Southwestern 7A/8A 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 Southwestern 7A/8A Conference isn't a new conference name to the Charlotte area, yet this mix of teams is much different from what it was in the past. Let's get started!   Ardrey Kell Knights   Head Coach: Greg Jachym   Team MIP: RB [player_tooltip player_id='1149037' first='Tristan' last='Rivest']   Ardrey Kell has been a remarkably consistent, strong defensive team for years under Coach Jachym's leadership, so I am confident that they will consistently reload on that side of the ball. Last season offensively, Tristan was one of the few guys they could lean on in a bit of a transitional season for them, so if they are going to contend for the conference title, they will need their fast and versatile playmaker contributing at a high level once again this season.   Analysis   Ardrey Kell has become a team that you know you're going to be in a four-quarter battle with on most Friday nights. They are coached well, and if they have the high-level talent to match, they're going to give most teams in Charlotte a pretty good game. This season, it will be interesting to see who steps up offensively. They will have a new quarterback under center who has done well on JV, so they should be better offensively.   Ardrey Kell lost a number of close games last season, and that experience should help a lot this year. They are a team that has a strong competitive spirit and good player leadership, typically year in and year out. They will be a factor in the conference race as they are on an annual basis.   East Mecklenburg Eagles   Head Coach: Lennie Sanders   Team MIP: ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1600218' first='James' last='Bailey']   This was a pretty simple choice for the Eagles here. James is probably the Eagles' best player on both sides of the ball. James can make some plays as a physical receiver who can win one-on-one battles with the ball in the air. On defense, James is an athletic safety who shows good range in coverage and can come up and support on the run. James has multiple offers to play college football, and he has a chance to show some strong leadership for a group that really needs that support.   Analysis   Head Coach Lennie Sanders is truly one of the good guys in the Charlotte coaching world. He is a defensive guy by trade who has coached on both sides of the ball with the Eagles, trying to get them going. They have had a few good wins in the pre-conference schedule during his tenure, but once they reach conference play, depth has been one of their main issues. They will show some fight for maybe a quarter, a quarter and a half, then just get worn down over the course of the game.   If the Eagles are able to get some more quality depth and numbers this season, it will definitely help them compete overall. There are a couple of talented players in the program, but a challenge will be finding a quarterback as their previous starter transferred during the offseason. That will be important as they are more of a passing team from a schematic standpoint. Getting off to a good start against some similar-level opponents in the non-conference will be essential to their overall success this season.   Palisades Pumas   Head Coach: Jonathan Simmons   Team MIP: DB Nicholas Rankin   Nick is a player who does a little bit of everything for the Pumas. I've had him evaluated primarily as a defensive back, and Nick does a really good job from the safety position of coming up in run support, making tackles in the open field, and covering with range in the back end. However, Nick also contributes offensively as a wildcat-type quarterback and has shown the ability to run the ball well as both a quarterback and running back in short-yardage situations. Nick has several Division 1 offers to play college football, and on a team with a good bit of talent on both sides of the ball, Nick's connectivity will be essential to their success this year.   Analysis   Palisades made a big jump last season overall as a program, winning 8 games and a playoff game before losing to Charlotte Catholic in the 2nd round. Head Coach Jonathan Simmons has done a great job establishing a culture and set of expectations that his players have responded to under his leadership. I think this season, for them to make that next step into a state playoff contender for a deep run, offensively, will be the difference for them. The Pumas have established themselves as a pretty good defensive team overall, and the talent on that side of the ball stepping in to replace some good seniors should keep that expectation fulfilled.   The Pumas' offensive line is a strong suit, and I think they will be able to establish the line of scrimmage well to run the ball offensively. It appears they will have a new quarterback pulling the trigger this year, along with some new skill players on the outside at receiver ready to step in and make a statement. If the Pumas' passing game can complement what's expected to be a strong running game, this team could be a sleeper to make a run in the playoffs.   Providence Panthers   Head Coach: Weslee Ward   Team MIP: ATH Keland Shelton Jr   This was a tough pick as I think Providence has a few very important players to its success this year. However, Shelton has a chance to be a big-time player on both sides of the ball. As a receiver, he has a chance to see more balls come his way, and in watching him live last season, he's got a rare athletic ability for his size at 6'3. Keland can also play defense as an EDGE player who can get quick pressure on the quarterback with his excellent speed. The Panthers will need that dynamic game-breaking ability on both sides of the ball to get over the hump this season.   