Thursday, the Keep Pounding Classic returned to Bank of America Stadium with a doubleheader to kick off high school football in the state of North Carolina. The first game between Myers Park and Independence featured a host of Tar Heel targets in the 2026 class on both sides, but our focus was specifically on one of the top-rated players in the state, 4✮ EDGE Rodney Dunham.
It was a slow start for Dunham, the No. 56 overall prospect and No. 6 edge rusher in the class according to 247Sports, but a big strip sack later in the day sparked what was a solid second half. He finished the game with four total tackles, all of which were for a loss, and two sacks. The biggest play of the night came on a huge 3rd & 1 late in the game where he dragged down the running back for a loss and gave his offense a chance to take the lead late.
The talent was evident with Dunham throughout the day, but it was an up-and-down day for him. Early on, he was pushed around by offensive tackle Sidiq Cabaniss-Ali, especially on run downs, allowing for a few big running plays off tackle for the Independence offense. At 6’4, 227 lbs., it is no shock that brute strength isn’t the way that he wins a lot of reps, but it was very noticeable how much Cabaniss-Ali overpowered him at time. When he needed a good bull rush, though, he came through, overpowering the tight end on that crucial 3rd down play allowing him to get in the backfield and drop the running back for a loss. He is an aggressive downhill pass rusher and it worked well for him on that play, but that aggression was taken advantage of by the Patriots’ offense early and often with read options and play action passes. What turned his afternoon around after a slow start was a beautiful strip sack where he showed promising speed and dip off the edge. He has a solid release off the line of scrimmage but is not so sudden that he can catch high-level opposing tackles off guard. The important thing to remember is that this was the first game of his junior season in high school and there is size there that you can’t teach and he stepped up when he needed to. Now it is about figuring out how to be more consistent when it comes to setting the edge in the run game and getting pressure on the quarterback.
This is the first of two scouting reports that we will be posting tonight from the Keep Pounding Classic, as we’ll look at 2026 5✮ TE Kendre Harrison in a game that be filled with some of the top players in the state of North Carolina.
Comments