North Piedmont 6A/7A 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 North Piedmont 6A/7A takes some teams from the old Greater Metro 4A and puts them with other schools close by in their region. Let's get started!   North Iredell Raiders   Head Coach: Andy Howell   Team MIP: RB Harold Jackson   When looking at the North Iredell roster, it was really between a couple of talented kids for this MIP selection. But, ultimately, I went with Harold mainly because he has proven to be reliable and essential for this team to have the success offensively they have had the last couple of years. Rushing for over 1000 yards in a run-centric offense, Harold has provided balance and been a really good pairing with QB [player_tooltip player_id='1333070' first='Kaleb' last='Sales'] for the Raiders' offensive attack. They really both are needed for this team to have success, probably more so than any other duo in the metro area, but for the purposes of the article, Harold gets the nod here.   Analysis   North Iredell broke through to make the state playoffs for the first time since 2006, a major achievement for their program. They were able to do it with some timely offensive production and playing solid defense when it counted. The good thing is, the bulk of that offensive production is back. The bad thing is, most of the defense that helped lead the way is gone, so it will be important to have some new faces step up and lead on that side of the football. For North Iredell to return to the playoffs again this season, that is going to be an essential thing. Offensively, they will lean on running the football, so a strong defense would be a great complement for them.   Statesville Greyhounds   Head Coach: Rydell Cowan   Team MIP: OL Joshua Terry   Statesville has become a team known for its overall size and physicality. Up and down their roster, I see some really impressive kids with size and athletic ability. However, Joshua is not the ideal-sized lineman, but his physicality is on a very high level. It is fun to turn on the highlights and watch Josh play with impressive strength and ferocity. His style of play kind of epitomizes what I think of Statesville on both sides of the ball - they play tough, and it will be a fight against them for four quarters every Friday Night. Joshua has received some well-deserved recruiting attention as well, and his success will go a long way in the fortunes of the Greyhounds' offensive attack.   Analysis   The Greyhounds had a good season last year with 9 wins; however, they lost in the second round to conference foe Hickory, which there's no shame in that. I think the Greyhounds are still a solid playoff team, as they typically have been in Head Coach Rydell Cowan's tenure. It seems like they always manage to find success with a new guy behind center in the quarterback spot every year, so if they are able to solidify someone there, that will give them some good offensive balance, because they will be able to run the ball well. Defensively, Statesville is always physical up front and fast in the back end, so as long as they can be consistent, they will be a tough out for a lot of teams.   Davie County War Eagles   Head Coach: Brian Hinson   Team MIP: LB [player_tooltip player_id='918776' first='Elijah' last='Chaffin']   Davie County has some good firepower offensively, but for this team, defense will be very important this season, and Elijah is essential to that success on that side of the football. Elijah has excellent size and instincts to get to the football from his middle linebacker position, and he's been recognized for it from a recruiting perspective. Elijah has been a 2-time All-Conference selection, and as long as he is playing well, the War Eagle defense has a chance to be much improved this season under new leadership.   Analysis   Head Coach Brian Hinson was probably one of the best hires in the state for the War Eagles. He's had proven big-time success in his past, and has also spent time coaching on the college level. I liked that Coach Hinson shared in interviews that he has had his eye on this job for a while and really wants to be here - you don't always get that transparency and fit. That being said, Hinson is known for being a strong defensive coach, and that's the biggest thing the War Eagles need, given last year's results. So I expect them to be much better on that side of the ball. Davie County also has some offensive weapons that can give teams problems, so this could be a team to watch in this conference if everything comes together quickly.   Lake Norman Wildcats   Head Coach: Jonathan Oliphant   Team MIP: QB [player_tooltip player_id='1616126' first='Kaden' last='Craft']   [player_tooltip player_id='1616126' first='Kaden' last='Craft'] absolutely exploded onto the scene last season, coming in as a backup and then earning the starting job outright near the middle of the season. Kaden has become highly recruited and deservedly so. His dual-threat ability has provided the Wildcats with a new offensive identity and a marquee player to build their offense around over the next couple of years. His presence changes the program in a number of positive ways, and that's very important. Easy choice here.   Analysis   Head Coach Jonathan Oliphant has made the Wildcats into a consistently good, winning program so far in his tenure, but they have run into some strong teams in the playoffs and have not been able to get past them. The good thing is, I expect them to have another winning season because they are well-coached and they have some good talent returning on both sides of the ball. Defensively, they took some lumps with playing a lot of younger players last year, and that should pay off with a stronger defense this season. They will also have some returning offensive linemen to help ease the loss of some talented skill players, so expect the running game to carry the torch early on while they work in some new receivers on the outside.   Mooresville Blue Devils Head Coach: Zach Mayo   Team MIP: [player_tooltip player_id='941637' first='KJ' last='Gillespie']   Mooresville is a very talented team this year with some special players at multiple positions. However, they lost some key guys to graduation defensively, and that's where KJ comes in. It will be very important for him to set the pace up front on the defensive line to help the back 7 out, especially from a pass rush perspective. KJ shows a strong ability to rush from either the edge or the defensive tackle spot, and moving him around to see where he's most effective is a great chess piece for the Blue Devils defensively.   Analysis   Coach Mayo did a great job in his first season, guiding the Blue Devils to a strong overall year and a third-round playoff run. With some strong seniors on the offensive side of the ball especially, they are aiming high and have challenged themselves in the non-conference schedule to help prepare them for a deeper playoff run presumably. As long as the new faces perform well defensively (with a new defensive coordinator) then this team is a good bet to be even better than last season.   South Iredell Vikings   Head Coach: Lee Linville Team MIP: WR [player_tooltip player_id='1654186' first='Brody' last='Hunt']   Brody has been incredibly impressive this off-season in various showcases and camps, and I really think he should have a lot more recruiting attention. His route running and hands are superb, and he's faster than you would believe upon first glance. He gives the Vikings offense something dependable to rely on in a year where some.new guys will have to step up in important places.   Analysis   South Iredell took a step last season, making the playoffs under Coach Linville, and he was named his conference's coach of the year because of that success. They lost their quarterback and their defensive leader at middle linebacker from last season, so they will need to replace two players essential to the success they had. Those are some big shoes to fill. There are talented players returning in other roles however, so I expect these guys to continue to be a tough out on friday nights overall.   Predicted Order Of Finish First - Mooresville Blue Devils Second - Statesville Greyhounds Third - Lake Norman Wildcats Fourth - Davie County War Eagles Fifth - South Iredell Vikings Sixth - North Iredell Raiders Final Word   I feel like Mooresville, Statesville, and Lake Norman are solid playoff teams, with the Blue Devils having an outside shot at.making a run at a state championship, depending on how matchups fall in the playoffs brackets. Davie County has an outside shot at a playoff berth in Hinson's first season leading them, while South Iredell rebuilds a little bit and North Iredell battles having the numbers to compete for four quarters with the top half of the conference.

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.