North Carolina
Virginia signee Hamrick leads Shelby Crest to its 7th North Carolina high school football title by beating Hunt
Wilson J.B. Hunt and Shelby Crest will battle for the Class 5A North Carolina High School Athletic Association title at 8 p.m. at Durham County Memorial Stadium in Durham.
Both teams enter with 12-2 records in this contest.
Crest has won 6 state titles, the most recent came in 2015 in Class 3AA.
The Crest Chargers have won five in a row since a 21-14 loss to Ashbrook on Oct. 24. During the playoff run, the Chargers have knocked off Concord, 69-6; East Lincoln, 31-14; South Point, 28-14 and Hickory, 39-21.
East Lincoln and Hickory were both ranked ahead of the Chargers in the state.
The Hunt Warriors carry a 6-game winning streak into the finals. One of the two losses came against fellow finalist Tarboro, which is in the 2A finals.
The postseason run has included a pair of close wins for the Warriors, 30-28 against Eastern Alamance in the first round and then 32-29 over Croatan in the quarterfinals. Last week, Hunt beat Northside-Jacksonville, 20-7, to punch the ticket to the finals.
According to MaxPreps, dating back to 2004, these teams have not played.
Crest
QB Ely Hamrick, sr. — 2,686 yards passing and 29 TDs; 706 yards rushing and 17 TDs; signed with Virginia; once played at IMG Academy
RB Malachi Gamble, jr. — 501 yards rushing and 9 TDs
WR Michael Edwards, sr. — 48 catches for 801 yards and 8 TDs; 24 carries for 248 yards and 10 TDs
WR Namjay Thompson, jr. — Has 47 catches for 804 yards and 13 TDs
LB Chris Gunter, sr. — Leads team with 81 tackles; has 10 TFL
S D’Various Surratt, sr. — Team-high 4 interceptions; signed with North Carolina State
S Lyrick Pettis, sr. — 3 interceptions; Duke signee
Hunt
LB Judah Harris, jr. — 184 tackles, 49 TFL, 6 sacks, 56 QB hurries, 2 FF, 2 FR
DT CJ Dickerson, jr. — 174 tackles, 46 TFL, 15 sacks, 40 QB hurries
WR/CB Isaiah Chadwick, sr. — 6 interceptions; 23 catches, 361 yards, 2 TDs
WR/CB Jamauris Howard, sr. — 16 catches for 307 yards, 3 TDs; 8 interceptions
LB Trevorous Cooper, fr. — 127 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 FR
QB Mez Harris, jr. — 1,435 yards passing and 8 TDs; 122 carries for 1,271 yards and 16 TDs rushing
RB Doryan Jones, so. — 243 carries for 1,754 yards and 21 TDS
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The 5A @NCFarmBureau Sportsmanship Award recipients, presented by NCHSAA Board members Eddie Doll and Chris Blanton. Congrats!
🏈 Mez Harris (#2) @Hunt_High_NC — NCHSAA (@NCHSAA) December 14, 2025
🏈 Tucker Wesson (#59) @crest_chargers#NCHSAAFB #NCHSAAGameLockedIn pic.twitter.com/tMSQYfmHsm
|
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Hunt |
7 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
|
Crest |
7 |
17 |
7 |
0 |
31 |
Hunt gets the all first
Nehemiah Rayquan Parker nearly gets a pick for Crest. Bobbled it twice but it fell to the ground
Crest gets the ball
Hamrick to Edwards for a first down and the ball is near midfield
Big play! Cooper with a blocked punt with 8:02 left. The Warriors will have good field position
Jones with a first-down run. Ball at the 30-yard line; Pettis is hurt on the play
Jones with another big run off tackle. This time, going to the right; Ball at the 5-yard line
Jones with another carry and taken down at the 2 The ball pops out but he is ruled down by contact
TOUCHDOWN! Harris with a 2-yard run at 5:42. PAT is good. Hunt 7, Crest 0
Crest has to punt again. Hunt ball with 4:46 left but ball at the Crest 43-yard line
TURNVOER! Hunt goes deep and Javion Hopper hauls it in. Ball at the 5-yard line. 4:32 left
Ball at the 1-yard line after a TFL
Hamrick to Thompson for a 49-yard completion 2:58 left
Big play! Jason Black runs down to the 3-yard line but a horse collar tackle will make it closer. Crest ball at the 2
Flags on the play
Offsides on Crest
1st and goal at the 7
TOUCHDOWN! Edwards with TD no. 11 on the season. Hamrick ran ahead of Edwards toward the goal line. 1:29 left. Crest 7, Hunt 7
Touchdown by Michael Edwards for Crest. Crest 7 – Hunt 7. 1:29 left in the 1st. pic.twitter.com/QygPT3Dnt4
— What’s Up Shopper (@WhatsUpShopper) December 14, 2025
4th and 1 at the 35 now for Crest; Hunt jumped off sides to make it a little bit shorter
TOUCHDOWN! Edwards with 35-yard run and Hamrick is one of the lead blockers. Crest 14, Hunt 7, 9:17 left in 2nd
Touchdown by Michael Edwards for Crest. Crest 14 – Hunt 7. 9:17 left in the half. pic.twitter.com/YqroLPdlds
— What’s Up Shopper (@WhatsUpShopper) December 14, 2025
Hunt punts; Crest taking over with 5:57 left
TV timeout
Black with a 9-yard run on the first play for the Chargers
Hamrick keeps it and runs for a first down. Ball into Hunt territory; 6-foot-5 TE Romeo Sanders with a big block for the Chargers
Hunt calls a timeout with 3:52 left. Chargers are driving
Edwards in a QB in a Wildcat formation and gets down to the 5 but flags on the play
Holding on Chargers will move the ball back
On a draw, Jason Black runs up the middle and the ball is at the 6.
