Football 2026 7A FOOTBALL PREVIEWS

WAKE FOREST COUGARS

HEAD COACH: Reggie Lucas
CLASS: 7A
CONFERENCE: Northern Six (also called NAC-VI)
2025 RECORD: 7-5 (5-0)

2026 OUTLOOK: "The Cougars are returning some key players on offense and hope to put up big numbers. Defensively, they will have a few new guys in but expect to be disciplined and physical."

2026 SCHEDULE:
AUG 21st SOUTHERN DURHAM
AUG 28th LEESVILLE ROAD
SEP 4th @ Millbrook
SEP 11th WAKEFIELD
SEP 18th @ Hillside
SEP 25th open
OCT 2nd @ Vance County
OCT 9th EAST WAKE
OCT 16th @ Knightdale
OCT 23rd FRANKLINTON
OCT 30th @ Heritage

SENIORS: MICAH OLU (RB, 5-10, 205) - HSOT Honorable Mention All-State. All-Region. NAC-VI Player of the Year. All-Conference. He accounted for 2,260 total yards with 30 touchdowns including 1,643 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns. "Micah has offers from Eastern Michigan, Charlotte, Troy, and multiple FCS schools." JOSIAH STURDIVANT (DE, 6-4, 225) - 2nd Team All-Region. All-Conference. He had 51 tackles. 18.5 TFL, and 8 sacks. "Josiah has offers from Rutgers, East Carolina, Old Dominion, Kent State, and multiple FCS schools." JAYDEN DEBNAM (WR/DB, 6-0, 190) - All-Conference. He had 230 receiving yards. On defense, he 57 tackles. 5 TFL, 2 sacks, and 2 interceptions. "Jayden has offers from NC Central and UNC-Pembroke." JADEN HARTSFIELD (RB, 5-9, 205) - He ran for 1,426 yards with 21 touchdowns. "Jaden transferred from Southern Nash and has an offer from Virginia Union." KENDRICK CROSBY (LB, 6-2, 220) - He had 60 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. "Kendrick is a transfer from Wake Prep Academy and has an offer from Virginia Union." GAVIN MCLAWHORN (LB, 5-11, 210) - All-Conference. He had 109 tackles, 16 TFLS, and 3 sacks. DILLON BALKUS (DE, 6-2, 230) - All-Conference. He had 39 tackles, 10 TFLS, and 6 sacks. WYATT RUSHING (OL, 6-3, 295) - "Wyatt is a 3-year varsity starter."

JUNIORS: JUDE BLACK (OL, 6-0, 300) - All-Conference. STEFEN TABON (RB, 5-8, 160) - 2nd Team All-Conference. He ran for 447 yards with 3 touchdowns. XAVIER TAYLOR (DE, 6-2, 220) - 2nd Team All-Conference. He had 41 tackles, 12.5 TFLS. and 6 sacks. DREW SCHWALBACH (DB, 6-0, 175) - He had 42 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 6 pass break ups, and an interception. "Drew is a 3-year varsity starter."

SOPHOMORE: LANDEN PERRY (QB, 5-11, 175) - NAC-VI QB of the Year. He passed for 1,022 yards with 11 touchdowns and ran for 298 yards with 8 touchdowns,

MARVIN RIDGE MAVERICKS

HEAD COACH: David Johnson
CLASS: 7A
CONFERENCE: Southern Carolina 7A/6A
2025 RECORD: 6-6

2026 OUTLOOK: "We return 7 starters on offense and 8 on defense. We are adding in a few key players moving up from a JV team that was 8-2."

2026 SCHEDULE

AUG 21st @ Cox Mill
AUG 28th BALLANTYNE RIDGE
SEP 4th @ Ardrey Kell
SEP 11th ASHBROOK
SEP 18th PIEDMONT
SEP 25th open
OCT 2nd @ Weddington
OCT 9th @ Porter Ridge
OCT 16th CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC
OCT 23rd SUN VALLEY
OCT 30th @ Cuthbertson

SENIORS: JAKE ROBBINS (RB, 5-10, 205). BRYCE ROZEMA (OL, 6-5, 280). EVAN CULICERTO (LB, 5-9, 200). ANTHONY FULLER (DB, 6-1, 175). FORD FEHLING (K/P, 6-1, 195). ZANE SCHUMACHER (RBDB, 5-9, 180). CHASE WAKEFIELD (DL, 6-2, 250).

