Big shakeup in Observer's Sweet 16 polls, Carson girls rise to top 10

Friday night, the Carson High girls basketball team beat Statesville 71-16 won its sixth straight game. Carson, from China Grove, improved to 18-1 and set a school-record for wins.

Today, the Cougars have moved into the top 10 of the Observer Sweet 16 poll for the first time. In a turbulent week in the girls poll, Carson rose three spots from No. 12.

Providence Day’s girls lost to 2A Independent School champ Carolina Day, which is not in the Observer’s coverage area, but bounced back with a 59-32 win Friday at Charlotte Christian, then No. 5 in the poll.

New to the girls poll this week is Anson Senior, which beat former Sweet 16 Porter Ridge last week.

In the boys poll, Olympic remains NO. 1, but Concord, Harding and West Charlotte each moved up a spot to round out the top four. No. 2 North Meck fell to fifth after losing a close game at West Charlotte last week.

New to the poll is Lincolnton after Hickory dropped out.

Boys Sweet 16

Rk.	School	Rec.	Prvs.
1.	Olympic (4A)	20-0	1
2.	Concord (3A)	18-0	3
3.	Harding (3A)	16-3	4
4.	West Charlotte (4A)	16-5	5
5.	North Mecklenburg (4A)	17-3	2
6.	Lancaster S.C. (4A)	19-2	6
7.	Berry (3A)	16-4	7
8.	Freedom (3A)	18-2	8
9.	Cuthbertson (2A)	18-1	9
10.	North Rowan (1A)	16-2	10
11.	East Rutherford (2A)	17-2	11
12.	Charlotte Christian (IND)	17-6	14
13,	South Mecklenburg (4A)	16-4	15
14.	Charlotte Catholic (3A)	17-3	16
15.	Robinson (3A)	14-4	12
16.	Lincolnton (2A)	15-2	NR

Dropped out: Hickory (3A, 17-3). On the bubble: Alexander Central (4A, 18-2); Statesville (3A, 14-3); Rock Hill, S.C. (4A, 15-5); Shelby (2A, 13-4); Sun Valley (4A, 16-4). Records are through Friday’s games.

Girls Sweet 16

Rk.	School	Rec.	Prvs.
1.	Myers Park (4A)	20-0	1
2.	Berry (3A)	17-1	2
3.	Hickory (3A)	18-1	3
4.	Providence Day (IND)	18-4	6
5.	Ardrey Kell (4A)	16-4	5
6.	Salisbury (2A)	16-2	6
7.	Mallard Creek (4A)	16-3	9
8.	R-S Central (3A)	16-1	11
9.	Carson (3A)	18-1	12
10.	Charlotte Christian (IND)	15-4	5
11.	Newton-Conover (2A)	16-3	13
12.	Forestview (3A)	16-2	14
13.	Harding (3A)	14-2	15
14.	North Stanly (2A)	19-0	16
15.	Bandys (2A)	17-1	8
16.	Anson Senior	16-4	NR

Dropped out:  Porter Ridge (4A, 17-2). On the bubble: Alexander Central (4A, 14-4/15-5); Clover, S.C. (4A, 15-4); Hough (4A, 13-6); North Iredell (3A, 13-5); Rock Hill Northwestern (4A, 15-4). Records are through Friday’s games.

Note: To be ranked in the Observer’s Sweet 16, a team must be in the newspaper’s coverage area, must field football and basketball teams and not allow a student-athlete to re-class once they’ve started ninth grade. For a detailed look inside the poll, including the criteria used to compile it, visit this link: http://bit.ly/prNoYM

A.L. Brown basketball coach Shelwyn Klutz gets his 200th win

A.L. Brown boys basketball coach Shelwyn Klutz got his 200th win against rival Northwest Cabarrus Jan. 10. He was honored by the school Wednesday night in a special ceremony.

Klutz has been Brown's boys coach for 14 years and has taught health and PE in Kannapolis CIty Schools for 20 years.

