The Chapel Hill High School football team ended its season with a 6-5 record, reaching the NCHSAA 4A playoffs for the third consecutive year since becoming a 4A school; the team’s playoff appearance marked the fourth year in a row the Tigers have made the playoffs.
The team finished with a 3-2 conference record to secure third place in the DAC-VII conference.
The team lost in the first round of playoffs to Hoggard High School in a 52-0 loss in Wilmington on Friday, November 3.
Despite the loss at the beach, the Tigers had a number of successful wins. The team shut out Cedar Ridge High School 49-0 on August 18, the opening game of the season, and also blanked East Chapel Hill High School 34-0 in the teams’ annual crosstown rivalry on October 27.
Junior lineman Jason Montero felt that the team was lifted from the exciting win against the Wildcats.
“We were all overjoyed, and [it] just a very good atmosphere overall because many people who didn’t normally play were finally able to get in, and they all had a very good game,” Montero said.
Senior quarterback Josh Kelley accumulated 723 passing yards on the season, averaging 120.5 yards per game, to go along with 265 rushing yards.
Despite the Tigers’ disappointing end to their season, Kelley felt the team had a successful campaign.
“Obviously there are a couple of games and plays I wish we approached differently and played a little bit better, but it was an enjoyable and successful season,” he said. “The other seniors and I wanted to push the team as much as possible while enjoying every moment of it. We definitely accomplished that.”
Assistant coach Ryan Horton—an alumnus of the school and former quarterback for the Tigers—agreed with Kelley’s assessment.
“We built on things that we’ve done previously, so we made the playoffs again, which is an accomplishment. That’s four years in a row we’ve made the playoffs, so it’s a good thing. In the bigger games, we came up short, so we just have to go back to the drawing board and keep getting better,” he said.
Junior running back Josh Roberson—who led the team with eight total touchdowns, averaging 81.8 yards rushing per game—is determined to improve next year, and he believes the Tigers can field an even stronger team on the gridiron next year.
“We have a state team next year, and we can really improve if we just hit the weight room and stuff like that. We have to build together—we have a lot of upcoming sophomores and freshmen [who will contribute],” he said.
The Tigers will need to rely on its underclass players, as the team will graduate 16 seniors this year.
Horton, though, remains optimistic about next year’s prospects.
“We have a good group of guys who have played together for a while, so we should have some good leadership,” he said. “I look forward to them working really hard in the offseason to get better.”
