5 Takeaways from Week 4 in North Carolina high school football

Weddington survives a scare, Crest continues to roll, South Columbus stages huge turnaround

Aiden Harris, a 4-star defensive lineman, celebrates as Weddington turned back Butler, 24-19, Friday night in North Carolina. / Game of Inches/Weddington Football

Week 4 of the 2024 North Carolina high school season is history and, as usual, there were some big developments.

Here are five key takeaways from this week’s games.

Weddington survives a huge scare from winless Butler

Weddington, the Class AAAA defending state champion, was cruising along with a 24-0 lead over winless Butler. 

It almost wasn’t enough.

The Warriors saw Butler draw within 24-19 before getting a late field goal for the final margin. 

And Butler continues to be the most dangerous winless team in the state. The Bulldogs can still recover during conference play.

Crest continues its roll as it tops Charlotte Catholic

Crest gathered momentum with a 27-14 victory over archrival Shelby last week. Adding on to that, the Chargers beat always-tough Charlotte Catholic 32-27. Quarterback Turner McSwain was 16-of-19 for 234 yards and a touchdown while also running for another score.

The Chargers, who were 13-1 last season, are aiming for another deep run in the Class AAA state playoffs.

South Columbus enjoys a 113-point swing in margin of victory

South Columbus suffered a 55-6 humbling at the hands of cross-border rival Loris, an undefeated South Carolina power.

This week, the Stallions pummeled Union, 70-6. That’s a 113-point turnaround. The quality of the opponent makes a difference but that’s a gigantic swing. 

South Columbus led 56-6 at halftime and is now 3-1 for the season. It was 3-6 last season.

Dionte Neal continues to develop as Reidsville's quarterback

Dionte Neal continues his development at quarterback for the Class AA defending state champions. 

Thrust into the role only this season, the 5-foot-9 junior was 14-of-17 for 190 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Reidsville’s 45-14 thumping of Eastern Alamance. He also ran 6 times for 82 yards and two more touchdowns. And, if the rumors about the return of Kendre Harrison are true , he will have another huge target to which to throw soon.

Neal has four college offers, including North Carolina, as a wide receiver. He has eight Division I offers in basketball.

Lumberton football is creating positive history

It wasn’t too long ago that Lumberton endured a 19-game losing streak. Given what has taken place so far in 2024, that looks like ancient history.

The Pirates wiped out Red Springs 49-14 and are 3-0 for the first time in 10 years. All three wins have been blowouts. Lumberton was 2-8 last season and the losing streak came to an end in October.

Reggie Bush scored four touchdowns, including a pair of 46-yard receptions, a rushing touchdown and a pick-six on defense.