North Carolina
Top stars, best performances in Week 9 of the North Carolina high school football season
Isaiah McGuffin, Oak Grove
The undefeated Grizzlies’ 6-foot, 220-pound senior ran for all 4 touchdowns in a 28-20 victory over rival Ledford.
Nathan Carr, Ledford
The senior quarterback put up enormous numbers in defeat. Carr threw for 227 yards and a landing whereas carrying 25 instances for 233 yards and a landing.
Keyshawn Breedlove, Central Davidson
A senior tailback, Breedlove ran for 241 yards and 4 touchdowns on simply carries because the Spartans romped previous Montgomery Central 42-14. Breedlove has 1,724 yards and 26 touchdowns. He’s averaging 16.3 yards a carry.
Xavion Hayes, North Davidson
Hayes ran 20 instances for 300 yards and 5 touchdowns because the Black Knights raced previous Asheboro 49-6. He now has 1,575 yards for the season.
Tegin Hedrick, East Davidson
Hedrick snagged a pair of interceptions within the Golden Eagles’ 20-0 win over South Davidson.
Aronne Herring, New Bern
Herring ran for a pair of touchdowns within the undefeated Bears’ 54-7 rout of Rose. One in all his touchdowns was a record-tying 99-yard jaunt.
Ian Vivid, Apex
Vivid ran for 4 touchdowns because the undefeated Mustangs ran away from Center Creek 45-6.
Sam Strachan, Rocky Mount
The Gryphons’ tailback scored 4 touchdowns in a 43-28 win over Southern Nash.
Jackson Byrd, Cleveland
The Rams’ sophomore quarterback accounted for six touchdowns in a 54-0 rout of Southeast Raleigh. He was almost excellent via the air, finishing 15 of 16 passes for 269 yards and 4 touchdowns. He added a pair of landing runs.
Jalen Thomas, Thomasville
Thomas had two interceptions, returning one among them for a landing in a 36-10 win over Montgomery Central final Monday.
Caden Morton, New Hanover
The Wildcats’ working again carried 19 instances for 129 yards and a couple of touchdowns as New Hanover gained its seventh straight sport.
Jayden Davis, Windfall Day
A quarterback who has 26 scholarship gives, Davis was 28 of 40 for 423 yards and 4 touchdowns with an interception in a 38-37 loss to Charlotte Christian.
Nolan Jones, Bandys
Jones ran 23 instances for 129 yards and a couple of touchdowns in a 21-14 win over Newton-Conover.
Hunter Stalcup, Murphy
The junior working again carried 22 instances for 281 yards and three touchdowns because the Bulldogs trounced Robbinsville 48-16.
Cole Laney, Murphy
In a virtually excellent efficiency, Laney accomplished 10 of 11 passes for 208 yards and 4 touchdowns.
David Wall, Central Davidson
The senior linebacker made 13 tackles and recovered a fumble for the Spartans.
Teddy Jeffries, Kings Mountain
Jeffries ran for 5 touchdowns because the undefeated Mountaineers overwhelmed Stuart Cramer 63-34.
Mason Avery, West Lincoln
Avery ran 28 instances for 269 yards and three touchdowns in a 62-20 win over West Caldwell.
Cam Medlock, South Level
Medlock ran 27 instances for 156 yards and three touchdowns in South Level’s 28-19 win over Ashbrook.
Daylin Lee, Shelby
The Lions’ quarterback fired three landing passes and ran for an additional in a 45-0 win over Bessemer Metropolis.
Hank Webb, Salisbury
The kicker/backup quarterback had a busy evening. Webb accomplished 5 of 6 passes for 72 yards, caught 2 passes for 28 yards and was 6 of seven on additional factors. He additionally did the kickoffs and punted.
JyMikaah Wells, Salisbury
The record-setting senior tailback was at it once more, working for 157 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 48-6 win over Lexington. Wells has 22 touchdowns for the season and is Salisbury’s profession chief with 71 TDs.
North Carolina
3 men charged in connection with woman’s death at Cook Out restaurant in North Carolina
Two men have been charged with murder in the death of 29-year-old Davicia Jean Ann Lee at a Cook Out restaurant in Durham, North Carolina, last month. A third is facing a weapons charge.
Two men have been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a woman at the fast-food restaurant Cook Out in North Carolina.
Twenty-three-year-old Alexander Kenyon Carlton Jr. and 19-year-old Calvin Jerade Spence Jr. have been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of 29-year-old Davicia Jean Ann Lee late last month in Durham, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on Friday.
A third man, 18-year-old Jamari Treyvon McKnight, is charged with one count of going armed to the terror of the people, which basically means terrorizing someone with a weapon like a gun.
USA TODAY could not immediately find attorneys representing the three men.
The shooting occurred just after 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 26 at the Cook Out on South Miami Boulevard, according to the sheriff’s office. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found Lee dead.
