It’s already been four months since we crowned four football state champions out of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. Today, we’re going to look at which players are returning from the teams that came up just short in the big games.
When there is an experience disparity in a championship matchup, we’ll typically see team with more older players in key spots take the title. That was no different in 2022. Senior-laden teams like New Bern, East Lincoln, and East Duplin won their titles. As a result, those three teams won’t have much resemblance in 2023. However, three of the teams that lost in December’s titles are prepared to bring back a majority of the players that got them there.
After reading about these teams, you can check out which players the champions are set to return at the link below:
Grimsley Whirlies
4A State Runners-up
Grimsley has a significant amount of talent back from the team that fell to New Bern in the 4A state championship game. The Whirlies are primed to return seven starters on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, many of whom are Power 5 college prospects.
There are a couple of important pieces that have moved on: HighSchoolOT All-State quarterback Ryan Stephens and All-State defensive Tackle Jah Jarrett. Jarrett is a 4-star prospect and nominee for Defensive Player of the Year at HighSchoolOT Honors.
Stephens will be replaced by rising sophomore quarterback Faizon Brandon, who started receiving Division I offers before he even took a class at Grimsley. In limited action as a freshamn, Brandon completed 32 of 44 passing attempts (72.7%) for 534 yards, eight Touchdowns, and four interceptions. Brandon came in to help the Whirlies win in a 40-34 shootout against Reagan in the second week of the season.
All-State receivers Alex Taylor and Terrell Anderson are both considered 4-star prospects in the graduating class of 2024 and are coming off of 1,000-plus yard and 10-plus touchdown seasons. Starting receiver Jeremiah Deese is also set to be back.
Running back Mitchell Summers (pictured) had an outstanding sophomore season. Summers rushed 259 times for 2,135 yards (8.2/attempt) and 25 touchdowns. He also had a receiving touchdown and a punt return touchdown. As a part-time safety on defense, he had 34 tackles, six interceptions, and five pass breakups.
Three starters on the Whirlies’ offensive line were not seniors last season: guards Jaden Staton and Jamarius Matier and tackle Graham Buckrham.
Grimsley started four sophomores on defense last season: edge rusher Bryce Davis, tackle Andre Hill, linebacker Keshaun Jones, and cornerback Chris Young. Davis has racked up multiple SEC and ACC offers after leading Grimsley in tackles for a loss (24) and sacks (12). At 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, Hill has tremendous size and strength. Davis, Jones, and Young were among Grimsley’s top six tacklers.
While rising senior defensive Jahkai Eason end didn’t technically start in the state championship game, he was a key rotational player on that defensive front all season. Eason finished seventh on the team in tackles.
Three juniors who started in the defensive backfield will be back for their senior seasons this fall: Fred Sellars, Deon McLaughlin, and Jamarie Davis. Sellars and McLaughlin combined for nine interceptions in 2022.
Northern Nash Knights
3A State Runners-Up
Northern Nash had a tremendous start to the 3A championship and slowly lost control to East Lincoln. The Knights had a healthy mixture of seniors and younger talent on last year’s 15-1 overall squad. In 2023, they will return 12 out of 22 starters.
All-state quarterback Keno Jones and HSOT Honors Defensive Player of the Year nominee Carson Jenkins are two of the two key seniors that are set to graduate this summer.
While the offensive leader will be gone, the Knights are bringing back their leading rusher and leading receiver. Additionally, left tackle Chason Boseman, right guard Sam Huddleston, and right tackle Nic Bellamy will return.
Rising senior wide receiver Randall King is a difference-maker. In 2022, King caught 48 passes for 1,144 yards and 18 touchdowns. Northern Nash also has back starting receiver Trey Battle (pictured). Battle had 536 receiving yards, six receiving touchdowns, 201 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns.
Starting running back Dywhaun Mitchell is set to return after just missing the 1,000-yard mark as a junior. Mitchell had 961 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.
Northern Nash’s entire starting secondary will be back: rising seniors Elijay Pitt and Jaquille Arrington and rising junior Kaleb Staton. Pitt had an impressive seven interceptions while Arrington and Staton combined for six.
Linebackers Conner Baker and Barian Strickland are expected to return as starters. Strickland was second on the team in tackles with 109 and also had three interceptions.
On the defensive line, Torrence Porter Jr. will be back at starting defensive end. Defensive end Andrew Zipko, who was a significant player for nine games, will be a senior this fall. Zipko’s season was cut short by an injury against Southern Nash in the second round of the playoffs.
