Why Chambers, Cardinal Gibbons will play a NC state championship rematch in South Carolina
The highly anticipated season-opening high school football game between Raleigh’s Cardinal Gibbons and Chambers High School won’t be played in North Carolina.
The two teams, who met in the N.C. 4A state championship game last season, will play each other Saturday, Aug. 20 at Rock Hill’s District 3 Stadium. The state championship rematch will be part of the Turf King Football City Invitational. It was originally scheduled to played at Chambers.
The doubleheader in Rock Hill will feature four of the Carolinas’ top programs.
Chambers and Cardinal Gibbons have won the past three N.C. state championships in the state’s largest class. The other two teams -- South Carolina’s Gaffney and South Pointe — are bona fide powers in their state.
Gaffney won the 5A state championship last season, and South Pointe won the 4A title.
New Chambers coach Brandon Wiggins said moving the game to South Carolina was an easy decision. Playing at District 3, which seats nearly 9,000, will allow more fans to see the game, and by pairing it with the South Pointe-Gaffney matchup, the doubleheader should draw heavy media attention, regionally and nationally.
“This is an opportunity to showcase our guys,” Wiggins said. “It’ll be a big game and draw a large crowd. We’re still close to home and our parents will still support us, and we’ll be fine.”
It’ll be third meeting between Chambers and Cardinal Gibbons in the past two seasons. Chambers beat Gibbons 35-29 last August in a game that didn’t end until well after midnight. It was postponed due to storms and lightning. Gibbons avenged that loss, upsetting Chambers 14-2 in the N.C. 4A championship game, played in a downpour at N.C. State.
Even though it’s his first game as Chambers’ new coach, Wiggins is well aware of the history between the two teams.
“It’s a redemption game,” Wiggins said. “It’s a great way to start the season. It sets the tone for us, and the fact that we’re playing a team we played in the state championship and fell short, well, it adds a cherry on top. I’m looking forward to seeing the guys compete and fly around. But it’s the first game of the season, too, so hopefully we’ll get a spark and really get going.”
Gibbons coach Steven Wright said he’s a little concerned that weather could play a big role in this game for the third straight time, due to the 4:30 kickoff.
“Yeah, it may be, once again, Round 3 with Chambers where we deal with the weather,” he said, “but a different type of weather with some heat.”
Despite that threat, Wright said playing a team like Chambers will do nothing but help Cardinal Gibbons as it tries to repeat as state champion.
“Anytime you get to match up with a high-level team in a non-conference situation, it does nothing but good for your program. It reveals to you, right away, where you are and things you need to work on. I think it benefits both teams.”
Turf King Football City Invitational
When: Saturday, Aug. 20 at Rock Hill’s District 3 Stadium
Kick-off times:
4:30 pm Cardinal Gibbons High School vs Julius Chambers High School
7:30 pm Gaffney High School vs South Pointe High School
Team highlights:
Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders (Raleigh, NC)
Head Coach-Steven Wright (2011-present)
Defending 2021 NC 4A State Champions
Four state title game appearances (Won schools 1st state title in 2021)
The Crusaders finished last season with a record of 15-1 and 2021 4A NC State Champs
Cardinal Gibbons and Chambers met twice last season. The Cougars won the season opener 35-29 at Cardinal Gibbons. Cardinal Gibbons won the rematch in Raleigh when the Crusaders upset the Cougars 14-2 in the state title game.
Julius Chambers Cougars (Charlotte, NC)
Head Coach-Brandon Wiggins (First year as Chambers head coach)
2021 NC 4A State Runner Up
Chambers has appeared in four state title games in a row. The Cougars have won two out of the last four NC division 4A State Championships
The Cougars finished last season with a record of 14-2 and NC 4A State Runner Up
Chambers and Cardinal Gibbons met twice last season with Chambers winning the regular-season opener 35-29 at Cardinal Gibbons. The Cougars lost the rematch to the Crusaders in the NC 4A State title game in Raleigh
South Pointe Stallions (Rock Hill, SC)
Head Coach, Bobby Collins (First year as South Pointe head coach)
Defending 2021 SC 4A State Champion
Since South Pointe’s first varsity season in 2006, the Stallions have won 7 state titles, most recently in 2021. Championship years include 08’, 11’, 14’, 15’, 16’, 17’, and 21’
The Stallions finished last season with a record of 13-1 and won the SC 4A State Championship by defeating the Beaufort Eagles 41-7
Gaffney Indians (Gaffney, SC)
Head Coach Dan Jones (2010-present) won two state titles as head coach
Defending 2021 SC 5A State Champion
Gaffney Indians have 17 state championships in its school’s history. The most recent was the upset win over Dutch Fork 22-19 in the 2021 5A State Championship. The win ended a 5-year run for the Silver Foxes
The Indians finished last season undefeated with a record of 15-0 and won the SC 5A State Title
This story was originally published May 19, 2022 at 10:30 AM.
