The Guilford County Board of Commissioners took a break from budgets, tax debates and policy discussions on Thursday night, March 5, to recognize one of the state’s most successful high school athletic programs – the Grimsley High School football team.

The meeting at the Old Guilford County Court House included a special presentation honoring the Whirlies’ 2025 state championship season. Players lined up in front of the board as Commissioner Mary Beth Murphy read a resolution celebrating the team’s accomplishments.

That night the meeting room was packed with people who wanted to speak to the board about their fear of a property tax rate increase this year, so Chairman of the Board Skip Alston moved the resolution up to being the first item on the agenda – after the prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.

Alston said it was because the players had to get up in the morning and go to school.

After the resolution was adopted, the players shook hands with the commissioners and gathered for a group photo in front of the board.

The team’s head coach, Darryl Brown, then spoke briefly to thank the county for recognizing the program and thanked the team for the work put in by the players.

The resolution noted that Grimsley High School – originally founded in 1899 as Greensboro High School and later known as Greensboro Central High School and Greensboro Senior High School – is the oldest public secondary school in Guilford County and one of the oldest high schools in North Carolina.

According to the resolution adopted that night by the commissioners, the 2025 season was historic even by Grimsley’s already high standards.

“For the third time in six years, Grimsley’s football program has won the North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4A State Championship and ends the 2025 season with a perfect 15-0 record upon defeating the Clayton Comets in December,” the resolution states.

The team’s success has been part of a remarkable run under Brown’s leadership. The resolution also noted that the program had compiled 31 straight victories and credited “extremely talented student athletes, who have successfully navigated the academic and athletic fields through hard work, perseverance, and dedication to the goal of excellence.”

Grimsley’s football program has been one of the most dominant in North Carolina in recent years.

The Whirlies captured the NCHSAA 4A state championship in 2020 and again in 2023, and the 2025 title marked the third state championship for the program in the last six years. The team has regularly been ranked among the top high school programs in North Carolina and has produced a good number of players who’ve gone on to play college football.

The 2025 championship run capped a perfect season. Grimsley finished the year 15-0 and defeated Clayton in the state championship game in December to secure the title.

Thursday’s ceremony at the commissioners meeting highlighted not only the team’s on-field success but also the broader community support behind the program. The resolution specifically recognized the players, coaches, athletic boosters, parents and others who helped make the championship season possible.

“Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Guilford County Board of Commissioners recognizes and celebrates the 2025 Grimsley High School football team, coaches, athletic boosters, parents, and all other members of their support network,” the resolution states.

The 2025 championship team was led by quarterback Faizon Brandon, who is widely regarded as one of the top high school quarterbacks in the country. Brandon has drawn national attention and has committed to play at the University of Tennessee.

By the time of Grimsley’s undefeated 2025 championship season, Brandon had become the centerpiece of the offense. Known for his size, arm strength and mobility, he’s helped lead an offense that routinely put up large point totals during the Whirlies’ recent championship runs.

Recruiting services have consistently ranked him among the top quarterback prospects in the nation for the 2026 recruiting class, and he received offers from numerous major college programs before committing to Tennessee.

The editor/owner of the Rhino Times is a proud Grimsley graduate, though when he was in school the team was not very good and despised rival Page would win every year.  His senior year he prayed, “Please do not let us lose to Page again this year,” and that game ended in a tie.

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