Hough Defeats South Pointe 14-10

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In a season opener featuring two championship hopefuls representing both Carolinas, Hough quarterback Ethan Royal made just enough plays — with both his arm and legs — to lead the Huskies to a gritty 14-10 win over South Pointe on Friday night at Bank of America Stadium.

It was a defensive slugfest from start to finish, with both teams combining for fewer than 450 total yards and averaging under four yards per play. But in the end, it was Royal who delivered in the clutch.

After trailing 10-7 with just over four minutes to play, Royal connected with Tyran Evans on a 40-yard bomb down the sideline that set Hough up at the 1-yard line. Two plays later, Royal plunged in for his second rushing touchdown of the night — this one with under three minutes left — to give the Huskies a comeback win.

“The last four years, we lost the first game of the season,” said Hough head coach Deshawn Baker. “To come in here and knock off a team like South Pointe, who is really talented… it’s great bragging rights for myself and the kids. They know everybody over there. The momentum carries on, and it’s a big win for the program.”

Royal finished the game 12-of-22 for 121 passing yards, while adding two touchdowns on the ground. Evans was his top target, hauling in three catches for 69 yards. On defense, linebacker LJ Porter was everywhere, racking up 11 tackles, including a sack and two tackles for loss.

South Pointe, a perennial power from South Carolina, struggled offensively for much of the game until head coach Bobby Collins made a bold move — inserting four-star South Carolina commit J’Zavien Currence at quarterback in the third quarter. Though Currence is projected to play safety at the next level, his versatility gave the Stallions a much-needed spark.

Currence engineered a seven-play, 31-yard scoring drive late in the third quarter, capping it with a tough 14-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7. He later led another drive that ended with a 20-yard field goal by the Stallions’ kicker, giving South Pointe a 10-7 lead with 4:04 remaining.

But that advantage wouldn’t hold, as Royal and the Huskies answered with their game-winning march. South Pointe had one final chance, but Hough senior Drew Johnson sealed the victory with an interception on the Stallions’ last possession.

“We went two or three series where we went three-and-out, and we couldn’t get nothing going,” said Collins. “I mean, we have a kid on our team that’s the number one player in South Carolina, 50 Division I offers.”

Currence finished with 154 passing yards on 11-of-22 attempts and added the lone Stallions touchdown. Defensively, South Pointe was anchored by highly-touted recruit Seth Tillman, who recorded seven tackles and three for loss.

The win moves Hough to 1-0, while South Pointe opens the season 0-1. Both teams are expected to be title contenders in their respective states, and Friday’s clash gave an early preview of the toughness and talent both programs bring into 2025.