Team Preview: Chambers Cougars

As we get closer to the start of the season, we will be taking a look at team previews from across the Charlotte Metro Area. We have a lot of talented players here in the city, and every year there are new faces that will become the star of their teams on Friday Nights. We'll take a look at them, as well as the overall team prospects for the upcoming year!   Charlotte Area High School football has been the best overall in the state over the past 20 years, and most recently the standard has been the Chambers Cougars. Despite a loss in the championship game last season, the Cougars have been in 4 straight championship games at the 4A level, the highest level of school population in the state. The Cougars picked up two championships in that time period under the leadership of former Head Coach Glenwood Ferebee, who was responsible for 3 of those visits. This season, a new head coach steps in - Brandon Wiggins - and championship expectations surround them as talent continues to flow through the program.   Offensively, the Cougars look to be explosive led by dual-threat QB [player_tooltip player_id="44982" first="Anshon" last="Camp"], known as Bubba to most. Camp has looked excellent at camps and 7-on-7 competition this offseason and at 6'0 180 pounds with a 4.46 40-yard dash, he has the attention of a lot of colleges for sure. Even though [player_tooltip player_id="44973" first="Daylan" last="Smothers"], known as "Hollywood" has left the program and has committed to Oklahoma, the Cougars have some players that can get the job done at the running back position. Expect star linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="144923" first="Jordan" last="Thompson"] to help out some in the backfield at times along with some other backs that have been waiting patiently for their time in the spotlight. I expect an attack similar to when the Cougars won the State Championship two years ago where you had different backs that could specialize in different areas and complement each other.   However, the elite strength in this offense is in the Wide Receiver core where they have 4 legitimate threats to go the distance at any given time with the ball in their hands. It starts with [player_tooltip player_id="44975" first="Kevin" last="Concepcion"], the highly rated talent who is weighing offers from several schools at the moment. At 6'0 178 pounds, the 2023 standout makes the biggest of plays in big-time games and will command a lot of defensive attention this season. Zion Booker is a dynamic player as well who absolutely tore up competition in the camp circuit in the offseason, earning offers from multiple schools. He runs some great routes and has excellent hands. Sean Walker Jr. is an absolute speed demon that takes the tops off of defenses and allows his other guys to work short and intermediate routes as well. And [player_tooltip player_id="357705" first="Armon" last="Wright"] - the lone non-2023 player in this core as a 2024 player projects to be a dynamic slot threat that can get it done on the outside as well.   Expect the Offensive Line to be anchored by 2023 OL [player_tooltip player_id='1225768' first='Bryce' last='Lofton'] and 2024 OL Jeremiah Blaylock. These guys move mountains when they get going at 360 and 345 pounds respectively, and will be the strength of that unit up front. Defensively up front, expect DL [player_tooltip player_id="390579" first="Zairion" last="Jackson-Bass"] to lead the charge. The Cougars have had some standout defensive linemen in their recent history, and expect Jackson-Bass to continue that tradition - he has committed to Yale, a reflection of that young man overall!   In the back half of the defense, we mentioned Thompson earlier - he is a very talented player that I think flies a bit under the radar on a team with so much talent overall. At 6'0 200 pounds, he was a big-time player in the state championship game last year and I love his versatility - he's excellent in the run game and has the ability to cover tight ends and slot receivers as well. The secondary is loaded with talent - TJ Mcgill plays with the confidence and swagger you like to see at cornerback, and he has the talent to back it up as well. At 6'0 and 175 pounds he has picked up some college attention, but I expect more to come his way as the season gets started. 2024 DB Dontrae Henderson at 6'0 and 170 has talent as well, has excellent speed to match up in man, and flashes good discipline in zone coverage. DB Danari Mcilwain has also joined the Cougars and gives them additional talented depth in a critical spot.   The Cougars will have a big spotlight on them as they do a great job marketing their program on social media, so a lot of teams will be circling their matchup against them on their respective schedules. But, a couple of must-see games for them would include Week 1 in a rematch of the State Championship game against Cardinal Gibbons - a lot of people have mentioned the weather conditions of that game making a huge difference, so both sides will be super motivated for sure. The September 23rd matchup against rival Hough is always a great game - most notably because in the past couple of years they have met two times - once in the regular season and once in the playoffs, and there is plenty of history between the schools. Finally, the October 28th matchup against neighboring Mallard Creek will have plenty of juice as well.   I expect another excellent season from the Cougars - the Cougars are loaded with talent all over the place and should have another excellent season and playoff run in them, which has become the standard in the 704.

As we get closer to the start of the season, we will be taking a look at team previews from across the Charlotte Metro Area. We have a lot of talented players here in the city, and every year there are new faces that will become the star of their teams on Friday Nights. We'll take a look at them, as well as the overall team prospects for the upcoming year!