Greater Charlotte Athletic Conference Media Day

<p>The Greater Charlotte Athletic Conference held its annual Media Day at Hough High School recently. As a reminder, the teams making up this new conference include Hough, Myers Park, South Mecklenburg, West Mecklenburg, Hopewell, and Garinger. I will provide a brief summary of each team and a full video of the interviews conducted with each team and its players. </p>   <p><strong>Hough Huskies</strong></p>   <p>The host school, Hough, was in good spirits and for good reason; they have plenty of talent and are the favorite to win this conference and compete for a state title. Head Coach DeShawn Baker told me that this season, the goal is State Championship or bust. Hough is fully aware of the failures of the past and won't accept anything less. I thought it was interesting that Coach Baker also added that they felt player accountability would be a major difference for this year's team compared to last year. Joining Baker at Media Day were QB [player_tooltip player_id='254550' first='Ethan' last='Royal'], LB [player_tooltip player_id='950969' first='Ryan' last='Peterson'], and DB [player_tooltip player_id='1788073' first='Jackson' last='Heath']. Check out the full media availability from Charlotte Football Insiders below. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/l4r_1eQKT3M?si=iT8xE0EwQRUlGLR8 </div></figure>   <p><strong>Myers Park Mustangs</strong></p>   <p>Head Coach Chris James was direct in his comments to me last season, saying that their 4-6 record was disappointing and that they acknowledged it wasn't good enough per their own expectations. The Mustangs have a large number of seniors who have played together since their youth football days, and it is very important to them to have a season to cement their legacy amongst past Mustangs, including New England Patriots QB Drake Maye. Coach James brought with him MLB [player_tooltip player_id='1751625' first='Hank' last='Thrasher'], RB Josh Falzarano, and WR Miles Young. Check them out below. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/I-sWAum9cmU?si=34sH7Q8Qg4LXFtiA </div></figure>   <p><strong> South Mecklenburg Sabres</strong></p>   <p>Head Coach Joe Evans was in a good mood at Media Day - I didn't get to talk with him on camera, but we had a good conversation about where his team is. The theme for the Sabres this season is #RoadWarriors because their stadium will be undergoing upgrades all year long, and they will not play any home games on campus. The Sabres also went to team camp and it was a strong bonding experience for the players and coaches overall. The Sabres are embracing the challenge, and should be a physically stronger, tight-knit group this season. Joining Coach Evans on Media Day were QB [player_tooltip player_id='1692403' first='Carter' last='Gillis'], TE [player_tooltip player_id='1600773' first='Quinn' last='Rucker'], and ATH Calloway Williams. Check them out below. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/QdQnimZypHc?si=RUXmNxGV_Z0xcdb0 </div></figure>   <p><strong>West Mecklenburg Hawks </strong></p>   <p>Longtime Hawks Head Coach Beady Waddell spoke very confidently at Media Day, stating that the expectation for his Hawks this season was 10 wins and competing for the conference championship. Coach Waddell's confidence comes from having some players who have grown with him through the years and are ready to have some breakout seasons. Waddell was particularly high on the three players he brought with him: RB Shawn Blackshear, LB [player_tooltip player_id='1788242' first='Tyson' last='Stancil'], and EDGE [player_tooltip player_id='1751633' first='Lavarus' last='Hines']. In particular, Waddell thinks Hines is a player who can produce 15 or more sacks this upcoming season. Both Blackshear and Stancil are juniors, while Hines is a senior. Check out the Hawks below: </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/5SitYICf3GQ?si=evWMqckg-xBFzQeI </div></figure>   <p><strong>Hopewell Titans </strong></p>   <p>New Titans Head Coach Brandon Sneed was in good spirits as his first year as being a Head Coach after being a long-time assistant at several schools. I actually coached with Brandon years ago at Waddell High School, and I'm very happy for him to get this opportunity to lead a program. The Titans don't have a ton of expectations on them, but Sneed is high on the three players that he brought with him to Media Day. QB Malachi Goudelock has some promising film from JV to where he should see some success moving up to varsity. ATH Miles Vanderspuy should help out at receiver and a couple of different positions defensively. DL Randrez Lyons should be a strong player on the interior defensive line also for the Titans. Check them out below: </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/8PmVMfdM310?si=xkcxplAZ8exysZ7A </div></figure>   <p>Garinger Wildcats </p>   <p>Head Coach Jupiter Wilson is in his first year leading the Wildcats and has done a good job in promoting the building of his program. Numbers are up, and there is a lot of positive momentum with the Wildcats right now. In speaking with Wilson and the players, they are optimistic that things are going in the right direction and that there is a lot more overall support in the program compared to past years. Wilson brought three talented players with him to Media Day: OL/DL Angel Vasquez, DB Sincere Watson, and LB Robert Shealey. Check out the Wildcats below. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://youtu.be/LPWMfgexx0s?si=K0Lo55fq98GplOne </div></figure>

The Greater Charlotte Athletic Conference held its annual Media Day at Hough High School recently. As a reminder, the teams making up this new conference include Hough, Myers Park, South Mecklenburg, West Mecklenburg, Hopewell, and Garinger. I will provide a brief summary of each team and a full video of the interviews conducted with each team and its players.