Round 4 of the NC high school football playoffs is complete. Get scores, schedule
Hough is headed to a state high school football championship game.
Weddington and Lincolnton are one victory away from the state finals.
The Charlotte area’s other playoff teams saw their seasons end Friday night,
Weddington’s defense enabled the Warriors to beat Independence 21-6 in the Class 7A quarterfinals, and the Warriors will travel to defending state champion Grimsley next Friday in a semifinal game.
Meanwhile, Lincolnton pummeled West Davidson 55-20 and is headed to a Class 3A state semifinal matchup at home next Friday against Shelby. It will be those teams’ second meeting this season.
Several area teams lost Friday, though.
In addition to West Charlotte (8A) and Independence (7A), area teams falling were Ashbrook and Sun Valley in 6A; South Point and Jay M. Robinson in 5A; and Corvian Community, which reached the 1A finals last year, which dropped a 2A quarterfinal Friday night.
Here are highlights from Friday night’s games, along with scores and the next-round schedules. You also can check our Talking Preps postgame show (you can watch right here).
Friday’s photo galleries
Quick links
Hough beats West Charlotte to reach first state final
Weddington stops Independence, advances in 7A
Clayton gets revenge on Southeast Raleigh, advances to semis
TALKING PREPS POSTGAME SHOW
Friday’s roundup
CLASS 6A
Northern Guilford 39, Ashbrook 14: The host Nighthawks (12-1) raced to a 39-0 halftime lead and handed the Green Wave its only loss in 13 games this season.
Northern Guilford got two touchdowns from Jaxson Kemp, on a 60-yard pass reception and a 40-yard run, in the first quarter. The Nighthawks also had a pair of first-half scoring runs by Amare Akers.
Ashbrook got on the scoreboard in the third quarter, on Timothy Armstrong’s 55-yard pass to Riley Hicks. Armstrong then connected with Cayden Montgomery on a 10-yard touchdown pass in the game’s final minute.
Watauga 31, Sun Valley 28: The unbeaten and top-seeded Pioneers (13-0) rallied with 10 points in the fourth quarter and made a key defensive play in the game’s final minute, ending the season for Sun Valley (9-4).
The Spartans scored on three touchdown runs in the first half, two by Zach Cullen, and were tied 21-21 with Watauga at intermission. The Pioneers’ Nyle Peays had returned the game’s opening kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown, and he caught an 81-yard scoring toss from Cade Keller later in the first quarter.
Sun Valley went ahead 28-21 midway in the third quarter on a Noah Lineberry-to-Thanasi Papazis pass. But Watauga scored on a pass with 10:51 left, then got the winning points on Miller Hankins’ 36-yard field goal with 5:11 to play.
Sun Valley was driving in the closing minutes, but Watauga’s Everett Gryder picked off a Lineberry pass with 50 seconds remaining.
CLASS 5A
Crest 28, South Point 14: Michael Edwards scored on runs of 22 and 87 yards in the second half, enabling the Chargers (11-2) to rally from a 14-7 halftime deficit and oust the top-seeded Raiders (10-3). The teams had met in a Big South Conference game during the regular season, with Crest also winning that contest.
Ely Hamrick got Crest up 7-0 with a first-quarter touchdown run, but South Point’s Jesse Leonard ran 17 yards for a score in the second quarter. The Raiders took a 14-7 lead on a 5-yard run by Kaveaun Pless. That touchdown was set up by South Point’s recovery of a Crest fumble on a punt return.
Jason Black ran 22 yards for Crest’s tying touchdown late in the third quarter, before Edwards added his two scores in the game’s final four minutes.
Hickory 36, Jay M. Robinson 29: The visiting Red Tornadoes (12-1) scored on an 11-yard run with five minutes left in the game to down the Bulldogs (11-2).
Trailing 29-14 late in the third quarter, Jay M. Robinson rallied. The Bulldogs scored on Cameron Tucker’s 86-yard kickoff return, then tied the game midway in the fourth quarter on a 5-yard run by Aury Greenfield and a two-point conversion run by Tucker.
After taking the lead, Hickory stopped Jay M. Robinson on downs in the closing minutes.
CLASS 3A
Lincolnton 55, West Davidson 20: Rashad Lynch accounted for four touchdowns, and Jarvis Littlejohn ran for four more touchdowns, as the Wolves (10-4) trounced the Dragons (10-4).
