Introducing the 2021 All-Observer high school football team
Today, the Observer continues an annual Christmas Day tradition as we introduce you to the top high school football players in the Charlotte region.
The All-Observer team comes from the newspaper’s coverage area, which covers 161 schools in counties like Mecklenburg, Union, Cabarrus, Gaston, Cleveland and Watauga.
The teams were selected by the Observer’s high school sports staff along with Talking Preps’ NC hosts Chris Hughes and Jonathan Grice. Area coaches nominated more than 350 players.
▪ The All-Observer offensive player of the year is Chambers High running back Daylan Smothers, who also won the award in the spring. Smothers was a finalist for Mr. Football, an award he won in the spring, and is a two-time all-state pick. Smothers, a junior, rushed for more than 1,500 yards, 28 touchdowns and led his team to a third straight N.C. state championship game.
▪ The defensive player of the year is Chambers defensive end James Pearce, who recently signed with Tennessee. Pearce bolted up the recruiting boards with a dominant senior season that included 14.5 sacks this season. Pearce helped lead the Cougars get past nationally ranked Hough in the state semifinals with a strip sack, fumble and defensive touchdown sequence that sealed a 35-21 come-from-behind win.
▪ South Mecklenburg’s Joe Evans is the coach of the year. Evans led the Sabres to a share of the SoMECK conference championship and to a second round playoff berth. That was big news at a school that had four winning seasons from 1998-2019. Evans now has produced two straight winning seasons.
In the spring, the Sabres snapped a 14-game losing streak. This fall, which was Evans’ third season, South Mecklenburg was regularly ranked in the Sweet 16 poll for the region’s top teams. The Sabres finished 9-3 and won four of their last five games.
Meet the teams
(click to make your selection)
