No. 1 Hough dominates Northwestern with defense, avoids upset to start the season
Hough High School’s football team entered some new territory Saturday.
Ranked as high as No. 20 in the nation, the Huskies came to Rock Hill’s District 3 Stadium to play S.C. state champion Northwestern. And while Northwestern ran onto the field with lots of emotion and energy, Hough came out more like it was heading to Applebee’s for the lunch special.
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And for much of its come-from-behind 15-10 win, Hough never seemed locked in.
The Huskies had 14 penalties, often at the worst times, had two kicks blocked and never got the offense going. Hough missed several big plays and forced coach DeShawn Baker to burn most of his timeouts due to personnel errors.
The new N.C. 8A state champions have always been the team trying to get to the top of the state’s high school football mountain, and they’ve never quite been hunted like they’re going to be now, as the certified top team in the Carolinas. Saturday, at least, Hough didn’t react to it well.
But … the Huskies have the type of defense that will keep them in most games.
In eight of their final 10 games of the 2025 season, Northwestern topped 50 points. Saturday, the Trojans struggled mightily with Hough, which sacked star QB Xavier Means 12 times.
Means gave his team an early lead when he scrambled for a 77-yard score, but Northwestern really didn’t move the ball a whole lot after that.
Even when Northwestern got a break, Hough mostly shut the door.
Northwestern sophomore Dash Holley blocked a punt in the third quarter, giving Northwestern the ball at the Hough 25. That led to a 25-yard field goal from Alex Bendt that gave the Trojans a 10-9 lead.
On the kickoff, Bendt hit a pop-up that Hough didn’t react to, and Northwestern recovered, with a chance for more points. But on the next play, the Huskies’ defense saved Baker’s team again: Michael Griffin tipped a Means pass and Joshua Dobson intercepted it.
Not long after that, Hough QB Ethan Royal, a Marshall commit, hit Jahmere Anderson with a 62-yard pass and a five-point lead.
And after two more sacks, Hough’s defense gave its offense the ball. The Huskies leaned on their huge offensive line and Jamarion Morrison ran effectively. It appeared to be the knockout drive, but a bad snap on third and four ended up in a 5-yard loss to the Northwestern 31.
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Hough kicker Cole Johnson tried a 47-yard field goal, but another bad snap led to the kick being blocked.
Northwestern got the ball near midfield with just over three minutes left. Guess what? That Huskies’ defense stood tall again.
On fourth and four with 2:10 left at the Hough 31, Northwestern went for the home run. The Trojans didn’t get it, throwing an incompletion in the end zone.
— Hough was ranked No. 41 in preseason by High School Football America in its national rankings. Northwestern was No. 65. Hough is ranked No. 25 nationally by USA Today and No. 20 by MaxPreps.
— Northwestern QB Xavier Means, an East Carolina commit, led the Trojans to a 13-1 record last season and an SC 5A Division II title. He threw for 2,873 yards and 25 touchdowns. He ran for 1,239 yards and 27 touchdowns. Means has true 4.3-second 40-yard dash speed.
— Hough tried to go for it on fourth and short three times in the first half. Each time, pre-snap penalties prevented the Huskies from even attempting the play.
— Hough’s Ryan Peterson had an interception and a tackle for a safety in the first half.
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Hough 7 2 6 0 — 15
Northwestern 7 0 3 — 10
FIRST QUARTER
NW: Xavier Means 77 run (Alex Bendt kick)
H: Jahmere Anderson 24 pass from Ethan Royal (Cole Johnson kick)
SECOND QUARTER
H: Safety. Ryan Peterson sacks Xavier Means in end zone.
THIRD QUARTER
NW: FG Bendt 25
H: Anderson 62 yard pass from Royal (run failed)
FOURTH QUARTER
This story was originally published August 22, 2026 at 7:04 PM.
