Football Western Foothills 4A/5A - 1st Round

amaidendevil

All-American
Aug 12, 2022
5,481
8,924
113
This QB looks to be 6’4 or 6’5, height and weight in proportion, has fair speed for his age and in the course of a season has learned to throw and connect under pressure, and reacts calmly after taking a hit.

With proper training and barring injury he should certainly play Division 1.
He's got a good trainer
 
  • Like
Reactions: Maiden Creek

Lincolnton

All-Conference
Jul 8, 2025
976
2,620
93
Man, Bessemer City 1994 brings back memories. That team had some studs. Two NFL players I believe. We beat them (barely) in I think the third round. I didn’t remember that Maiden played them twice that year.
The Bessemer City fullback was Phillip Crosby, Fullback at the University of Tennessee (was on the 1998 BCS championship team that beat Florida State), then later played for Buffalo.

The other player was Norris McCleary was around 6-6, 300 lbs. played 0n the huge line that BC had.
Played at East Carolina, and I’m thinking later for Kansas City.

Believe I read he is on a coaching staff at one 0f the Durham County schools.

They would be around 50 years old, now… seems like last week when they were playing here in that 94 playoff game.
 

oldburkeman

Senior
Aug 23, 2025
460
641
93
The Bessemer City fullback was Phillip Crosby, Fullback at the University of Tennessee (was on the 1998 BCS championship team that beat Florida State), then later played for Buffalo.

The other player was Norris McCleary was around 6-6, 300 lbs. played 0n the huge line that BC had.
Played at East Carolina, and I’m thinking later for Kansas City.

Believe I read he is on a coaching staff at one 0f the Durham County schools.

They would be around 50 years old, now… seems like last week when they were playing here in that 94 playoff game.
Gets alittle off subject but Bessemer City, man, do they have kids in the halls that just dont come out? Cause you know there has to be more athletes there that'd be difference makers in this way and that. But I got to thinking too, you recon over the years Kings Mtn would have some of the good ones from the BC area playing for them instead, being theres not much space seperating the schools?? LOL, i mean I'm just wondering. I did see KM play Crest on youtube playback. With all that youtube my goodness makes ya not wanna show up anymore, just watch youtube and play armchair QB. So i watched that game and Crest layed the absolute smack down on them. Maybe Crest just knows how to handle them and maybe they didnt get the BC best this year if they were doing that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Maiden Creek

amaidendevil

All-American
Aug 12, 2022
5,481
8,924
113
The Bessemer City fullback was Phillip Crosby, Fullback at the University of Tennessee (was on the 1998 BCS championship team that beat Florida State), then later played for Buffalo.

The other player was Norris McCleary was around 6-6, 300 lbs. played 0n the huge line that BC had.
Played at East Carolina, and I’m thinking later for Kansas City.

Believe I read he is on a coaching staff at one 0f the Durham County schools.

They would be around 50 years old, now… seems like last week when they were playing here in that 94 playoff game.
So he would of been there with maiden's Chris ramsuer
 
  • Like
Reactions: Maiden Creek
Oct 10, 2018
738
740
72
Gets alittle off subject but Bessemer City, man, do they have kids in the halls that just dont come out? Cause you know there has to be more athletes there that'd be difference makers in this way and that. But I got to thinking too, you recon over the years Kings Mtn would have some of the good ones from the BC area playing for them instead, being theres not much space seperating the schools?? LOL, i mean I'm just wondering. I did see KM play Crest on youtube playback. With all that youtube my goodness makes ya not wanna show up anymore, just watch youtube and play armchair QB. So i watched that game and Crest layed the absolute smack down on them. Maybe Crest just knows how to handle them and maybe they didnt get the BC best this year if they


Since the merger of the 3 Cleveland county school systems into 1, you have KM kids going to Bessemer City and Huss and I know one kid that had to go to forestview years ago. There is 1 large neighborhood with houses and apartment complex that is in KM city limits but totally in Gaston county that has produced many athletes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Maiden Creek

mgore87

Junior
Dec 2, 2025
181
328
63
Been going on a while I suppose, but its all for money and giving more teams more bragging rights and yet money. I like it though. I mean I dunno, maybe they can have a bonus playoff were all the teams that win state from 1A to 8A can have a faceoff for the top. Generate more money but cut into Basketball But we know who'd win that. Hough (cough cough). Years ago I watched Lake Norman when they sucked, come down and play South Caldwell. They won 4 games...almost beat South. Of course thats back with South had a big thing going. They've not had nothing since Dickerson left
You referring to Landon Dickerson he played at Hickory before transferring to South Caldwell, he actually played at Grandview Middle here in Hickory as well he starts LG for the Philadelphia Eagles now, I get that it has never been a perfect format, I remember the 96 team in Hickory went 16-0 and played one home game and the rest of the road and couldn't had been the #1 seed, I don't remember the seed we were that year @CHEERDUCK probably remembers but my point is if you don't have a winning record or at least winning half your games you might should not be in it.
 

