Football

Impact returners for the western football regional runners-up in 2024

HighSchoolOT is back with more football preview coverage in the spring. Today, a look at Independence, Dudley, Shelby, and Robbinsville.

Posted 2024-04-04T17:49:30+00:00 - Updated 2024-04-04T14:32:00+00:00

Joel Bryant

We've now been through three months without high school football in North Carolina. Today, there's only four months between now and when games start. Throughout the month of April, we'll have some kind of football preview coverage released to HSOT Insiders each day.

First up, let's take a look at the four defending N.C. High School Athletic Association western regional runners-up and the pieces that they'll have back under the Friday night lights this fall.

HSOT Insiders: Prepare for the 2024 football season

Independence Patriots, 4A West runners-up

The key main ingredients are set to return for the Independence Patriots this fall. Seven starters will return on both offense and defense.

Triple-threat rising senior quarterback Justin Little will be in third year starting. Little, a 5-foot-11 passer, has completed 69.6% of his passes for 5,840 yards over his career. He has thrown 57 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. As a rusher, Little has taken off 164 times for a gain of 1,006 yards. He has found the end zone 21 times with his legs. Little has received seven offers, including Campbell and UNC-Charlotte. To Little's side will be star running back Jayden Jones, who had a big breakout season as a sophomore. The rising junior rushed for 1,830 yards and 19 touchdowns on 181 carries. Many of his most productive games came against the best teams. Up front, the Patriots are expected to bring back four starters: rising sophomore FBS prospect Nori White, rising senior Sidiq Cabaniss (270 pounds), rising senior Bryce Richardson, and rising senior Kevin Caldwell. At receiver, things will look a little different for the Patriots. Rising senior Brian Crowder (44 receptions for 553 yards and 5 TDs in 2023) is the lone returning starter outside. Independence is losing 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown receiver Vontrez Burch, as well as NC Central signee Will Brown at tight end (510 yards, 8 TDs). Rising junior target Prince Young is going to need to step up into a bigger role, but Independence also has a nice incoming transfer in Ricky Myers Jr from Indian Land High in SC. Myers Jr. was 4A All-Region in South Carolina.

Defensively, Dallas Brannon is a major Power 5 target at linebacker. Brannon racked up 147 total tackles, one sack, and one interception during his sophomore year in 2023. Brannon has five ACC offers to go with a couple of SEC opportunities. Nick Reddish, a safety in Brannon's rising junior class, has as much upside at the position as anyone in North Carolina. Reddish grabbed four interceptions, broke up 10 passes, forced two fumbles, and recovered four loose balls as a sophomore. Reddish has a mixture of ACC and SEC offers, along with one from Notre Dame. Next to Reddish on the back end will be rising senior returning starter Bryce Lofton, another quality safety who had 64 stops and a couple of interceptions in 2023. Rover defender Tre Garnes is also back to start for his senior season. Rising sophomore rover Nasir White is 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds. White will serve a big role integrating with Garnes, Reddish, and Lofton. On the defensive line, starters Malachi Assalam, defensive end Camden Martin and defensive end Deshaun Wilks will for their senior seasons. Martin was tied for the team lead with 5.5 sacks last season. Rising sophomore defensive tackle Travis Givens looks like he could be a strong piece in the middle with is 6-foot-2, 275-pound frame.

Finalized schedules for the 2024 North Carolina high school football season

Dudley Panthers, 3A West runners-up

Outside of one key spot, Dudley brings back almost its entire loaded offense from 2023. The biggest loss is undoubtedly the graduation of quarterback Andrew Attmore, an HSOT First Team All-State passer who threw for 4,100 yards, 54 touchdowns, and four interceptions last season. Dudley's answer at the spot is likely going to be rising junior Jaquez Crawford, who transferred in after serving as the backup quarterback to Faizon Brandon at Grimsley High. Crawford completed 10 of 15 passing attempts for 117 yards and one touchdown last season. The reality is that Crawford doesn't need to be some kind of elite player for Dudley to succeed in 2024. The Panthers are absolutely stacked with weapons around him.

Three wide receivers eclipsed 1,000 yards as juniors last season: 6-foot-1 C.J. Neely (1,164 yards, 15 TDs in 2023), 6-foot-2 Nas Newkirk (1,123 yards, 16 TDs), and 5-foot-11 Koredell Bartley (1,013 yards, 11 TDs). All three of the players have at least five Division I offers. Bartley is a terrifying special teams player. He accounted for four total return touchdowns in just last season alone. Rising senior A.J. Lee also has starting experience. Lee had 389 yards and five touchdown grabs last year. With three HSOT All-State selections, is not only the best receiving corps in the state, but it's one of the best groups of pass catchers you'll ever seen on a high school team.

