How did the three finalists for the NC Mr. Football award do in playoff games Friday
Friday night, two of three finalists for the N.C. Mr. Football award played in the N.C. state playoffs.
Scroll down to see how they performed.
Last month, The Charlotte Observer and the News & Observer of Raleigh introduced the 10 finalists for the N.C. Mr. Football award.
This, that list was trimmed to a final three. The winner will be announced Dec. 19.
Mr. Football is the state’s top high school football honor and goes to the N.C. player who had the best single season. The award is open to all in-state players from ninth to 12th grade and is selected by a committee, including the newspapers’ high school sports staff and members of its Talking Preps streaming show.
There have been five previous winners of the award. One of the following three players will join that list.
The three finalists
Faizon Brandon, Grimsley: A 6-4, 200-pound junior quarterback, Brandon is ranked No. 1 nationally overall in his class by 247 Sports. He has committed to Tennessee. A lawsuit brought by his family helped the state’s high school athletes gain access to their NIL rights earlier this fall.
Friday night, Bra don completed 16 of 18 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-23 win over Weddington in the N.C. 4A state semifinals. Both teams were nationally ranked and all of Brandon’s touchdown passes were in the second half.
For the season, Brandon has completed 157 of 204 passes (77 percent completion rate) for 2,632 yards and 33 touchdowns against one interception. He’s rushed 69 times for 588 yards and eight scores for Grimsley (15-0), which will play Rolesville for the state title Friday in Raleigh.
David Sanders, Providence Day: A 6-6, 290-pound senior offensive and defensive lineman, Sanders has committed to Tennessee.
He’s been ranked as high as No. 1 nationally in his class during his career and is currently ranked among the top 10 players in the country by most recruiting services, as well as being ranked the nation’s No. 1 left tackle. Sanders was named N.C. Gatorade player of the year as a junior. This season, he graded 93% and didn’t allow a sack on offense. He will play in the Navy All-American Bowl — the nation’s top high school all-star game — in January and televised nationally on NBC.
Sanders and Providence Day lost to nationally ranked Rabun Gap (GA) in the N.C. Independent Schools championship game (Rabun Gap has long played with the N.C. private schools).
Brady Stober, Hickory: A 6-foot, 173-pound senior quarterback committed to Samford, Stober completed 184 of 235 passes for 3,477 yards and 38 touchdowns.
Stober’s rushed for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns for the Red Tornadoes (14-1), who lost 36-20 to West Charlotte in the NCHSAA 3A Western regional championship, or state semifinal game, on Friday. Last season, Stober threw for 3,933 yards and 47 touchdowns for a 16-0 Hickory team that won its first state championship since 1996.
Previous winners
2023: Jadyn Davis, Providence Day
2022: Jadyn Davis, Providence Day
Fall 2021: Omarion Hampton, Cleveland
Spring 2021: Daylan Smothers, Chambers
2020: Henry Rutledge, Charlotte Christian
Note: Public schools didn’t play in the fall of the 2020-21 school year because of COVID. A shortened season was held in the spring of 2021.
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
