Myers Park Hoofprint

The Myers Park High School Newspaper

Reid Heaton

MLB for CLT

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Do you like Cracker Jacks? The city of Charlotte is home to an NFL Team, NBA Team, and MLS Team, but where is the MLB team? 

In a 2022 interview with ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr, MLB General Manager Rob Manfred commented on the idea of expansion, saying, “I would love to get to 32 teams.” The concept of MLB expansion has been thrown around in recent years and becomes increasingly imminent every year. MLB’s most recent expansion was in 1998, with the addition of the “Devil Rays” and “Diamondbacks” bringing the number of teams from 28 to 30. Post-COVID-19, the business side of MLB has been thriving. According to Forbes Magazine, MLB set a record with 10.8 billion dollars of revenue brought in over the 2022 season. It has been 25 years since the latest expansion, and MLB is making as much money as ever; with many possible expansion cities, it’s time MLB expands to 32 teams and brings one team to the 704. 

According to the World Population Review, Charlotte is currently the 15th largest city in the United States, growing at a rate of 1.52% annually. The city of Charlotte is also larger than some cities that have MLB teams. Based on the 2021 United States Census, the population of the city of Charlotte is 879,709, which is twice as much as the population of the city of Oakland (433,823); Oakland is home to the Oakland Athletics. The numbers prove Charlotte is ready for an MLB team, but Charlotte’s sports culture is another attractive component of the city. 

Charlotte is a city that is filled with a love for sports. The city rallies around teams like the Panthers and Hornets, and even the newest addition of Major League Sports to Charlotte, the Charlotte Futbol Club. In its inaugural match on March 5th, 2022, Charlotte FC broke the attendance record for an MLS match, attracting 74,479 fans to Bank Of America Stadium. This was not just a one-hit wonder; Charlotte FC ended up ranking second in average attendance among MLS teams bringing in just over 36,000 fans a game. Charlotte FC is not the only Charlotte team fans have rallied around. According to ESPN, The Carolina Panthers ranked 9th in NFL attendance for 2022, averaging 71,000 fans a game. The Charlotte Knights have been a minor league baseball team that has called Charlotte home since 1976. Charlotte has not forgotten about its source for professional baseball amidst the other major league sports that represent the city. According to stats taken by MiLB, the Charlotte Knights ranked 7th out of around 120 teams in attendance rankings out of all minor league teams. With the Knights, Charlotte has shown that a baseball culture is present and that the city would rally around an MLB team. 

Another reason Charlotte is the perfect city for an MLB team is the location. Currently, the closest MLB team to Charlotte is The Atlanta Braves. Atlanta is 245 miles away from Charlotte, and The Braves bring in a significant number of fans from the Carolinas and other Southeast states. Currently, there are 2 MLB teams spread across the states of Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Mississippi. The Southeast is in need of another MLB team, and Charlotte once again fits the bill.

The city of Charlotte is ready for an MLB team. It is the 15th largest city in the United States and one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. Also, Charlotte has shown its passion for pro sports through the Charlotte Futbol Club, Carolina Panthers, and even the Charlotte Knights. Charlotte is in a location where it can fill a gap Major League Baseball has in the Southeast. If the MLB ever decided to expand, expect the city of Charlotte to be in the mix to become home to a new franchise.

College Football Review

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The 2022-23 College Football season is one that will not be forgotten. The season included an underdog making a National Championship, a dynasty being established, and the loss of a legend. 

While this season was one to remember on the field, it was also important off the field. Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach died on December 12th. Leach was a pioneer for College Football and his ideas contributed to how the game is played today with the heavy air game and spread offense.  Mississippi State decided to finish their season and won the ReliaQuest Bowl over Illinois 19-10.

The first couple weeks of the regular season proved how    unique college football can be. Fifth ranked Notre Dame got off to a rocky start, losing their first game to Ohio State followed by a surprising loss to Marshall. However, Notre Dame was not the only team to be on the bad side of a surprising upset. Texas A&M (who was ranked sixth in the AP Preseason Poll) lost its second game of the season to Appalachian State University. The win by App State brought the College Gameday crew to Boone for the first time. 

