Weddington High back in NC state title game behind standout sophomores and 25 seniors
In some ways, Weddington football is a year ahead.
The Warriors, who play Hoggard in Saturday night’s 4A state championship game at N.C. State, are in the midst of another deep playoff run. They played 15 games last year, when star linebacker TJ Davis and defensive linemen Aiden and Drew Harris were only freshmen.
And they’re led by a senior signal caller in Tyler Budge, a Georgia Southern commit. He’s a standout quarterback — mobile with his legs and a strong arm — who holds Weddington’s school records in career yards and passing touchdowns. His favorite target is senior Keenan Jackson, a UNC-bound receiver with more than 1,500 passing yards.
“It’s gonna be a very physical game,” head coach Andy Capone told reporters at Monday’s media day at Bank of America Stadium. “It’s a 4A state championship. It’s not gonna be anything easy. They got good athletes, they’re good in the trenches, they’re well-coached. It’s a solid football team.
”But the thing I took away more is how hard they play, and how much energy and passion they show on their sidelines — It’s similar to us.”
Weddington (13-2, 3-1 4A Southern Carolina) is searching for its fourth state championship in five title game appearances, all coming since 2014. But while the Warriors were state champions in 2016, 2018 and 2019, this would mark their first since jumping to the 4A level.
Their opponent will be J.T. Hoggard High, a Wilmington-based school that has won its last 14 games. The Vikings have been prolific creating turnovers and are led by 39 seniors.
“In high school football, if you come out and play hard for 48 minutes, tackle well, run the football and block, you’re gonna be successful more than you’re not,” Capone said. “We just have really, really good football players.
“We used to be this whole, ‘Oh, they’re just so disciplined and all that.’ But, I mean, I think that takes away from how good of football players our kids really, really are.”
Weddington is having one of its most dominant seasons in recent memory. Its only blemishes have come in one-score losses to Butler and Marvin Ridge. In September, the Warriors went on the road and knocked off South Carolina power Dutch Fork — which won another state title Friday night.
“I thought we could be pretty special,” Capone said. “It’s part of our goal every year. I know it’s not gonna happen every year, obviously, but our first goal is to win our first game. Then it’s to win the conference. Then it’s to practice on Thanksgiving. Then it’s to win a state championship.
“Those are our goals. We’ve achieved all those, and now we’ve got a chance to do our last one.”
This story was originally published December 4, 2023 at 12:57 PM.