JUNIORS: LEVI KERR (QB, 6-6). CAL VOSS (ATH, 5-10, 170). TINO DELISSIO (WR, 6-1, 175). LUKE ANGEVINE (ATH, 6-2, 200),

GRIMSLEY WHIRLIES

HEAD COACH: DARRYL BROWN
CLASS: 7A
CONFERENCE: METRO 6A/7A
2025 RECORD: 15–0 (6-0)

2026 OUTLOOK: "We graduated 22 Seniors, 16 of which signed to play college football. There will be a lot of new faces in key positions for us this season. Very excited to see the development of our young players. Many of these players have seen extensive time over the past couple of years and are ready to make a name for themselves."

2026 SCHEDULE

Aug. 21st WEST CHARLOTTE
Aug. 28th WEST FORSYTH
Sep. 5th @ East Forsyth
Sep. 12th open
Sep. 19th SW GUILFORD
Sep. 26th @ Western Guilford
Oct. 2nd @ Varina VA
Oct. 9th @ Ragsdale
Oct. 16th PAGE
Oct. 23rd @ Dudley
Oct. 30th BEN SMITH

SENIORS: TY SHOEMAKE (RB, 5-11, 220) - All-Area. All-Conference. "Ty has multiple Division 1 offers including Duke, Boston College, Virginia Tech, and Louisville." GAVIN MILTON (OL, 6-6, 300) - All-Area. All-Conference. "Gavin has multiple Power 4 offers including Georgia Tech, Duke, and Virginia." E.J. DAVIS (S, 6-0, 190) - All-Area. All-Conference. "A.J. has multiple offers including James Madison and Georgia Southern." MAKAI YON (S, 5-10, 170) - All-Area. All-Conference. "Makai has G6 offers." JAIDEN WARDLAW (LB, 5-9, 220) - All-Area. All-Conference. "Jaiden has FCS offers." RAMIR HARRIS-DUPREE (CB, 6-1, 165) - All-Area. All-Conference. "Ramir has Power 4 offers from Rutgers, Indiana, Virginia Tech, and Missouri." NASIR CRAWFORD (DT, 6-0, 265) - "Nasir has FCS and Division 2 offers." ANDREW ROGERS (DE, 6-4, 240) - "Andrew has many offers including North Carolina, James Madison, and East Carolina." CHASE HUELLMANTEL (K/P, 6-1, 195) - All-Conference. "Chase has multiple offers."

JUNIORS: ALEX COOPER (WR, 6-1, 190, 4.58). BRAYLEN HILL (OL, 6-0, 225) - "Braylen will be a college player." LONDON DELK (OL, 6-5, 320) - "London has multiple FCS and G6 interest." GUY VANN (DT, 6-1, 270) - All-Conference. "Guy has Power 4 and G6 offers." TRISTAN WARDLAW (DR, 6-1, 260) - "Tristan has G6 offers."

SOPHOMORE:S BRODY LOWE (QB, 6-0, 190) - All-Area. All-Conference. JORDAN DAVIS (WR, 5-7, 150, 4.6).

RICHMOND COUNTY RAIDERS

HEAD COACH: Brad Denson
CLASS: 7A
CONFERENCE: Mid South 7A/8A
2025 RECORD: 9-3 (5-0)

2026 OUTLOOK: “We look to be a conference champion contender and a state championship contender. Even though we graduated a good amount of our offensive production, we have several guys ready to make a move and keep that momentum rolling. On the defensive side, it’s always hard to replace the conference player of the year for two years, but I do think overall we will be better on that side. We have a good amount of guys with a lot of Friday night experience and we look to lean on them for a good bit of the production.”

2026 SCHEDULE
Aug 21st HOGGARD
Aug 28th @ Scotland
Sep 4th @ Rolesville
Sep 11th NW GUILFORD
Sep 18th @ West Forsyth
Sep 25th open
Oct 2nd PINE FOREST
Oct 9th @ Jack Britt
Oct 16th HOKE COUNTY
Oct 23rd OVERHILLS
Oct 30th @ Pinecrest

