The final week of the 2024 regular season for North Carolina’s Division III football teams brought mixed emotions, with Brevard capping off its season with an impressive win and Greensboro celebrating a record-setting performance despite a tough loss. Here’s a closer look at the day’s action.
Brevard Closes Strong with a Dominant Victory Over Kentucky Christian
In their 2024 season finale, the Brevard Tornados (6-3) delivered a commanding 41-25 win over Kentucky Christian (2-9), marking their first six-win season since 2021.
Graduate running back Chancellor Lee-Parker proved the star of the day, rushing for a career-high 208 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. This performance cemented Lee-Parker’s legacy as one of Brevard’s all-time greats, with 2,215 career rushing yards and 23 touchdowns—both top marks since the program’s transition to D3.
Graduate wide receiver Zackary Orr also closed out a stellar career, hauling in six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown, bringing his season totals to 837 yards and 10 touchdowns, both ranking second in Brevard single-season history.
Junior quarterback Ethan Beamish contributed two touchdown passes, while the defense was anchored by Robert Dorsey, who tallied three-and-a-half sacks, bringing his season total to a conference-best 11.5.
The Tornados’ offense exploded for 41 unanswered points through the third quarter, including a 66-yard touchdown connection between Beamish and Orr, a 17-yard scoring strike to Joseph Cuellar, and a 40-yard pick-six by Dre Burton. The Tornados’ balanced attack and stifling defense capped a memorable season, which included five wins in conference play. Brevard scored 40 or more points in five different games.
Greensboro’s Max Steele Breaks School Record At Huntingdon
Despite a 38-7 loss to Huntingdon (7-3), Greensboro’s Max Steele etched his name in the program’s history books by breaking the all-time career tackles record. Steele recorded 11 tackles in the game, bringing his career total to 381, surpassing the previous record of 373 set by Allen Stallings (2007-11).
Freshman linebacker Frank Walker showcased his potential with a career-high 12 tackles, including three tackles for loss and two sacks. On offense, quarterback Tareek Smith connected with Shamar Privette for Greensboro’s lone touchdown, a 2-yard pass in the first quarter.
The Pride wrapped up their season at 1-9, but Steele’s milestone and Walker’s breakout performance offered bright spots for the program as it looks toward the future.
Other Games: Tough Endings for NC Wesleyan, Methodist and Guilford
- NC Wesleyan (4-6, 4-4 USA South) showed flashes of resilience in a 35-14 loss to conference champion Maryville. Freshman quarterback Javier Rice connected on two long touchdown passes, including a 67-yarder to Rahmir Anderson, but special teams miscues and a dominant second half from Maryville sealed the Bishops’ fate. Running back Anthony Byrd impressed with 104 rushing yards on 19 carries.
- Methodist (1-9, 1-7 USA South) fell 26-3 to Belhaven despite a strong defensive effort. Linebacker Omar Goodwin led the team with 10 tackles, while kicker Samuel Andrae accounted for the Monarchs’ only points with a 22-yard field goal.
- Guilford (3-7, 0-7 ODAC) struggled in a 58-0 loss to Bridgewater. Defensive back Tristan Bailey stood out with two interceptions, but the Quakers’ offense was stifled all afternoon, managing just 77 total yards. Guilford honored 14 seniors and inducted a new Hall of Fame class during the game.
Top 5 Performers of the Week
- Chancellor Lee-Parker (Brevard) – 208 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns, program’s second-best single-game rushing performance.
- Max Steele (Greensboro) – 11 tackles, broke school record for career tackles (381).
- Robert Dorsey (Brevard) – 6 tackles, 3.5 sacks, season total of 11.5 sacks leads the conference.
- Anthony Byrd (NC Wesleyan) – 104 rushing yards on 19 carries, his eighth 100-yard game of the season. Byrd, a senior who played at Wallace-Rose Hill High, concluded the year with 1,340 yards and 10 TDs
- Frank Walker (Greensboro) – 12 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 sacks.
Did we miss your favorite moment from the NC D3 football finale? Share it with us on social media using #NCFootballNews!
Also, be on the lookout for our NC Football News post-season D3 “All-North Carolina” honors list. We’ll publish those in December/January as the gridiron season closes in the Old North State.
This story was compiled and written with the assistance of ChatGPT. All content is reviewed and edited by real humans to ensure accuracy and quality.
