On Wednesday, Aug. 15, the high school football season kicked off with Shelby (N.C.) High hosting Morganton (N.C.) Freedom High. The game was a little earlier than normal because Shelby was hosting the American Legion World Series.
Shelby has at least two prospect of high interest for NC State. Senior linebacker Jaylon Scott verbally committed to NC State in May over offers from Clemson, Colorado, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, Syracuse and West Virginia. The three-star prospect is rated the No. 41 outside linebacker nationally and the No. 31 player in North Carolina in the 2019 class by Rivals.com.
Shelby sophomore linebacker Jack Hollifield already reports offers from NC State, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia Tech. His older brother Dax Hollifield was a prized linebacker recruit in the 2018 class that picked Virginia Tech over Clemson and North Carolina.
The Freedom contest was also the debut of intriguing junior quarterback Isaiah Bess, who played on the junior varsity a season ago but at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds and with good arm strength is a player to watch going forward.
Here are five observations of each player from the game, which Shelby won 31-21, as well as video highlights of their performances.
