Three former North Carolina high school football players made Super Bowl LVIII
Sunday's Super Bowl 58 will involved three former North Carolina high school football players. All three appeared in last year's ultimate game as well.
The most notable North Carolina high school alum is Javon Hargrave of the San Francisco 49ers (#98). Hailing from North Rowan High School in Spencer, Hargrave is a 6-foot-2, 305-pound defensive tackle with renowned pass rushing juice. Hargrave was in this game as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles last season. In the offseason, Hargrave signed a monster 4-year, $81 million contract with the 49ers in free agency.
South Carolina State was one of a handful of schools to recruit Hargrave out of high school, so that's where he went. He was a star there over his college years and played his way into a third round selection by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2016 NFL Draft. He has accumulated 44.5 sacks over his NFL career. Hargrave has a Pro Football Focus grade of 73.9 this season.
A former multi-sport athlete, Hargrave averaged 11.9 points-per-game and 9.5 rebounds-per-game when he played basketball at North Rowan.
Jack Britt High School is the home to Joshua Williams of the Kansas City Chiefs (#2). A child of a family with a military background, Williams is a long 6-foot-3 cornerback who is a key special teams player. Williams has played in 31% of the Chiefs' defensive snaps this season. In those snaps, Williams had made 32 total tackles and five pass breakups, earning a PFF grade of 73.0. He was drafted in the fourth round by the Chiefs last year.
After switching to defensive back from wide receiver in high school, Williams made 31 total tackles and was rarely targeted as a senior at Jack Britt. For college, Williams stayed in town and played football at Fayetteville State University.
Former J.H. Rose wide receiver standout Cornell Powell is also on the Chiefs' roster, but as a practice squad player. Powell was drafted by Kansans City out of Clemson in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The 6-foot, 205-pound pass catcher has appeared in three games in his time with the Chiefs. Still, the Chiefs' organization clearly values Powell as a practice player/depth option.
Powell made HighSchoolOT's 2010s All-Decade Team. He caught 203 passes for 4,301 yards and 68 touchdowns (third), ran for 828 yards and 13 touchdowns, and returned four punts and five kickoffs for touchdowns in his career with the Rampants.
