Road warriors: West Charlotte handles Hickory to reach NCHSAA 3A state football final

Even facing one of the best offenses in N.C. high school football history, West Charlotte head coach Sam Greiner says he was convinced before Friday’s Western N.C. 3A championship game at Hickory that defense still wins championships.

Afterward, he was more certain of that as his team ended Hickory’s 30-game winning streak with a 36-20 victory that sends West Charlotte to its first state title game since 2006.

“I know a lot of people say defense doesn’t matter as much and I knew we were playing an absolutely unbelievable offense,” Greiner said. “But as good as offenses are these days, it still takes defense to win championships.”

Greiner’s team showed that in emphatic fashion against a Hickory team that entered Friday’s game averaging more than 50 points and 400 yards per game offensively.

The host Red Tornadoes even roared ahead to a 14-6 advantage by driving 80 yards on their first two possessions of the game.

But West Charlotte’s defense settled down and later would hold Hickory scoreless on its next five drives into Lions territory.

Meanwhile, West Charlotte would score 30 straight points to take a 36-14 lead with 3:33 to play to end any doubt about the outcome.

Next Saturday at 11 a.m. at N.C. State’s Carter-Finley Stadium, the Lions (12-2) will face Fayetteville 71st in the 2024 N.C. 3A state championship game.

West Charlotte racked up 497 yards total offense to outgain Hickory’s 405 yards behind sophomore quarterback Jamouri Nichols’ 265 yards passing with two touchdown throws to K.D. Cotton.

Greiner praised Cotton, defensive lineman Sam Johnson and linebacker Michael Griffin Jr. for leading the Lions’ defense that stopped Hickory at the West Charlotte 42, 33, 28, 1 and 1 on drives in the second, third and fourth quarters.

Three who made a difference

K.D. Cotton, West Charlotte: Caught five passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns, including a 49-yarder that gave the Lions the lead for good with 4:23 left in the third quarter and a 78-yarder that iced the game with 3:33 to play.

Jamouri Nichols, West Charlotte: Completed 13 of 15 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 15 times for 60 yards and one touchdown.

Emory McClain, Jr., West Charlotte: Rushed 18 times for 103 yards and one touchdown.

Notable

▪ The teams were playing for the first time since a second-round 4A playoff game in 1986 when West Charlotte (with future Carolina Panthers interim head coach Steve Wilks playing quarterback) won 30-6 over Hickory.

▪ For Hickory, quarterback Brady Stober completed 22 of 38 passes for 239 yards and Isaiah Lackey rushed 24 times for 118 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Red Tornadoes’ offense.

▪ Next week’s matchup is a throwback to one of West Charlotte’s previous eight state championship visits as 71st edged the Lions 3-0 for the 1986 N.C. 4A title game.

They said it

“We ran the ball better in the second half and our defense just locked it down,” — West Charlotte coach Sam Greiner

GAME SUMMARY

West Charlotte 6 0 16 14 - 36

Hickory 14 0 0 6 - 20

FIRST QUARTER

H: Isaiah Lackey 1 run (Braden McCourt kick)

WC: K.D. Cotton 4 run (Pass failed)

H: Lackey 2 run (McCourt kick)

THIRD QUARTER

WC: Jamouri Nichols 1 run (Emory McClain Jr. run)

WC: K.D. Cotton 49 pass from Nichols (Cotton run)

FOURTH QUARTER

WC: McClain 4 run (Deng Chengkuach kick)

WC: Cotton 78 pass from Nichols (Chengkuach kick)

H: Lackey 5 run (Kick failed)