To celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16 poll, our high school preps staff spent months working to determine the best football players, coaches and teams of the era.
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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