Keep Pounding Classic - CLT Kickoff Night Game Previews

<p>The Charlotte area is hosting some big games this Friday Night, and we have some breakdowns and players to watch under the lights! </p>   <p>The Keep Pounding Classic is hosted by the Carolina Panthers and is a doubleheader at Bank of America Stadium this Friday Night. In Game 1, the Hough Huskies will host the South Pointe Stallions out of Rock Hill, SC, just across the border. [player_tooltip player_id='254550' first='Ethan' last='Royal'] will get his chance to lead the Huskies after patiently waiting his turn for the last two years. Expect him to look for Miami commit [player_tooltip player_id='945238' first='Tyran' last='Evans'] a good bit on the outside, while being protected by a good offensive line led by [player_tooltip player_id='1158293' first='Jarvis' last='Potts'], committed to Appalachian State. Defensively, Temple commit [player_tooltip player_id='284088' first='Chris' last='Hilliard'] will lead the defensive line, while [player_tooltip player_id='950969' first='Ryan' last='Peterson'] continues a strong tradition of linebackers with several Power 4 offers already as a sophomore. Of course, in the secondary, [player_tooltip player_id='284097' first='Samari' last='Matthews'] will lead the way, recently committing to play college football at Texas. South Pointe is led by Bobby Collins, a former Hough head coach himself, so both teams will know each other very well from a coaching standpoint. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1958542514735968543 </div></figure>   <p>Game 2 of the Keep Pounding Classic will host the reigning 4A and 3A state champions in North Carolina. Grimsley out of Greensboro will come down I-85 and take on the West Charlotte Lions, who could almost walk to Bank of America Stadium for this one. Led by head coach Sam Greiner, the Lions have a lot of returning talent this season, notably QB [player_tooltip player_id='1321007' first='Jamouri' last='Nichols'], who has had a strong offseason. In the backfield, Emory McClain and [player_tooltip player_id='1321034' first='Jaciere' last='Gray'] will lead the way. [player_tooltip player_id='1321100' first='Rakim' last='Finch'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1299433' first='Donte' last='Nicholson'] are dynamic receivers, and the offensive line should be strong with [player_tooltip player_id='1321097' first='Jorquis' last='Broome'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1607843' first='Khalil' last='Hansley-McNair']. They will be facing a Grimsley defense that has a couple of big-time playmakers. [player_tooltip player_id='1607067' first='Andrew' last='Rogers'], coming over from Dudley, leads the charge up front, while the linebacking core is deep with [player_tooltip player_id='1751605' first='Drew' last='Searls'], [player_tooltip player_id='1815393' first='Ty' last='Shoemake'], & Kyrie Milner. [player_tooltip player_id='1661003' first='Kosci' last='Barnes'], a South Carolina commit, will lead the way in the secondary and match up against the talented Lions' receivers. </p>   <p>Flipping it around, of course, [player_tooltip player_id='284090' first='Faizon' last='Brandon'] will be a headline guy to watch, the best quarterback in the nation for the Whirlies. He will be throwing behind a strong offensive line, including [player_tooltip player_id='850278' first='Nick' last='Kashubara'], an App State commit, and Micah Miller, another strong interior OL prospect. [player_tooltip player_id='909357' first='Kaden' last='Catoe'] on the outside and [player_tooltip player_id='1368103' first='DJ' last='Howerton'] up the seams at tight end will be primary targets in the passing game. West Charlotte on defense is loaded as well. [player_tooltip player_id='473951' first='Antoine' last='Johnson'] (Sam) is a high-level interior defensive lineman. Michael Griffin is one of the best middle linebackers in the state, and then in the secondary, [player_tooltip player_id='1157260' first='KD' last='Cotton'], [player_tooltip player_id='378926' first='Davion' last='Jones'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1254427' first='Xavier' last='Porter'] are all talented college-level players, with Cotton committed to Duke and Porter committed to Elon, respectively. An absolutely incredible display of talent on the field. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1958541172692967555 </div></figure>   <p>As if that wasn't enough, on Saturday evening, the CLT Kickoff Night doubleheader will take place at Memorial Stadium in downtown Charlotte. Game 1 will feature the Myers Park Mustangs against the JM Robinson Bulldogs. Myers Park has plenty of high-level talent, with EDGE [player_tooltip player_id='1002307' first='Rodney' last='Dunham'] and DL [player_tooltip player_id='987160' first='Damaad' last='Lewis'] starring on the defensive line. Dunham is committed to play college football at Notre Dame, while Lewis has several Power 4 offers he is considering. [player_tooltip player_id='1262334' first='Josh' last='Hines'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1309069' first='Camdin' last='Portis'] highlight the secondary, with both committed to Charlotte and Miami, respectively. Offensively, Myers Park has star WR [player_tooltip player_id='832280' first='Brody' last='Keefe'] committed to Duke, while a talented QB/RB combo in [player_tooltip player_id='1616143' first='Ryan' last='Rizzuti'] and Josh Falzarano is expected to lead the way. The Bulldogs have their own share of talent as well, with a dynamic running back duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1332096' first='LJ' last='Watson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1176263' first='Ennis' last='Stiles'] back in action. New QB [player_tooltip player_id='1607782' first='Aury' last='Greenfield'] has a lot of buzz coming into the season, and he will be throwing to a new group of wide receivers, where [player_tooltip player_id='1815375' first='Isaiah' last='Woodburn'] has shown some promise and has an offer from Virginia Tech already as a sophomore. Defensively, [player_tooltip player_id='1113123' first='Landen' last='Harding'] has multiple Division 1 offers as a defensive lineman, and [player_tooltip player_id='861458' first='Aiden' last='Black'] is one of the better interior defensive linemen in the Charlotte area. Expect [player_tooltip player_id='1368141' first='Cameron' last='Tucker'] to lead the Bulldog secondary; he is very fast and has multiple offers to play college football as well. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1958540487012294784 </div></figure>   <p>The second game of the CLT Kickoff Night doubleheader will be Butler vs. Olympic. Some notable players to watch for the Bulldogs include linebacker Lejend Lockwood, who has a couple of offers as a sophomore, ATH [player_tooltip player_id='826678' first='Tyler' last='Dent'], who looks really good at corner on defense, and wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='1278649' first='Donovan' last='Pollard'], who should make some big plays in the passing game. For the Trojans, it all starts with senior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='1228977' first='Chance' last='Cato'], who has some offers to play college football and a good bit of interest around him. [player_tooltip player_id='1610634' first='Kenyan' last='White'] is a talented hybrid linebacker/defensive back who has two Division 1 offers and will be an important piece of the Trojans' defense this year. </p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/pepman704/status/1958538415055507758 </div></figure>

The Charlotte area is hosting some big games this Friday Night, and we have some breakdowns and players to watch under the lights!