A player from Mecklenburg, Craven County and a coach from Lincoln County will headline North Carolina’s first sportswritten all-state high school football team.
A group of 10 sportswriters statewide nominated and voted on players for the award. The top voters were nominated to the first team. The best offensive and defensive voters were named Player of the Year.
The team mirrors the former Associated Press all-state soccer and basketball teams that started in the 1980s but were canceled during the pandemic.
▪ Offensive Player of the Year is Providence Day quarterback Jadin Davis, who won the state’s largest high school football award earlier this year and was named Mr. Football. The junior quarterback threw for 3,425 yards and 43 touchdowns. With just his six interceptions, he led a private school in Charlotte to the Division I NC Independent Schools state championship and national rankings.
▪ Newburn’s defensive lineman senior KJ Sampson was named Defensive Player of the Year. Sampson led his team to victory over Grimsley in his NCHSAA 4A Public Schools State Championship. Sampson has 96 tackles and 18 sacks this season.
▪ This year’s coach is East Lincoln’s David Lubowicz, who led the team to a 16-0 record and the NCHSAA 3A Public School State Championship. East his Lincoln won his third state championship since 2014.
first team allstate
offense
*Number of votes in brackets
QB – Jadin Davis – Providence Day (7)
RB – Christian Perris – Princeton (6)
RB – Mason Avery – West Lincoln (5)
WR – Chris Caliber – Maiden (9)
WR – Nathan Leacock – Millbrook (7)
TE – Jack Larsen – Charlotte Catholic (5)
OL – Samuel Pendleton – Reagan (9)
OL – Sullivan Absher – Southpoint (8)
OL – Clinton Barlow – Charlotte Catholic (8)
OL – David Sanders Jr. – Providence Day (5)
OL – Connor Drake – Providence (4)
OL – Luke Lecter – Draughn (4)
ATH – Isaac Weaver – Andrews (6)
defense
DL – Keith Sampson Jr. – New Bern (7)
DL – Logan Wright – Dudley (6)
DL – Jamal Jarrett – Grimsley (6)
DL – Davion Hobbes – JM Robinson (5)
LB – Ben Cutter – East Lincoln (9)
LB – RJ Brown – East Forsyth (6)
LB – Zane Williams – Wake Forrest (3)
DB – Dionte Neal – Leesville (8)
DB – Dante Hall – East Duplin (7)
DB – Chris Peel – Providence Day (4)
DB – Israel Powell – Hartford County (3)
DB – Jordan Young – Monroe (3)
special team
K – Nolan Hauser – Huff (8)
P – Palmer Williams – Davie County (7)
KR – Javarius Green – Crest (4)
PR – Brody Bernhardt – Providence Day (4)
PR – DJ Hamilton – Mallard Creek (4)
LS – Mabry Bumgarner – Smoky Mountain (7)
honorable mention
QB – Mason Fortune (Millbrook); Jalen Alexander Rayner (East Forsythe);
RB – Cynthia Baines (Jack Britt); Avery Gaby (East Duplin); Max Guest (AC Reynolds); Tyler Mason (Mount Airy); Anthony Quinn (71-1);
WR – Terrell Anderson (Grimsley); Truitt Manual (West Henderson);; Alex Taylor (Grimsley);
TE – Jayvontae Conner (East Forsyth); Griffin Reimer (Weddington);
OL – Egan Boyer (Huff); Bryson Esser (North Lincoln); Isaiah Eskellige (Kings Mountain); Henry Harden (Grimsley); Rockhead (Mallard Creek); Walter Turner (NW Guildford); Ashton Williams (71-1);
ATH – Kevin Concepcion (Chambers); Que’Shyne Flippen (Leedsville);
DL – Hector Bautista (71st); Bryce Davis (Grimsley); Zairion Jackson-Bass (Chambers); Nick Martin (East Forsythe); Simpson (Kings Mountain); Kaden Thomas (Independent); Semaji Turner (East Forsyth):
LB – Dillon Earp (Hibriten); Jaybron Harvey (South Durham); Kahali Hayes (Barnes); Demoris Jenkins (North Mecklenburg); Cade Kennedy (East Duplin); Nesta (Huff); Tyquan Rankin (Butler); Michael Short (Mallard Creek); Hunter Stahlcup (Murphy); Ben Watson (Newton Conover);
DB – Cutler Adams (Robinsville); Brody Barnhardt (Providence Day); Channing Goodwin (Providence Day); Jalen Jones (Butler); Samarie Matthews (Huff); Caballas); DJ Parker (Dudley); Tim Patterson (Page); Will Ross (Southpoint); DaShawn Stone (AC Reynolds);
K – Aiden Daugherty (Oak Grove); Alan Bahena Soto (Bunker Hill);
P – Owen Fehr (Hough);
KR – Tylique Aldridge (Forestview); Que’Sean Brown (East Forsyth); Kendall Harris (Cox Mill);
PR – Zachariah Melton (Monroe);
LS – Liam Grooks (Providence Day);