Two one-seeds will show down for championship glory at Lenoir-Rhyne’s Moretz Stadium when Reidsville and Brevard battle tomorrow morning.
The 11 AM showdown will either culminate in Reidsville’s twenty-fourth state title or an undefeated season and third NCHSAA title for Brevard. The teams are each competing for the chance to be the first 4A Champions of this new classification era.
Leading the way for the 12-2 Reidsville Rams is Dionte Neal, the do-it-all player who can pass, run, receive, intercept, and defend with the best of them. Neal is joined by fellow senior and Oregon-commit Kendre Harrison, the 6’7 tight end who can mow down defenders with ease. Manning the quarterback position will likely be Tyson Broadway, who has taken over the majority of the snaps recently and excelled in the quarterfinals with six passing touchdowns. The rush game consists mostly of Michael Smith and Keyshawn Henry, but Reidsville has worked in a variety of rushers throughout the year. Defensively, Reidsville has earned 44 sacks, picked off 18 passes, and recovered 14 fumbles. And their special teams has come in clutch as well, as Alex Pinaloza kicked a game-winning field goal last week to send them to the championship.
Reidsville’s path to the championship on the East side of the bracket consisted of a bye week in the opening round, a 44-0 win over 17 Red Springs in the round of 32, a 41-24 win over 9 Eastern Wayne in the third round, a 53-20 clobbering of 4 Central Davidson in the state quarters, and a 23-21 narrow victory over 2 West Craven in the state semifinals.
Christian Conley is the QB for Brevard, and has put up 1726 air yards on 105/147 completions, meaning he connects on five out of every seven throws. Conley also boasts an impeccable 21-1 TD-INT ratio. Tristan Thompson-Wynn is his favorite target, with 69 receptions, 1287 receiving yards, and 18 receiving touchdowns. Meanwhile, Braylon Thompson averages 6.6 yards per carry, has surpassed 1000 ground yards this year, and has punched in fourteen rush touchdowns. Behind him are six players who have rushed for over a hundred yards this year. Defensively, Brevard has only put up 13.5 sacks while adding 11 interceptions and 8 fumble recoveries.
Brevard’s journey to the title game on the Western portion of the tournament includes a round one bye. a 41-14 win over 16 West Stokes, a 30-27 defeat of 8 Burns, a 49-28 regional semifinal takedown of 4 Pisgah, and a 30-13 victory over 6 Maiden last Friday.
This game will mark the end of a remarkable high school journey for seniors Dionte Neal and Kendre Harrison, whose first year included state championship losses in both football and basketball, followed by a sophomore season in which they won rings on both the gridiron and the hardwood. Last year, Kendre Harrison transferred for a few weeks to Providence Day before making his return mid-season, but the Rams were upset in the Round of 32 by East Rutherford. They made up for it in basketball by winning another state championship and extending their win streak to sixty, the longest current high school basketball win streak in the country. Neal has recently committed to UNCG for basketball. And now, with Kendre Harrison heading to Oregon and not playing high school basketball, the journey of these two teammates will end this Saturday. The duo will try to end their remarkable run with ring number four.
This should be an incredible ballgame tomorrow between Reidsville and Brevard, the two juggernauts of the 4A, as they clash in Hickory. Brevard seeks their first title in over forty years, whereas Reidsville looks to secure title number twenty-four and end the high school careers of Kendre and Dionte on a high note.