallard Creek in week 5, losing 30-9.

When New Hanover and AC Reynolds matchup in the 3AA game this Saturday evening, it will be a matchup of two teams who seem to be mirror images of each other on the field. Both teams run a very balanced offense and even average within four total yards per game of each other. Each team also scores about 41 points per game.

Wallace Wade Stadium

The New Hanover Wildcats are looking to snap an 89-year drought in the state championship game. The 1927 and 1928 Wildcats won back-to-back titles while North Carolina was still playing open division football.

New Hanover is led on offense by quarterback Blake Walston, a junior who has thrown for almost 4,000 yards and 38 touchdowns. Walston has two 1,000-yard receivers that he likes to throw to. Cole Tanner has 41 catches so far this season, but Walston's main target this year has been senior wide receiver Wiz Vaughn. Vaughn has an amazing 85 receptions so far and he's looking for more this Saturday evening. The Wildcats will run the ball some as well and usually, it's sophomore Jabez Howard who's toting the rock for them, averaging 6.5 yards per carry.

Although the Wildcats had a few close matchups late in the playoffs, their defense played outstanding during conference play, gaining four shutouts and losing only to 4A state semifinalist Hoggard on the road to end the regular season.

For the western champion AC Reynolds Rockets, quarterback Alex Flinn has passed for 40 touchdowns against only eight interceptions. Flinn loves to find receiver Nathan St. Onge, who has an amazing 93 receptions for over 1000 yards.

Defensively, head coach Shane Laws believes his team needs to get after the Wildcats like they did many teams throughout the regular season. At one point in time during the regular season, the Rockets had three straight shutouts over conference opponents and Laws believes a performance like that will be necessary for the AC Reynolds to win their first state title since 2009.

Duke’s Wallace Wade Stadium is returning to the state championship rotation and the first matchup of the day on Saturday is a matchup that many high school football fans have been clamoring for. Both Havelock and Charlotte Catholic have won multiple state titles over the last dozen years and each has a rabid fanbase that loves the feeling of success and is hoping to add another trophy to the trophy case on Saturday.

Wallace Wade Stadium

Havelock has been an offensive juggernaut this season under new coach Caleb King. The Rams have averaged over 50 points per game and have eclipsed the 60-point threshold three times this year. Leading this offensive charge has been quarterback Zach Sabdo, a senior who has thrown for over 4,000 yards and 45 touchdowns this season. Khalil Barrett has rushed for over 1,000 yards and scored 16 times.

After a close loss to fellow state finalist Wallace-Rose Hill, Havelock has reeled off twelve straight wins and held many opposing offenses in check with tough, smothering defense.

Charlotte Catholic has been dominating this season and is coming into Saturday's game with a 15-0 record. The Cougars are outscoring opponents by an average of 31 points and have not had an opponent within 15 points of them at the final whistle since the first week of October. Chase Foley and Brian Jacobs have amassed over 200 tackles between them while the defense as a whole has held opponents to single digits in ten different games.

The Cougars have been able to score points in bunches this season and much of this is due to the rushing of senior Milan Howard. Howard has rushed for over 1,800 yards and is the perfect complement to quarterback Christopher Walton, a senior with 1,500 passing yards 23 touchdowns against only three interceptions.

In another matchup of unbeaten teams this Saturday, it's Panthers vs. Panthers as East Duplin and Hibriten square off for the 2AA state championship. Both teams are coming into the game with perfect 15-0 records and are each making their first appearance in a football state championship game.

Kenan Stadium

After making the regional finals last year, both teams came into the season with high expectations and each team met them. For East Duplin, it was a third straight Conference Championship in 2017 while Hibriten was able to post the first back-to-back undefeated regular seasons in school history.

Both teams rely on their running game to get their offense is moving with each team averaging over 300 yards rushing per contest.

East Duplin has relied on senior running back Chris Benson each week to the tune of 150 yards per game. The senior has totaled more than 4600 yards in his career and has found the end zone 16 times this season.

