9th Annual “Charlotte Kickoff Night” Celebrates Start Of High School Football Season In The Carolinas

June 7, 2022

Deeandra Michel,

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – OrthoCarolina and the Teall Properties Group (TPG) have announced the 9th annual Charlotte Kickoff Night. The highly anticipated community event will be held at the American Legion Memorial Stadium in Uptown Charlotte on Thursday, August 18th.

Surgeon and Director of the Sports, Shoulder & Elbow Fellowship Program at OrthoCarolina Dr. Dana Piasecki says:

“Our goal when creating this event has always been to showcase and celebrate the student-athletes, coaches, parents, and schools that make the community special. We look forward to an incredible celebration and start to the high school football season under the lights in Uptown.”

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Middle School Athletics.

Game One, will be a “battle at the border” at its finest, when perennial big school football powerhouses from North and South Carolina kickoff the ’22 session. At 5pm, the Dutch Fork High School Silver Foxes (Irmo, SC) will make the trip up I-77 to take on the Hough Huskies (Cornelius, NC) in a contest that will feature two teams that finished last season nationally ranked and who are early favorites to win a state title this fall.

This clash of the Carolinas will feature the return of storied head coach Tom Knotts to Charlotte. Knotts won eight state titles while coaching in Charlotte and has six during his time at Dutch Fork. Hough, under the leadership of head coach Matt Jenkins, returns a talent-laden roster that finished last season with a 14-1 overall record. UNC commit, QB Tad Hudson will lead the Huskies on their pursuit of the program’s first state championship.

Game Two, at 8pm, will showcase two of the most prominent and dominant 4A schools in the state over the last decade, one that might be classified as a post-season matchup that will be featured in week one of the regular season. The Myers Park Mustangs (Charlotte, NC) will tee it up against the Mallard Creek Mavericks (Charlotte, NC) in the night cap. Myers Park will be led by first year head coach Jason McManus while Kennedy Tinsley will man the helm at Mallard Creek. The Mavericks, one of the more decorated teams in the state, have won three state titles in the last decade and look for a return to prominence. This year’s matchup is sure to highlight some of the most athletic and talented athletes the state has to offer.

“Of the nearly 10-years of conducting this event for the greater Charlotte high school football community, from top to bottom this might be the most talented and highest profile set of programs we’ve ever assembled,” says James Companion of the Teall Properties Group

Tickets are available now for $10! Click here to purchase.