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Five Western North Carolina high school football hot takes at halfway point of 2023 season

zachary huber and evan gerike, asheville citizen times
·4 min read

It's Week 7 of the North Carolina high school football season, meaning the regular season is halfway over and Western North Carolina teams are preparing for potential NCHSAA and NCISAA playoff runs.

Here are our five hot takes as we head into the second half of the 2023 season.

Roberson will win the Mountain Athletic Conference

Roberson hasn’t won its conference since 2004, often playing second or third fiddle to rival schools Reynolds and Asheville High. This year will shape up differently for coach JD Dinwiddie.

The Rams’ trio of playmakers — Reno Jeter, PJ Deshauteurs and Lex Dinwiddie — leads a balanced and deep attack, so Roberson can pick how it wants to beat you on offense. It refuses to let opponents score, giving up just five points per game, and is a one-point loss away from an undefeated start.

Reynolds and Asheville High are good, but Roberson might be better.

West Henderson upsets Pisgah to repeat as Mountain 7 Conference champions

The Mountain 7 has become a two-horse race heading into Week 7 between Pisgah and West Henderson.

West Henderson's offense is averaging almost 50 points per game even after having to replace quarterback Lukas Kachilo, who now plays at Gardner-Webb. The Falcons have been able to replicate their success because of star running back Carson Dimsdale and wide receiver and NC State baseball commit Truitt Manuel. Dimsdale has rushed for 15 touchdowns and almost 1,000 yards on 123 carries. The defense also has found another gear; it is allowing only nine points per game.

Pisgah has one of the best defenses in WNC. But the offense won't be able to keep up with West Henderson. The Bears' offense scored only 16 points vs. Smoky Mountain after averaging 38 points per game through their first four wins.

Brevard wins the Mountain Foothills 7 Conference championship in just the second season under coach Luke Coleman

The expectations were high for Brevard after graduating only four seniors. But most didn't expect them to compete for a Mountain Foothills 7 Conference championship in coach Luke Coleman's second season.

The Blue Devils have won four straight games after dropping two to difficult nonconference opponents. They also have scored more than 50 points in both of their conference games vs. East Rutherford and R-S Central.

Sophomore quarterback Benjamin Kessinger, senior running back Corey Matthews and sophomore running back Braylon Thompson are three reasons why we believe Brevard can win its first conference championship outright since 2007.

Asheville School repeats as NCISAA Division II state champions

Asheville School dropped its first two games of the season to top teams from Tennessee and South Carolina, but we never considered hitting the panic button. We didn't because the Blues returned almost everyone from last season's state championship team, including star quarterback Ricky Tolbert and wide receiver Hayezon Tobe.

The dynamic duo, along with a strong defense led by safety Justin Rowe, defensive ends Adam Kaminski and Nathan McMahon, are why Asheville School will hoist the NCISAA Division II trophy again.

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Robbinsville, Swain County or Mitchell wins an NCHSAA 1A state title

The Smoky Mountain Conference and the Western Highlands Conference have gone two years without a state champion. However, the streak ends this season because Western North Carolina has three teams capable of winning an NCHSAA 1A state title.

Robbinsville is the favorite because of running back Cuttler Adams and a strong defense that is allowing 13 points per game. The Black Knights are 4-1, their lone loss coming against Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Georgia), one of the best teams in the NCISAA.

Swain County and Mitchell are also state title contenders because of their strong running games. Swain County is led by running back Josh Collins, who has 979 yards and nine touchdowns on 96 carries. Mitchell has running backs Chase Duncan and Rylan Cooper, who have combined for 1,015 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on 155 attempts. They have strong defenses as well.

Evan Gerike is the high school sports reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email him at egerike@citizentimes.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanGerike. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

Zachary Huber is the sports reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News and Asheville Citizen Times. Email him with tips, questions and comments at ZHuber@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News and Asheville Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: 5 WNC high school football hot takes at halfway point of 2023 season