The 2024 N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association football season will start a week ahead of the NCHSAA on Aug. 16, so there are only 18 Friday nights left until we reach the next season. Throughout the month of April, we'll have some kind of football preview coverage released to HSOT Insiders each day.
Today is a look at the key pieces that are returning from the NCISAA's three defending state champions: Providence Day, Asheville School, and Rocky Mount Academy.
HSOT Insiders: Prepare for the 2024 football season
Providence Day Chargers, Division I state champions
Providence Day took down Georgia's Rabun Gap by a touchdown in the Division I state championship. Let's get the obvious out of the way: Providence Day will no longer have 4-star quarterback Jadyn Davis, who is now at the University of Michigan. Channing Goodwin, one of the Chargers' standout 1,000-yard receivers is with Davis at Michigan. Jordan Shipp, the other elite wide receiver, took his talents to Chapel Hill to play for Mack Brown. Providence Day also lost a standout safety in Brody Barnhardt to NC State. Despite graduating so many Power 5 prospects, Providence Day will still have as many as any team in North Carolina this fall.
It all starts with the 5-star left tackle David Sanders, who is ranked as high as the No. 2 prospect in the class of 2025 nationally. Sanders is the state's best lineman and his dominance alone will have Providence Day back in the conversation for the Division I state title. Sanders will take crucial snaps on the defensive line as well. He's not the only high-end offensive lineman on the Chargers. Rising junior Leo Delaney is a 4-star prospect and ranked in the top 100 nationally. Rising junior interior offensive lineman Miles Funderburk also has a handful of NCAA Division I offers.
With changes coming to the passing attack and there being an offensive line with multiple college prospects, it's reasonable to expect Providence Day to lean heavily on the run this season. The Chargers have starting running back Ian Cline returning, who broke out last fall with 1,355 yards and 23 touchdowns. Cline has earned six offers so far. At receiver, Providence Day has big prospect ready to take over the passing attack in the wake of Shipp and Goodwin. Gordon Sellars, a 6-foot-2 target, has offers from four FBS schools in-state as well as Florida and South Carolina of the SEC. Sellars 507 yards and four touchdowns as the No. 3 receiver in the offense last season.
The Chargers have one returning player who is already committed to a Power 5 program in rising junior defensive back Braxton Winston, a Wake Forest University pledge. Providence Day also has rising senior Cairo Skanes in the defensive backfield, who has a handful of offers himself. Skanes was fourth on the team in tackles and led the Chargers with six interceptions. He was an HSOT All-State selection.
Two freshmen stood out on Providence Day's defense in defensive back Brennan Drummond and edge rusher Griff Galloway. Drummond had four interceptions and was third on the team with 96 total tackles. The safety has picked up multiple SEC offers since his debut campaign. Galloway has a dozen FBS offers, including from Georgia. The 6-foot-4, 240-poud rising sophomore compiled 60 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, and 8.5 sacks last fall.
Asheville School Blues, Division II state champions
The Blues defeated Trinity Christian by a score of 42-29 to win the 2023 DII title. Based on the players set to return, the Blues' chances at a repeat look pretty good.
Rising senior quarterback Ricky Tolbert should return after completing 64.4% of his passes for 2,147 yards, 25 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Tolbert also rushed for 610 yards and 11 touchdowns on 113 carries. Asheville School's leading rusher from last year Caleb Jenkins (1,042 yards, 14 TDs) is set to graduate. That running back spot will be a key one to get worked out. Rising senior Leo Sfez Zhao is the top returning rusher, but he had under 200 yards on the season. At receiver, there is a lot of talent back. Rising senior Hayezon Tobe had a big season with 51 receptions for 817 yards and nine touchdowns last fall. Justin Rowe, an FBS defensive back prospect, was second on the team with 28 catches for 455 yards and five touchdowns. Rowe is a big time returner in the special teams phase and had 560 total return yards on just 22 attempts last season.
On defense, Rowe and Tobe should start after they tied for the team lead with two interceptions in 2023. The Blues' top two sack artists Nathan McMahon and Adam Kaminski are set to graduate after combining for 22 quarterback takedowns. That pair was second and third on the team in overall tackles as well. Asheville School's most productive defender is back: Ryserson Gilewicz, who had 100 total tackles last fall. Rising junior Derek Durand could have a big year after contributing 48 stops, 12 tackles for a loss, and four sacks last year. Sfez Zhao is an important piece to the defense at interior linebacker. He had 59 total tackles in his junior season.
Rocky Mount Academy Eagles, 8-Man state champions
The Eagles capped off their 11-2 championship season with a 36-32 win over Wayne Christian. A few of the key players from that championship team will be back in 2024.
Quarterback Gehrig Miller was impressive as a sophomore last fall. Miller completed 43 of his 88 passing attempts for 1,094 yards and a standout touchdown-to-interception ratio of 16:1. The Eagles' top two rushers Marti McKnight and Jordan Wright are graduating. Those two combined for just under 2,400 yards and 33 touchdowns on the ground in 2023. Rocky Mount Academy will look for rising senior Cam Dawkins to step up into their role after he rushed for 692 yards and 14 touchdowns last year. Seniors Cooper Epps and Ben Pitt caught 14 of Miller's 16 passing touchdowns last season, so the receiver group needs to be rediscovered.
On defense, McKnight was Rocky Mount Academy's top tackler with 6.4/game. Parker Sherrod, another senior, was second on the team with 5.5 stops per game. The next three defenders are all set to return for their senior seasons: Micah Boseman, Dawkins, and Wyatt Wells. Four sophomores played a sizable role on defense last season: Kaiden Pulley, Judah Calhoun, Owen Lewis, and Riley Proctor. Lewis and Calhoun were tied for the team lead with four interceptions apiece. 63% of the Eagles' sack production should return, with Boseman (9 sacks) and Wells (5 sacks) leading the way.
The Eagles' kicker last season was freshman Tae Cowder, who made 16 of his 23 PAT attempts.
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