Mount Airy, N.C. — HighSchoolOT stopped by Mount Airy High School to take in one of the Granite Bears’ final spring practices of 2023. The Bears are the reigning 1A state champions. Mount Airy took down Tarboro by a score of 20-7. Here’s a look at some of the things I learned.
Okay, I’ll admit, there wasn’t very much to be learned here. The Granite Bears return a preposterous 17 starters from last year’s championship team. There are a number of college prospects, two of which are committed to Virginia Tech: running back Tyler Mason and defensive end Deric Dandy.
Mason has a strong argument to be the best running back in North Carolina this season. He was possibly the best as a junior last fall. The First Team HighSchoolOT All-State rusher totaled over 2,300 yards on the ground and scored 52 total touchdowns in 2022. Most impressively, Mason didn’t even play in the second half of most of Mount Airy’s games. Mason has a prototypical 6-foot, 190-pound frame. He runs solidly in the 4.4s and has the kind of natural strength that makes defenders slip off of him. Mason has a chance to end up as one of the top five touchdown scorers in state history.
Dandy got hurt early in the state championship game, so he might still be a little unfamiliar to high school football fans in the state. The first thing to know about Dandy is he is one of the great leaders on this team. Secondly, his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame gives him a load of potential at the next level. Dandy led Mount Airy with 33 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks last fall.
Rising senior leaders Ian Gallimore and Walker Stroup are the types of guys that will be involved on almost every play. Gallimore is charged with running Mounty Airy’s frantic triple option offensive attack from his quarterback position and quarterbacks the defense as its middle linebacker. Gallimore led Mount Airy in tackles last fall with 138. Stroup was second on the team in tackles from his free safety position with 112. He also led the team in receiving with 511 yards and six touchdowns on 18 receptions. Additionally, Stroup does an excellent job handling the Granite Bears’ kickoff and punting duties.
Wide receiver/defensive back Mario Revels looked very smooth in practice. Revels is the team’s second-leading receiver. As a defender, Revels has managed to intercept five passes in each of his last two seasons on varsity.
The Granite Bears have two other running backs that could start on a number of high school teams. Rising senior Caleb Reid is a powerful runner and a very good linebacker on defense. Reid picks up a lot of the dirty yards for the Bears. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound back scored 14 touchdowns and had a hundred tackles on defense. Reid could be an effective lead back on a number of high school teams.
Rising sophomore speedster Taeshon Martin is one of a few players in Mount Airy’s 2026 class that will keep the Bears a contender despite this season looking like a senior-heavy group. As the Bears’ third running back last season, Martin rushed for just under 600 yards and 10 touchdowns. As he continues to get stronger with the increased high school weight training, Martin will probably have those numbers even higher.
Here are two other players to know in that class of 2026: defensive linemen D.J. Joyce and Third Floyd. Mount Airy needed Joyce to step up in a big way when Dandy went down in the state championship game and he did just that. Tarboro tried to test Joyce but he seemingly made key stop after key stop. Floyd is a space controller at nose tackle. The 5-foot-11, 320-pound tackle presents a challenge of size and strength that many 1A teams aren’t able to handle. Floyd was effective in his role at the state championship and truly is only scratching the surface of how problematic he can be to opposing offensive lines.
The biggest loss to graduation for Mount Airy might be offensive lineman Cam’ron Webster, Joyce’s older brother. The Granite Bears still have Division I prospect Spencer Baldwin back up front. Baldwin has a huge 6-foot-6, 260-pound frame and a big personality to go with it. Baldwin could end up as a Group of 5/FCS-level player after he graduates next spring.
Mount Airy also lost solid defensive backs Connor Burrell and Logan Fonville. Burrell was third on the team in tackles with 107 and Fonville was second on the team in interceptions with four. The Granite Bears also have a coaching staff change. Offensive assistant Logan Holder took a job at Davie County following his graduation from college. Holder is the son of former Mount Airy head coach Kelly Holder.
The Granite Bears are the biggest favorite for a state championship of all N.C. High School Athletic Association teams.
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