The opening games of the 2024 North Carolina high school football season will be here in two months.
The three private schools in the Western North Carolina area that play football are Asheville Christian Academy, Asheville School and Christ School. The Blues won their second straight NCISAA Division II state championship last season while the Lions and Greenies failed to finish above .500.
Here is the outlook on private school football in WNC for the 2024 season.
Two bold predictions for 2024
Asheville School wins third straight NCISAA Divison II state championship
Coach Shawn Bryson graduates several key players on defense, but most importantly, returns star quarterback and wide receiver duo, Ricky Tolbert and Hayezon Tobe. They have helped Asheville School average over 38 points per game the past two seasons. To help offset the losses on defense, Bryson still has Virginia commit and defensive back Justin Rowe.
Asheville Christian Academy and Christ School fail to finish above .500 for a second straight season
Asheville Christian Academy graduated quarterback Javier Rice and wide receivers Jeremiah Dodd, Miles Westbrook, and Da’Merio Rice, who helped the team average almost 30 points per game. Coach Rusty Bradley’s team is also adjusting to playing NCISAA talent after making the leap last season.
It’s not easy to replace three power conference starters on defense, but Christ School and coach Chad Walker must overcome that in 2024. The Greenies do return quarterback Mason Holtclaw, who picked up several power conference offers this offseason as a sophomore and plays an easier schedule than a year ago. But they have graduated too much talent that will be tough to replace.
10 players to watch
Cooper Perone
Christ School | 6-3, 210 | LB | Sr.
Perone accumulated 70 total tackles with five for a loss, three sacks and an interception.
Hayezon Tobe
Asheville School | 6-0, 169 | WR | Sr.
Tobe caught 51 passes for 817 yards and nine touchdowns last season with the Blues.
Jordan Edgecomb
Christ School | 6-1, 210 | LB | Sr.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound linebacker recorded 61 total tackles with 22 for a loss, 12 sacks, four pass deflections, a fumble recovery and one forced fumble. He will help replace Cayden Jones, who now plays at Alabama.
Justin Rowe
Asheville School | 6-2, 210 | DB | Sr.
Rowe is WNC’s top-rated recruit as a three-star prospect. He helped Asheville School win a second straight state championship, tallying 31 total tackles with five for a loss and two interceptions.
Mason Holtclaw
Christ School | 6-4, 185 | QB | So.
Holtclaw has seen an uptick in college interest after completing 50% of his passes for 1,522 yards, 14 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He has received offers from Duke, Florida State, Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.
Ricky Tolbert
Asheville School | 6-2, 200 | QB | Sr.
Tolbert led the Blues to a second straight NCISAA Division II state championship last season. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound quarterback completed 64% of his passes for 2,147 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He added 610 yards and 11 more touchdowns on the ground. He’ll be key if Asheville School wins a third straight title.
Ryerson Gilewicz
Asheville School | 6-2, 235 | LB | Sr.
Gilewicz recorded 100 total tackles with seven for a loss along with three sacks and an interception.
Sam Browder
Christ School | 6-6, 267 | OL | Sr.
Browder is part of an impressive offensive line. He has offers from East Carolina, Memphis, South Florida, Appalachian State and Army.
Zamarian James
Asheville Christian Academy | 5-5, 140 | WR | Sr.
James caught 65 passes for 929 yards and eight touchdowns as the Lions’ second-leading receiver last season. His numbers should improve as he becomes the top target after the graduation of star receiver Jeremiah Dodd.
Zion Ikeme
Christ School | 5-7, 140 | DB | So.
Ikeme elected to transfer from Reynolds to Christ School after a remarkable freshman season. With the Rockets, he intercepted five passes while recording 45 total tackles.
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Five can’t-miss games
Asheville School at Christ Church Episcopal (SC), Aug. 30
Asheville School’s ferocious rally against Christ Church Episcopal came up a point short last season. The Blues learn from their mistakes and avoid falling into a hole early again.
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (GA) vs. Christ School, Aug. 30
This will be a stiff early season test to see how much the Greenies have improved from last season. Rabun Gap-Nacoochee defeated Christ School 42-21.
Asheville School at Christ School, Sept. 21
Christ School extended its winning streak over Asheville School to 12 last season. The Blues will have another strong chance to break the streak with Tolbert and Tobe back on offense.
Wake Christian Academy at Asheville Christian Academy, Sept. 27
The Lions narrowly defeated Wake Christian Academy 47-41 last season. Can they do it again after graduating their top playmakers?
Christ School at Charlotte Christian, Oct. 4
This will be a critical game for Christ School as it jockeys for NCISAA Divison I playoff seeding late in the regular season.
Zachary Huber is a high school sports reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times and Hendersonville Times-News. Email him at zhuber@gannett.com or follow him on X @zacharyahuber. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times and Times-News.