Playing for Devin: Hough stymies top offense in NC with added motivation from above

Moments after Hough High had eliminated previously unbeaten East Forsyth in the third round of the N.C. 4A playoffs Friday night, Huskies coach Matt Jenkins was trying to talk about the win.

Then he started having trouble finding his words.

Jenkins was overcome with emotion, thinking about everything that had gone on during the week.

Just a few days earlier, he found out that former Hough star Devin Chandler was one of three University of Virginia players who were shot and killed on a bus after returning home from a field trip. The players were sleeping when they were gunned down.

“Devin was a great kid; he was a great man and we miss him to death,” Jenkins said while holding back tears. “But we are going to regroup, and I can promise you this, we are going to have a better week next week.”

Jenkins admitted that he was not the best version of his coaching self during the week, unable to completely focus on the game. There were too many media interviews, too many phone calls, too much introspection.

“I didn’t do a good job coaching this week,” Jenkins said. “It is that simple. It’s been a rough week.”

Following the tragic events of the shooting in Virginia, Jenkins and quarterback Tad Hudson, a UNC recruit, were part of a press conference held at the school for Chandler on Monday. Even then, while Jenkins knew he had a game to prepare for, it was also evident that it was going to be his hardest coaching job of the season.

Hudson — a freshman during Chandler’s senior year — felt the same way.

He said that Chandler always put a smile on peoples faces and was a joy to be around. During Chandler’s senior year, the Huskies starting quarterback went out due to an injury. Chandler was the first one to go up to Hudson, the baby-faced ninth-grader, and let the youngster know that he had his back.

“I was the only player that actually played with Devin,” Hudson said. “A bunch of people don’t know, but I was a freshman and when I started against Richmond (Senior), he was one of the first guys to come over and be like, ‘Hey man you got this, and I believe in you.’ ”

Despite coming up short in a playoff game at Richmond in 2019, Chandler gave Hudson the confidence he needed to be successful. That has carried over into Hudson’s next three seasons, and it carried over into Friday night.

With Hough’s defense putting the stops one of the state’s most potent offenses — East Forsyth got 176 yards passing on 43 percent completions and just 37 yards rushing — Hudson was efficient enough Friday. He completed 14-of-24 passes for 144 yards.

Hough has never won a state championship in football, and the Huskies are the last Mecklenburg County team left in the playoffs. Winning a ring was always a goal, but now the team has a little something extra to play for.

“At the end of the day, these are kids,” said Jenkins, whose team plays a quarterfinal Friday at Greensboro’s Grimsley High, another unbeaten opponent. “And when they love each other, they are going to play for each other. I think this group does love each other. Now we have to regroup, enjoy it (the win) for 24 hours, and prepare for Grimsley.”