Sweet 16: Here are the best high football players outside of Mecklenburg County

Since The Charlotte Observer began its Sweet 16 high school football poll in 1984, there have been dozens of memorable players. Today, we are honoring the best.

Because The Observer’s coverage area has changed so much through the years — it once stretched to the Triad, mountains and beach — the anniversary team will only include Mecklenburg County players and coaches.

But we also wanted to include a shorter list of the best Observer-area players of the past 40 years from outside Mecklenburg County in the Sweet 16 era.

Sweet 16 turns 40

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16 poll, our high school preps staff spent months working to determine the best football players, coaches and teams of the era.

• The all-time best high school football players from Charlotte

• Charlotte's greatest high school football player was an 'anomaly'

• Who are the best players from outside Mecklenburg County?

• Which teams were the best of the Sweet 16 era? We make our picks

• COLUMN: In the past 40 years, what’s the greatest team I’ve seen? There are only two contenders

• These are the top high school Charlotte football coaches of the last 40 years

• ‘It’s just a fact’: He is the greatest Charlotte prep football coach in the past 40 years

Jadeveon Clowney, South Pointe (Class of 2011): Clowney is our pick as the best defensive player, in or outside Mecklenburg County, in the Sweet 16 era. Clowney had 306 tackles and 55.5 sacks in his career, including 162 tackles his senior year. He finished high school as the No. 1 recruit in America. After college at South Carolina, Clowney would become the NFL’s No. 1 overall pick in 2014.

Stephen Davis, Spartanburg (Class of 1993): In 2011, a group of MaxPreps’ writers deemed Davis “the best high school player we ever saw.” In high school, Davis rushed for more than 4,500 yards and won football and track state championships. As a senior, Davis was the No. 1 recruit in the nation and USA Today’s offensive player of the year. He later starred at Auburn and played in a Super Bowl with the Carolina Panthers. Davis was named an NFL All-Pro three times.

Chris Hope, Rock Hill (Class of 1998): As a senior, Hope was ranked the No. 1 defensive back prospect in the nation by Prep Star and was a first-team USA Today All-USA pick. In his career, he had 464 tackles and 10 interceptions, starting 55 straight games, then a school record. After high school, Hope became a star at Florida State and later played in the NFL for the Steelers, Titans, Falcons and Lions from 2002-13.

Sam Howell, Sun Valley, QB (Class of 2019): Howell is one of the best high school players ever from Union County. He threw for 13,415 yards and 145 touchdowns in his high school career. He enrolled early at North Carolina in January 2019 and is currently the starting quarterback for the NFL’s Washington Commanders.

TA McLendon, Albemarle, RB (Class of 2002): In high school at Albemarle, McLendon rushed for 9,004 yards and 178 total touchdowns, including 170 rushing. His name is Tristan Akeen, but people swore his initials stood for “Touchdown Always.” In 2001, as a junior, he ran for a national-record 71 touchdowns on a state championship team. Later, as a freshman at NC State in the fall of 2022, McLendon led the ACC in touchdowns and was rookie of the year.

Nick Maddox, AL Brown, RB (Class of 1999): As a senior in high school, Maddox ran for 2,594 yards and 33 touchdowns and caught 20 passes for 268 yards and eight scores. He was a two-time Associated Press Offensive Player of the Year as well as a Parade and USA Today All-American. Maddox played at Florida State and briefly in the NFL. He’s now a county commissioner in Leon County, Florida.

Will Shipley, Weddington, RB (Class of 2021): Shipley was a five-star prospect rated No. 1 among all running backs in the nation by Rivals during his senior year. As a junior, Shipley was The Charlotte Observer All-Area and Gatorade N.C. player of the year. Shipley missed his senior season after Covid forced the fall 2020 season to be played in the spring of 2021. Shipley enrolled early at Clemson, where he became an all-league talent. In three years in high school, Shipley ran for 4,173 yards (8.3 yards per carry) and scored 80 touchdowns. He helped lead Weddington to back-to-back state titles in 2018 and 2019.

Brandon Spikes, Crest, LB (Class of 2006): Spikes, a U.S. Army All-American in high school, was the No. 1-ranked prospect in North Carolina. As a senior at Crest, he had 75 tackles, four sacks and four interceptions. He became an All-American in college and played on Florida’s national championship team in 2006. From 2010-16, Spikes played in the NFL for the Patriots and Bills.

Chazz and Sage Surratt, East Lincoln/Lincolnton (Class of 2016: Chazz, Class of 2017: Sage): The brothers led East Lincoln to the 2014 state title, Chazz as a QB and Sage as a WR. Chazz was Parade Magazine’s National Player of the Year and N.C. Offensive Player of the Year in 2016. After transferring to Lincolnton, Sage caught 129 passes for 2,104 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior. In the 2016-17 season, Sage was football and basketball Associated Press N.C. player of the year.

Michael Waddell, Richmond Senior, ATH (Class of 1998): When Waddell was a child, his grandmother started calling him “Rabbit” because no one was fast enough to keep up with him. The nickname stuck. A Parade All-American in high school, Waddell ran for 1,564 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior, averaging 11.2 yards per carry. He also caught 21 passes for 419 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, he was a first-team all-state kick returner as a senior and made the All-USA Today team as an athlete.