Millbrook defensive lineman Markez Wilbert (33) reacts after his sacking of Jordan quarterback Landon Melton (2) during the second half. The Millbrook Wildcats and the Jordan Falcons met in the third round of the NCHSAA 8A football playoffs in Raleigh, N.C. on November 21, 2025.
Even the flashiest, highest-scoring teams eventually find themselves relying more heavily on defense and the run game the deeper into the playoffs they trudge.
When a team already relies on those two elements for efficiency, though, and especially on a damp, drizzly night, the odds are forever in your favor.
Millbrook has been as defensively solid as any team in North Carolina this season, and on a dank fall night on which the Wildcats’ offense took a while to find its traction, the defense again came through. The offense eventually also found its footing as No. 2 Millbrook dispatched No. 3 Jordan, 27-10, in the NCHSAA 8A regional semifinal round in Raleigh on Friday.
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The win sends Millbrook, a team chock-full of junior contributors on both side of the ball, to the East region final against top-seeded Hoggard of Wilmington, which trounced No. 5 Rolesville, 40-14, on Friday.
Asher Holland started the scoring for the visiting Falcons, booting a 45-yard field goal in the opening quarter. It turned out to be Jordan’s only lead of the game, though the Falcons held onto it for a while.
Hayes Brawner broke through for Millbrook later in the second quarter, returning a fumble 18 yards for a score. The extra point made it 7-3, Wildcats.
Millbrook would have been content to run into halftime with a lead on the cold and drizzly night, but the defense wasn’t done shining. The Wildcats’ Marcus Caldwell nabbed an interception in their own zone, and following a long pass from Bryson Gray to Malachi Thomas, Santonis Wright scampered into the end zone for 10 yards and another Millbrook touchdown.
The Gray-to-Thomas connection worked its magic again in the final minute of the half, giving the home-standing Wildcats a 21-3 advantage at the break.
A heavy dose of Wright to start the third quarter yielded another score for Millbrook, which effectively put the game away on the first drive of the second half.
Jordan added its lone touchdown early in the fourth quarter when Landon Melton found Steve Esdaille in the end zone. Holland’s extra point pulled the Falcons to within 17 at 27-10.
More triangle scores
8A
No. 1 Hoggard 40, No 5 Rolesville 14
7A
No. 1 Cardinal Gibbons 40, No. 8 Hillside 19
No. 4 Garner 63, No. 5 Cape Fear 26
No. 3 Clayton 47, DH Conley 7
No. 7 Southeast Raleigh 49, No. 2 Cleveland 37
6A
No. 3 Middle Creek 31, No. 6 Southern Alamance 30
Staff Report
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