Greater Charlotte Athletic 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 Greater Charlotte Athletic Conference was an interesting mix of programs in some different stages of their current build. Let's dive in!   Garinger Wildcats   Head Coach: Jupiter Wilson   Team MIP: OL Z'Kuario Woods   Z'Kuario is one of the few returning players for the Wildcats from last season, where the Wildcats struggled. For Coach Wilson, the offensive line is essential, especially being a former star lineman at the University of North Carolina, and Z'Kuario having a strong season is essential for the Wildcats to have some offensive success to try and get some positive momentum going overall for their program.   Analysis   A lot of people in North Carolina know that Garinger has struggled for a lot of years since having some success in the early 2010s. I coached against those successful Garinger teams, and the key was that they had strong schemes on both sides of the ball, and they were able to keep a good group of talented kids together from JV through Varsity. Since those coaches left the school, it has been a revolving door of instability at their head coaching position. Wilson knows this and has stated several times this offseason that he feels a mission to see a full rebuild of their program over a number of years.   Garinger's non-conference schedule gives them a chance to compete in some games early on to build some confidence for a young team. I think that's a smart move. Competing in their conference will come down to whether they are able to develop enough depth that gives them a chance to hold up for 4 quarters to keep games relatively close. The advantage that they do have is, no one really knows who to key on right now, or is expecting much of them, so they can play without the pressure of those expectations.   Hough Huskies   Head Coach: DeShawn Baker   Team MIP: QB [player_tooltip player_id='254550' first='Ethan' last='Royal']   I have been around the Huskies a couple of times this summer for some college commitment ceremonies, and the word is that Ethan is looking very comfortable in his role as the starting quarterback for the Huskies. Ethan has had a good offseason, and his dual-threat ability will be a major plus for a Husky offense replacing some very good seniors who have moved on to play college football. The Huskies have a lot of talent overall on both sides of the ball, but Ethan is the essential one to make it all go and complement what should be a very good defense once again.   Analysis   People across the state love to lean on the fact that Hough has not gotten to the state championship game or won a state title yet, but you can't deny the level of success they have had under Coach Baker's leadership over the last couple of years. They absolutely dominate conference play consistently, they usually get a couple of playoff home games with a high playoff seed, and they routinely send talented players to play college football.   That being said, this year's edition of the Huskies, as it has been the last few years in Corneilus, will be measured by what they do in the postseason. They lost last season on the road at eventual state champion Grimsley in a great game that came down to the wire. Finding the one thing to get them over the hump in the postseason will be the key to whether this season is deemed a success or not, but as this article stands, I believe they are heavy favorites to win this conference.   Myers Park Mustangs   Head Coach: Chris James   Team MIP: LB [player_tooltip player_id='1751625' first='Hank' last='Thrasher']   When I started looking at the Mustangs and all the talent they possess on both sides of the ball, I thought that the connective piece that was MOST important was the linebacker position. I always feel like the Mustangs will find ways to score, and everyone knows about the secondary and defensive line talent they possess. But the leading tackler and the soul of the defense was Thrasher last season, and his physical play in stopping the running game in particular, I think, is very important for this Mustang team to bounce back from what I'm sure they believe was a disappointing season last year.   Analysis   Myers Park looked like a contender last season before their talented senior quarterback went down with a tough injury, and that really hurt their chances to contend for the playoffs and a conference title. However, I think out of that conflict, the Mustangs grew stronger as they played a lot of close games and gained a lot of experience that I think can pay off for them this year. The Mustangs have a couple of new players who I think can make a difference on both sides of the ball, and their offensive line has worked very hard this offseason. And I think that's going to be a major key to their success. They will be a team to watch that could make a playoff run if they get the right matchups.   South Mecklenburg Sabres   Head Coach: Joe Evans   Team MIP: OL [player_tooltip player_id='1136707' first='Nate' last='Baker']   The Sabres will lean on their offensive line to control games and time of possession, and that starts with Nate, who performed well in offseason camps and has a good bit of college interest. The Sabres lost a couple of talented players to some school changes, so it will be essential for them early in the season to have that stability that their offensive line can bring in general. When South Meck has really been good in the past, it has been because of a strong offensive line, so I look for that to be a strength of this team this season.   