The sheriff’s office called the shooting “an isolated incident” that happened after shots broke out following a fight, WNCN-TV reported.
Arrests made in fatal shooting of Davicia Jean Ann Lee
Detectives arrested Spence and Carlton on Thursday and took them to the Durham County Detention Center without bond on charges of carrying a concealed gun, felony conspiracy, going armed to the terror of the people and first-degree murder, the sheriff’s office said.
McKnight was also taken into custody and arrested Thursday night on misdemeanor going armed to the terror of the people, according to the sheriff’s office. The Morrisville police arrested him and he is currently being held in the Wake County Detention Center until his first court appearance, the agency added.
The investigation into Lee’s homicide is ongoing, while all findings are now in the process of being turned over to the Durham County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution, according to the sheriff’s office.
North Carolina
USC Trojans Predicted to Flip Recruits from Utah, North Carolina Before Signing Day
The USC Trojans are in pursuit of flipping two class of 2025 recruits, Nela Tupou and Alex Payne. Can the Trojans flip one or both of these players before national signing day?
Nela Tupou Player Profile
Nela Tupou is a 6-4, 220 pound tight end/defensive end out of Folsom, California. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the 43rd-best ATH in the class of 2025 per 247Sports.
Tupou committed to the Utah Utes in February of 2024, but he just recently visited USC last weekend for the Trojans’ 28-20 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
On3 is now predicting that Tupou will likely flip this commitment from Utah to USC.
Alex Payne Player Profile
Alex Payne is a 6-5, 265 pound offensive tackle out of Gainesville, Florida. He is rated as four-star recruit and ranked as the 16th-best offensive tackle in the class of 2025.
Payne committed to the North Carolina Tar Heels in January of 2024, but he as well as Tupou, visited USC last weekend.
In 247Sports recruiting analyst Tom Loy’s updated crystal ball prediction, he had Payne flipping his commitment from North Carolina to USC. Loy has a good track record of predicting where recruits will end up as his all-time hit rate for predicting recruits’ final destinations is 81.64 percent.
USC Bolstering Up Offensive Line to Go Along With Weapons
One of the glaring holes for the USC Trojans this season has been the offensive line. For USC to bounce back next season, they will have to get much better in the trenches. This has been exposed in their first season in the Big Ten. Landing Tupou, who can both be a factor in the run blocking scheme as a blocker, and Payne, one of the top tackle prospects in the country, would go a long way for next season and the future of the program.
Barring a flurry of transfer portal decisions, the Trojans will have an abundance of skill position talent coming back next season.
Freshman running back Quinten Joyner has been the second best back this season behind senior running back Woody marks.
Four of the Trojans five leading receivers are sophomores. Makai Lemon, Zachariah Branch, Ja’Kobi Lane, and Duce Robinson all have shown flashes of potentially being a number one wide receiver next season.
Add in the Trojans starting sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava and they have one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten. If USC continues to address the offensive line in the last days of the 2025 recruiting cycle and in the transfer portal this offseason, the Trojans could be a dangerous team next season.
MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Five-Star QB Husan Longstreet Talks Recruitment, Flip to USC Trojans
MORE: Minnesota Vikings’ Jordan Addison Injury Update After Increased Role Vs. Tennessee Titans
MORE: Did NIL Factor Into Julian Lewis Decommit From USC Trojans? Colorado Buffaloes Loom
MORE: USC Trojans Schedule Release: Notre Dame Kickoff Time, TV Broadcast
MORE: USC Trojans Quarterback Miller Moss’ Potential NIL Value as Transfer
MORE: USC Trojans’ Bear Alexander Visiting Georgia Bulldogs: Transfer Portal?
MORE: Chicago Bears’ Caleb Williams Reveals Advice from USC Trojans Coach Lincoln Riley
MORE: USC Trojans’ Lincoln Riley on De-Commitments: ‘Great Ones Always See The Opportunity’
MORE: Why 4-Star Hayden Lowe Flipped From USC Trojans To Miami Hurricanes, Mario Cristobal
MORE: USC Trojans Women’s Basketball Star JuJu Watkins Makes Name, Image, Likeness History
North Carolina
School closings, delays in Western North Carolina, Friday, Nov. 22
Sledding in Haw Creek Dec. 9, 2018
The Tracey family enjoys the snow in Haw Creek with some sledding.
Angeli Wright, Asheville Citizen Times
Some school systems in Western North Carolina are closed Friday, Nov. 21, due to winter weather.
- Avery County Schools: Closed, remote learning day.
- Graham County Schools: Closed, workday for staff.
- Madison County Schools: Closed, optional teacher workday.
- Mitchell County Schools: Closed, remote learning day.
- Watauga County Schools: Two-hour delay.
- Yancey County Schools: Closed, remote learning day.
This story will be updated
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