Hough girls star Anna Diggs pushes her team to first place

There were a lot of expectations for Anna Diggs before she ever played a game for the Hough girls' basketball team in their inaugural season last year.

Diggs lived up to the hype, leading her team to a 17-10 record and a third-place finish in the I-Meck while averaging 17 points per game as a freshman. This season, she's helped push Hough (12-6, 8-1) into sole possession of first place in the I-Meck 4A. Hough plays at rival North Meck Friday.

In the program's short history, Diggs has been the catalyst for Hough, with Huskies' coach Sonja Tate always close behind her, pushing the point guard to play up to her potential and help her team to do the same.

"Anna has always been known as a great shooter, but that is not all she can do," said Tate. "She has worked hard to expand her game, where she can drive to the basket and be effective as a creator and passer."

Diggs has learned not only to be more patient in working for her shots, but also to take only good shots. In that process, she is also able to distribute the ball, creating more opportunities for her teammates.

In turn, Diggs has had some big games recently - from her 27-point outburst against Anson County, shooting 6-of-8 from behind the 3-point line, to her 19-point effort in a critical 64-54 road win over Lake Norman.

While their first year was a success, Hough created even bigger expectations for year two of the program.

"The expectations on me and this team have been high since we got here," said Diggs. "But we feel like we can live up to all that and be the best team in this conference. But to do that, we have to play with the intensity like every game is the conference championship."

Hough has lived up to its expectations this year.

Diggs, 16, who averages 13 points per game this season, has led a more balanced attack from the point with sophomore Olivia DeMarcus and junior Brandi Arey on the wings and sophomores Julia Brown and Kelsey Dean leading the interior unit.

"It's been interesting to see this group of young players grow together," said Tate. "I've been very tough on Anna at times, but it's because I expect a lot out of her. She has a lot of God-given talent."

Like Diggs, Tate grew up a shooting guard who also played the point as she moved through the ranks from high school to college basketball at Arkansas State to the professional ranks, where she played two seasons for the Minnesota Lynx.

Diggs is glad to be able to have her coach's experience to look up to.

"I definitely trust Coach Tate to help me get better because I know she knows what she is talking about," said Diggs.

Diggs also work on her game in the offseason with her Lake Norman Magic AAU team, which also features Hough teammates Arey, Brown, Dean and DeMarcus as well as Bandys' standout Madi Story and Lake Norman Charter center Ezzine Mbamalu.

Diggs hopes all of her work will play off as the Huskies come down the stretch in the I-Meck regular season and into the postseason.

Hough has a few more big weeks remaining, with a trip to rival North Meck on Friday, followed by an important homestand against Mooresville and Lake Norman before the regular season finale at Mallard Creek, which the Huskies beat for the first time earlier this month.

"Last year, we came out with nothing to lose because we were new," said Diggs. "This year, we are looking to start a winning tradition at Hough. We are always going to be the first varsity team at Hough, but we want people to remember us for being winners as well."

-- Correspondent Jay Edwards for newsoflakenorman.com

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/01/25/2943470/hough-relies-on-diggs-to-lead.html#storylink=cpy

