Hough High football: New conference, same NCHSAA state title ambitions in 2025
Hough High junior defensive back Jackson Heath said being the preseason conference championship favorite is nothing new.
“We were heavy favorites in the conference last year,” Heath said. “And the year before that. And the year before that. And the year before that. That’s just what comes naturally to us. We’ve got a standard to uphold.”
And it’s been quite a high standard.
Hough opened in 2010. The first two teams were 2-8 and 4-7. Since then, the Huskies are 133-38 with 13 straight winning seasons. They have four consecutive years with 11 wins or more.
This year, Hough is leaving a conference with national powers and former state championship schools — Chambers, Mallard Creek and West Charlotte — to join the Greater Charlotte Athletic Conference.
Nationally-ranked Hough is loaded and a heavy favorite to win the league. None of the other five teams in Hough’s new conference had a winning record in 2024 — Garinger (0-10), Hopewell (3-7), Myers Park (4-6), South Mecklenburg (3-7) and West Mecklenburg (3-7).
“But you can’t look at it like that, man,” explained Huskies’ sophomore linebacker Ryan Peterson. “It’s zero-zero every week, and you’ve got to play. You know, we are most definitely (the favorite), but you cannot underestimate any team. That’s how you end up doing stuff you’re not supposed to.”
Hough coach Shawn Baker has intentionally built a tough non-conference schedule to challenge his team early. Hough will open at Bank of America Stadium against Rock Hill’s South Pointe High, ranked No. 1 in the S.C. preseason 4A media poll.
After that are games with nationally-ranked Independence, playoff contender Mooresville and a Highland Springs team that is ranked No. 4 in Virginia, regardless of class, in preseason.
“We’ve talked about it, about having that dominance from the start of the game until the end of the game,” Baker said. “We have to play every team like we are preparing for South Pointe or Indy or Highland Springs.”
A year ago, Hough was 12-2 and was, ostensibly, one play away from stopping eventual unbeaten state champion Greensboro Grimsley in the state quarterfinals.
This year, seven starters and 15 lettermen return, but the Huskies feel they are plenty stacked enough to make a run for the school’s first state title.
Division I recruit Ethan Royal, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound quarterback, will take over for All-Observer star Trey Blakeney, who graduated after throwing for nearly 3,000 yards and 40 touchdowns.
And college recruits are all over the roster.
They include receiver Tyran Evans (Miami Hurricanes), defensive linemen Chris Hilliard (Temple) and Will Berlin (Cornell), linebacker LJ Porter (East Carolina) plus defensive backs Samari Matthews (Texas) and Micah Bright (South Florida).
“And our team is different than the years we’ve had before,” Heath said. “Leadership is something we haven’t had and that’s something we’re having this year. I think before we had people who were capable but didn’t give it their all. I feel like dudes on our team right now care about this school, even the ones that have committed.
“They have big futures in front of them but they are focused on what we’re doing right now and having big names like that being focused on what we’re doing helps everybody else fall in line by looking at their example.”
This story was originally published August 12, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
