CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In a season opener featuring two championship hopefuls representing both Carolinas, Hough quarterback Ethan Royal made just enough plays — with both his arm and legs — to lead the Huskies to a gritty 14-10 win over South Pointe on Friday night at Bank of America Stadium.



It was a defensive slugfest from start to finish, with both teams combining for fewer than 450 total yards and averaging under four yards per play. But in the end, it was Royal who delivered in the clutch.



After trailing 10-7 with just over four minutes to play, Royal connected with Tyran Evans on a 40-yard bomb down the sideline that set Hough up at the 1-yard line. Two plays later, Royal plunged in for his second rushing touchdown of the night — this one with under three minutes left — to give the Huskies a comeback win.



“The last four years, we lost the first game of the season,” said Hough head coach Deshawn Baker. “To come in here and knock off a team like South Pointe, who is really talented… it’s great bragging rights for myself and the kids. They know everybody over there. The momentum carries on, and it’s a big win for the program.”



Royal finished the game 12-of-22 for 121 passing yards, while adding two touchdowns on the ground. Evans was his top target, hauling in three catches for 69 yards. On defense, linebacker LJ Porter was everywhere, racking up 11 tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss.



South Pointe, a perennial power from South Carolina, struggled offensively for much of the game until head coach Bobby Collins made a bold move — inserting four-star South Carolina commit J’Zavien Currence at quarterback in the third quarter. Though Currence is projected to play safety at the next level, his versatility gave the Stallions a much-needed spark.



Currence engineered a seven-play, 31-yard scoring drive late in the third quarter, capping it with a tough 14-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7. He later led another drive that ended with a 20-yard field goal by the Stallions’ kicker, giving South Pointe a 10-7 lead with 4:04 remaining.



But that advantage wouldn’t hold, as Royal and the Huskies answered with their game-winning march. South Pointe had one final chance, but Hough senior Drew Johnson sealed the victory with an interception on the Stallions’ last possession.



“We went two or three series where we went three-and-out, and we couldn’t get nothing going,” said Collins. “I mean, we have a kid on our team that’s the number one player in South Carolina, 50 Division I offers.”



Currence finished with 154 passing yards on 11-of-22 attempts and added the lone Stallions touchdown. Defensively, South Pointe was anchored by highly-touted recruit Seth Tillman, who recorded seven tackles and three for loss.



The win moves Hough to 1-0, while South Pointe opens the season 0-1. Both teams are expected to be title contenders in their respective states, and Friday’s clash gave an early preview of the toughness and talent both programs bring into 2025.

Samari Matthews at the Under Armour Next Camp Series in Charlotte (Photo: GamecockCentral.com)

NC Preps

Hough Defeats South Pointe 14-10

team image

North Carolina (HS)

1A/2A Sports

Teams

Fan Sites

Forums

Shows

Recruiting Board

News Feed

Database

Team Rankings

Player Rankings

Industry Comparison

Commitments

Recruiting Prediction Machine

Football Recruiting

Basketball Recruiting

Recruits

High School News

Schools

Rankings

Scores

High School

About

On3 App

Advertise

Press

Contact

Football

Basketball

Women's Basketball

Softball

Baseball

Lobby

The Locker Room

3A/4A Sports

5A/6A Sports

7A/8A Sports

Alabama

Arizona State

Arizona

Arkansas

Auburn

Baylor

Boston College

California

Removed

Clemson

Colorado

Duke

Florida

Florida State

Georgia

Georgia Tech

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Kentucky

Lettermen Row

Lettermen Lounge

Louisville

Maryland

Miami

Michigan State

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi State

Missouri

NC State

Nebraska

North Carolina

Northwestern

Notre Dame

Ohio State

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State

Ole Miss

The Main Board

Oregon

Oregon State

Penn State

Pittsburgh

Purdue

Rutgers

South Carolina

Stanford

Syracuse

Tennessee

Texas A&M

Texas

Texas Tech

UCLA

Utah

Vanderbilt

Virginia

Virginia Tech

Wake Forest

Washington

Washington State

West Virginia

Wisconsin

BamaOnLine

BOL Round Table

Inside Texas

IT Members Only

DawgsHQ

Dawg Walk

Scoop Duck

Recruiting & Sports

AuburnSports

The Corner

WeAreSC

GarryP's Trojan Huddle

The Wolverine

The Fort

The Lions Den

The Wolfpacker

The Wolves’ Den

GatorsOnline

Swamp Talk

Alabama A&M

Alabama State

Albany

Alcorn State

Abilene Christian

Appalachian State

Akron

Army

Austin Peay

Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Arkansas-Little Rock

Arkansas State

Air Force

Ball State

American

Wofford

Winthrop

Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Wisconsin-Green Bay

Wichita State

Western Carolina

Volleyball

Gymnastics

Men's Lacrosse

Women's Lacrosse

Men's Soccer

Women's Soccer

Women's Track

Men's Golf

Women's Golf

Men's Hockey

Women's Hockey

Men's Swimming

Women's Swimming

Wrestling

Men's Tennis

Women's Tennis

Annual $1

Annual Premium

Annual $1 

Monthly

Annual

Unlimited Access to This and All Articles.

Article (On3 Plus Rivals)

Forum (On3 Plus Rivals)

Intro

Join

College scoop, experts, and community - all in one.

Winback