Tuesday's Top Performers

Oceania Anderson, Christelle Shembo, Ardrey Kell girls: Knights, No. 4 in the Sweet 16, warmed up for their big game with No. 1 Myers Park Friday with an easy 71-46 win over Independence. Anderson had 18 points, four assists and three rebounds. Shembo had 14 points, nine rebounds and two assists in win over Independence.
Mike Brown, West Charlotte: 24 points and 8 rebounds for Western Carolina signee in 70-64 win over North Meck.
Connor Burchfield and Darren Black, Concord: Each had 21 points each for the No. 3 Spiders (16-0), No. 3 in the Sweet 16, in a 76-73 win over No. 12 Robinson, ranked No. 12.
Clay Byrd, East Burke: hit the game-winning 3-point shot at the buzzer to beat rival Draughn 69-66.
Kaitlin Cash, South Meck girls: 13 points, five rebounds in 51-28 win over Providence. Teammate Jazmyn Saunders had 12 points and three assists, helping South end a five-game losing streak.
Javonte’ Douglas, Kennedy Charter: 16 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and two assists in 74-52 win over Grace Academy. Kennedy Charter was held 20 points below its average and trailed 31-25 at halftime. Kennedy’s Donte Clark had 17 points, six assists and four rebounds. Point guard Jalen White had 12 assists.
Onya Edwards, Charlotte Catholic girls: 18 points and 17 rebounds in a 52-41 win over West Mecklenburg.
Diamond Foggie, Vance girls: 27 points and six rebounds in 46-41 win over Mooresville.
Jordan Henry, Marvin Ridge girls: 22 points, 21 rebounds, five steals and four assists in 56-52 win over Parkwood.
Gabrielle McClain, West Charlotte girls: 13 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and two assists in win over North Meck. Teammates Rachel Porter (15 points, three assists, three steals) and Jessica Gaston (11 points, 13 rebounds) also had big games.
Jacob Nabatoff, Charlotte Latin: 21 points, 10 rebounds in 75-71 win over Cannon. Teammate Joe Baynard had 17 points and eight assists.
Stephanie Watts, Weddington girls: Freshman went for 19 points, 14 rebounds, five steals and five assists in 54-38 win over Sun Valley.

Davidson Day QB Will Grier makes sophomore All-America team

Davidson Day quarterback Will Grier has been named to the MaxPreps sophomore All-America team, along with Marvin Ridge kicker Tyler Cochran.

Grier, 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, threw for 3,785 yards and 49 TDs last season. He was named to the Observer's All-Mecklenburg football team last month.

ad more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/01/24/2953423/high-school-sports-gameday.html#storylink=cpy

Below are two stories I wrote about Grier last fall. The first was early in the year as he began to break county passing records. The second was after watching him play state power Charlotte Latin towards the end of the year:

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DAVIDSON Two years ago, Davidson Day quarterback Will Grier attended Georgia Bulldogs coach Mark Richt's summer football camp.

Grier recalls Richt saying to him: "One day, you're going to be a Division I prospect."

Turns out, Richt was right.

Georgia, Clemson, Duke and Virginia are among the schools showing the most interest in Grier, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound sophomore.

Grier's father Chad - who backed up quarterback Jeff Blake at East Carolina in the late '80s when Richt was offensive coordinator - is his son's head coach at Davidson Day.

Coach Grier, who played high school quarterback at Charlotte Latin, said Florida coaches mailed him a blank DVD this week, asking him to send it back with film of his son.

"He's a three-sport athlete," coach Grier said. "It comes very naturally to him. At 3 years old, he could make shots on a 10-foot basket. Anything to do with a ball, he loved it. And he's very focused and passionate.

"We would go to Charlotte Hornets (NBA) games and they're down 40 and he didn't want to leave. I'd take him to Panthers games and he would watch intently until he fell asleep about the third quarter."

Today at 16, Grier has led Davidson Day (3-0) to an unbeaten record heading into tonight's game with
Village Christian School at Johnson C. Smith University. This is Davidson Day's first year of varsity football. There are 26 players and one senior. Last year, as a junior-varsity team, the Patriots were unbeaten and beat junior varsity teams from Rock Hill South Pointe, Winston-Salem Carver, Charlotte Latin and Charlotte Country Day, coach Grier said.

This season, Davidson Day has beaten Harrell's Christian 61-29, Trinity Christian 62-34 and Camden Military 40-7. The offense employs up to five receivers and averages 35 pass plays and 15 running plays.

In those three games, Grier, who hasn't been sacked, has completed 68-of-98 passes (69 percent) for 1,142 yards and 17 touchdowns. He's thrown two interceptions and has rushed 15 times for 197 yards and a score.

Against Trinity Christian, he completed 26-of-35 passes for 478 yards and six touchdowns. The single-game yardage ranks fifth all-time in Mecklenburg County.