As the season progressed, the powerhouse teams of the 2022 season became apparent. Georgia was dominating, getting off to a 6-0 start. The Bulldogs took the number 1 spot after Week 2 and maintained this position for the rest of the season. Tennessee started the year unranked but flew up the AP Poll getting off to a 6-0 start. The October 15th matchup between #3 Alabama and #6 Tennessee was one of the most anticipated games of the entire season. According to 247 Sports, the game drew an astonishing 11.557 million viewers. Tennessee won the matchup, sending shockwaves through the college football scene with the Crimson Tide losing to the Volunteers. While all this drama was going on in the SEC, Ohio State, Michigan, Clemson, and TCU all put together sneakily good seasons by staying undefeated through mid October. Ohio State, Michigan, and TCU kept this pace to finish the regular season undefeated, but Clemson suffered two losses late in the season to crush the Tigers’ playoff hopes.

The Conference Championship games proved to have major value when it came to playoff selection. Georgia won the SEC Championship in dominating fashion over LSU. The Big 10 Championship game was looked at as a “play-in game” by most to see which team could make the College Football Playoff. Michigan won the fight to lock in its spot in the College Football Playoff. With 4th ranked TCU falling in a close game against Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship, and University of Southern California falling to Utah in the PAC-12 Championship, no one knew who would make the college football playoff going into selection week. 

With Conference Championships over, the College Football Playoff Committee made its decision. #2 Michigan would play #3 TCU in the Fiesta Bowl, and #1 Georgia was set to face off against #4 Ohio State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. TCU and Michigan put together one of the best games of the year, with TCU  hoisting the $1.4 Million dollar Fiesta Bowl trophy, winning 51-45. The other semifinal matchup between Georgia and Ohio State ended right at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve.  Ohio State kicker Noah Ruggles missed a field-goal kick that would have sent the Buckeyes to the National Championship. The new year started off well for the Bulldogs, winning 42-41 in Atlanta.  Georgia ended their season the way they started it with a 65-7 win over TCU. This was the second straight National Championship win for Coach Kirby Smart and Georgia, with the program firmly planting their foot in the door as the next dynasty in college football.

What Myers Park Looked Like 60 Years Ago

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In 1962, John F. Kennedy was President, John Glen became the first astronaut to orbit the earth, and Myers Park High School was still located at 2400 Colony Road. There were no chromebooks, no Canvas, but kids were still going to learn at Myers Park High School like we  are today. Dona Leonard was one of these students, and today Dona sat down for an interview with Hoofprint staff. 

Dona graduated from Myers Park High School as a part of the 1962 class. This class was  significantly  smaller than MP’s upcoming class, the class of 2023. According to US News, Myers Park’s 2022-2023 class has 835 students, while Dona spoke on the class size of the 1962 class saying,

“It was about 525.”

MP has shown significant growth over the years and is showing no signs of slowing down. 

One topic around campus is Myers Parks’ parking situation. Dona spoke about getting to school and the parking, saying, “I was fortunate enough to be in a carpool to get to school, I had some friends I was riding with to get to school, we had to have parking passes to be able to park there on campus.” The way Dona got to school is similar to the way students get to school today, as parking passes are still required to park on campus. During the 2022 MP Football season, the Mustangs drew support from students and from community members, however this is not a new thing. When asked about activities outside of school Dona immediately said, “We would have football games, and those were really well attended, and the band would play.” Over the years some aspects of Myers Park might have changed, but Myers Park still maintains some of its core foundations. 

Education will always be the main purpose of schools, and Dona spoke about her classes saying, 

“I would have just general classes, English, history, math, biology, PE, and chorus.” Those classes are still offered at Myers Park, but the differences in which they are taught are jurassic. Today schools utilize technology and online resources to deliver information to students. However learning was not always like this, Donna said,

“It was all hand done brain work, there were no computers, we were not allowed to use calculators. It was all face to face with a teacher.” Dona also added on the topic of her education saying, 

“To me it was a very limiting [learning] experience.” She added, “At the time that I was going to school the thing most girls were told was that all they could do would be to become a teacher or a nurse.” In 2022, Myers Park offers a wide variety of learning opportunities and experiences available to all students. Myers Park has an auto program, a large CTE program, and a performing arts program. Today these programs give Myers Park a great reputation as one of the best high schools in North Carolina. This reputation is not new to MP, Dona said, 

“Myers Park at that time was almost the equivalent of getting a college education.” She added, “at that time if you told people you were a Myers Park graduate, it was like they knew that school had a wonderful reputation.” The education at Myers Park has grown and prospered over the years while maintaining a strong reputation as a good school. 

