High School Sports

Talking Preps: playoff qualifications, Mr. Football, Chambers Jalen Swindell

A new Talking Preps is on tap for Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 8 p.m. Among this week’s topics:

We discuss how the NCHSAA should handle qualifying teams for the playoffs in a pandemic and whether vaccines should be mandatory for fans to attend games.

We update our Mr. Football Watchllist, drop the new statewide high school football rankings and preview the week’s top games, including Grice breaking down the game of the week: Weddington at Ardrey Kell.

Chambers High star defensive lineman Jalen Swindell is on the Game Show.

Chelsea interviews Southeast Raleigh QB Amir MIlls-James

Four new Fresh Faces are featured: Folger Boaz, East Surry; Dewayne Gissendanner, Providence; Jawarn Howell, Mooresville; Justis Dorsett, North Moore

The Talking Preps featured players from Friday’s games, aka Grice’s Gems are: Northwest Guilford’s Tanner Ballou; Myers Park’s Lucas Lenhoff; North Rowan’s Amari McArthur; Cardinal Gibbons’ Donovan Shephard; and Pine Lake Prep’s Hudson Stalun.

This story was originally published September 7, 2021 at 2:22 PM.

Langston Wertz Jr.
The Charlotte Observer
Langston Wertz Jr. is an award-winning sports journalist who has worked at the Observer since 1988. He’s covered everything from Final Fours and NFL to video games and Britney Spears. Wertz -- a West Charlotte High and UNC grad -- is the rare person who can answer “Charlotte,” when you ask, “What city are you from.” Support my work with a digital subscription
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