Lining up in the backfield for Hibriten is junior McKinley Witherspoon, who has rushed for over 1800 yards on just over 100 carries for a staggering 18.4 yards per carry. Witherspoon has scored 35 touchdowns this season to lead the Hibriten offense.

Each team has played some stout defense on their way to the state title game with East Duplin holding seven of their opponents to single digits while Hibriten has only given up 67 points so far in their fifteen games, including seven shutouts.

The 2A game taking place at Kenan Stadium will pit two defending state champions against each other. Wallace-Rose Hill is looking for their fourth straight state championship, winning the last three in 1AA. Reidsville has won 16 state titles and is the defending 2A champion. The Rams come in to the game at a perfect 15-0 while Wallace-Rose Hill is 13-1, losing only to fellow state finalist East Duplin (2AA) in a close two-point game earlier this season in conference play.

Kenan Stadium

Wallace-Rose Hill is primarily a running team and the Bulldogs, averaging over 330 yards per game on the ground this season, and have two fantastic running backs in Javonte Williams and Desmond Newkirk. Each has rushed for over 1400 yards and 23 touchdowns apiece.

Coach Kevin Motsinger thinks this is a special group of kids who are approaching history with this game. “The biggest thing I would love to see is for these kids to win four in a row because that can never be beaten. It can be tied, but it can never be beaten. This group of kids has meant so much to our school and our community.”

The Reidsville Rams have encountered little resistance so far this season in their quest to return to the 2A title game. The average margin of victory for the Rams this season has been 43 points, they have posted six shutouts, and their only close game of the season was the regional final against Mountain Heritage last week, which the Rams won 27-20.

Senior quarterback Titus Jones has thrown for 37 touchdowns and 2500 yards this season while Travion Canada has led the Rams’ rushing attack. Defensively, Zion Wade leads the defense with over 100 tackles.

The 4 o'clock 1AA matchup in Raleigh features two undefeated teams in Tarboro and Mount Airy. Both teams come into the game with identical 14-0 records. Tarboro is looking for the fifth title in their school's history while the Granite Bears of Mount Airy are looking for their second title.

Carter Finley Stadium

Both teams are stingy on defense only giving up a total of 229 points throughout the 28 combined games that the teams have played.


Leading the way for the Vikings is senior quarterback Tae Randolph and Deontae Williams. On their way to averaging 52 points a game, Tarboro has averaged over 350 yards rushing per contest. Defensively, Tarboro has only given up 17 points so far in the playoffs. During the regular season, the Vikings pitched six shutouts while giving up less than 100 yards per game on average.

Mount Airy can score a bunch of points as well, averaging over 45 points per game. The Granite Bears have a fairly balanced attack, averaging 257 yards on the ground and 148 yards through the air each game. Senior quarterback Ian Holder has thrown for 23 touchdowns and almost 1900 yards while also running for over a thousand yards and 13 scores. Donovan Green has over 1000 yards receiving for the Granite Bears and sophomore Jonathan Smith has eclipsed the 100-yard mark ten times this season and has almost 1500 yards total.

North Duplin and Cherokee will be meeting Saturday at Noon at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh to settle the 1A state championship game.

Carter-Finley Stadium

Making their fourth appearance in the state championship game, North Duplin (14-0) is seeking their first football state title since 1972.

North Duplin is known for their rushing attack which averages 323 yards on the ground per game. The Rebels have only completed eight passes so far this season, but five of those passes have resulted in touchdowns. Quarterback Will Archer leads the team with over 1800 yards rushing this season and Kenny Shepherd has scored 17 touchdowns and rushed for over 1400 yards.

Cherokee is looking to make school history with their first state championship in football. This is the second time the Braves have made it to the state title game, and their only other appearance was in 1978 when they lost to Midway.

Cherokee has a balanced offensive attack, averaging 278 yards in the air per game and 150 yards on the ground. Quarterback Tye Mintz has thrown for almost 2,000 yards and rushed for almost 1,600 yards while accounting for 49 of the Braves' touchdowns this season.

