Why Chambers, Cardinal Gibbons will play a NC state championship rematch in South Carolina

The highly anticipated season-opening high school football game between Raleigh’s Cardinal Gibbons and Chambers High School won’t be played in North Carolina.

The two teams, who met in the N.C. 4A state championship game last season, will play each other Saturday, Aug. 20 at Rock Hill’s District 3 Stadium. The state championship rematch will be part of the Turf King Football City Invitational. It was originally scheduled to played at Chambers.

The doubleheader in Rock Hill will feature four of the Carolinas’ top programs.

Chambers and Cardinal Gibbons have won the past three N.C. state championships in the state’s largest class. The other two teams -- South Carolina’s Gaffney and South Pointe — are bona fide powers in their state.

Gaffney won the 5A state championship last season, and South Pointe won the 4A title.

New Chambers coach Brandon Wiggins said moving the game to South Carolina was an easy decision. Playing at District 3, which seats nearly 9,000, will allow more fans to see the game, and by pairing it with the South Pointe-Gaffney matchup, the doubleheader should draw heavy media attention, regionally and nationally.

“This is an opportunity to showcase our guys,” Wiggins said. “It’ll be a big game and draw a large crowd. We’re still close to home and our parents will still support us, and we’ll be fine.”

It’ll be third meeting between Chambers and Cardinal Gibbons in the past two seasons. Chambers beat Gibbons 35-29 last August in a game that didn’t end until well after midnight. It was postponed due to storms and lightning. Gibbons avenged that loss, upsetting Chambers 14-2 in the N.C. 4A championship game, played in a downpour at N.C. State.

Even though it’s his first game as Chambers’ new coach, Wiggins is well aware of the history between the two teams.

“It’s a redemption game,” Wiggins said. “It’s a great way to start the season. It sets the tone for us, and the fact that we’re playing a team we played in the state championship and fell short, well, it adds a cherry on top. I’m looking forward to seeing the guys compete and fly around. But it’s the first game of the season, too, so hopefully we’ll get a spark and really get going.”

Gibbons coach Steven Wright said he’s a little concerned that weather could play a big role in this game for the third straight time, due to the 4:30 kickoff.

“Yeah, it may be, once again, Round 3 with Chambers where we deal with the weather,” he said, “but a different type of weather with some heat.”

Despite that threat, Wright said playing a team like Chambers will do nothing but help Cardinal Gibbons as it tries to repeat as state champion.

“Anytime you get to match up with a high-level team in a non-conference situation, it does nothing but good for your program. It reveals to you, right away, where you are and things you need to work on. I think it benefits both teams.”

Turf King Football City Invitational

When: Saturday, Aug. 20 at Rock Hill’s District 3 Stadium

Kick-off times:

• 4:30 pm Cardinal Gibbons High School vs Julius Chambers High School

• 7:30 pm Gaffney High School vs South Pointe High School

Team highlights:

• Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders (Raleigh, NC)

• Julius Chambers Cougars (Charlotte, NC)

• South Pointe Stallions (Rock Hill, SC)

• Gaffney Indians (Gaffney, SC)