Dudley's rushing attack has special upside as well. The Panthers return two senior running backs who gained over 1,000 yards last season: L.J. Southern (1,154 yards, 15 TDs) and Jayden Brown (1,008 yards, 10 TDs). Additionally, three starters are back on the offensive line: rising junior Eric Gant, rising junior Maques Baskin (290 pounds), and rising junior Javon Jones (6-foot-4, 320 pounds).

On defense, the Panthers have some high end production to replace, but like the offense, most of the overall pieces are back. Linebackers Latrell Wilson and Kameron Baldwin combined for over 250 stops, 48 of which were for a loss, as seniors last fall. Senior defensive ends Sa'Mad Bell and Ishmael Mande combined for 163 tackles, 56 of which came for a loss and 30 of which came as a sack. Bell was an HSOT All-State selection. A piece of good news is that the Panthers have 330-pound Jordyn Ratliff back on the defensive line after he had 89 tackles, 31 stops for a loss, and 6.5 sacks as a junior in 2023. 6-foot-4, 350-pound lineman Dakota Brown is also back after compiling 68 tackles, 20 tackles for a loss, and 2.5 sacks as a junior. At linebacker, a starter is back in rising junior Robet McCollum (106 tackles, 29 TFLs, 3 INTs in 2023). In the secondary, Newkirk and Bartley have previously played big roles. Safety Jerron Blackwell (60 tackles, 18 PBUs, 1 INTs) will be a big presence once again during his senior season this fall.

The Panthers' rising junior kicker Andrew Cummings made 67 of his 82 PAT attempts last season.

Shelby Golden Lions, 2A West runners-up

The Golden Lions from Cleveland County have 14 starters back in 2024 as well as their kicker Jose Lopez and long snapper Brett Morgan.

Quarterback Lan Farmer had a big season as a sophomore in 2023. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound passer threw for 3,400 yards, 44 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in his first year as the starter. He has some of the most upside of any of the passers in North Carolina. Farmer's outstanding deep threat Izay Bridges (87 receptions, 1,818 yards, 19 TDs) is gone to graduation and rising senior Eli Fallls (36 receptions, 508 yards, 6 TDs) transferred to Gaffney High in South Carolina. However, rising junior Calvin Ramseur (18 receptions, 283 yards, 6 TDs) and rising sophomore Majay Thompson are back with starting experience. The running game is going to have more carryover from last season than the passing game. Rising senior running back Tristan Tate rushed for 1,510 yards and 18 touchdowns on 300 attempts in 2023. Jaylen Tate rushed for 388 yards and five scores in the backup role last season. In front of the Tate swill be three returning offensive line starters: rising sophomore Crishun Harris, rising senior Justyn Ross, and rising senior Trucker Hamrick.

Defensively, Ross is also expected to start on the front line once again after gathering 31 total tackles and 11 tackles for a loss in 2023. Rising senior Ny'Drien Wood (44 tackles, 12 TFLs) is another returning starter there. The productive Nick Norris is back at linebacker after compiling 133 total stops last year. However, he is the only linebacker back. Shelby should be in pretty good shape in the secondary with Ramseur, rising senior Jayden Anderson, rising junior Derrick Kee, and rising senior Stephon Jennings all returning with starting experience. They'll miss the turnover production of Canden McGill, who had five interceptions and a forced fumble during his final season.

2023-2024 North Carolina high school football coaching changes

Robbinsville Black Knights, 1A West runners-up

In the 1A West final, the Black Knights from deep in Western North Carolina got the best shot in against Mount Airy but ultimately fell to the Granite Bears in a 27-16 game. That game was about as close of a contest that Mount Airy has had over its 30-game winning streak. In the 2024 football season, four starters will return on Robbinsville's offense and a couple of starters will be back on the Black Knights' defense.

Robbinsville's star running back Cuttler Adams is the biggest loss. Adams, a Yale University commit, rushed for 6,800 yards and 94 touchdowns in his career. The Black Knights' two other key rushers Chase Calhoun (579 yards, 9 TDs in 2023) and Kage Williams (309 yards, 4 TDs) are also being lost to graduation. Quarterback Donovan Carpenter is graduating after throwing for 1,352 yards, 11 touchdowns, and eight interceptions as a senior. Robbinsville's top pass catcher is back in rising senior Darion Ledbetter. He caught 35 passes for 586 yards and three scores last season. Ledbetter also also a huge returning factor in the secondary for Robbinsville, as he made 32 total tackles, four interceptions, and a forced fumble in 2023.

Cuttler Adams and Chase Calhoun were also important as linebackers with 167 combined stops. While there were some good seniors on Robbinsville's defense, the Black Knights' top tackler Bryce Adams (105 stops, 7 TFLs in 2023) is set to return for his senior year. Rising senior Quinn Jumper had 67 total tackles and a team-leading seven sacks. Outside linebacker Roman Jones had 65 total tackles, seven tackles for a loss, and three interceptions last season.