Queen City Senior Bowl gives Mecklenburg County players one more chance to ‘ball out’

Dimitri Kelly said he has enjoyed every minute of practice this week for Saturday’s Queen City Shrine Bowl game.

“It’s a great chance to have one more game with these guys,” said Kelly, who played safety this fall at South Mecklenburg. “After this, we go off in different directions.

“And it’s another chance for me to show how I can play.”

That’s an important aspect of the game for many of the 80 high school seniors — 40 each on the East and West squads — who were selected to play in the game.

The third annual Queen City Senior Bowl is set for a noon kickoff at Olympic High.

Some of the players competing Saturday have landed scholarship offers, but for others, the game is a final opportunity to showcase their talents. A large number of college coaches will be among the spectators Saturday.

In fact, college coaches have been on the sidelines all week — at Rocky River High for the East, and at Olympic for the West.

Kelly, 5-11 and 165 pounds, is not likely to land with an FBS program. He has offers from several smaller schools but thinks Saturday is a chance to add to his options.

“I want to have a great showing,” he says. “I know there’ll be coaches watching.”

Kelly says it isn’t a matter of making spectacular plays. He says he is a part of a team and wants to win the game.

“It’s a matter of playing my game of football,” he says. “If I ball out, and do it the right way, then good things will happen.”

Kelly’s start in football is not unlike most other players in Saturday’s game.

He played Pop Warner football in elementary school with the South Park Falcons. But he took some time away from the sport in his middle school years.

“I wanted to try some other sports,” he says. “I played soccer and some basketball.”

And dancing.

Kelly and his family are members at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Charlotte. Like many other young members of the church, he participated in Greek dance events. But it got a bit more serious two years ago.

“I got involved in competitive dancing,” Kelly says. “I still do that, and it’s something I enjoy.”

He says competitive dance might help him on the football field.

“You’ve got to be smooth,” he says with a laugh.

But he also returned to football as a ninth-grader, playing three years at Myers Park High before transferring to South Mecklenburg this year. He was part of a senior-heavy Sabre team that finished 9-3, winning the South Meck 4A Conference and posting the school’s best record in five years.

“It was really an exciting season,” he says. “We worked hard. We had each others’ backs.”

Three of his teammates — running back Jacob Newman, linebacker Panos Burlos, and offensive lineman Taron Williams — are on the East squad for Saturday’s game.

“It’s a lot of fun to have them here this week,” he says.

Kelly would like to go out with a victory, but he says the Senior Bowl experience itself has been a lot of fun.

“I’ve enjoyed this,” he says. “It’s nice for us to have a game like this.”

Senior Bowl at-a-glance

The third annual Queen City Senior Bowl will be at noon Saturday at Olympic High.

General admission tickets are $10 and can be purchased online.

The field of players for this year’s game has been expanded to include several surrounding counties. East players are from Mecklenburg, Cabarrus and Union counties. West players are from Mecklenburg, Gaston and Cleveland counties.

EAST ROSTER

Head coach: Mike Newsome (A.L. Brown)

A.L. Brown: LB Antarron Turner.

Ardrey Kell: QB Jack Curtis; DB Jaysen Angulo

Butler: WR Ty Moore; RB Travon Tensley; OL Aaron McIver.

Cabarrus Warriors: WR Xander Lamb.

Central Cabarrus: OL Emerson Baker.

Chambers: ATH Camren Kennedy; ATH Mehki Bigelow.

Charlotte Catholic: LS James Companion.

Charlotte Christian: TE Gage Reale.

Charlotte Latin: WR Daniel Haughton.

Concord: DL Jameson Hackett.

Hickory Ridge: QB Alex Bentley; OL Isaiah Bullerdick.

Hopewell: TE Matt Flanders; LB Jaamar Earl.

Independence: DB Moshay Saw.

Jay M. Robinson: DB Caleb Johnson; LB Blue Monroe.

Marvin Ridge: DL Devin Reed.

Metrolina Christian: DB Tommy Miller.

Monroe: ATH Elliott Reed.

Myers Park: DB Jaidan Scott; DL Deems May.

Northwest Cabarrus: WR Tru Sierra.

Parkwood: DB Jordan Barnes.

Porter Ridge: K/P Braeden McAlister; OL Will Hart.

Rocky River: DL Rashaad McCollum; OL Kendall Stanley.

South Mecklenburg: ATH Jacob Newman; DB Dimitri Kelly; LB Panos Burlos; OL Taron Williams.

Sun Valley: DL Denmar Chambers.

Weddington: WR Landyn Backey; RB Kyle Parsons.

West Cabarrus: LB Chris Coates.

WEST ROSTER

Head coach: Brandon Thompson (Olympic).

Ashbrook: DL Jonathan Derricott.

Berry Academy: WR Antoine Bell; K/P Brayden Kauffman; LB Khaliq Ameer-Bey.

Burns: LB Azari Brown.

Cherryville: LS Kadin Beaver.

Christ the King: DL Nathan Pirolli.

Crest: LB Nick Beason; OL Taree Watkins.

East Gaston: ATH Justin Hill.

East Mecklenburg: TE Brock Fowler

Forestview: LB Jaycob Neely; ATH Camury Reid.

Hickory Grove Christian: WR Jordan Rowell.

Highland Tech: TE Trent Dockery.

Hough: DB Isaiah Brown-Murray; RB Zayvion Turner-Knox; OL Corey Ball.

Kings Mountain: OL Tykel Smith.

Mallard Creek: DB Ryan Teeter; OL Nick Furman; DL Maurice Morris.

Mountain Island Charter: WR Trae Nickelson.

North Gaston: WR Brian Coley.

North Mecklenburg: OL Michael Stanley.

Olympic: WR Albert Fleming IV; DB Solo Barnes; LB Zavion Lloyd; OL Jeremiah Burch.

Providence: LB John Balas; DB DeWayne Gissendanner; DL Eli Watson.

Providence Day: QB Grantt Logan.

Shelby: DB Nathan Hopper.

South Point: RB Tyson Riley.

Stuart Cramer: DL Arias Nash.

West Charlotte: QB Josh Mahatha; ATH Anansi Coleman; DL Elijah Simmons.

This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 2:16 PM.