Fearsome four of Charlotte independent high schools ready for playoffs

The N.C. Independent Schools Division I playoffs begin Friday, and like most years, they will last two rounds and involve just four teams: Charlotte Christian, Charlotte Latin, Charlotte Country Day and Providence Day.

Since 2000, when Raleigh Ravenscroft won the state title, one of those four has won the championship every year. Recently, those four teams, which all play in the same conference, have been the only teams that qualify for the the D1 postseason, so the state championship is really a conference championship. At issue? Many private schools don’t want to play Charlotte’s Big 4. Honestly, a lot of public schools don’t want to, either. Those four privates have superior coaching, good talent pools and great strength and conditioning programs.

But I’ve heard from a few private schools who would like to jump in. My suggestion? Offer two pools: a Division I tier and a Division II tier and let schools pick which one they’d like. Right now, this two-week D1 state championship doesn’t feel much like a championship at all. And that’s a disservice to a collective of fine coaches and players who deserve better.

“It’s a classic matchups of styles,” Myers Park coach Scott Chadwick said. Chadwick’s team has played Butler and Independence this season. “The hype about (Independence’s) defense is legit. That’s the best I’ve seen this year. Butler is as explosive as anybody I’ve seen. That is a contrast in styles. The higher scoring it goes, the more it favors Butler. The lower scoring it is, it favors Independence.”

Sounds about spot on.

The Patriots’ booster club bought the shirts and donated them to Independence’s student council to sell. Sales from the $5 shirts go directly to Ashlee’s family. School officials expect more than 500 fans to be wearing the T-shirts at Friday’s game.

Mooresville plays at Lake Norman on Friday in a game that, Lake Norman coach Rob McNeely jokes, will shut down the southern half of Iredell County. Winner gets the North Piedmont 3A/4A Conference championship.

This story was originally published November 6, 2014 at 7:57 PM with the headline "Fearsome four of Charlotte independent high schools ready for playoffs."