Analysis   Joe Evans is one of my favorite coaches in the Charlotte area because he gets the most out of his teams, and they always get better as the season goes along. This year's team will play all of their games on the road as there is construction going on for their on-campus stadium. Evans has adopted the hashtag #ROADWARRIORS to rally his team to overcome this challenge. They will play some home games at different nearby schools throughout the year, but this can be a real rallying cry - I coached on a team at Harding in 2003 in a similar situation, and we started out 5-0 before running into the Independence Patriots dynasty. Lol.   That being said, though, the Sabres have some experienced players who have grown through the JV ranks together, so I expect these guys not to be an easy out on Friday nights. They have some guys who can make plays defensively, especially in the secondary, and they will be coached well and be fundamentally sound. I think if they're able to develop a couple of go-to guys on offense, they could be a sleeper to push toward the top half of this conference.   Hopewell Titans   Head Coach: Brandon Sneed   Team MIP: OL Jonathan Taylor   Similar to what I said about South Meck, Hopewell is going to lean on its offensive line to be a tone setter with a physical mentality. Coach Brandon Sneed is a new head coach; however, he is well known in Charlotte as an offensive mind who believes in physical football. Sneed was an offensive lineman, and he will lead with a Titans front that has some size returning, including Jonathan himself. Jonathan is an interior offensive line prospect who can play some center and guard, and getting push on the ground will set the tone for both sides of the football for the Titans.   Analysis   When I saw Coach Sneed get this job, I knew Hopewell was going to run the ball, and I thought that they had a player who would have been perfect for their offense, but that player changed schools. So a big key is Hopewell finding someone they can rely on and trust in the running game. They also had a quarterback leave the program, so emphasizing the offensive line is essential, since they will be breaking in a new backfield essentially.   Defensively, Coach Sneed brought in Anthony Hackett as defensive coordinator - the state championship defensive coordinator from the Chambers teams - so expect the Titans to be aggressive early and often on that side of the ball. If they have the talent to run the scheme, it will give people problems for sure - that's the question, though, as graduation took away a talented defensive lineman and a couple of good linebackers. If the Titans are able to find some players in the halls or elevated from the JV, they could pull an upset because what they do schematically on both sides of the ball can give teams problems.   West Mecklenburg Hawks   Head Coach: Beady Waddell   Team MIP: DL [player_tooltip player_id='1687735' first='Antonio' last='Flowers']   It was hard for me to choose this one for West Meck, because they have a number of talented kids who will be really important for any success they have. However, Flowers really shone brightly at the CFI Carolinas MEGA Showcase and received an offer from Syracuse University shortly after that performance. In Head Coach Beady Waddell's defense, a star defensive lineman really makes everything go at all three levels. Antonio is a quick interior lineman who can shoot gaps or win with power at the line of scrimmage, and I think that can help build the culture overall this season for the Hawks.   Analysis   The Hawks have talent - they always do - and they have their starting quarterback back in the fold after not playing last season, so that is a plus for them offensively. As I have said in some of these other previews, the key for them will be having the depth to compete for four quarters against the teams in this conference. If the Hawks can find depth and numbers, they have enough to push toward the top half of the league and compete for a playoff spot. In talking with Coach Beady in the spring, he feels like they have enough on the roster to do exactly that, so it will be fun to watch and see who steps into some big shoes to fill from some talented players who graduated last year.   Conference Finish Predictions   First - Hough Huskies   Second - Myers Park Mustangs   Third - South Mecklenburg Sabres   Fourth - West Mecklenburg Hawks   Fifth - Hopewell Titans   Sixth - Garinger Wildcats   Final Word   I think Hough will win the conference - when they played Myers Park last season in the non-conference, there was a big enough margin that I don't think the Mustangs have made up in terms of winning the conference. However, I think the Mustangs will be greatly improved and win a lot of games this year. South Meck, I think, finds some guys and pushes into the playoffs with a solid season. West Meck will have some individuals play well and earn all-conference honors, while new coaches at Hopewell and Garinger get their programs on an established, solid footing.   Hough, Myers Park, and South Meck are my playoff team predictions for this conference, with Hough especially possessing the talent, experience, and coaching ability to make another deep playoff run and push for a state championship.

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.