Predicting the North Carolina high school football state champions

North Carolina high school football is more than just a collection of teams and rivalries; it’s a showcase of talent, determination and community spirit. From the mountains of Western North Carolina to the Tidewater and everything in-between, these state championship contenders are poised to claim glory in their respective classifications.

Class 8A: Rolesville

Playing in what is a newly created classification system throughout the state, Rolesville would become the first-ever 8A champion in the Tar Heel State. Not too shabby, right? The Rams are the perfect candidate to choose here because of the surplus of talent that’s returning, including on the defensive line. Rolesville will feature a pair of four-star recruits coming off the edge in senior Zavion Griffin-Haynes and junior Jayden Broadie. Both will be terrors for opposing offensive lines and, with the Rams bring back to their roster, we think Rolesville starting off this list works.

Class 7A: Grimsley

We’re not going to overthink this one whatsoever. The Whirlies have a plethora talent across the board and you might’ve heard of their quarterback, Faizon Brandon, who is committed to Tennessee. We already have made a prediction before that the Whirlies will win it all in Class 7A and now we double down on that. Brandon leads the way after a season that saw the signal caller complete 165 of 214 passes (77 percent) for 2,814 yards, 35 touchdowns and just two picks. Of all the North Carolina high school football classes, we feel like this might be the safest pick.

Class 6A: Seventy-First

The Falcons knew just how it felt to be on the precipice of winning a North Carolina high school football state championship, but coming up just short in a 14-7 loss to West Charlotte in the Class 3A final last year. Now, playing in a new classification this fall, Seventy-First has a chance to make amends from a year ago. Rolesville returns a talented cast of players to the gridiron, including USF commitment Jayson Franklin, who rushed for 1,207 yards on 117 touches and 13 touchdowns.

Class 5A: Crest

Crest was able to reach the third round of the Class 3A playoffs in 2024 before being knocked out by Hickory in a wild 63-48 decision. The Chargers have been reclassified to 5A and that makes for a new opportunity and path to a state championship. Crest features a pair of three-star Power Four commits at safety in Lyrik Pettis (Duke) and D’Various Surratt (NC State). The team on offense features three-star Virginia commitment Ely Hamrick at quarterback. Hamrick, who was previously at IMG Academy before transferring into Crest last year, threw for 1,118 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024.

Class 4A: Brevard

Reaching the state semifinals round of last year’s Class 2A state playoffs certainly brought a little edge to Brevard as they have extra motivation in attempting to make the move to the top again this season. Reclassified a couple notches to 4A, the Blue Devils were a team reliant upon juniors in 2024 and with many of them back with experience under their belt, validates this team is talented enough to make a run. Brevard has a pair of running backs returning to the backfield after they combined to rush for over 2,000 yards on the ground in Braylon Thompson and Nyrell Skinner. Also returning is quarterback Benjamin Kessinger, who went for 1,334 yards and 14 scores last fall.

Class 3A: Northeastern

The Eagles finished as the North Carolina high school football runners-up to Monroe in Class 2A last season and return a formidable group as they bump up a class this fall. Northeastern graduated all-state quarterback Trevaris Jones, who threw for well over 3,500 yards through the air in 2024. Zak Ishman looks to be next in line behind Jones after throwing for 396 yards and three scores. Also coming back to the backfield are running backs Jaylin Mallory and Joanthan Nguyen, whom both went for over 300 yards last year.

Class 2A: Tarboro

Tarboro moves up a class after winning it all in Class 1A last season and there are plenty of reasons to believe the Vikings could pull this off again. The Vikings have one of the state’s leading rushers from a year ago returning to the backfield in Kamerin McDowell-Moore, who rushed for 1,627 yards and scored 21 touchdowns. Another key returner is rover linebacker Keivious Bridgers, who tallied 122 tackles and five went for a loss in 2024. With so many key pieces back in the fold, Tarboro seems to be an easy choice here.

Class 1A: Wilson Preparatory Academy

The Tigers were shellacked by the team above, Tarboro, in the Class 1A state semifinals, 59-6. Now that the Vikings are out of the way and in another North Carolina high school football classification, it clears the way for Wilson Prep to assume the proverbial throne. Who ultimately makes this team go is dual-threat quarterback Travon Usher, who totaled 3,034 all-purpose yards and 32 touchdowns in 2024.