Hoggard football's remarkable 2023 season ends in NCHSAA 4A title loss
RALEIGH - The Hoggard High School football team's storied 2023 season concluded Saturday night at Carter-Finley Stadium as the Vikings fell to Weddington 56-21 in the NCHSAA 4 state title game.
Hoggard started the game in thrilling fashion as Trey Nixon intercepted Warriors quarterback Tyler Budge and returned it to the 4-yard line on the team's opening drive. The Vikings scored one play later to take a 7-0 lead about two minutes into the contest.
"Obviously, it was a little bit of a tough night, not the way we drew it up," Hoggard coach Craig Underwood said after the game. "This group of seniors and rising seniors have just been so fun to coach."
Finishing as the 4A runners-up, the Vikings made their first state championship appearance since winning the state title in 2007.
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The Warriors showed they belonged in the championship game early, as three-star wideout and North Carolina commit Keenan Jackson caught 10 passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
"It's a full-circle moment," Jackson said. "I'm grateful for the way that the Weddington family has took me in since day one since I got here; it's been great."
Jackson, who finished the year with 102 catches for 1,704 and 19 touchdowns, transferred to Weddington from Cuthbertson this offseason.
"They put on a show tonight," Weddington coach Andy Capone said of his team after the win. "I think we just put more of an emphasis on all three phases this week. It just shows how much of big-time players they are."
The Viking's sole touchdown of the first half came on a four-yard pass from quarterback Hudson Wilharm to Charlie Kilbourne just over two minutes into the game.
Wilharm scored again in the third quarter, turning on the jets as he scampered 65 yards for a score. The senior finished the night completing 17 of 31 passes for 195 yards and three scores. Wilharm also became the Vikings' all-time single-season leader in passing yards, reaching 2,857 on the season in the game.
Heading into halftime down 28-7, things only got worse for the Vikings in the third quarter as Weddington blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half.
Weddington quarterback Tyler Budge completed 15 of 19 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns. The Georgia Southern commit also picked up a score on the ground despite having to fight through a shoulder injury. Warriors running back Nick Diamond finished the game with 105 rushing yards and two scores.
Weddington advanced to 14-2 on the year with the win, marking the fourth time since 2016 that the Warriors have hoisted a state championship trophy. However, the championship is the team's first in the 4A classification.
Hoggard fell to 14-2 on the year, marking one of the team's best seasons in school history. Wideout Nas Session caught seven passes for 125 yards in the loss.
"You hate to see it come to an end this way, but I can say I'm going to look back on this season for a long time," Underwood said. "They're a group that I would come out to practice and they were already out there, cutting up, and they just had fun playing together."
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Weddington football decimates Hoggard, captures first NCHSAA 4A title
