New Bern makes a statement for NC’s Eastern teams, beats Grimsley for the NCHSAA 4A title
New Bern coach Torrey Nowell spent the week before Friday’s N.C. 4A state championship with Grimsley basically defending the honor of the state’s eastern teams.
Nowell snapped back at the notion that the North Carolina’s western teams, particularly those inside Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, are playing a different version of the game than his neighbors are.
In the state final at UNC, New Bern did a lot to change that perception, if it was there to begin with. The Bears ran — and ran and ran — and Grimsley couldn’t do much to stop them. The Bears’ 40-28 win provided the East with a second straight championship win in the state’s largest and most competitive class — Raleigh’s Cardinal Gibbons beat Chambers High of Charlotte last season — and New Bern beat a Grimsley team that had stopped four straight Charlotte-area teams to get to Chapel Hill.
That had to feel good for Nowell, whose team backed up his talk.
New Bern (16-0) got 100-yard rushing efforts from Aronne Herring and QB Damaree Tucker and won its fourth state championship to go with titles in 2007, 2012 and ‘14. Grimsley (15-1) was looking for its second state title in a year and a half. The Whirlies won the N.C. 4A state championship in the spring 2021 season when the NCHSAA was subdividing its football state championships, offering a 4A and 4AA champion in the 4A class.
Herring ran 16 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Tucker ran 12 times for 105. New Bern, which didn’t attempt a pass, ran 54 times for 394 yards.
Grimsley got 257 yards of offense, led by QB Ryan Stephens (5-16-1, 102 yards) and running back Mitchell Summers (71 yards, touchdown).
Before Friday’s game, the Bears had attempted just 33 passes all season, and that strategy didn’t change in the biggest game of the year. There were no surprises: three running backs behind the quarterback and going directly at the strongest part of the Grimsley defense, the Whirlies front line, which lost Georgia commit Jamaal Jarrett for a large chunk of the second half with an injury.
Still, Grimsley had a real shot to get a chance to rally to win, stopping an option play to force a third and long on the first play on the fourth quarter, down six.
But Tucker, a natural defensive back who moved to quarterback because his team needed one, faked a handoff and ran 23 yards up the middle for a touchdown and a 33-21 lead.
After a 3-and-out, New Bern ran down the field again and appeared to be ready to score a put-away touchdown, but Grimsley stopped New Bern twice at the 1 to keep it a two-score game.
Moments later, Grimsley QB Stephens, who had thrown for 17 yards all game, hit Terrell Anderson with an 85-yard touchdown pass. Grimsley was down 33-28 and had life. Anderson added that big play to an 98-yard kickoff return for touchdown earlier.
New Bern stopped the Grimsley momentum quickly, however, recovering an onside kick attempt and later scoring its sixth rushing touchdown, when Tucker ran in from 36 yards with 33 seconds left.
▪ In the first half, New Bern grabbed a 20-14 lead, grabbing a 6-0 lead on its first drive after Chamir Wright’s scoring run. New Bern improved its lead after a long interception return from No’Tavien Green. Aronne Herring scored on a 12-yard run.
New Bern began the night by methodically moving the ball down the field and took a 6-0 lead with a 22-yard touchdown run (failed point-after try) by Chamir Wright , who took a pitch from quarterback Damaree Tucker and got to the outside with run to run.
Terrell Anderson’s 98-yard kick return for Grimsley closed the lead to 13-7 and each team scored once more before half, setting up what looked to be an exciting finish.
Live NCHSAA Scores
3A state championship
East Lincoln (15-0) vs. Northern Nash (15-0), at Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, 7 p.m. Saturday (MeTV, 18.3) – East Lincoln has allowed more than eight points in a game only twice this season. Ben Cutter, the Western Foothills 3A Player of the Year, leads the team with 175 tackles and is expected to play FBS football next year. Offensively, QB Ty Mizzell has thrown for 2,368 yards and 35 scores, but when the air attack is slowed, as was the case last week against South Point, there are rushing options in Christopher Daley (1,558 yards) and Mizzell (666 yards).
Northern Nash has played in a state title game only once previously, losing to A.C. Reynolds in 2002. Senior QB Keno Jones is an efficient passer, completing 64 percent of his throws for 2,514 yards and 37 touchdowns. Jones also is a threat to run and has 756 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground. If the game is closer, the Knights have a stellar kicker. Senior Bryson Jenkins, who is also an outstanding baseball infielder, has made 9-of-9 field-goal attempts this season, with a long kick of 45 yards.
Streaming: bahakelsports.com
2A state championship
Reidsville (14-1) vs. East Duplin (14-1), at Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, 11 a.m. Saturday (WCCB-TV) – Yes, Reidsville is in the state finals again. The Rams have won more state championships (19) than any other school, including four in the last six seasons. Head coach Jimmy Teague has 333 victories in 27 seasons at Reidsville. QB Al Lee has thrown for 2,166 yards, with WR Que’shyne Flippin catching 51 of those throws for 878 yards. Reidsville’s closest game in the playoffs was a 32-14 score.
East Duplin has won or lost five games this season by a touchdown or less. The Panthers run the ball a lot, and senior RB Avery Gaby has rushed for 2,004 yards, averaging 9.1 yards a carry and scoring 40 touchdowns. Junior QB Zack Brown has thrown for 1,161 yards. East Duplin has been in the playoffs 28 times since the current postseason format was adopted in 1972 but is playing in its first state championship game.
Streaming: bahakelsports.com
1A state championship
Mount Airy (14-1) vs. Tarboro (13-1), at Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, 3 p.m. Saturday (WCCB-TV) – These teams met for a 2017 state title, with Tarboro winning 32-7. Mount Airy attempts an average of just six passes a game, preferring to move on the ground. Junior RB Tyler Maxon has rushed for 1,863 yards and 41 touchdowns. The Granite Bears’ defense has been stout, allowing only four opponents to score in double digits. Junior LB Ian Gallimore has 110 tackles, 24 of them for losses.
Tarboro in the state finals is sort of like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” — you can count on seeing it in December. The Vikings are in the finals for the sixth straight year and have won eight state championships. They have run the straight-T offense for more than four decades, and this year’s attack is led by sophomore RB Mason Satterfield and freshman RB Kamerin McDowell-Moore. Together, they have more than 2,500 yards. Tarboro averages 340 rushing yards a game.
Streaming: bahakelsports.com
Talking Preps Picks
This story was originally published December 9, 2022 at 5:30 AM.