Big South 5A/6A Conference Preview

My colleague Will Helms has started breaking down conferences and previewing teams ‘ MVPs – I am taking a play off of that series and choosing a team's most important player, providing a brief synopsis on where they stand, and then finishing up with a conference finish prediction.   High School football in the Charlotte, NC region has not only become some of the best in the state, but the best in the southeast and beyond, producing multiple players who go on to play major college football for Power 4 schools and on into the NFL. This new conference in the Big South 5A/6A is pretty similar to the previous Big South conference, featuring teams from the bigger schools in both Gaston and Cleveland Counties. Let's dive in and take a look!   Crest Chargers   Head Coach: Greg Lloyd   Team MIP: QB [player_tooltip player_id='1144640' first='Ely' last='Hamrick']   Ely is a big strong-armed prospect who has committed to play college football at Virginia. His talents fit very well with this Chargers offense that likes to stretch the field and make you defend all 100 yards. I've got him as their MIP because anyone else behind center doesn't have the special talents that Head Coach Greg Lloyd can unlock with this offense. If Ely has a big year, the Chargers will at the very least go deep in the state playoffs.   Analysis   Head Coach Greg Lloyd is back for another year and there is a ton of excitement in Boiling Springs for the Chargers. Their roster has been enhanced by new players coming into the fold, and they have talent and depth at just about every position on both sides of the ball. They ran into a buzzsaw at Hickory in the playoffs last year in a shootout, but with reclassification they are one of the favorites there to compete for a state championship. Lloyd is one of the best coaches in putting his players in position to be successful, and he's got a lot of talent at his disposal. The only question might be who's running the ball, but with so much skill talent - I'm sure someone will get the job done at the end of the day.   Forestview Jaguars   Head Coach: Chris Rayfield   Team MIP: Stephen Iyevbele Jr   It was interesting to dig into Forestview - they have been a relatively quiet program after making some noise in the late 2000s in Gastonia. Stephen is an EDGE prospect who stands at 6'3 and can command attention from the offensive line, which can in turn free up some other players on defense to make some plays on the field. I think the Jaguars currently have to win with defense as they're constructed, and Stephen is one of the best players they have on that side of the ball.   Analysis   Head Coach Chris Rayfield is back in his second season after replacing a long time head coach last year. I had a chance to speak to coach last year at the Gaston County Media Day, and he told me that things would be a little different under his leadership, so there were some growing pains to go through while doing a bit of rebuilding. Their quarterback is returning, but they will need to replace a couple of talented offensive linemen who were a big asset. The Jaguars should be better in the front 7 defensively, but they lost some good secondary players, so I think we're still in a bit of a building phase overall for Forestview.   Hunter Huss Huskies   Head Coach: Randy Thompson   Team MIP: DB [player_tooltip player_id='1368143' first='Zamarius' last='Gladden']   As I have said before, I think Zamarius is a good young man on and off the football field, having met him last year at a Media Day. Defensively he is all over the field racking up tackles as a defensive back, and he can hold up in coverage well also. As a senior, I think he will be one of the leaders for a Huskies' team that always has talent on both sides of the ball.   Analysis   Head Coach Randy Thompson returns and has a squad that can give people problems on any given Friday Night. They have a quarterback that can get the ball to their skill guys, and they have a few players who can do some things in space on offense, and get to the ball on defense. The big question, as it typically is with Hunter Huss, is depth. If they have enough numbers to play with the heavy hitters in this league for four quarters, then they can put a scare into some teams, like they did last season.   South Point Red Raiders   Head Coach: Adam Hodge   Team MIP: ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1277021' first='Patrick' last='Blee']   Patrick has been running this option for what seems like forever, but as the quarterback for the Redbone offense, he's very important to their overall success this season. Patrick has some Division 1 offers to play college football as an athlete, most likely playing a different position other than quarterback on the next level. He's a tough, athletic, and fast kid, and a leader for the Red Raiders who will be integral to their success this season.   