With an eye to history, Vance High’s football players look forward to final game
For high school football players and coaches, there is no bigger goal than winning a state championship.
But for the players and coaches at Vance High, this year might mean a little more.
The Cougars have qualified for their third straight N.C. 4AA state championship, and that alone is special. Only four Mecklenburg County teams have ever done that:
▪ Old Charlotte High qualified for three in a row from 1931-33
▪ Independence went to eight straight from 2000-07.
▪ Mallard Creek went to three straight from 2013-15.
▪ And Charlotte Catholic has done it twice. The Cougars went to four straight from 2004-2007; and this year, the Cougars will return to the finals for the fourth year in a row.
But this is also the last time a Charlotte team called Vance High School will play. The school is changing its name to Julius Chambers High this summer, moving from the name of a former slave owner to that of a civil rights leader.
Vance (9-1) will play Rolesville High (9-0) Saturday at 5 p.m. at N.C. State for the 4AA title.
And the players and coaches know the history behind the Vance name, but they still want to make sure the last game is one that ends with a championship.
“Just winning the last title under Vance, because we won the first title under Vance would be a big deal,” said sophomore running back Daylan Smothers. “Hopefully we can win it before the name changes. We all know the history behind the name, but we want to get this last championship under that name. It means a lot for us to get this last one.”
Vance beat Leesville Road 24-3 in the 2019 state final after losing in the championship round the year before. There was no championship played in 2020 due to the pandemic which pushed N.C. football to the spring.
So here are the Cougars trying to win back-to-back state championships to match their girls basketball team. For both teams, the slogan and motto were the same:
#TheLastVance
“It would be a huge deal to be the first team in school history, and the last team in school history to win it,” second-year Vance football coach Glenwood Ferebee said. “It means a lot to me and those kids. They understand what is at sake, and they’ll come back into work (this week) and work hard.
“I know they’ll be ready to go.”
Scouting Report
▪ Rolesville beat N.C. 4AA Eastern power Wake Forest twice: 36-3 in the regular-season and 24-21 in the state semifinals Friday. Wake Forest has won three of the past four state titles. Rolesville averages nearly 40 points per game, led by junior QB Byrum Brown, who has thrown for 1,879 yards and 20 touchdowns. Brown, a finalist for the Charlotte Observer/News & Observer N.C. High School Heisman award, has run 90 times for 602 yards and 10 scores. Senior Cyrus Rogers (616 yards receiving, four touchdowns) and sophomore Noah Rogers (591, 9) are his top targets.
On defense, senior Caden O’Brien (84 tackles, five sacks) leads a unit that allows 17 points per game and has held three teams to seven points or less.
▪ Charlotte Catholic (8-1) will play Havelock Friday at 7 p.m. at N.C. State. Havelock sophomore QB Andrew Frazier has thrown for 1,881 yards and 30 touchdowns. Senior RB Kamarro Edmonds (916 yards, 15 TDs) is a top 250 national recruit signed to North Carolina. Senior Jaylen Budget (812, 10 TDs) averages nine yards per carry.
On defense, Marcus Gatling, a senior linebacker, has 94 tackles and 1.5 sacks for a unit that allows 9.5 yards per game.
Catholic beat Havelock 28-14 in the 2017 N.C. 3A final, and Crest beat Havelock 24-3 in 2014. Havelock won three straight 3A titles from 2011-13.
▪ Salisbury (8-2) is back in the 2AA finals after losing 34-0 to Salisbury last season. The Hornets face unbeaten St. Pauls (8-0) Thursday at 7 p.m. at N.C. State. St. Pauls is led by sophomore KeMarion Baldwin, who has run for 1,063 yards and 12 touchdowns. The defense has two shutouts.
Salisbury sophomore JyMikaah Wells has rushed for 1,156 yards and 13 touchdowns. Junior linebacker Jalon Walker, who missed three games with injury, had 39 tackles and a sack and has helped the Hornets to six straight wins. Walker is a four-star recruit by 247 ranked among the nation’s top 50 players in the class of 2023. He has committed to Georgia.
State finals schedule
Class 4AA at N.C. State
Vance (9-1) vs. Rolesville (9-0), Saturday, May 8, 5 p.m.
Class 4A at UNC-Chapel Hill
Grimsley (8-0) vs. Cardinal Gibbons (9-0), Friday, May 7, 7 p.m.
Class 3AA at UNC-Chapel Hill
Mount Tabor (10-0) vs. Cleveland (10-0), Thursday, May 6, 7 p.m.
Class 3A at N.C. State
Charlotte Catholic (8-1) vs. Havelock (10-0), Friday, May 7, 7 p.m.
Class 2AA at N.C. State
Salisbury (8-2) vs. St. Pauls (8-0) Thursday, May 6, 7 p.m.
Class 2A at UNC-Chapel Hill
Mountain Heritage (7-1) vs. Reidsville (9-0) Saturday, May 8, 5 p.m.
Class 1AA at UNC-Chapel Hill
Tarboro (8-0) vs. East Surry (9-1), Saturday, May 8, noon
Class 1A at N.C. State
Pinetown Northside (8-2) vs. Murphy (9-1), Saturday, May 8, noon
