Talking Preps: West Charlotte grad gets Panthers job, previewing Week 8

Langston Wertz Jr.
·2 min read

A new Talking Preps debuts Tuesday night (Oct. 10) at 8 p.m. On tap:

▪ The guys will discuss new Panthers coach Steve Wilks, who played at West Charlotte High in the ‘80s, and what having a native Charlottean coaching the NFL team means to the community.

▪ Grice and Chris introduce four new “Fresh Faces,” the stars of tomorrow: Rolesville’s Braeden Atkinson, Greene Central’s Jamari Coppage, Pine Lake Prep’s Gabe Bolivar and New Hanover’s Zmarion Robinson.

▪ Chelsea sits down with Pine Lake Prep star Jack Smith, who has helped lead the team to a record start, and Sam’s “Frontline Warrior,” his N.C. lineman of the week, is Marvin Ridge’s Sean McFarland, who joins coach for a fun interview.

▪ This week’s N.C. players of the week, the Grice’s Gems, will be featured -- Central Cabarrus’ Adriel Miller, Concord’s Keyon Phillips, Asheville Christian’s Javier Rice and Northwest Guilford’s Trenton Cloud -- and one player “gets the call.” This week, it’s West Lincoln’s Mason Avery, joined by his mom, Abby, and Avery’s coming off a record-setting performance in Lincoln County.

▪ Alex will feature the state’s top 10 games: Charlotte Christian at Providence Day; Charlotte Catholic at Butler; Mallard Creek at Hough; Bunker Hill at Maiden; Richmond Senior at Lee County; JH Rose at New Bern; Middle Creek at Apex; Hillside at Chapel Hill; Cox Mill at Lake Norman; Ledford at Oak Grove.

▪ We’ve got the latest statewide N.C. rankings and Grice is expanding his excellent eastern and western game of the week breakdowns. He’ll take on Rose/New Bern in the East, plus three western games: Providence Day/Christian; Butler/Catholic; and Mallard Creek/Hough.

▪ The Mr. Football Watchlist, which will ultimately determine the recognized N.C. player of the year, will be trimmed from 16 to 12., and Grice and Sam and Chris will argue (we think) on Coach vs. Coach.

How to watch/listen

Watch the show, beginning at Tuesday night at 8., right here on this page — or on The Charlotte Observer’s Twitter, Facebook or YouTube pages. It is also available on the News & Observer’s Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Talking Preps and Talking Preps are also available wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Megaphone and Spotify.