West Charlotte vs. Cox Mill: Week 3 Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Week 3 is a great non-conference slate across the state with several top teams playing not just away from home, but also outside of their cities. However, one of the best matchups of the week is between two schools just 20 minutes down the road from one another. Our own Matt Morrow will have boots on the ground, so here we give a West Charlotte vs. Cox Mill preview.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Players to Watch in West Charlotte vs. Cox Mill</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Players to Watch: Offense</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are several talented prospects in this one and several of them play both ways. It's a heavy junior class for West Charlotte and Cox Mill with nine prospects from that class in our database playing in this game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While this game is propsect-heavy on the defensive side of the ball, there are several offensive standouts to watch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='284093' first='Jordan' last='Cleaves'] is an elite playmaker at receiver who moved up substantially in our latest rankings update. He'll play all over the offense, but he's at his best when he's given a free release on the outside.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the other side of the field, athlete [player_tooltip player_id='1149032' first='Marcus' last='Sales'] is used all over, but he's at his best when he's at receiver, like his father who played in the NFL for the Falcons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On the offensive line for Cox Mill, [player_tooltip player_id='1199378' first='Xavier' last='Noje'] is a guy to watch. He's big and strong, and improving in pass protection every game. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1278252' first='Lincoln' last='Carlberg'] is mobile, but inexperienced and he'll be tasked with delivering the football to Sales and Cleaves. Running back [player_tooltip player_id='630404' first='Mason' last='Emery'] is also looking for a varsity breakout.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For West Charlotte, offensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id='1360432' first='Justin' last='Wilson'] is someone worth paying attention to. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The offense is young at the skill positions, but there's a ton of upside. On the outside, sophomore duo [player_tooltip player_id='1395229' first='Christian' last='Coleman'] and [player_tooltip player_id='378926' first='Davion' last='Jones'] are a handful, and the Lions have a potent scoring offense to complement the stingy defense. Sophomore quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1321007' first='Jamouri' last='Nichols'] has big-time potential and is a true dual-threat who is just growing into his game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Players to Watch: Defense</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have to start with linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='949642' first='Michael' last='Griffin'], the Lions' star defensively. He has plenty of high-level offers and could challenge for the top player in the 2027 class. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='473951' first='Antoine' last='Johnson'] anchors the defensive line, and while we've listed Ki'Anthony Smith as an athlete, he plays mostly as a linebacker-safety hybrid for the Lions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Senior defensive back duo Peewee Jones and [player_tooltip player_id='1360442' first='Noah' last='Collins'] are committed to Charlotte and Lenior-Rhyne, respectively. They'll try to cause issues for the talented Cox Mill offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cox Mill's defense isn't too shabby either. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1153738' first='Micah' last='Bright'] is a really intriguing defensive back prospect who has had an excellent start to the season with four tackles for loss in two games. Linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1396561' first='Jacob' last='Moore'] </strong>has added 12 tackles while senior <strong>Luke Calloway </strong>has made 16 stops and a sack.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1600409' first='Amir' last='Childs']</strong> has added some pass-rushing juice, with two sacks in two games. They'll need a strong pass rush to make it difficult on Nichols to deliver to his top targets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cox Mill vs. West Charlotte Prediction</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I think West Charlotte is a bit deeper and should be able to hold up a little better on defense. The Lions' defense should make it difficult on Cox Mill's offense to work down the field. Cox Mill will need to establish the run, but that will be difficult against this group of linebackers. We're in for a great game, but I think West Charlotte pulls it out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Prediction: </strong>West Charlotte 34, Cox Mill 21</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->