The 2026 Western North Carolina high school football preseason is in the rearview mirror.
WNC high school football teams played their last scrimmage ahead of their Week 1 contests on Aug. 21.
Here are three takeaways the Citizen Times and Times-News have after two weeks of preseason scrimmages.
Pisgah doesn't rebuild, it reloads
Despite the Bears graduating 22 seniors a season ago, they still have a team capable of contending for a Mountain Eight Conference championship. Pisgah gave Asheville High, one of the best teams in WNC, fits for a half, before falling 21-13 on Aug. 14.
Running backs Easton Frady and Zaiden Monteith and Pisgah's offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage on two consecutive drives at the end of the first quarter and beginning of the second.
"I learned we can get off the football," Pisgah coach Ricky Brindley said. "We can bloody people's noses still."
Defensively, the Cougars drove down the field and scored two passing touchdowns after a pair of coverage busts. The Bears also forced and recovered two critical fumbles on two other drives. The last one gave them a chance to tie the game with 30 seconds left on Asheville High's 26-yard line.
"To be able to force a fumble last week against Erwin when we beat them 14-0 in a quarter of play and then come out here and force two turnovers tonight," Brindley said. "That's big for our offense, especially for us being able to keep the ball away from people as we do."
Tae Williams shines for Asheville High in shootout
Asheville High has one of the deepest collections of skill-position talent in WNC, and quarterback Tae Williams appears ready to take full advantage of it.
He found Skyes for a 23-yard touchdown and then Davis for a 33-yard touchdown late in the scrimmage. Williams didn't have many passing attempts with Pisgah controlling the time of possession, but he shined with his limited snaps.
"He's a coach on the field," Asheville High coach Cort Radford said. "He has a complete understanding of what we're trying to do. He understands the run game, the protection game and the passing game."
Franklin offense dazzles against Reynolds
The Panthers are expected to be one of WNC's best teams in 2026. Franklin showed why the expectations are justified and made a strong case for why it should be considered the best in a 24-6 win over Reynolds in its first scrimmage on Aug. 7.
The offense impressed, scoring four touchdowns on its 10-play series. Young rushed for two touchdowns, including a 30-yard score where he shook off several Rockets defenders. Terrell ran for a touchdown and threw for another. Harrison caught a touchdown pass and finished with more than 100 receiving yards, including two explosive plays.
"We've got a good team, and I knew we were going to have one," Franklin coach Josh Brooks said. "Expectations are high, and they should be. We didn't win or lose anything, but we've got a mark now, and we're going to work to get better from here."
Zachary Huber is a high school sports reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him at zhuber@gannett.com or follow him on X @zacharyahuber.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Pisgah impressive in final tune-up. Our three takeaways from WNC scrimmages
