State champs, beloved coach lost, NCHSAA scandal top preps sports’ stories of the year
In 2023, Charlotte-area athletes enjoyed a lot of success in high school sports, but there was also loss — and a bit of controversy.
Here’s a look back at the top 10 stories of the year, in chronological order:
Charlotte Christian baseball coaches dies after cancer battle
Longtime Charlotte Christian baseball coach Greg Simmons died at 57 after a long battle with lung cancer. He started teaching at the school in 1989 and took over the baseball team three years later. In 30 years, Simmons’ Knights won 733 games and 16 state titles. He coached 95 players who played in college and 10 who became Major League Baseball draft picks.
“It’s a sad, sad day, not only for the baseball community, but for the Charlotte Christian community,” said longtime South Mecklenburg and Ardrey Kell baseball coach Hal Bagwell after hearing the news. “He just had such a positive impact on so many people in such a great way, and he was one of the most humble men I’ve ever known.”
Date: Jan. 23, 2023
Three triplets sign D1 scholarships on the same day
At Myers Park, triplets signed Division I scholarships on National Signing Day: Eli, Ike and Max Schmidly. Eli signed with Charlotte for golf; Max with Arkansas for football; and Ike with James Madison to play baseball.
Former Kannapolis Brown football coach Mike Newsome, a state champion who worked nearly 30 years, said he had never seen anything like it.
“The odds of birthing triplets is rare and amazing in and of itself,” Newsome said. “And then for two parents to get triplets to this point? That’s a lot of God-given talent, but to install the discipline for all three to stay in line and do what’s necessary academically and on the field? Man, three Division I players in three sports at the same time? That’s just amazing.”
Date: Feb. 1, 2023
North Meck’s Isaiah Evans puts up historic performance
March: Phoenix Suns’ star Kevin Durant went to watch Myers Park in a playoff game and drew national headlines for attending. Across town, at North Mecklenburg, Isaiah Evans drew some, too.
On his way to winning Mr. Basketball in North Carolina, Evans put up a school-record 62 points in a 105-92 win over Chambers in double-overtime. It was the second-highest scoring total in Mecklenburg County history, behind a 63-point night from former Chambers’ star Cam Hamilton in 2017. About eight months later, Evans signed with Duke.
Date: Feb. 28, 2023
Myers Park finally wins a state basketball title
Myers Park, which opened in 1951, reached its first state championship game since 1966. With a huge crowd from Charlotte watching in the Smith Center in Chapel Hill, Myers Park overwhelmed Richmond Senior, 74-60, to win the 4A title.
“When people say dreams to reality, you don’t know what that feels like,” Myers Park senior Sam Walters said after the game. “And now we know what it feels like, and words can’t describe how happy (we are). We’ve all earned this and to say we’re state champions is crazy.”
Date: March 11, 2023
NC high school athletes get NIL ... for a second
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association Board of Directors approved a proposal to allow in-state athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness. The policy was set to start July 1 and make North Carolina the 28th state nationally to allow NIL for high school athletes.
Later that day, however, state lawmakers approved legislation that sought to strip the NCHSAA of authority and blocked its NIL efforts.
“This week with this very bill moving, this organization saw fit to overstep their rights and their power, and then they work behind our backs to undermine the General Assembly’s authority to exploit our children, all in the name (of) a dollar,” said Iredell County Republican Vicki Sawyer.
Date: May 3, 2023
Charlotte Latin beats rival twice, for state titles
May: On a sunny Saturday, Charlotte Latin beat rival Providence Day for girls’ soccer and girls’ lacrosse state championships, barely two hours apart. The girls’ lacrosse team won 18-3, taking the Hawks’ fourth straight state title. Latin girls’ soccer team upset the No. 1 team in America, beating Providence Day 2-1.
Date: May 20, 2023
Ardrey Kell wins state title in girls’ soccer
Ardrey Kell’s nationally-ranked girls’ soccer team reached the state final for the fifth time and the second time in a row. The Knights beat Wilmington’s Ashley High 3-2 at UNC-Greensboro.
“It feels amazing,” said Knights’ star Taylor Suarez, who would later sign with Florida State after winning N.C. Gatorade player of the year for the second straight season. “We knew we were in this for a reason. This isn’t a coincidence. You just don’t make it back to a place like this twice. We deserve this. We’ve worked for this, and to lose last year and then come back and be put in this position again, I mean we weren’t going to let it go.”
Date: June 3, 2023
Providence Day, Northwestern play at Bank of America Stadium
More than 10,000 fans came to Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers, to see Providence Day play Rock Hill Northwestern in the first high school football game played there.
Providence Day, led by quarterback Jadyn Davis, won 42-35. Davis, who would later win Mr. Football in North Carolina for the second straight season, threw for 456 yards and five touchdowns.
Date: Aug. 19, 2023
NC lawmakers strip NCHSAA of power
A few months after blocking the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s NIL efforts, state lawmakers reached a deal on Senate Bill 452, which officially stripped the state association of power and put it in a position where it will have to negotiate with the State Department of Education in order to continue its current role long term.
Member schools were critical of the change, crafting a hashtag on social media, #IStandWithTheNCHSAA
Date: Sept. 22, 2023
Weddington High wins first 4A football title
When Weddington got the No. 1 seed for the Class 4A football playoffs, less than 24 hours after being upset in its season finale, there was a lot of groaning among those who follow N.C. high school football. Weddington put all that to rest with a playoff run where it won by an average of 38-14 and whipped Wilmington’s Hoggard High 56-21 to take the state crown.
Weddington, which had won three class 3A titles in 2016, 2018 and 2019, now owns one in the state’s deepest and toughest classification.
“This one’s gonna be special for me, forever,” Warriors head coach Andy Capone told reporters postgame. “It’s just a great group.”
Date: Dec. 9, 2023
