Why a high school game at Bank of America stadium is big for Rock Hill, Panthers
Well before the practice site and headquarters are completed, Rock Hill residents will claim a part of the Carolina Panthers as their own.
Last week, news broke that South Pointe High School of Rock Hill and Myers Park of Charlotte will play in the first-ever high school football game at Bank of America Stadium — home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers.
The game offers exciting prospects for South Pointe players, coaches, fans and the larger Rock Hill community, which soon will welcome the Panthers’ headquarters and practice facility to an undeveloped site off I-77 between Cherry Road and Dave Lyle Boulevard.
“It’s more than just about the football team,” South Pointe football’s head coach DeVonte Holloman told The Herald this week. “It’s about our school, our community rallying around the Panthers and welcoming them at the same time.”
The Stallions have reached the S.C. Upper State finals 10 of the past 12 seasons and have won four state titles in six years. The Charlotte-based high school has won 11 games the last four consecutive seasons.
“Myers Park is really talented and has some really good players,” Holloman said. “I think it’ll be a really good matchup. ...
“Again, we’re thankful for the opportunity to be involved with the Panthers. I know Myers Park is going to benefit from it in a lot of different ways, and we will as well.”
As far as how the deal went down? The Panthers presented the opportunity to South Pointe, Holloman said.
Many of the event’s details will be disclosed closer to the game day, said Holloman and South Pointe athletic director Adam Hare. They both declined to delve into the specifics of how the deal transpired, or answer hypothetical questions about how the coronavirus could affect the event.
“It was released and announced, and we’re just excited for it to happen,” Hare said. “A lot of the details are being talked about, or are being worked on.”
A partnership with Rock Hill
The matchup in Bank of America stadium was announced just weeks after the deal to bring the Carolina Panthers’ headquarters to Rock Hill was finalized.
Panthers management has made it clear that it envisions its new practice facility being a “community asset” for Rock Hill and York County.
In an October 2019 meeting with a congregation of Rock Hill economic leaders and investors, Panthers chief operating officer Mark Hart said bringing the NFL team could lead to educational and job opportunities for Winthrop, York Tech and local high school students. He also said the practice facility, which has the capacity to host large-scale concerts, sports tournaments and other events, could be used for “community games” and “high school football games.”
The facility is scheduled to be open mid-2022.
Rock Hill Mayor John Gettys told The Herald on Thursday that the event is a recognition of how special a football program and school South Pointe is, and it’s also a step to solidify the Panthers’ partnership with the state of South Carolina.
“The Panthers have been around 25 years and have never done this before,” Gettys said. “The one thing that they’ve been consistent upon over the last year and several months that I’ve been working with them is that this ‘two-states, one-team’ mantra isn’t just marketing: It’s in this new administration’s DNA.
“They totally believe this franchise represents two states.”
Gettys said he is looking forward to attending the game in four months.
The game is scheduled for the first Saturday in September. Tickets will be $10.
“We’re thankful and fortunate to have the Panthers in Rock Hill now,” Gettys said.
This story was originally published May 12, 2020 at 5:26 PM.
.jpeg)