Lincoln County, Mountain Island Charter football team-by-team previews, bold predictions

The 2024 North Carolina high school football season is drawing ever closer.

The Gaston Gazette and Shelby Star are previewing teams in Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties. Here’s what to be on the lookout for among the four Lincoln County schools (East Lincoln, Lincolnton, North Lincoln and West Lincoln), as well as Mount Holly’s Mountain Island Charter as another NCHSAA football campaign nears.

Bold predictions

• East Lincoln: Highly regarded running back Christopher Daley II returns to form, more than doubling his rushing output of 710 yards from the 2023 season.
• Lincolnton: After back-to-back 6-6 seasons, the Wolves break through for their first winning campaign since 2016.
• Mountain Island Charter: The Raptors end their struggles against Catawba Shores 1A/2A rivals Community School of Davidson and Pine Lake Prep. MICS has one win over the two schools since the spring 2021 season.
• North Lincoln: Leading tackler Ryan Bassani reaches a couple milestones — 200 tackles in a season, with a total of 500 for his career.
• West Lincoln: The Rebels achieve nine wins for the third time in four years.

BIG SOUTH 3A PREVIEW: Gastonia, Shelby high school football 2024: Big South 3A top players, predictions

SOUTHERN PIEDMONT 1A/2A PREVIEW: Gastonia, Shelby high school football 2024: Southern Piedmont top players, predictions

12 players to watch

Ryan Bassani

North Lincoln, Sr.

The Knight tackling machine finished with 189 tackles (19 for a loss) last season, along with 3.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Jackson Beam

East Lincoln, Sr.

Led the Mustangs with 56 receptions for 750 yards and 10 touchdowns a season ago.

Keegan Bostic

West Lincoln, Sr.

Bostic is the Rebels’ top returning tackler after bringing down opposing ball carriers 75 times last fall, along with two sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Karson Cloninger

Lincolnton, Sr.

Cloninger is the Wolves’ top returning tackler, the linebacker bringing down 83 opposing ball carriers last fall. He has an added role this season, however, taking over at quarterback for his senior campaign.

Christopher Daley II

East Lincoln, Sr.

Led the Mustangs with 710 rushing yards last season, along with eight touchdowns. Daley begins his senior campaign with 2,477 career yards and 21 TDs.

Jake Dillingham

North Lincoln, Sr.

A weapon in the kicking game, he connected on 8-of-10 field goals last season, in addition to 46-of-47 extra points.

Grayson Harvey

Mountain Island Charter, Sr.

Harvey completed just shy of 57% of his passes last season for 3,440 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also rushed for 201 yards and three more TDs.

Grant Lawless

East Lincoln, Jr.

Completed 57.7% of passes last fall for 1,599 yards and 20 touchdowns. He threw one interception in 175 attempts in his initial season as the Mustangs’ starter.

Khavije Nixon

Lincolnton, Sr.

An all-Catawba Valley 2A performer last fall, the 6-foot-4, 258-pound lineman will anchor the Wolves’ offensive line.

Justice Washington

Mountain Island Charter, Sr.

Washington was among the area’s top receivers during the 2023 season, catching 62 passes for 1,303 yards and eight touchdowns.

Shannon Wingate

North Lincoln, Jr.

Averaged just shy of eight yards per carry as a sophomore, rushing for 1,179 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Jaylin Winnex

West Lincoln, Sr.

Winnex averaged just shy of 10 yards per carry as a junior, leading the Rebels with 1,472 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Five games to watch

• West Lincoln at North Lincoln (Aug. 23): West Lincoln has won each of its last three games against North Lincoln. Those games were won by an average of nine points, including a 21-20 win last fall.
• Hickory at East Lincoln (Sept. 20): A meeting between the last two NCHSAA 3A state champions. Hickory’s road to the 2023 title began in earnest with a 49-28 win over the Mustangs last season.
• Mountain Island Charter at Pine Lake Prep (Sept. 20): If MICS is to get out to a solid start in Catawba Shores 1A/2A, ending a two-game losing skid to Pine Lake Prep is a must.
• Statesville at North Lincoln (Sept. 20): A narrow 18-14 win by Statesville last year allowed the Greyhounds to secure a second-place finish in Western Foothills 3A. The matchup could again prove pivotal in league standings.
• Lincolnton at Maiden (Oct. 25): A pair of old rivals meet in what could be an important late-season matchup in Catawba Valley 2A. Last fall’s meeting needed overtime, Maiden outlasting Lincolnton 37-34.

Conference predictions

Western Foothills 3A

1. Hickory; 2. Statesville; 3. North Lincoln; 4. East Lincoln; 5. West Iredell; 6. St. Stephens; 7. North Iredell; 8. Foard

Catawba Valley 2A

1. Bunker Hill; 2. Maiden; 3. West Lincoln; 4. Lincolnton; 5. Newton-Conover; 6. Bandys; 7. East Burke; 8. West Caldwell

Catawba Shores 1A/2A

1. Community School of Davidson; 2. Mountain Island Charter; 3. Corvian Community; 4. Pine Lake Prep; 5. Bishop McGuinness; 6. Christ the King; 7. Winston-Salem Carver; 8. Winston-Salem Prep

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Lincoln County, Mountain Island Charter football team-by-team previews, bold predictions