Lynch threw two touchdown passes to Trashad Lineberger and one to R.J. Lynch. Rashad Lynch also ran for a score.
Lincolnton scored two touchdowns in each quarter.
The Wolves will face fellow Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A Conference member Shelby at home next week in the semifinals. Lincolnton beat Shelby 35-34 in overtime in their regular-season meeting.
CLASS 2A
Murphy 49, Corvian Community 40: Cameron Clem did it again Friday night, running for four touchdowns as Murphy (11-2) advanced to the semifinals. Corvian Community (10-2) suffered only its second setback since falling in last year’s 1A state championship game.
A week ago, Clem rushed for 456 yards and eight touchdowns in Murphy’s victory over Community School of Davidson.
On Friday, his fourth touchdown, on a 40-yard run with three minutes left, iced the victory for Murphy.
Corvian Community had rallied from a 42-20 deficit late in the second quarter and got within 42-40 with four minutes left. The Cardinals’ touchdowns in that rally came on three passes from Tyson Douglas-Brown. He connected from 14 yards and 36 yards to Reginald Grier III and from 29 yards to Cameron Simpson.
Douglas-Brown, a freshman, finished with four touchdown passes. B.J McAdoo ran for a touchdown and caught a scoring pass.
RESULTS, SCHEDULE
(all kickoffs at 7 p.m., unless otherwise noted)
NCHSAA playoffs
CLASS 8A
Friday’s semifinals
WEST
Hough 24, West Charlotte 0
EAST
Millbrook 14, Hoggard 7
State championship matchup
(to be played Dec. 11, 12, or 13)
Hough (13-0) vs. Millbrook (13-0)
CLASS 7A
Friday’s quarterfinals
WEST
Grimsley 24, Reagan 7
Weddington 21, Independence 6
EAST
Cardinal Gibbons 16, Garner 14
Clayton 35, Southeast Raleigh 21
Next Friday’s semifinals
WEST
Weddington (12-1) at Grimsley (13-0)
EAST
Clayton (11-2) at Cardinal Gibbons (12-1)
CLASS 6A
Friday’s quarterfinals
WEST
Northern Guilford 39, Ashbrook 14
Watauga 31, Sun Valley 28
EAST
Jacksonville 34, Union Pines 7
Middle Creek 31, Northern Nash 24
Next Friday’s semifinals
WEST
Northern Guilford (12-1) at Watauga (13-0)
EAST
Middle Creek (10-2) at Jacksonville (12-0)
CLASS 5A
Friday’s quarterfinals
WEST
Crest 28, South Point 14
Hickory 36, Jay M. Robinson 29
EAST
Hunt 32, Croatan 29
Jacksonville Northside 21, Rocky Mount 6
Next Friday’s semifinals
WEST
Crest (11-2) at Hickory (12-1)
EAST
Jacksonville Northside (11-2) at Hunt (11-2)
CLASS 4A
Friday’s quarterfinals
WEST
Brevard 49, Pisgah 28
Maiden 29, Hibriten 28
EAST
Reidsville 53, Central Davidson 20
West Craven 40, SouthWest Edgecombe 12
Next Friday’s semifinals
WEST
Maiden (9-4) at Brevard (13-0)
EAST
West Craven (12-1) at Reidsville (11-2)
CLASS 3A
Friday’s quarterfinals
WEST
Lincolnton 55, West Davidson 20
Shelby 43, Eastern Randolph 41
EAST
Kinston 28, Northeastern 24
James Kenan 51, Farmville Central 32
Next Friday’s semifinals
WEST
Shelby (11-3) at Lincolnton (11-2)
EAST
Kinston (10-4) at James Kenan (12-1)
CLASS 2A
Friday’s quarterfinals
WEST
Murphy 49, Corvian Community 40
Starmount 58, Mitchell 22
EAST
Tarboro 54, East Bladen 7
Warren County 40, Holmes 14
Next Friday’s semifinals
WEST
Starmount (11-2) at Murphy (11-2)
EAST
Warren County (11-2) at Tarboro (13-0)
CLASS 1A
Friday’s semifinals
WEST
Robbinsville 41, South Davidson 7
EAST
Wilson Prep 50, Pinetown Northside 22
State championship matchup
(to be played Dec. 11, 12 or 13)
Robbinsville (10-3) vs. Wilson Prep (8-5)
This story was originally published November 28, 2025 at 5:30 AM.