Carter-Finley Stadium
NC State University, Raleigh

1A

1AA

Kenan Stadium
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

2AA

2A

Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium
Duke University, Durham

3A

3AA

BB&T Field
Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem

4AA

Wake Forest 21, Mallard Creek 0

4A

Five teams from North Carolina will play in bowl games this month. From the FCS, the MEAC and SWAC conferences have foregone their automatic bids into the NCAA Division I FCS playoff in lieu of sending their champion to the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia. For FBS teams, six wins are necessary to become bowl eligible. A total of thirty-nine bowl games will be played between FBS teams over the next month. Four of the seven FBS teams from North Carolina were selected to play in a bowl game this season.

BOONE – Saturday's Sun Belt game between Appalachian State and Louisiana at Kidd Brewer Stadium had serious implications for both of the teams involved. A win for the Mountaineers on Senior Day would mean a second-straight Sun Belt crown in only their fourth season in the conference. A victorious Louisiana would find itself bowl-eligible sixth time in seven years. As the weather turned colder throughout the afternoon, so did the Ragin' Cajuns' bowl hopes as the Mountaineers scored 56 unanswered points on the way to a 63-14 win.


Louisiana came out quickly on the first drive of the game, going 75 yards in only three plays with Jordan Davis finding Devin Scott for a 29-yard score less than a minute into the game. That was about all that went right for the Ragin' Cajuns in the game, though. After getting stopped on downs on their first drive, Appalachian State scored touchdowns on four of their remaining five drives in the first half and their first five drives of the second half.

The Taylor Lamb to Thomas Hennigan duo was strong throughout the game. The two connected for three scores in the second quarter (9, 33, 12) and a 42-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Lamb finished the day 17 of 22 passing for 242 yards. The running game was strong for Appalachian State as well, rushing for over 300 yards, including two 100-yard rushers. Daetrich Harrington led the way with 117 yards and a third-quarter touchdown and Jalin Moore added two scores.

Worth Noting

The 63 points are the most scored by Appalachian State in Sun Belt play since joining the conference.
Walk-on QB Curtis Fitch scored on a 1yd run late in the fourth quarter. App State was flagged for excessive celebration as almost the entire bench ran to the end zone to congratulate him.

Notable North Carolinians

Thomas Hennigan (Fr., Northwest Guilford) had four touchdowns, tying a program record for receiving touchdowns in a game.
Jalin Moore (Jr., Crest) ran for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Edward Davis (So., Farmville Central) had six tackles, including three for loss.
Clifton Duck (So., Butler) had an interception to go along with five tackles.

Next Week

Louisiana's season is complete while Appalachian State will begin preparing for the Dollar General Bowl where the Mountaineers will take on MAC champion Toledo on December 23rd at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.

REGIONAL FINAL SCORES

1A
East
#1 North Duplin 12, #6 Plymouth 6
West
#2 Cherokee 42, #1 Mitchell 28

1AA
East
#1 Tarboro 50, #2 Edenton Holmes 7
West
#1 Mount Airy 49, #6 Murphy 35

2A
East
#5 Wallace-Rose Hill 49, #3 Southwest Onslow 7
West
#1 Reidsville 27, #2 Mountain Heritage 20

2AA
East
#1 East Duplin 38, #2 North Davidson 28
West
#2 Hibriten 19, #8 Shelby 7

3A
East
#2 Havelock 41, #1 Western Alamance 14
West
#1 Charlotte Catholic 33, #3 Jay M. Robinson 15

3AA
East
#2 New Hanover 32, #4 Eastern Guilford 29
West
#2 A.C. Reynolds 28, #12 Sun Valley 25

4A
East
#1 Scotland 47, #2 Hoggard 46 (OT)
West
#1 Harding 20, #6 Vance 14

4AA
East
#1 Wake Forest 51, #3 Garner 21
West
#1 Mallard Creek 20, #7 Hough 10

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHUPS