CONCORD – In the end, they all turn out to be big games, don’t they?
But entering any high school football season, there are always some games that stand out more than the others – the games that the players, and especially the fans, check off on their mental calendars, if you will. (And probably the coaches, too, if they’re honest).
Well, today, a little more than three weeks before the 2024 season kicks off, here’s our best guess for Cabarrus County’s biggest games.
Of course, as the season progresses and conference championship races begin to take shape, some of these games may become inconsequential, some of them may become even bigger, and some of the games we least expected to be big may become gigantic.
It’s always fun when the latter happens.
But in our excitement and preparation for the season, here are – by date – what we see as Cabarrus County’s biggest high school football games of the year:
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AUG. 23
Jay M. Robinson at Hickory Ridge
This one will be exciting, mainly because of the thriller we saw last season in the season opener, when host Jay M. Robinson edged Hickory Ridge 48-41, thanks to Bulldogs running back Na’Ledge Wright’s seven rushing touchdowns, which tied the county record set by former A.L. Brown star Kaliff Phillips in 2012, also against Hickory Ridge.
This year’s Jay M. Robinson-Hickory Ridge game also is on opening night, and the unofficial title once held by Hickory Ridge – Cabarrus County’s most dominant team – probably now resides with Jay M. Robinson. Last year, the Bulldogs went 12-1, won the South Piedmont 3A Conference with a 7-0 mark, and advanced to the third round of the state playoffs – farther than any Cabarrus County team went.
And led by senior wide receiver Brian Rowe, who committed to South Carolina after receiving offers from a plethora of ACC and SEC schools, the Bulldogs will be dangerous again this season.
As mentioned earlier, Hickory Ridge was once the best in the county and will be looking to regain the mantle, and winning this game would be one heckuva good first step. The Bulls have the requisite talent to do it, along with the coaching of Jupiter Wilson, but they’ll also be trying to bounce back from a 3-8 campaign.
And then there’s the Jason Seidel factor of it all.
Seidel, most high school football fans in the county know, is the head coach at Jay M. Robinson now, but in a former life, he was the head man at Hickory Ridge for two seasons, during which he led the Ragin’ Bulls to a 24-6 record and led them to trips to the state semifinals and the state quarterfinals.
This will be his first trip back to the stadium in Harrisburg.
For the record, Hickory Ridge has dominated the series, holding a 10-3 lead. Until Jay M. Robinson’s win last year, the Ragin’ Bulls had won 10 of the last 11 contests.
Cannon Cougars at Christ the King
Also on opening night, the Cannon Cougars visit Cabarrus County’s only other football-playing private school, Huntersville Christ the King.
Christ the King is a private school that competes at the public-school Class 1A level (think of a smaller Charlotte Catholic).
The Cannon Cougars are the county’s only co-op team, with Cannon School joining forces with Concord Academy to form a stronger squad.
Last year, in the first-ever meeting between Cannon and Christ the King, the Cougars took a 37-14 home victory at Randy Marion Field when Cannon quarterback Tyler Green threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns while completing passes to seven different receivers.
This year, the Cougars look to improve on a 5-6 record and first-round playoff appearance, despite the loss of Green, the all-state signal caller now at Ohio’s Dennison University. Meanwhile, Christ the King is looking to build on a 5-6 mark that ended with it making the first round of the Class 1A playoffs.
Maybe this is the start of a fun intra-county, private-school rivalry since Cannon and Concord Academy no longer face each other.
AUG. 30
A.L. Brown at Northwest Cabarrus
It’s “The Battle of Kannapolis,” even though Northwest Cabarrus is technically in Concord. Still, many of the Trojans reside in Kannapolis, amongst their A.L. Brown rivals.
That’s what makes it special, and it still matters.
At one point, A.L. Brown had beaten the Trojans every meeting for 42 years. Since Northwest ended the skid in 2018, the Trojans have won three of four games against the Wonders.
That streak includes Northwest Cabarrus’s 30-19 victory last year at Memorial Stadium, when Trojans quarterback Alex Walker threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns. A whopping 108 yards were hauled in by receiver Porter Branham.
Walker has graduated and is at Coastal Carolina now, but Branham is back and better than ever, while rugged lineman Nolan Irwin – an Elon commit – is just nasty (we mean that in a good way).
Last year’s performances by the Northwest standouts were necessary because A.L Brown quarterback CJ Gray passed for 236 yards and a pair of touchdowns in that game, while running back Mekhi Herron ran for 105 yards and a touchdown.
Gray, now a senior, had football offers from the Charlotte 49ers, Eastern Kentucky and Liberty, but was an even bigger baseball recruit and has committed to N.C. State as a dominating pitcher. Herron is back, too, and he’ll be one of the best ball carriers in the county for the Wonders, who are led by head coach Justin Hardin and are predicted to finish second in the Greater Metro 4 Conference this year.
We figure Northwest Cabarrus will be strong again after losing just two games last year, both to Jay M. Robinson.
This will be a doozy.
Mount Pleasant at Concord
This is a non-conference matchup that always seems to be important to fans.
Always.
It doesn't matter that Concord is a bigger school, and Mount Pleasant is the smallest school in the county.
They don’t like to lose to each other.
The pendulum has mostly swung Concord’s way in this series. Since 2004, the Class 3A Spiders have won 11 of 15 games against the Class 2A Tigers.
Last year, the rebuilding Spiders took a 28-14 victory at Larry Honeycutt Field at Mike Johns Stadium, so the Tigers will be looking for revenge.
SEPT. 6
Central Cabarrus at Mount Pleasant
It’s “The Battle of Highway 49,” and it’s always magical and meaningful.
The Tigers have beaten the Vikings three straight times by an aggregate score of 90-28. Take heart, Central Cabarrus fans, you won the two meetings before that by an aggregate score of 87-0.
This year, as an impartial third party, I just want to see a good game, and that’s exactly what this should be.
For one, this game will feature two of the most dynamic players in the county, Mount Pleasant’s Ethan Dempsey and Central Cabarrus’s Chinua Ezeigbo.
Dempsey is a 6-foot-3 junior who literally does it all – runs it, catches it, tackles it, and intercepts it. Expect his recruitment to pick up pretty quickly. Also back is much-improved quarterback Colin Black, who throws a sweet deep ball. Expect Dempsey to be on the other side of a few of those passes. Dempsey is going places.
Ezeigbo, also 6-3, is a senior who already has five offers: the Charlotte 49ers, N.C.A&T, Elon, Eastern Kentucky and William & Mary. The high-flying Ezeigbo will thrill crowds with his ability to go up get the ball and his speed to run away from defenders after he catches it. Expect his recruiting to pick up, too.
In the meantime, both players will just be looking to get their teams a win in this fantastic rivalry.
West Charlotte at Cox Mill
West Charlotte was really good last year, having gone 9-4 and reaching the third round of the state 3A playoffs.
But probably the biggest reason this is one of the county’s biggest games is the return to Cabarrus County of former Hickory Ridge head coach Sam Greiner, who is entering his fourth season at West Charlotte. Over the years, the Lions have been a respected program in Charlotte, and Greiner has given them new life.
For Cox Mill, it’s Year 2 for head coach Breon Holmes, who’ll have his team motivated to play yet another strong team on their challenging schedule. Look for the impressive Jordan Cleaves to do his thing for the Chargers, who are coming off a 5-6 season that saw them reach the Class 4A state playoffs.
SEPT. 20
Hickory Ridge at A.L. Brown
This will be the first Greater Metro 4 Conference game of the season for each team, and the Wonders will be looking to end a three-game losing streak to the Ragin’ Bulls, including last year’s 33-28 decision in Harrisburg.
OCT. 25
Jay M. Robinson at Northwest Cabarrus
Last season, these two teams played arguably the two biggest games of the year – one during the regular season and one in the playoffs.
Jay M. Robinson won both games, one of which gave the Bulldogs the SPC title, but both of them were closely contested affairs. Defense was the crucial element for a pair of high-scoring squads, displaying why each program is so strong. They can do it all.
The Bulldogs lost just one game all last season – to Greensboro Dudley in the Class 3A playoffs. And the Trojans only lost to one team: Jay M. Robinson.
This one also matters because both teams are again expected to compete for the SPC championship, and this game could also determine things. OK, it’s probably likely going to determine things.
Get there early.
NOV. 1
A.L. Brown at Concord
The “Battle for the Bell” never gets old, and it won’t this year, either, even though the Wonders have now won nine straight games against the Spiders.
Last year in Kannapolis, A.L. Brown beat Concord 27-7, tipping the balance of the century-old rivalry more in its favor: 47 wins against 43 losses and four ties.
Quarterback CJ Gray totaled 197 yards and three touchdowns, running back Mekhi Herron had 166 yards and a score on the ground, while the A.L. Brown defense anchored by Jaevion Eberhart was tenacious.
We believe this year’s game will be super competitive and the stands at E.Z. Smith Field at Robert C. Bailey Stadium will be full. With Gray and Herron back for their senior seasons, Concord will need its studs, especially hotly recruited and versatile senior Alex Petroff, to stand up.
Is this the year the Spiders end The Streak?