The Charlotte Observer honors the top high school football players in the region
The Charlotte Observer’s 2024 high school football players of the year are both linemen, which is rare. And the media company’s coach of the year led a school that didn’t win a game four times in the past 20 seasons to a state title.
That’s rare, too.
The All-Observer football team includes the best players from the seven-county coverage area in North and South Carolina: Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln and Union counties in North Carolina, plus York and Lancaster in South Carolina.
To make the team, players had to be nominated by their coach. A panel of 10 people, including Observer staff and co-hosts from its “Talking Preps” streaming show, were involved in the selection process.
Offensive player of the year
Providence Day All-American offensive lineman David Sanders (6-foot-6, 290 pounds, senior) might just be the best high school football player in America.
He’s been ranked as high as the nation’s No. 1 recruit and has never left the top 10. He’s currently the nation’s No. 1 recruit at offensive tackle and has signed with Tennessee.
Sanders is on the All-Observer team for a fourth straight season, and he’s the first offensive lineman to win the offensive player of year award since the media company began naming All-Observer teams in 1997.
Previously, The Observer had named the top players in Mecklenburg County (All-Mecklenburg) and then either the best in its coverage area outside of Mecklenburg (All-Region) or All-Piedmont and All-Upper State S.C. teams.
This season, Sanders graded 93 percent on a state finalist and was named Big South conference player of the year. He won the Gatorade N.C. player of the year as a junior. Sanders, who won three state championships in high school and played in four state finals, will finish his high school career at the Navy All-American Bowl in San Antonio next month.
“David’s just a generational talent,” Providence Day coach Chad Grier said. “He’s the kind of player that doesn’t come along real often.”
Defensive player of the year
Weddington High School’s Aiden Harris has more than 20 Division I offers. He’s a top 50 recruit, regardless of position in the class of 2026. Among defensive linemen, he’s No. 4 in America in his class.
This season, Harris had 82 tackles and 31 tackles for a loss plus 13.5 sacks. He also blocked two kicks for a Weddington team that reached the state semifinals.
Among his college offers? Auburn, Michigan, North Carolina and Ohio State.
Harris paired with his twin brother, Drew, and Notre Dame commit T.J. Davis — son of Carolina Panthers legend Thomas Davis — to form an impressive defense for the Warriors, who also featured defensive tackle Trajen Odom, who signed with Ohio State last month.
The Harris twins and Davis will return next year for a Weddington team that will try to reach an NCHSAA championship game for the second time in three seasons.
Coach of the year
West Charlotte’s Sam Greiner led the Lions to their first N.C. High School Athletic Association state championship in 29 years last week, when West Charlotte beat Fayetteville’s Seventy-First High School.
It was Greiner’s second state title in seven years and the second time he led the resurgence of a program.
Before Greiner got to Harding in 2015, the Rams had seven straight losing seasons and just two winning seasons since 1989.
Greiner’s first team was 1-10. His second was 5-7 and made the playoffs. His third Harding team, in 2017, went 14-1 and won the school’s first state championship since 1953.
At West Charlotte, he’s turned around a Lions program that was once among the best in North Carolina. Before this season, West Charlotte had played in seven NCHSAA state championship games and won the 1954 old Negro League title.
But from 2011-22, West Charlotte had just one winning season.
Greiner just finished his third winning season in a row after guiding the 2022 and ‘23 teams to deep playoff runs. Now he’s led West Charlotte to its second NCHSAA championship.
“It’s not about me,” he said. “It’s about the kids. You give them something to believe in, something to work for, and show you believe in them, and the greatness inside of them will come out.”
Tap below to meet the teams
This story was originally published December 25, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