TOUCHDOWN! Hamrick on a tush-push play. 2:06 left. Crest 20, Hunt 7
Offsides on Hunt; offense coming out for 2 points now
A lineman jumps offsides and Crest is sending kicking unit out for the second time
PAT is good. Crest 21, Hunt 7
Television replay just saw the flag thrown on Crest prior to the game; don’t see that often
TOUCHDOWN! Harris tries to pass; finds no one and goes through a entire Crest defense for an 80-yard score. 1:42 left. Crest 21, Hunt 14
Crest calls timeout with 18 seconds left
Hamrick to Surratt — usually a defensive player — for a big gain. Ball at 10
Another timeout with 8 seconds left
incomplete pass; 4 seconds left
FIELD GOAL Carson Grier with a 27-yard FG. 0:00; Crest 24, Hunt 14
Crest gets the ball first
Hamrick to Brock Melton for a first down. WR got an extra 7 yards after initial tackle
Unsporstmanlike call against Crest; guessing for Melton’s celebration after catch, but no mic on ref that time to know who call was against and I can’t read lips that well
TOUCHDOWN! Hamrick with another TD run from the 24. 9:56 left Crest 31, Hunt 14
Jones gets the ball near midfield with a long run. He’s up to nearly 100 yards on the night. Ball is at the 48
Harris drops back and finds nothing. He runs for a first down and the ball is at the 32
Bad snap — high — turns into a TFL for Christian Stowe. 4th down coming up for Hunt with 5:37 left and rolling
TURNOVER! 38-yard FG goes wide right; 5:10 left
Crest ball coming out of Media timeout
Hamrick and Black with back-to-back first down runs. Ball at a midfield for the Chargers
Cooper is hurt for Hunt with 2:03 left. He looks to be favoring a shoulder injury
TURNVOER! Harris with an interception with 7 seconds left in third quarter
Incomplete pass; Hunt still doesn’t have any passing yards; Incomplete pass celebration gets a flag on Crest. 1 second left in the 3rd
Hunt calls a timeout with 11:53 left
Hunt punts the ball again; Crest ball with 10:45 left
Big play from Hamrick to Edwards and the ball is at the 13-yard line now.
Crest facing a 4th and 31
TOUCHDOWN! Hamrick to Thompson for a TD at 4:16.
Thompson did a backflip after TD and a flag followed, so … connect the dot
Unsportsmanlike call on Crest; so touchdown is off the board
TURNOVER! Harris fumbles and Gunter recovers with 3:22
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — North Carolina lawmakers are nearing agreement on a new state budget that Rep. Zack Hawkins says could bring long-awaited stability to agencies and employees who have been operating under 2023 spending levels.
Hawkins, a Democrat representing Durham, said Monday that legislators are close to finalizing the budget after waiting 1,000 days since the last budget passed
“We’re going to potentially meet the June 30, July 1 deadline, so that there’s stability for all the agencies and all the entities that depend on the state budget,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins said the prospect of a finalized budget offers needed certainty.
“The opportunity for them to have a budget means stability,” he said.
The expected spending plan centers on pay increases for educators and state employees. State workers could receive an average 3% raise and a $1,700 bonus for those earning under $75,000. Hawkins said the goal is to ensure workers have a “strong and respectable pay scale.”
“State employees know that they’re not going to get rich, but we need to make sure that they have a strong and respectable pay scale, bonuses that keep up with inflation, and the benefits, of course, that the state of North Carolina brings, and so we’re hoping that we value them in this budget,” he said.