Lincolnton

All-Conference
Jul 8, 2025
976
2,620
93
So he would of been there with maiden's Chris ramsuer
🫵you are correct! Maiden’s Chris Ramseur was I’m thinking, a linebacker on that team with Phillip Crosby…There were several players from North Carolina…Statesville had a player there. His last name was Graham, Franklin’s Shawn Bryson was a team captain, among others.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Maiden Creek

CHEERDUCK

All-Conference
Jun 5, 2001
6,043
3,720
113
🫵you are correct! Maiden’s Chris Ramseur was I’m thinking, a linebacker on that team with Phillip Crosby…There were several players from North Carolina…Statesville had a player there. His last name was Graham, Franklin’s Shawn Bryson was a team captain, among others.
Bobby Graham was a very talented receiver for Statesville. He would play with William Combs, QB, that came to Lenoir Rhyne to play baseball. Daniel Willis was a very talented QB for Hickory the same years and came to LR to play basketball. The football coach at LR, at the time those two were at LR, was Bill Hart. As the Bear team struggled the next couple of years, especially at the QB position, many including myself told him the best two QBs at Lr was Combs and Willis.

MGore 87, in 1996 HHS was the #1 seed in the west. The bracket playoff locations were set before the playoffs began and were rotated every year by conference by some rocket scientist at the NCHSAA office.
 

mgore87

Junior
Dec 2, 2025
181
328
63
Bobby Graham was a very talented receiver for Statesville. He would play with William Combs, QB, that came to Lenoir Rhyne to play baseball. Daniel Willis was a very talented QB for Hickory the same years and came to LR to play basketball. The football coach at LR, at the time those two were at LR, was Bill Hart. As the Bear team struggled the next couple of years, especially at the QB position, many including myself told him the best two QBs at Lr was Combs and Willis.

MGore 87, in 1996 HHS was the #1 seed in the west. The bracket playoff locations were set before the playoffs began and were rotated every year by conference by some rocket scientist at the NCHSAA office.
@CHEERDUCK you got to be kidding me, so we were the #1 seed that year and played one home game?? 😮 The NCHSAA smh...... that is in insane, thanks for enlighten me about that because I always wonder and I run into some of the 96 players from time to time and always forget to ask about the playoff that year.
 

80prepster

Sophomore
Sep 26, 2025
167
157
43
You all got me thinking hard now on playing teams twice in one year and how hard it is to beat a team twice. While true, the opposite side of the same coin also hits...I decided to look at Maiden's history and how many times we've faced someone twice in one year (regular season/playoffs):

Lincolnton:
1993 - Lincolnton won both the non-conference game and the 4th round game
2006 - Maiden won both the non-conference game and the 1st round game
2009 - Lincolnton won both the non-conference game and the 1st round game
2011 - Lincolnton won both the non-conference game and the 3rd round game
2024 - Split; Lincolnton won the conference game and Maiden won the 1st round game

Bessemer City:
1994 - BC won both the non-conference game and the 1st round game

Starmount:
1996 - Starmount won both the non-conference game and the 2nd round game

Hendersonville:
2003 - Hendersonville won both the conference game and the 2nd round game
2004 - Maiden won both the conference game and the 2nd round game

Newton:
2005 - Maiden won both the conference game and the 2nd round game
2006 - Split; Maiden won the conference game and Newton won the 2nd round game
2007 - Newton won both the conference game and the 2nd round game
2025 - Split; Newton won the conference game and Maiden won the 3rd round game

East Lincoln:
2013 - East Lincoln won both the conference game and the 2nd round game

Fred T Foard:
2017 - Split; Maiden won non-conference game and Foard won the 1st round game

West Lincoln:
2021 - Maiden won both the conference game and the 2nd round game

Bunker Hill:
2022 - Maiden won both the conference game and the 3rd round game

In total, and I know this is contained to only Maiden's history, there has only been 4 times the teams have split during a season out of 17 instances. 76% of the time, the team who won in the regular season also won in the playoffs.

That being said, this is Maiden vs Newton, anything goes. Good luck to all...it's playoff season!
Coming in way late into this thread, but your stats for Maiden are interesting and caught my attention! The Blue Devils have played Starmount considerably over the years, and have quite a series, but I believe the Rams have the Devil’s number. The first matchup I believe was an early playoff game at Starmount in 1987, and was a back and forth affair into the fourth quarter with both teams not willing to give up, until Starmount won in thrilling fashion 24-22. Starmount would travel to Bunker Hill the following week and get plastered in a game with snow flurries. Another standout was Starmount playing at the former Maiden campus in ‘98, and kicking a field goal to win, sending them to Chapel Hill to win the state title against North Edgecombe. I don’t know the series record, but I’m sure Deana has the stats.
Good luck to all teams this year!
 
NC Preps

Latest

  1. 01 NC Preps Two Class of 2029 Playmakers to Watch
  2. 02 NC Preps Deana’s State Football Playoffs Picks
  3. 03 NC Preps Two North Carolina Class of 2028 Prospects with Edge
  4. 04 NC Preps Games to Watch: Week 11
  5. 05 NC Preps Three Class of 2027 Offensive Linemen to Watch