Analysis   Head Coach Adam Hodge told me last year at the Gaston County Media Day that as long as he's the head coach, they will run the triple option, so there's no secrets about what's coming with the Red Raiders, but most teams can't stop it. That is what has had them in the playoffs year in and year out with impressive consistency. Defensively the Red Raiders have some talented secondary guys back, but I think the questions will be more in the front 7 as some talented guys graduated last year. Either way, South Point is always in the mix for a conference championship.   Ashbrook Green Wave   Head Coach: Darius James   Team MIP: LB [player_tooltip player_id='1246060' first='Caleb' last='Gordon']   Caleb is an absolute tackling machine for the Green Wave, and I love watching him play middle linebacker. His read steps and explosion to the football are very impressive. Caleb is committed to play college football at the University of Arkansas, and that is well deserved. Caleb is a leader for the Green Wave, and he has been a huge reason for their turn around defensive and as a program for the last couple of years.   Analysis   Head Coach Darius James has done an excellent job in a patient rebuild of the Green Wave football program. He has gone out and got good football coaches on his staff, developed his talent internally, and made Ashbrook the best team in Gaston County as a result of that work. This year's team is strong on the offensive line, and they have talent in the backfield and at every level of the defense. The only question I have is who will be under center, but whoever it is will have an opportunity to help lead the Green Wave deep into the state playoffs this year.   Kings Mountain Mountaineers   Head Coach: Strait Herron   Team MIP: WR/TE [player_tooltip player_id='1600212' first='William' last='Vaughn']   Committed to Boston College, William is a special chess piece for the Mountaineers on the offensive side of the ball. Defenses have to roll coverage to his side generally, and that can open up things for the offense both in the running game and passing away from him. At 6'4, William can highpoint the football very well against man coverage, and can even go play some EDGE on defense in spurts also as a nice additional treat.   Analysis   Coach Herron is back at the helm, and the Mountaineers went through some changes in the offseason. They will have a new quarterback under center that they are very excited about, a new talented running back, a big offensive line, and some young & talented skill guys on both sides of the ball. I think their big question is how does it all come together, as they will have a new offensive coordinator in the fold as well. But, the potential is there for them to have another strong season.   North Gaston Wildcats   Head Coach: Darrel Wilson   Team MIP: OL [player_tooltip player_id='1368110' first='Desmond' last='Simmons']   I have seen Desmond up close at CFI Showcases, and he's an athletic talent who has some good strength behind that athleticism. You can expect the Wildcats to run behind him whenever they need a key first down to keep the drive alive. Simmons also holds up well in pass protection, and I think he's flying under the radar for some recruiting attention from a college football standpoint. At 6'2 and 280 pounds, he would be an asset as an interior OL prospect.   Analysis   Head Coach Darrel Wilson is back to lead the Wildcats, and in his tradition, the Wildcats defense was better last season in his first year of leadership. And they will have some returning players on that side of the ball. But, if they are going to push towards the middle of the conference, they are going to have to find some more offense to complement those defensive improvements. Their quarterback should return, which will help, but they will need to find some playmakers who can do some special things with the ball in their hands.   Predicted Order Of Finish   First - Crest Chargers Second - Ashbrook Green Wave Third - South Point Red Raiders Fourth - Kings Mountain Mountaineers Fifth - Hunter Huss Huskies Sixth - North Gaston Wildcats Seventh - Forestview Jaguars   Final Word   Crest and Ashbrook are the best teams in Cleveland and Gaston Counties respectively, and that game I think will determine the conference championship. Ashbrook beat South Point twice last year, so I think they may have their number. Kings Mountain is a dangerous 4th place team no one wants to see in the state playoffs. I think Hunter Huss can push for the playoffs once again, while North Gaston and Forestview continue to lay the building blocks of their programs.

My colleague Will Helms has started breaking down conferences and previewing teams ‘ MVPs – I am taking a play off of that series and choosing a team's most important player, providing a brief synopsis on where they stand, and then finishing up with a conference finish prediction.