Teachers could see an average 8% raise. Hawkins, a former educator, said he hopes North Carolina can lead the South in teacher pay.
“And eventually beating the national average. But alongside that, we really want to make sure that there’s an opportunity to keep and retain teachers who’ve been teaching for 10, 15 and 25 years,” he said.
The budget is also expected to include a 13% pay raise for law enforcement, according to a post from Rep. Brenden Jones, who celebrated the finalization of the budget.
The budget could come with a plan to reduce the personal income tax rate and a higher tax rate for sports gambling operators. The rate would increase from 18% to as high as 23%, a change Hawkins supports.
“We can bring in even more revenue, because it’s going to some really good places, it’s going to universities, athletic departments, it’s going to support youth sports, it’s going to support outdoor opportunities and grants,” he said.
One proposal not included in the budget is funding for a Major League Baseball stadium in Raleigh. Hawkins said the Senate-led idea was not the right fit this year.
“Because we have to make sure that we’re taking care of our basic obligations, our people,” he said.
Hawkins said agencies have been operating under the 2023 budget, affecting hiring and pay raises. Many are waiting for Tuesday’s release of the new spending plan.
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Copyright © 2026 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.
North Carolina
North Carolina is hot, dry, and about have fireworks everywhere. Why isn’t there a burn ban?
Right now, it’s unmissable. North Carolina, and especially the Triangle, is both very hot, and very dry. Fireworks stands are popping up, just in time for the Fourth of July. So why isn’t the state under a burn ban?
It’s a straightforward question, with a complex answer.
Both the state, through the North Carolina Forest Service, and individual counties can declare burn bans. The vast majority of the time, county fire marshals listen to the Forest Service. And right now, the Forest Service says the danger isn’t great enough – yet.
“We’re still dry, fire danger is still high, but we haven’t reached that hazardous category yet,” said Phil Jackson, a Forest Service spokesperson.
Jackson points out that the state has two fire seasons, spring and fall, and conditions right now are very different.
For one, humidity is much higher right now, and humidity “tends to bring relief to fire risk and any ongoing wildfire activity that might be happening at that moment,” said Jackson.
Leaves are also key. In spring, plants are trying to wake up from their long winter sleep. Doing that requires a lot of water, drying out the soil.
“Think of each individual root system as being a straw that is just pulling water out of the ground,” said Jackson.
In the fall, the ground is covered in lots of new dry leaves, increasing the danger again.
“When they’re in full green, like they are now, they tend to be more fire resistant,” said Jackson.
Jackson points out it’s not impossible to have a summer-time burn ban. The Forest Service is constantly monitoring conditions, and it’s possible those conditions could get worse in the coming weeks. For now, though, the fire danger, Jackson says, is “manageable.”
But while the fire risk might be manageable, that doesn’t mean people should be careless.
“We always encourage residents to avoid outdoor burning, unless it’s absolutely necessary,” said Johnston County Fire Marshal Travis Johnson.
Johnson says, especially with the Fourth of July right around the corner, anyone burning or lighting fireworks should always have a source of water nearby to douse any runaway flames. “We never want anything to happen, but want to make sure that you’re safe while using those,” said Johnson.
If a burn ban were to be implemented, it would impact Fourth of July fireworks shows. For now, though, those shows are allowed to go ahead, and remain the best option, Johnson says, for anyone who wants to see fireworks this year.
Johnson, and other fire marshals WRAL spoke with, also stressed official fireworks shows are put on by professionals, are strictly permitted and regulated, and there are always firefighters there, on standby, just in case.
“Just be safe, and enjoy the holidays,” said Johnson.
The video above is a live stream of WBTV and affiliated programming, and may not be directly related to the article below.
GRANITE FALLS, N.C. (WBTV) – A man was killed and a teenager was hurt after a head-on crash in Caldwell County on Sunday.
The deadly crash happened along Highway 321 near Glenn Ridge Drive in Granite Falls, just before 7:45 p.m. on June 28.
North Carolina state troopers said 65-year-old Marvin Wayne Anderson was driving the wrong way on Highway 321 when he crashed head-on into an 18-year-old.
Troopers said Anderson died on the highway, while the teenager was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries.
Highway Patrol said its initial investigation did not find speed or impairment to have been factors in the wreck. Troopers did not say why or how Anderson ended up on the wrong side of the road.
The crash reportedly shut Highway 321 down for several hours but it has since reopened.
Also Read: Mail worker killed in broad daylight in rural North Carolina, officials say
Copyright 2026 WBTV. All rights reserved.
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