Although 60 years may seem like a long time, Myers Park still maintains some of its core values, while  also growing and strengthening in many different aspects. Myers Park still maintains a strong reputation and receives support from the community. Also, Myers Park has alumni like Dona Leonard that are scattered throughout our community. One can only imagine what Myers Park High School will look like 60 years from now.

Charlotte: A Great Venue for Professional Golf Tournaments

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The city of Charlotte along with Quail Hollow Golf Club has made a name for itself as a notable venue for the PGA Tour. In 2003, the PGA Tour brought the Wachovia Championship to Quail Hollow Golf Club in South Charlotte, and as time moved on and the name changed to the Wells Fargo Championship, the tournament continues to return to charlotte except for two occasions. In 2017, The PGA Association of America brought the PGA Championship to Quail Hollow, making Quail Hollow Golf Club a part of an exclusive list of major championship host sites. The second occasion was this past September, when Quail Hollow hosted the 14th Presidents cup. The question is, what makes the city of Charlotte such a good venue for golf tournaments? 

The first answer is the golf course. Quail Hollow Golf Club was designed by George Cobb and reconstructed by Tom Fazio. The golf course opened on June 3rd, 1961, and was reconstructed in 1997. The property spans across 237 acres, allowing room for fans to roam and shops to be built, but also room for a long, challenging and rigorous golf course. The course plays at 7,445 yards from the back tees, making it one of the longest courses the tour visits. Quail Hollow Golf Club also features three of the best finishing holes in golf, which has been nicknamed “the green mile”. In a interview with Hoofprint staff Taylor Zarzour, the voice of golf’s major championships and the first tee starter at this years presidents cup, he spoke about the the finishing stretch, saying,“It’s a beautiful finish with a lot of risk reward shots, especially in the last three holes which is referred to as the green mile.”

However, The Green Mile is not the only part of the course that makes Quail Hollow Special. Throughout the 18 holes designed by George Cobb and Tom Fazio, Quail Hollow has every characteristic of a great golf course. Quail Hollow Golf Club is one of the reasons the Tour continues to return to Charlotte.

The next reason is all the city of Charlotte has to offer. Charlotte is now the 17th largest city in the country, and is growing at a very fast rate. North Carolina has over 500 golf courses and Charlotte itself has over 20 golf courses. With Charlotte now being identified as a golf city, the citizens are passionate about the game.  This passion was on full display at the Presidents Cup, with Crowds reaching up to 40,000 for each day of the event. Zarzour spoke on his experience as the starter at the presidents cup saying, “It was one of the neatest experiences I’ve ever had, And to have all that noise around us on the first tee in the stands was just incredible. I thought the event came off incredibly well for Charlotte.” Zarzour added later in the interview, “It felt bigger than any Presidents Cup that i’ve attended in the past.”

Charlotte brought a significant amount of passion, and energy to this year’s Presidents Cup. Only further proving the point why the city of Charlotte is a major reason the PGA Tour and other golf tournaments return to charlotte.

The PGA Tour recently gave the city of Charlotte and Quail Hollow Golf Club another affirmation by making the Wells Fargo Championship one of eight new elevated PGA tour events. The Wells Fargo Championship will be worth more FedEx Cup points and will feature a larger purse than ever before, bringing the best players and best competition you could find in a PGA Tour Event to Charlotte. In addition to this, the PGA Championship will also be returning to Quail Hollow Golf Club in May 2025. The combination of a great golf course, along with a city that is very passionate about the game of golf is what keeps big tournaments coming back to the Queen City.