Here are my predicted winners of each state championship game.

Feedback is welcome at my X account: @JoelBryantHSOT. I’d be happy to explain any of these picks there!

I’ll keep a tally of my correct and incorrect picks for next week’s version of this article, and so on.

Other Weeks’ Picks:

Predicted Winners: State Championships

4A: Grimsley vs. Rolesville

It’s hard to beat a good team twice, even if you beat them by 15 points the first time around like how Grimsley beat Rolesville. The three best players in this game are on the side of the Whirlies, but Rolesville tends to be better at your average starter spot. The Rams hurt themselves more than Grimsley hurt them in the first game. I feel like Rolesville will have a late year and Grimsley will choose to go for the win instead of try a field goal to send it to overtime. Rolesville 31, Grimsley 28

3A: West Charlotte vs. Seventy-First

West Charlotte is arguably the more talented team, but Seventy-First has considerably more experience in these situations. To be fair, you could have said the same for Hickory last week, and I did. It didn’t matter as West Charlotte took down the Red Tornadoes by 16. The Lions have not faced a dual-threat quarterback quite like DeAndre Nance for a full game all season. Nance is the winningest quarterback of this decade, and he goes out winning the ultimate game. Seventy-First 24, West Charlotte 19

2A East: Monroe vs. Northeastern

These two teams are almost mirror images of one antother in terms of the athletes at their disposal and their play styles. The biggest difference, howerver, is Monroe has a 4-star Michigan commit in Jordan Young playing in a huge role on both sides of the ball, while Northeastern does not. Young makes too many star plays in the end. Monroe 36, Northeastern 24

1A: Corvian Community vs. Tarboro

Tarboro has had one of its most dominant seasons to date. That’s a big statement, considering how dominant this program has been for the past two decades. Corvian has been a great story, but statistically speaking, the Cardinals’ run defense is not steady enough to contain this fiece Tarboro T offense. The experienced Vikings throttle the program that has the exact opposite historical experience. Tarboro 46, Corvian Community 21