"I wouldn't say I'm surprised," said Grier, who carries a 3.78 grade-point average in advanced-level coursework. "I always expect to do well. I work hard in the offseason and I trust my guys. It's my job to get them the ball and they help me out as far as yards after the catch."

Grier used to be fond of playing the guitar and his iPod carries an eclectic mix, including Run-DMC, Christian rap artist LeCrae, some AC/DC and some John Lennon.

"John Lennon from the Beatles is my favorite (music) person of all-time," he said. "And I even like classical music. I listen to it before games. It calms me down."

Grier also plays basketball. He started last season as a freshman for Davidson Day's varsity, which finished 22-10 and reached the second round of the N.C. 1A Independent Schools playoffs. In baseball last season, he was a catcher and among the area's leading hitters at .678.

"I think with Will, he's always been able to throw and run," coach Grier said. "Then last year in basketball, he started dunking and doing 360s and there were people making videos of him doing it. I'm going, 'I don't know who your real daddy is, but he must've been one heckuva an athlete.'
"I mean where is this sudden burst of athleticism coming from? He can grow a full beard. He's just started doing things I'm shocked by."

The younger Grier doesn't seem fazed by any of it. He said he dreams of playing quarterback in college but remains undecided on a school.

"I'm wide open as far as that," he said. "But I'm really, really focused on winning a state championship right now. That's the most important thing."

Langston Wertz Jr: 704-612-9716; twitter.com/langstonwertzjr; facebook.com/langstonwertzjr; charlotteobserver.com/preps

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In his first eight games, Davidson Day sophomore quarterback Will Grier threw for 2,762 yards and 41 touchdowns. Only 45 players in the history of N.C. high school football have thrown for more yards, and each of their seasons lasted several games longer.

But Davidson Day hadn't played too many teams you had ever heard of before. And that's probably the right thing to do, considering this is a team with only three seniors playing its first year of varsity football. Still, the general thinking was that - despite serious college interest from schools like Clemson, Duke, Florida, Georgia and Virginia - Grier was simply beating up on lightweight competition.

The Patriots stepped up to the major leagues of private school ball Friday night, playing at state power Charlotte Latin. They're not ready yet. Latin dominated the line of scrimmage and quarterback
Grayson Foster dominated the Hawks' easy-as-it-sounds 49-20 win.

Foster threw for 171 yards and three touchdowns. He ran for another. Tailback Brian Mittl ran for 73 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a touchdown pass. And the Hawks just didn't give Grier much of a chance.

Latin (7-2) ran 59 plays. Davidson Day (8-1) ran 43, including seven on a final scoring drive against the Hawks' second teamers. Latin pressured Grier early and he never had time to throw.
Grier completed his first pass with his team down 7-0 early in the first quarter. He completed his second with eight minutes, 40 seconds to play in the first half, his team down by 21.

But I could see enough during the limited action he got to understand why he's getting the heavy college attention. Grier is 6-foot-3 and nearly 200 pounds. He's just 16. He's elusive, quick and throws as well on the run as any quarterback I've seen in awhile. He's also resilient.

He suffered through the heavy pressure and five drops and finished with a season-low 145 yards passing on 13-of-24 attempts. He rushed for 140 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns.

The thing that was impressive was this: Grier never got down on himself or his teammates.

A couple times, he eluded two or three Latin players, who looked to have sure sacks, only to sneak out and make positive runs or make quick passes to teammates. A few times he looked left, to move the Latin safeties, and then took two steps forward to elude the rush, while raising back to throw darts to a suddenly open receiver.

I wrote in my notebook the word "savvy" quite a few times. I wrote in my notebook "fast" a few times.

I also couldn't help but wonder what he might look like playing other high major-college recruits at places like Independence or Mallard Creek or Butler.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/10/22/2712839/qb-grier-shows-grit-despite-blowout.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/09/09/2591111/davidson-day-makes-a-name.html#storylink=cpy