Three former area high school football stars set to play in the Super Bowl

ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. (WBTV) - Former North Rowan High School star Javon Hargrave is now set to play in the country’s biggest sporting event, Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, February 12, along with his teammate, former South Caldwell star Landon Dickerson.

In addition, former Mallard Creek star Jordan Davis is on the Eagles.

“It’s good for us, but it’s also good him but also big for North Rowan High School,” said Michael White, the principal at North Rowan and a former coach for Hargrave. “I actually got to talk to him Friday before they played Sunday and told him to go out there and get it done and he said alright coach, I got you.”

Hargrave, 29, is a starting defensive tackle for the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles. He punched his ticket to the Super Bowl as the Eagles beat the San Francisco 49′ers 31-7 on Sunday night in the NFC Championship Game.

Hargrave was credited with a sack in the game.

Hargrave, who played his college ball at South Carolina State, was taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the NFL draft in 2016. Hargrave was the 89th overall pick.

As a defensive tackle Hargrave was credited with 37 sacks in 47 career games for the Bulldogs, and twice won the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year awards at South Carolina State.

Hargrave was also an All State basketball player for North Rowan.

After playing for the Steelers from 2016-19, Hargrave signed a three-year, $39 million deal to join the Eagles. He was a free agent at the time. Hargrave took part in the 2022 Pro Bowl.

Hargrave has remained close to his home community and has been generous in helping children financially and through football camps. Shortly after he was drafted by the Steelers, Hargrave made donations to both North Rowan Elementary and Hanford Dole Elementary Schools. Hargrave donated $5000 to each of the schools, according to school officials.

At North Rowan the donation was used to allow students to go on a Walmart shopping spree and purchase up to $70 worth of toys for themselves or family members. At Hanford Dole Elementary, the donation was used to purchase bicycles that were given to students.

In November Hargrave was inducted into the The Salisbury-Rowan Sports Hall of Fame.

At South Caldwell in 2015 Landon Dickerson was an imposing presence on the field.

“To look at him, obviously, he’s intimidating, but when you talk with him you realize, this guy’s just like us,” said Coach James Reed.

Dickerson was drafted by the Eagles in 2021 as the 37th pick in the 2nd round. He graduated from South Caldwell in 2016.

“We ran behind him quite a bit and anytime we get the football behind him or in his area, good things were going to happen for us,” added Casey Justice, head coach for the South Caldwell Spartans.

Dickerson is on the wall of fame at the school, with a few other well-known Spartans.

“We’ve had several touches with fame with Madison (Bumgarner) being the MVP of the World Series, Landon being an All-Pro, national champion at Alabama, winning the Remington Award as outstanding center for that season and of course, Eric Church, Entertainer of the Year,” said South Caldwell Principal Rob Bliss.

“It gives our student athletes hope that you work hard, you do things the right way off the field, you can accomplish anything you want to accomplish,” said Athletic Director Ethan James.

“I think obviously Landon has reached the pinnacle of his profession,” Bliss added. “I think for our students and our community it leads our students to believe that anything can happen at South Caldwell.”

Jordan Davis graduated from Mallard Creek High School in Charlotte in 2018. He played on the national championship team in Georgia before being drafted 13th overall in the first round of the NFL draft in 2022.