Analysis   Providence Head Coach Weslee Ward has done a great job establishing a very strong weight room culture in South Charlotte - everyone knows the Panthers will work hard and be physically ready to compete. They have been in a place of a 1st round playoff team now for the last couple of years, and they are doggedly working to break that trend and advance deeper in the state playoffs. I think the key for them is finding some consistency - when they play similar teams at their level, they seem to make some critical mistakes that cause them to lose those "50/50" games.   Offensively, they have the makings of an explosive team with a talented running back coming into their program to complement what should be a good passing game and an offensive line that has had an offseason to be stronger. Defensively, they will have some good players returning to lead the charge as well, and the Panthers are always sound on special teams. They will be a factor in the conference race, but if they can limit the critical mistakes, they can contend for a playoff spot once again.   Ballantyne Ridge Wolves   Head Coach: Tyson Fernandez   Team MIP: ATH [player_tooltip player_id='1149025' first='Caleb' last='Owens']   I saw Ballantyne Ridge live last season, and Caleb was one of their standout players to me in all three phases. Caleb is athletic and fast with the football in his hands from either a running back or receiver position, and I expect him to get the ball in a variety of ways early and often for the Wolves. Defensively, Caleb can be an athletic defensive back who can help control the back end and come up in run support as well as direct coverages in the passing game for the secondary. Caleb can also be a dynamic kick and punt returner for the Wolves, and that will be an important phase as they continue to grow as a program.   Analysis   After serving last year as the Wolves' defensive coordinator, Coach Fernandez was promoted to the Head Coaching position after a long process. Fernandez has head coaching experience, having served as the former head coach at Rocky River previously, so this won't be a totally new experience to him. There is not a lot of pressure for the Wolves here as this is their second year open as a program, so I think everyone involved here knows it is a building process; however, I think the Wolves do have a chance to get their first-ever win as a program this year.   The advantage of being a first-year school with no seniors is that most players will be back in the program, stronger and better for the experiences they went through last season. There's an opportunity for them to continue to build and find some new playmakers and leaders that can help be ready for the program to compete when they are ready to jump to a playoff contention level over the coming years.   Rocky River Ravens   Head Coach: Kenneth McClamrock   Team MIP: DB [player_tooltip player_id='1687738' first='Tyrell' last='Barze']   The Ravens lost some talented seniors to graduation who were important to the success of their program last season. However, they have some talent coming into the program ready to make a name for themselves, and Tyrell is one of those players. I saw him live at the CFI Carolinas MEGA Showcase, and he looked to be a player advanced beyond his sophomore year. Tyrell has good speed and some really athletic moves in space. Don't be surprised to possibly see some plays from him on offense to go along with his talented defensive back skills. That playmaking ability will be important for this team to build an identity on both sides of the ball.   Anaylsis   In his second year of leadership, Head Coach Kenneth McClamrock is settling in and starting to put his stamp on things in Mint Hill. He has hired a very good coaching staff to help develop his players and has worked them consistently hard in the weight room all offseason, so I would expect a more physical Ravens team this season for sure. The Ravens have an opportunity to get off to a good start in the non-conference, and I think that's going to go a long way in determining if they compete for a conference championship and ultimately a spot in the state playoffs.   Offensively, expect the Ravens to be efficient in their attack and throw the ball to attack the defense where they can. Defensively, I think the Ravens have some other players that may be a little bit under the radar, but everyone in Charlotte knows the Ravens will have some talent up front, so I think after a year under McClamrock, this unit will show better on Friday Nights overall.   Conference Finish Predictions   First - Palisades Pumas   Second - Ardrey Kell Knights   Third - Providence Panthers   Fourth - Rocky River Ravens   Fifth - East Mecklenburg Eagles   Sixth - Ballantyne Ridge Wolves   Final Word   I think Palisades will get some revenge on Ardrey Kell after losing to them to end the regular season last year, and that victory will be the one that seals the conference title for the Pumas. Ardrey Kell and Providence are some big-time rivals, and I think that game will ultimately settle who comes in second place - and determine who makes the playoffs between the two South Charlotte schools. Rocky River shows some progress and competes for a playoff spot, while East Mecklenburg and Ballantyne Ridge continue to take steps in building their respective programs for the future.

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.