Meet the 2025 All-Observer high school football all-stars on defense
Meet the top high school football defensive players in the region, the All-Observer defense.
The team, led by defensive player of the year Samari Matthews of Hough, was selected by a panel of current and former Observer sportswriters.
To be considered for selection, a player had to be nominated by his head coach. The Observer covers 102 high schools in Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln and Union counties and more than 400 players were nominated.
Quick links
Meet the 2025 All-Observer football team
The All-Observer defensive stars
The All-Observer offensive stars
Defense: First team
DL: Aiden Harris, Weddington, 6-4, 260, Sr.: The South Carolina commit is a two-time Southern Carolina conference defensive player of the year. A two-time Mr. NC Football finalist, Harris had 83.5 tackles, 11 sacks, 18.5 tackles for a loss and 30 QB pressures this season.
DL: Sam Johnson, West Charlotte, 6-2, 259, Sr.: Johnson, a two-time All-Observer pick, was Meck Power 6 conference defensive player of the year this season. The West Georgia commit had 57 tackles, 23 tackles for a loss, 9.5 sacks and 27 QB hurries.
DL: Rodney Dunham, Myers Park, 6-2, 235, Sr.: The No. 8 overall player in the nation, Dunham has signed with Notre Dame. He had 47 tackles, eight sacks, 14 tackles for a loss and 39 QB hurries.
DL: Nathaniel Kamba, Corvian Community, 6-3, 300, Jr.: One of the nation’s top recruits in his class, Kamba had 63 tackles, 27 tackles for a loss, and nine sacks. He had more than 30 Division I offers. He is a three-time all-conference pick.
LB: Jalaythan Mayfield, Lincolnton, 6-1, 225, Jr.: A two-time league defensive player of the year, Mayfield repeats on the All-Observer team. He had 141 tackles this season, including 26 tackles for a loss, six sacks, four forced fumbles and 13 rushing TDs.
LB: Ryan Peterson, Hough, 6-0, 205, So.: Named his team’s defensive MVP in the state championship game, Peterson finished the season with 72 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, two sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception.
LB: LJ Porter, Hough, 6-1, 215, Sr.: An East Carolina commit, Porter had 57 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss plus 5.5 sacks and a fumble recovery, anchoring what was perhaps North Carolina’s best defense.
LB: Caleb Gordon, Ashbrook, 6-0, 215, Sr.: A two-time conference defensive player of the year, Gordon had 128 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss and three sacks. Gordon has signed with N.C. State.
DB: Samari Matthews, Hough, 6-1, 180, Sr.: Named the state’s best player, Mr. NC Football, the Texas signee had 33 tackles and two interceptions and was rarely targeted by the opposing team.
DB: Nick Reddish, Independence, 5-11, 185, Sr.: A Notre Dame signee, Reddish is a two-time all-conference pick who had 92 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, two sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
DB: Davion Jones, West Charlotte, 6-0, 177, Jr.: A top 10 N.C. player in the class of 2027, Jones repeats as a first-team pick. This year, he had 59 tackles, four interceptions, 27 pass breakups and scored two touchdowns.
DB: Cam Tucker, JM Robinson, 6-1, 170, Sr.: The 2024-25 Charlotte Observer male athlete of the year, Tucker had 33 tackles and four interceptions this fall, with two returned for touchdowns. He had 11 kick returns and four were for touchdowns.
P: Cooper Peterson, Corvian, 6-0, 215, Sr.: Peterson averaged 48 yards per punt and put eight punts inside the opponent’s 20 and seven inside the 10. He was 44 of 47 on PATs and 8 of 8 on field goals with a long of 45. Peterson is a three-time all-conference pick.
R: Rai’Shawn Elmore, Porter Ridge, 6-2, 185, Sr.: The Michigan State recruit is a three-time all-conference pick. He averaged 40 yards in kick returns and 15 on punt returns and had 1,411 total yards from scrimmage. He had 21 total TDs (two kick returns, two receiving, 17 rushing) and averaged 13 points per game.
Defense: Second team
DL: Griff Galloway, Providence Day, 6-3, 255, Jr.
DL: Jace McCallum, Mooresville, 6-3, 240, Sr.
DL: Cory Cunningham, Providence, 6-4, 270, So.
DL: Andrew Harris, Weddington, 6-4, 260, Sr.
LB: Elijah Littlejohn, West Charlotte, 6-2, 222, Sr.
LB: Michael Griffin, West Charlotte, 5-11, 211, Jr.
LB: Dallas Brannon, Independence, 6-2, 215, Sr.
LB/DB: Keland Shelton, Providence, 6-1, 190, Jr.
DB: Ja’Ziyah McLean, Northwest Cabarrus, 6-1, 185, Sr.
DB: Caleb Cooper, Providence Day, 5-11, 201, Jr.
DB: Nate Dollard, Charlotte Country Day, 6-0, 160, So.
DB: Jalen Glover, Lake Norman, 6-2, 190, Sr.
P: Alexis Rosario-Beltran, Concord, K, Sr (height, weight NA)
R: Cameron Simpson, Corvian, 5-9, 150, Jr.
PHOTO SHOOT: All-Observer defense
This story was originally published December 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
