For each week of the 2024 high school football season, HighSchoolOT will release the Starting 22. It lists the best performances from every position across North Carolina.

Coaches should send in performance nominations to [email protected] for consideration each week. Now that we are in the playoffs, players can receive a repeat selection if they made one of the regular season lists.

See the Starting 22 from this season’s previous weeks:

Offense

QB — Jamouri Nichols, sophomore, West Charlotte

• The sophomore completed 14 of 17 passing attempts for 224 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in the Lions’ 39-13 blowout win over undefeated Dudley. Nichols has been one of the top sophomore passers in the state as he’s completed 72% of his passes, has a TD:INT ratio of 25:2, and has rushed for over 500 yards & 8 TDs.

RB — Mitchell Summers, senior, Grimsley

• Summers is one of the most dominant players of this era of North Carolina high school football. Against a Hough defense that had seven shutouts this season, Summers rushed for 302 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries.

RB — Nick Diamond, senior, Weddington

• Diamond set a Weddington school record with 279 yards and two touchdowns in the Warriors’ 37-21 win over East Forsyth.

WR — Jordan Young, senior, Monroe

• The new Michigan signee will play defensive back at the next level, but he’s a stud receiver for Monroe as well. He had three receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown to break open the game in Monroe’s 41-23 win over Shelby. On defense, he had five tackles and an interception.

WR — Tyreek Copper, junior, Kinston

• Despite the loss to Whiteville, Copper was outstanding, catching 10 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown.

FLEX — Demon June, senior, Jacksonville

• The Carolina signee rushed for 252 yards and three touchdowns on 11 caries in Jacksonville’s crushing 56-28 win over Havelock to advance to the regional final.

OL — Jonathan Zuniga, senior, Brevard

• Zuniga had a nice performance as Brevard rushed for 315 yards and five touchdowns against a red-hot Forest Hills defense to advance to the 2A West regional championship.

OL — Cameron Hill, senior, Jacksonville

• The Old Dominion signee helped pave the way for 532 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns in Jacksonville’s dominant 56-28 win over Havelock to advance to the 3A East final. The 532 yards are the most that any NCHSAA team has ever rushed for in the month of December.

OL — J’Marri Pittman, senior, Tarboro

• The Vikings’ center had a good game in their 50-0 win over Pender as he made timely blocks and moved very well for his 300-pound frame.

OL — Ian Hemilright, senior, Rolesville

• Hemilright was the Rams’ top-graded offensive lineman in their 49-6 blowout win over Cleveland. The 6-foot-3, 280-pound senior had a 93% grade.

OL — Demarcus Brodrick, junior, Tarboro

• At six feet tall and 290 pounds, Brodrick made some highlight blocks from his right tackle spot as the Vikings blasted Pender 50-0 to advance to the regional final.

Check out the Great 58 Statewide Standouts, which does something like this for all of the other fall sports:

Defense

DL — Adrian Scott, senior, Crovian Community

• The 6-foot-5 defensive end had 14 total tackles, including three tackles for a loss, in Corvian’s stunning win over Mount Airy to end the Granite Bears’ 43-game winning streak.

DL — Jesus Jarquin, senior, Mornoe

• The senior had eight total tackles, three tackles for a loss, and three sacks in Monroe’s 41-23 win on the road at Shelby.

DL — Kaden Smith, sophomore, West Charlotte

• With three sacks against Dudley, Smith raised his sophomore season total to 10 sacks. He had six total tackles and a forced fumble as the Lions held Dudley to 13 points.

DL — Doug Quarles III, senior, Corvian Community

• The 6-foot-5 defensive end contributed nine total tackles and three tackles for a loss in Corvian’s 14-7 win on the road at Mount Airy.

LB — Malachi Huskins, junior, Mountain Heritage

• The linebacker had nine total tackles and two tackles for a loss in the Cougars’ 26-8 fourth round win over Murphy.

LB — Michael Griffin Jr, sophomore, West Charlotte

• Griffin Jr. continued his impressive sophomore campaign with eight total tackles, three tackles for a loss, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup in the Lions’ 39-13 win over Dudley.

LB — Maurice Bowser, senior, Northeastern

• The senior was all over the place in Northeastern’s win over James Kenan, racking up 14 total tackles.

DB — Jaquial Bagley, senior, Jacksonville

• The 6-foot defensive back had a massive performance with two interceptions and a tackle to end Havelock’s season in the fourth round.

DB — Anthony Watson-Bethea, senior, Seventy-First

• Watson-Bethea contributed seven total tackles and two forced fumbles from his defensive back spot in the Falcons’ 48-7 win over J.H. Rose.

DB — Khamani Bennett, senior, Northeastern

• Bennett is back on the Starting 22 after he made four tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery in the Eagles’ 46-28 win over James Kenan.

FLEX — Tyler Powell, junior, Tarboro

• Also the Vikings’ quarterback, the defensive end had eight total tackles, four tackles for a loss, and two forced fumbles in Tarboro’s shutout victory over Pender to move on to the regional final.