The Cardinal Gibbons football team will face off against the Hough Huskies in a not-so-typical high school football game.
As part of the Keep Pounding Classic hosted by the Carolina Panthers, these two football programs will play at Bank of America Stadium, which sits in the heart of uptown Charlotte. The stadium is home to the Carolina Panthers (NFL) and Charlotte FC (MLS).
Excitement around the halls and at practice is bubbling.
“I think it’s super cool, I think for us to be able to play in an NFL Stadium, I’ve never played in an NFL stadium… I think for a high school kid to play in a stadium like that, it’s awesome,” defensive coordinator Nick Drew said.
It won’t be the last time that many Cardinal Gibbons football players will be playing on Saturday nights. The Crusaders are littered with college football talent headlined by a defensive three-headed monster in seniors Xavier Hasan and Griffin Cockerham, and junior Skylar Alston.
Those three combine for 91 total collegiate offers. Cockerham is committed to N.C. State and Hasan is committed to Notre Dame. The Crusaders aren’t lacking in offensive talent as junior quarterback Mason Karras and sophomore running back Truth Caesar make up the heart of the team with a solid crew of receivers and an offensive line that helps facilitate the running game. Cardinal Gibbons is coming off a lopsided 45-6 victory versus Dudley.
Hough is a powerhouse football program who won the N.C. High School Athletic Association 8A state championship last year against Millbrook.
Hough has not lost a game since December 2024 and their roster includes talent such as senior quarterback Ethan Royal, who is committed to Marshall, and five-star senior defensive back Joshua Dobson, who is committed to South Carolina. Hough is coming into Week 2 off a 15-10 win over Northwestern, the No. 2-ranked team in South Carolina.
Coach Drew is excited for the challenge that Hough will bring.
“Anytime you get to play a defending state champion in Hough, you know they’ve got a ton of guys, they’re well talented,” Drew said.
Gibbons is no stranger to a competitive schedule. Later this year they will head to Akron, Ohio to face Archbishop Hoban.
Archbishop Hoban won five state championships in the span of six years from 2015-2020.
This is Gibbons’ first appearance in the Keep Pounding Classic and also the first time Hough and Cardinal Gibbons have faced each other on the gridiron.
