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
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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