Deep Dive: Gaston/Cleveland County Top Quarterbacks

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Charlotte Football Insiders is taking a look at ranking the top Charlotte Metro Area players by position, and we're taking a look at those players in those rankings in a Deep Dive analysis series. In these articles, we will share why these players are ranked and their best attributes as potential college-level football players in their respective futures. This article will feature quarterbacks in Gaston and Cleveland Counties. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1635395,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none","align":"center"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/03/Top-5-QB-Gaston-Cleveland.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-1635395" /></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1144640"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67c90ea7e2e9a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Committed to the University of Virginia, Ely is a player with excellent size for the quarterback position. With a very strong arm and good mechanics in the pocket, Ely will have a full season this upcoming year with the Chargers, after coming into the program mid-season last year. Coach Greg Lloyd is known for producing strong offensive teams, and Ely will have some talented players to distribute the football to this upcoming season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1099168"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67c90ea7e2ef9"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It seems like Lan has been at Shelby forever, but he is coming up on his 3rd year of being the starter for the Golden Lions. All he does is consistently put up a ton of passing yardage and throw for a ton of touchdowns. Lan is starting to get some deserved recruiting attention, visiting a couple of Division 1 schools this offseason. With another big year this year, he should start to see those visits turn into offers to play at the next level. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1600470"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67c90ea7e2f41"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">TJ is a player on the rise in my opinion. In his first full year as a starter last year, TJ got exponentially better from the start of the season to where he finished at, leading the Mountaineers to the 2nd Round of the State Playoffs. TJ has some good mechanics throwing the football, and he has good physical size for the position. Kings Mountain has some talented receivers in their program, so I think TJ is poised to have a good senior season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1277021"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67c90ea7e2f8a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Patrick is another player who has been leading his team for what seems like forever, but in that South Point redbone option attack, he is the head of the snake, and he is almost like a running back in the quarterback position's body. Patrick is a tough runner and makes consistently good decisions on the triple option. Patrick rushed for over 1000 yards last season, and you can expect similar production this upcoming season as well. South Point should be a contender once again with Patrick at the helm of this offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["738731"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-67c90ea7e2fd2"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">AJ is a young dual-threat quarterback who fits in well in the powerful Ashbrook offense. The Green Wave love to be physical and run downhill right at you with a number of backs and with AJ making some nice runs on designed quarterback runs and off of scrambles in the dropback game. AJ got better at throwing the ball as the season went on, and as long as he can take advantage of teams in the air when they put 8 in the box, Ashbrook is going to be successful once again next season under his leadership. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center"} --> <p class="has-text-align-center"><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gavin Chastain - Bessemer City - Gavin had a nice productive season throwing the football, totaling over 2000 yards passing on the year. He will be a key player as Bessemer City transitions to a new head coach this upcoming season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ethan Presley - East Gaston - I thought Ethan did a good job of keeping the Warriors in games with some nice production throwing the football. He had a very talented target in [player_tooltip player_id='1060044' first='Kingston' last='Curry'] and that relationship will be key to their success next year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1333973' first='Javon' last='Boyd'] - Mountain Island - I saw Javon throw five touchdown passes in a game last season where Mountain Island chose to rest their starting quarterback. I think the Raptors should be in good hands with Javon stepping into the lead role. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cooper Phillips - Forestview - Cooper had a good season throwing for over 1000 yards as the Jaguars began their transition under a new head coach. They should be ahead of the game next season with Cooper coming back for Year 2 to lead the offense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->