Zipko, Porter Jr., Strickland, Staton, and Baker were all top eight on the team in tackles.
Reidsville Rams
2A State Runners-Up
Reidsville fell to East Duplin in a close 24-21 game.
Technically, Reidsville is set to return seven starters on each side of the ball. However, if you include rising sophomore studs Kendre Harrison and Dionte Neal as a part of the offensive starters (they played a majority of the snaps), that number goes up to nine.
Harrison and Neal are a combination that is rarely seen at this level. They are multi-sport stars that led their school to state championship appearances in football and basketball as freshmen. At 6-foot-7 and 237 pounds, Harrison has racked up as many big football offers as any other freshman in the country. He is on track to be at least a high-four star prospect at tight end. Additionally, Harrison starts at defensive end for the Rams. Neal, while still waiting on offers, led all freshman basketball players across the state in scoring and led all players in North Carolina in interceptions with 12 last fall. Offensively, Neal was Reidsville’s second-leading receiver with 730 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Starting quarterback Al Lee (pictured) will be back to lead the offense. Lee completed 63.5% of his passes for 2,360 yards, 31 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 213 yards and five touchdowns. Lead running back Jeremiah Redd will return, as well as starting offensive linemen Tyrese Turner, Matthew Guill, and Titus Burson.
Rising senior standout Que’shyne “Flip” Flippen was Reidsville’s leading receiver with 56 receptions for 915 yards and 11 touchdowns. He is also an effective cornerback for the Rams.
Standout linebackers Paul Widerman and Aidan Mansfield will be back to patrol the middle of the field. Known as very intelligent players, Widerman and Mansfield combined for 278 tackles in 2022. Mansfield tied with Flippen for second on the team in interceptions with four. Widerman is also a rotational back on offense. He rushed for 395 yards and seven scores last season.
Harrison led the Rams in sacks with nine. Reidsville also has three five-plus sack players back in Widerman, Bryson Blackstock, and Jariel Cobb.
The biggest difference between this upcoming Reidsville team and the Reidsville teams of the past will be the absence of longtime head coach Jimmy Teague. It was recently announced that Teague’s son Erik will take over the program.
Tarboro Vikings
1A State Runners-Up
With nine out of 22 returning starters, Tarboro will have the least amount back of last season’s runners-up. However, the players that are back were arguably the most important in getting the Vikings to the 1A title game.
Starting quarterback and safety Omarion Lewis (pictured) will return to lead the complex Tarboro T offense and sure up the backside of the defense. Lewis made the HighSchoolOT All-State team as a two-way player. In 2022, Lewis threw for 453 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions. As a ball-carrier, he has 50 carries for 279 yards and eight touchdowns. On defense, Lewis was attributed with 63 tackles, 5 INT, six pass breakups, and one fumble recovery.
Rising sophomore Kamerin McDowell-Moore was one of the state’s top breakout players of last season. After Tarboro held him off varsity during the first two games, the freshman received the call-up and went on to rush for 1,393 yards and 21 touchdowns. The 1,393 rushing yards were second among North Carolina freshmen and his 23 touchdowns were first.
While McDowell-Moore had a productive campaign, another underclassmen actually led the Vikings in rushing last season: Mason Satterfield. The rising junior played in all fifteen games as a sophomore, amassing 1,445 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground. Satterfield also had a receiving touchdown and punt return touchdown in 2022.
Tight end and kicker Cole Craddock will back back to play under his head coach father after a strong sophomore season.
Three out of Tarboro’s five offensive line starters are graduating: Jaylen Stephens, Joshua Bradley, and Zavian Massenburg. The Vikings will return center Ja-Qwayveus Brown and right tackle Ny’Quaveon Davis, who already weighed in at 330 pounds as a sophomore.
On defense, Tarboro will be happy to have back both of its starting outside linebackers back in the fold. Isaiah Jones led the team with 106 tackles and Jamarion Dozier was third on the team with 72 tackles. Lewis was sixth on the team in tackles from his safety position. Tra’Keivous Jones will be the only starting defensive lineman back in 2023. He led the team in sacks with three.
The looming question over this season’s Tarboro team will be how they will stack up in a potential championship rematch against Mount Airy. The Granite Bears are set up to return an obscene number of starters from last year’s team.
Stay tuned to HighSchoolOT throughout the month of April for a new piece of football preview coverage every day!
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