North Carolina
North Carolina High School Rocked by Tragic Accident
A North Carolina high school and community have felt extreme pain following an automobile accident that took the lives of three football players.
Three members of the E.E. Smith High School football team were killed when a 2024 Honda Civic hit a telephone pole, traveled down a sidewalk and struck a tree. A fourth person was taken by helicopter to the University of North Carolina Hospital with serious injuries.
The single-vehicle accident occurred in Fayetteville, North Carolina on Wednesday. The names of the victims have been released. The students who passed away were 18-year-old Jai-Hyon Elliot and 17-year-olds Trevor Merritt and Nicholas Williams.
Dymond Monroe, the driver, was the lone survivor.
“It’s hard to really even comprehend,” Cumberland County Schools Associate Superintendent of Communications Lindsay Whitley told ABC11.com. “We’re saying we’re crying, we’re mourning, we’re hurting. And right now, we’re just present to support, to just be a listening ear and to just support everyone involved in this tragic situation.”
E.E. Smith was scheduled to face South View on Friday night, but that game has been postponed. This week was also Homecoming for the school.
The Golden Buffs are currently 2-3 on the year after falling to St. Pauls last week, 35-0.
Williams, a senior, had played in two games according to MaxPreps, recording a 6-yard rush while attempting three passes. Merritt, also a senior, played in four games with 22 total tackles including six for loss and five quarterback sacks while Elliott also saw action in four games with 16 tackles.
“Our community’s heart is broken,” Fayetteville Mayer Mitch Colvin said. “These young men were part of the Golden Bulls family and of Fayetteville’s future, and their loss is felt across our city.
“We are keeping the injured individual in our prayers and ask our community to join us in lifting up all who are hurting.”
The North Carolina Tar Heels will be a young program across the board next season, with well over two dozen freshmen and numerous additions from the transfer portal this offseason. Expectations for the 2026 season are lowered dramatically after a disastrous first season for head coach Bill Belichick, though those expectations could help the Tar Heels fly under the radar.
As the Tar Heels approach the end of spring ball, it is time to look at the veterans of the team—the ones who have the experience to lead, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Let’s look at three underrated seniors for the 2026 football season.
Ade Willie, Cornerback
Willie joins the Tar Heels program after four years with Michigan State, as the former 4-star player in the 2022 recruiting class gets an opportunity to not only provide depth to the secondary, but potentially start Week 0 against TCU.
Willie played in over 30 games with the Spartans and brings experience in the secondary at cornerback and safety, along with quality length and closing speed to the football. For a defense that needs players to step up, the redshirt senior from IMG Academy will be asked to do so.
Isaiah Johnson, Defensive Lineman
The defensive line is beginning to look like one of the Tar Heels’ strengths for the 2026 season. Johnson, a former transfer from Arizona, enters his redshirt senior year looking to add another year of production after 40 tackles and two sacks this past season.
North Carolina has an impressive group of starters with Malkart Abou-Jaoude, Leroy Jackson, and incoming transfer Jaylen Harvey. Johnson adds value to the group as a run defender with the ability to penetrate the pocket. While not discussed as a key player, Johnson’s name will be used plenty during the regular season as a potential standout for the program’s defensive front.
Coleman Bryson, Safety
Bryson was a reserve player for the Tar Heels’ secondary last season as a big nickel defender in the rotation. Heading into his redshirt senior year, the former Minnesota Gopher is looking to become a full-time starter in the secondary.
It wasn’t long ago when Bryson was making plays as the 2022 Pinstripe Bowl Defensive MVP. His special teams abilities were valuable for North Carolina last season, and he flashed at times in coverage against tight ends, including a pass breakup in the season-opener against TCU. The Waynesville, North Carolina, native could be a key defender on the back-seven in 2026.
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Friends and family members gathered in Washington state on Saturday, remembering former Miss North Carolina Carrie Everett, who died on Easter Sunday. Another memorial service is planned in North Carolina next month.
Web Editor : Sydney Ross
Posted
Virginia 3, North Carolina 0 | First Quarter
Virginia 3, North Carolina 0 | Q1 8:19
After a faceoff win by Henry Metz, Brendan Millon finds Truitt Sunderland to give the Hoos a 3-0 lead. Timeout North Carolina.
Virginia 2, North Carolina 0 | Q1 9:00
Brendan Millon gets the scoring started for the Cavaliers with a question mark style goal. On the defensive end, Jake Marek opens the game with three early saves with his third save setting up a transition goal by Tommy Snyder.
Virginia vs North Carolina pregame notes
UVA owns a 59-33 advantage since the series began in 1938.
The 59 wins are UVA’s most against any opponent in program history (followed by 51 against Duke).
In Chapel Hill last year, the Tar Heels defeated the Cavaliers 18-9, snapping UVA’s six-game series win streak.
UVA has won nine of the last 11 meetings, dating back to 2018.
The Hoos have won the last two meetings with Carolina at Klöckner Stadium, 11-4 in 2022 and 14-6 in 2024.
The Tar Heels’ four goals in 2022 marked the fewest goals in a game under Joe Breschi, who was named UNC’s head coach in 2006.
The last time the Tar Heels knocked off the Cavaliers at Klöckner was a 16-13 decision during the first of three games between the two teams in 2021.
Later that year, UVA claimed back-to-back meetings against the Heels, including in the NCAA semifinals on the way to capturing the 2021 national title over Maryland.
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