Friedman's takeaways: Opening weekend in North Carolina

It was opening weekend in North Carolina, and there were some huge games that involved some of the best prospects in the nation. Charlotte (N.C.) Mallard Creek traveled to Laurinburg (N.C.) Scotland and won 28-21 on Thursday night. Cornelius (N.C.) Hough hosted Charlotte (N.C.) Harding University on Friday night but lost 24-22.

In a tripleheader on Saturday, Charlotte (N.C.) West Mecklenburg beat Charlotte (N.C.) Vance 42-19, Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day beat Charlotte (N.C.) Olympic 41-26, and Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park beat Charlotte (N.C.) Country Day 31-0. Here are the five biggest takeaways from the weekend.

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White has kept a very low profile since the end of last season. He didn't participate in any camps or tournaments in the offseason, and people were beginning to wonder if he should still be ranked the top running back in the Rivals100. The Georgia commit put all concerns to rest on Thursday night when he gained over 300 total yards on less than 20 touches and scored three touchdowns against a Mallard Creek defense that is expected to be one of the best in the state.

Scotland came up short against Mallard Creek, but White nearly brought his team all the way back from a 21-0 deficit. He has always been a tough runner with good vision and excellent explosiveness, but his abilities as a receiver are much improved. That added versatility will help him see the field very early in his career in Athens.

Thursday night was also supposed to be a huge night for Davis. The four-star defensive tackle would have faced a huge task by trying to shut down White. Instead, Davis only played left tackle and didn't play a snap at defensive tackle. The Mallard Creek coaches admit they need him more at left tackle, and he could certainly play there in college. He is massive, very strong and is surprisingly quick. Davis got better and better as the game went on, but he has more work to do to be considered among the best at the position. North Carolina, N.C. State, Michigan, Georgia, Miami, South Carolina and Florida State are battling for Davis’ commitment.

The top of the running back rankings in the 2019 class is crowded, and Crouch made a sort of opening statement on Friday night. The 6-foot-3, 222-pound mammoth of a running back scored three times while amassing 264 yards on 22 carries and was a force at defensive end. Crouch recovered a fumble, had two sacks, made four tackles for a loss and had seven total tackles. There are very few running backs that can do what Crouch has done, and he's already garnered comparisons to former Alabama Heisman winner Derrick Henry because of his size. Don't get caught thinking Crouch is slow, either. He torched the speedy Hough defense for a 75-yard touchdown run and broke off a few other big runs to move Harding down the field. Harding will face teams with better defensive lines during this season, so it will be interesting to see how productive Crouch will be as the 2017 campaign progresses.

Brown took his game to a different level this season. The North Carolina commit has gotten much stronger while keeping his elite speed. Brown scored three total touchdowns on Saturday, and he would have had a fourth if it weren’t for a penalty. He made a couple of tough catches through contact and was very effective taking handoffs for sweeps around the edge. One of Brown’s touchdowns even came on a three-yard dive play where he had to fight through a few defenders. That’s not something Brown has been able to do in the past. Brown and fellow Rivals250 wide receiver Jordyn Adams will be major playmakers in Chapel Hill.

There were five major underclassmen on Saturday that played big roles in their teams’ wins. Providence Day’s elite sophomores Jacolbe Cowan and Porter Rooks were clearly at a different level than Olympic. Cowan had his way with the offensive lineman across from him and even stood up to play in space on a few plays. Rooks pulled in a tough touchdown catch in traffic, but his success this season will depend largely on consistent play from Providence Day’s quarterbacks.

Myers Park dominated Charlotte Country Day, and their major prospects seem to have taken their game to another level. Muhsin Muhammad, son of the former NFL wide receiver by the same name, is only a sophomore, but he was the best receiver for Myers Park. He pulled in a touchdown catch and was able to break free on numerous occasions. Junior wide receiver Elijah Bowick brings toughness to the wide receiver corps for Myers Park and had a nice catch down the field to help his team break the game open. Sophomore Cameron Roseman-Sinclair is a special player at his safety position. He is a big-time hitter and flies to the ball regardless of where it is thrown."