High school football players beyond Fayetteville to watch in NCHSAA playoffs

We’ve taken a look at some Fayetteville-area high school football players to watch in the NCHSAA playoff brackets.

Six Cumberland County squads will play first-round games Friday. Now, let’s go beyond the county to highlight 11 standouts on teams throughout the region.

The playoffs continue with second- and third-round games on Nov. 11 and 18. Regional semifinals are set for Nov. 25, followed by the regional finals on Dec. 2. State championship games will be played Dec. 9 and 10.

Kemarion Baldwin, St. Pauls

Robeson County’s all-time leading rusher, Baldwin has racked up more than 5,600 rushing yards in his career. He has 1,767 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns in his senior season. James Madison, Georgia State, Navy and Richmond are among the Division I programs showing interest. Round 1: 2A East, No. 20 St. Pauls at No. 13 Greene Central.

Masion Brooks, East Bladen

The junior running back has 1,375 yards and 18 touchdowns on 177 carries. Brooks went on a tear in October with 11 touchdowns in the final four games of the regular season. He averaged 189 yards per game during that stretch. Round 1: No. 22 East Bladen at No. 11 Hertford County.

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Trey Gregory, Midway

The two-way senior has contributed in a variety of ways with 15 touchdowns, including 11 rushing. He has 959 rushing yards and 26 catches for 379 yards and four touchdowns. Gregory also has 21 tackles. Round 1: 2A East, No. 24 Midway at No. 9 East Carteret.

Eligah Holmes, Triton

After logging two touchdowns as a junior, Holmes has taken his production to another level in his senior season. The running back has 624 rushing yards and six touchdowns, along with six catches for 182 yards and three touchdowns. Round 1: 3A East, No. 28 Triton at No. 5 C.B. Aycock.

Dayreon Jennings, Lee County

The senior leader has thrived as a two-way player with success as a running back and linebacker. Jennings has 434 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 50 carries. Defensively, he has 94 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. Round 1: 3A East, No. 22 Lee County at No. 11 Currituck County.

Kevin Lalin, Overhills

The senior running back finished the regular season as the most productive rusher in the All American Conference. Lalin has 1,176 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, with seven 100-yard rushing performances in 10 games. Round 1: 4A East, No. 22 Overhills at No. 11 Rolesville.

Patrick Primus, Scotland

The senior running back has missed some time due to injuries, but he still leads the team with 824 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns in eight games. He had two touchdowns in 12 games last season. Primus has logged five games with 100 or more rushing yards in 2022. Round 1: 3A East, No. 23 Fike at No. 10 Scotland.

Nahjiir Seagraves, Pinecrest

Despite missing two games with an injury, the senior running back logged 968 rushing yards and eight touchdowns to help the Patriots win their first-ever conference championship. Seagraves is averaging 121 rushing yards per game. Round 1: 4A East, No. 26 Laney at No. 7 Pinecrest

Ethan Wallace, Hoke County

The senior running back has 1,583 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns on 198 carries. After logging 573 yards as a junior, Wallace is averaging 158 yards per game this season. He rushed for 100-plus yards and scored seven touchdowns in the last three games. Round 1: 4A East, No. 32 Hoke County at No. 1 Hillside

Amaris Williams, Clinton

A junior defensive lineman with a crowd of Division I scholarship offers, Williams has 50 tackles, including 32 for loss. In addition to 15 sacks, Williams has five rushing touchdowns and a receiving TD. Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina and West Virginia are among the schools that have shown interest. Round 1: 2A East, No. 26 Beddingfield at No. 7 Clinton

Ashawd Wynn, Hobbton

A sophomore star for a high-powered offense, Wynn has 56 catches for 887 yards and eight touchdowns in nine games. He’s averaging 133 yards over the last three games with touchdowns in each of those contests. Round 1: 1A East, No. 22 Northwest Halifax at No. 11 Hobbton.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NCHSAA football playoffs: Standout Fayetteville area players to watch