TOP PLAYERS: CHANCE CROWDER (RB)- “Chance was the leading rusher from last year and expect him to have another 1,000-yard season.” KAMEL TILLMAN (OL) - “Kamel is a 3-year starter, D1 prospect with multiple D1 offers who will anchor the left side.” JAMAURY JONES (OL) - “JAMAURY is a 2-year starter who is a college prospect that will anchor the right side and play DL as well.” JASIAH COOPER (WR) - “Jasiah is a 2-year starter over 600 yards receiving last year (which was 4th on the team).” TY COVINGTON (RB/DB) - “Ty expects to be a force along with Crowder on the field at the same time. He will be all over the field this year. Ty has multiple SEC offers.” JEREMIAH COVINGTON (DL) - “Jeremiah will anchor the DL and we look to him for leadership in more ways than one.” C.J COVINGTON (DB) - “C.J. is a D1 athlete that will be all over the field. We expect to see and hear his name a lot this year.” SHAMIR JONES (S) - “Shamir is a safety that plays like a LB and is just the brains of our defense.” CAM COLEY (LB) - “Cam is a rising sophomore that will give opponents fits coming off the edge with multiple D1 offers.”

BUTLER BULLDOGS

HEAD COACH: Donald Littlejohn
CLASS: 7A
CONFERENCE: Meck Power Six 7A/8A
2025 RECORD: 5-7 (2-3)

2026 OUTLOOK: “The biggest strength returning should be the ground game. Our running back DeMaurion Thomas-Wright was one of the area’s most productive rushers in 2025 and gives Butler a proven offensive centerpiece. We have several underclassmen who were major contributors in 2025 are expected to take on larger leadership roles in 2026. Keys for our Butler team is to compete with conference powers pf Independence, Mallard Creek, and West Charlotte. Also build on the playoff appearance and return to contention in the Meck Power Six:”

2026 SCHEDULE

AUG 21st @ Olympic
AUG 28th STATESVILLE
SEP 4th INDIAN LAND (SC)
SEP 11th PROVIDENCE DAY
SEP 18th @ Providence
SEP 25th CHAMBERS
OCT 2nd Open
OCT 9th @ North Mecklenburg
OCT 16th @ West Charlotte
OCT 23rd MALLARD CREEK
OCT 30th @ Independence

SENIORS: DEMAURION THOMAS-WRIGHT (RB) - He accounted for 1,498 total yards with 1,367 rushing yards and scored 8 touchdowns. “Demaurion was one of the most productive running backs in the Charlotte area and the offensive centerpiece heading into 2026. He averaged 113.9 yards rushing a game.” MATTHEW SHIELDS (LB, 5-10, 190) - He averaged 10.6 tackles per game. "Matthew is a defensive leader and one of the team's most consistent tacklers. He is expected to anchor the defense in 2026." DJ STARLING (WR/DB, 5-5, 140) -"DJ was a team leader in kickoff and punt return average. He is a dynamic athlete with game-breaking speed and special teams value." LUCAS CULBERSON (ATH, 6-0, 190) -"Lucas is a versatile athlete who is expected to have an expanded role as a senior."

R.J. REYNOLDS DEMONS

HEAD COACH: Joe Davidyock
CLASS: 7A
CONFERENCE: Central Piedmont Conference 7A/8A
2025 RECORD: 6-5

2026 OUTLOOK: "RJ Reynolds returns 10 starters on the defensive side of the ball and 5 starters on the offensive side of the ball in 2026. After reaching the NCHSAA playoffs for the first time since 2018 and the first winning season since 2017 the Demons are looking to build off the momentum from 2025. This year, the Demons are over 100 players on the roster for the first time in many years. The Demons are a team on the rise."

2026 SCHEDULE

Aug 21st @ North Forsyth
Aug 28th GLENN
Sep 4th @ Atkins
Sep 11th SOUTHEAST GUILFORD
Sep 18th BALLANTYNE RIDGE
Sep 25th open
Oct 2nd PARKLAND
Oct. 9th @ Reagan
Oct 16th WEST FORSYTH
Oct 23rd @ East Forsyth
Oct 30th @ Northwest Guilford

SENIORS: TIM MARTIN (TE//DL, 6-4, 225) - Honorable Mention All-Area. All-Conference. He had 7 sacks. "Tim was our sack leader." ZIAER BENNETT (RB/LB, 5-10, 225) - He ran for 400 yards last season. "Ziaer is a 3-year starter on offense and defense. He will start at running back this season." JAYLEN WHEELER (OL/DL, 6-0, 260) - Honorable Mention All-Area. All-Conference. "Jaylen plays center and defensive tackle for us. He was a team captain and was the 7A state wrestling champion in the Heavyweight Division."

JUNIOR: DE'REON WATSON (WR/DB, 5-10, 185) - Honorable Mention All-Area. All-Conference. "De'reon was the team leader in tackles."