Grimsley, West Charlotte to play in Keep Pounding Classic

Two reigning North Carolina state champions will clash Aug. 22 at Bank of America Stadium

Seventy-First faces West Charlotte in the NCHSAA football 3A championship game at Carter-Finley Stadium on NC State's campus in Raleigh, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. / Andrew Craft / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Keep Pounding Classic hosted by the Carolina Panthers has done a good job of featuring elite programs squaring off in a big-time high school season-opener.

This year is no different for the Classic, which is in its third year.

Two reigning North Carolina state champions — Grimsley and West Charlotte — will play each other Aug. 22 at Bank of America Stadium in the second game of the Classic's doubleheader at 8 p.m.

Hough and South Carolina school South Pointe will play in the first game at 4 p.m.

Grimsley won the 2024 4-A state championship, went undefeated and was nationally ranked; West Charlotte claimed the 3-A state title.

Because of the latest North Carolina High School Athletic Association realignment that doubled the number of classifications from four to eight, both will be pursuing different championships. Grimsley will be in 7-A and West Charlotte will be in 8-A.

As would be expected, there are plenty of star players on both teams.

The player with the highest profile is 6-foot-4 Grimsley quarterback Faizon Brandon, who has committed to Tennessee. Brandon, a five-star prospect, is rated the nation’s No. 1 prospect in the class of 2026 by 247Sports. In the 2024 season, Brandon completed 77.1 percent of his passes for 2,814 yards and 35 touchdowns with just two interceptions. On the ground, he had 625 yards and nine touchdowns.

And he has all of his top receivers back.

Kaden Catoe, who has eight college offers, caught 64 passes for 953 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024. Khyan Battle had 34 receptions for 505 yards and five touchdowns. D.J. Howerton, a 6-foot-6, 235-pound tight end with 18 college offers, caught 17 passes for 297 yards and seven touchdowns. Hudson Cooper had 15 catches for a whopping 502 yards and six touchdowns. All of them will be seniors.

The Whirlies lost 2,000-yard running back Mitchell Summers to graduation but return Micah Williams, who had 639 yards and six touchdowns last year, as well as rising sophomore Ty Shoemake.

West Charlotte dual-threat quarterback Jamouri Nichols received his first college offer from Johnson C. Smith in January. Nichols threw for 2,633 yards and 29 touchdowns with four interceptions last season. The 5-foot-11, 175-pounder added a team-leading 614 yards and nine touchdowns rushing.

And, like Brandon, Nichols has his top receivers back. K.D. Cotton, who has 17 college offers, caught 30 passes for 449 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Cotton had 247 yards rushing and six touchdowns. Donte Nicholson, who has an offer from Coastal Carolina, caught 28 passes for 601 yards and five touchdowns. Nicholson added 188 yards and six touchdowns rushing. Rakim Finch, who has four college offers, caught 27 passes for 530 yards and five touchdowns. All are rising seniors.

The Lions have notable players on defense, too.

Sam Johnson, a rising senior end, and rising junior Kaden Smith each had 11 sacks last season. Rising junior linebacker Michael Griffin Jr. has six college offers, including one from Notre Dame. Davion Jones, a rising junior with 15 college offers, had seven interceptions in 2024.

In last year’s Keep Pounding game, then-4-A champion Weddington held off Providence Day 13-7. Grimsley beat Weddington 35-23 in the state semifinals.

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