This is always a special week in the Carolinas for high school football. Not only are we finally experiencing true football weather and seeing some exciting conference races, but we now know the players selected to represent North Carolina in the 76th Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.

The Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas is the oldest high school all-star game in the nation and always marks the end of the season. The North Carolina roster consists of 44 of the top players in the state, many of which will be playing at the highest levels of college football next season.

Many of those players have been household names for several years at the local level and a few may even have the opportunity to advance beyond the collegiate ranks to play professionally.

As we take a look at this week’s top games, several of the players selected to the Shrine Bowl will have a chance to make an impact on some conference championship chases.

Knightdale at Garner
We all know about Garner, at (8-0) they’re a Top-10 ranked team and were the state 4AA runner-ups from a year ago. What you may not have realized though is that Knightdale is coming into this game at (7-1) and this game should settle the Greater Neuse River 4A championship.

Garner linebacker Tim Thorb was selected this week to be a member of this year’s Shrine Bowl team as a tight end and fullback.

Asheville at T.C. Roberson
In Western NC, traditional power Asheville will travel down Interstate 26 to Skyland where they will take on the undefeated Roberson Rams. Robeson has been receiving Top-10 votes all season and are led by two Shrine Bowl bound players, quarterback Noah Suber and offensive linemen Jeff DeLeon.

The Rams have had a magical season thus far and have been able to shed off challengers, but the battle against the Cougars could be their toughest challenge yet.

North Davidson at West Forsyth
The West Forsyth Titans put a kink in the Central Piedmont Conference title hopes of Davie County last week and they hope to be the first team to knock off North Davidson this week. North has steam-rolled everyone on in their path to advance to an (8-0) record.
While West Forsyth only has a (4-3) record, the three losses they have suffered were to three teams with a combined 20-2 record. (Reagan, Richmond County, East Forsyth)

Pine Forest at Douglas Byrd
While this is a non-conference game, it could still have playoff seeding implications as these two (6-2) teams collide in Fayetteville.

Byrd is a perennial 3A contender but Pine Forest has emerged on the scene after posting a (1-10) season last year. Byrd is led by Shrine Bowl bound running back Garry Lewis.

North Carolina Shrine Bowl Roster

No.	Player	Pos.	School
1	T.J. Logan	RB	Northern Guilford
2	Khris Francis	RB	Durham Hillside
3	Daryl Wilson	WR	Hendersonville
4	Noah Suber	QB	Asheville Roberson
6	Matt Wogan	K	Indian Trail Porter Ridge
7	Chris Blair	DB	East Forsyth
9	Malik Diggs	DB	Scotland County
10	Dequaivs Mann	DB	Northern Nash
12	Carlis Parker	QB	Statesville
15	Korrin Wiggins	DB	Durham Hillside
19	B.J. Beecher	QB	Concord
20	Larenz Bryant	LB	Charlotte Vance
22	Pharoh Cooper	WR	Havelock
24	Tim Thorb	HB/TE	Garner
26	Garry Lewis	RB	Fayetteville Byrd
28	Brian Walker	DB	Charlotte Mallard Creek
30	Keeon Johnson	WR	Kannapolis Brown
32	Kalif Phillips	RB	Kannapolis Brown
33	Jack Tocho	DB	Charlotte Independence
34	Demetrius Oliver	WR	Ashbrook
35	Sean Wiggins	LB	Matthews Butler
36	A.J. Copeland	DB	Havelock
37	Quinton Patterson	LB	Shelby Crest
40	Nazair Jones	DE	Roanoke Rapids
42	Dane Rogers Jr.	DL	Shelby Crest
44	Artemis Robinson	LB	Scotland County
46	Tristan Mumford	LB	Statesville
48	Lachasten Smith	LB	South Iredell
51	Blake Dueitt	DL	Cornelius Hough
62	Tyrone Crowder	OL	Richmond County
64	Cole Blakenship	OL	Davie County
70	Ryan Gould	OL	West Forsyth
72	Eric McCauley	OL	Shelby
73	Christian Matau	OL	New Bern
74	Patrick Roane	OL	Gray's Creek
75	R.J. Prince	OL	Albemarle
79	Jeff Deleon	OL	Asheville Roberson
81	Tyquan Lewis	LB	Tarboro
82	Aaron Clay	WR/RB	Eastern Alamance
83	Lewis Neal	DE	Wilson Hunt
85	Kirk Donaldson	TE	Charlotte Vance
89	Devante Covington	DL	Richmond County
90	Jordan Starnes	LB	South Stanly
99	Greg Gilmore	DL	Hope Mills South View

Head Coach: Nelson Smith (Garner)
Assistant Coaches: Russell Stone (Fayetteville Byrd), Doug Illing (Davie County), Adrian Snow (West Forsyth), Mike Byus (East Lincoln), Dave Grant (Burlington Williams), B.J. Laughter (Hendersonville).