Hough football ranks No. 2 in USA TODAY East poll

Cornelius' Hough Huskies are the No. 2 high school football team in the eastern United States, according to USA TODAY Sports' Super 15 East Region rankings released Monday, Oct. 5.

The defending North Carolina Class 8A state champions sit at 6-0 and trail only St. Frances Academy of Baltimore (5-0) in the East Region poll. MaxPreps ranks Hough No. 1 in North Carolina and No. 17 nationally, while the NC Football News Fabulous 15 composite had the Huskies atop the state after Week 6. USA TODAY also named Hough the top team in North Carolina in its national Super 50 state-by-state rankings entering October.

Head coach DeShawn Baker's squad hosts Garinger in a Greater Charlotte conference game Friday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m. The Huskies had a bye in Week 7.

Dominant run through six games

Hough has steamrolled its schedule. The Huskies opened with a road win over Northwestern of South Carolina on Aug. 21, beat Cardinal Gibbons on Aug. 29 at Bank of America Stadium, then topped Providence Day 30-3 on Sept. 4. They routed Mooresville 49-10 on Sept. 11, shut out Green Run of Virginia Beach 45-0 on Sept. 19 and blanked West Mecklenburg 44-0 on Sept. 25 in their conference opener.

Through five games, the starting defense had allowed just two touchdowns, and the Huskies had outscored opponents 174-33, according to a Lake Norman Publications recap of the Green Run win. The West Meck shutout only padded those numbers.

"They stepped off the bus all rowdy, talking junk to us and everything, so they just poked the bear," Baker told Lake Norman Publications after the Green Run blowout on Sept. 19.

Talent across the roster

Senior quarterback Ethan Royal, a Marshall commit, led Class 8A in combined passing and rushing yards last season with 29 passing touchdowns and 14 rushing scores. Junior running back Jamarion Morrison, the 2025 state championship game Offensive MVP, averages 70.5 rushing yards per game. Senior wide receiver Jahmere Anderson leads the team with five total touchdowns.

The defense is anchored by senior Michael Griffin Jr., who has eight sacks through six games. Junior linebacker Ryan Peterson averages six tackles per game. Senior Josh Dobson, a South Carolina commit named one of the nation's top 15 cornerbacks before the season, and senior Sincere Daye, who has two interceptions, lock down the secondary.

Title defense and local pride

Baker said after last season's championship that winning gave the program "the taste that you want to be back," as he told Cornelius Today in an August preseason feature. The Cornelius Town Board recognized the team at its April 20 meeting, where Mayor Bilodeau presented Baker with an achievement certificate. Hough has posted a 70-9 record over the last six seasons, including 28-2 over the last two.