They say all good things must end some day.
Well, covering HS sports was a very good thing. Now it must end.
Here's my note to all of you (turn the phone sideways to read the heartfelt novel) who have been there for the decade-long ride.
Here's my next stop: the classroom.
That's right. I'm an English teacher! 👨🏻🏫
I have always admired the teachers/coaches I cover and the impact they make, now I join their ranks!
I'm so grateful to Cardinal Gibbons for giving me the opportunity! Can't wait to get started!
@benshapiro
Reminds me of when
@realDailyWire
almost dropped a writer over a crude tweet. But not you - you stood up against the mob then and you’re doing it now. You’re so consistent in your principles. Wait. Never mind.
Hayden Shackelford isn’t a professional broadcaster, but what he does w/an audience of one might be the nation’s most impressive play-by-play.
Hayden relays the action to longtime friend Tom Husketh. Tom’s a huge football fan. He’s also blind.
Column:
Garner coach Eddie Gray: "I told (the team) my prayer for them was that they would become good, productive citizens. And that's what athletics is all about. It's about preparing kids for the future."
#rduscores
In the last THREE DAYS, Clayton has:
-had former 🏀star sign a NBA two-way contract (Gary Clark)
-had former track star win another USA Track national title (Keni Harrison)
-had former ⚾️ star get called up to MLB (Evan Phillips)
What a time to be a Comet.
@Clayton_Comets
My wallet from 14-15 years ago, returned. Western Harnett AD Russell Taylor found it while renovating the locker room.
1) I hope the library card still works
2) can't figure out what the chemist thing means. It's stuck.
3) my son recognized my face despite braces/sideburns
I can't sleep. I'm still so wired from my last day at the N&O. It's wild. I've logged out of
@PrepsNow
and my email has been shut down.
Did a little speech about th importance of having an impact on people. That should be the goal for all of us.
#NCHSAAFB
TITLE GAMES
4AA: Vance v Leesville Road
4A: East Forsyth v Cardinal Gibbons
3AA: Weddington v Lee County
3A: Charlotte Catholic v Southern Nash
2AA: Shelby v Salisbury
2A: Reidsville v Northeastern
1AA: East Surry v Tarboro
1A: Robbinsville v Northampton County
My heart is full of gratitude. This is a special year.
Our youngest was born this summer. My wife supported me through a big career change. I'm part of a wonderful school community w/the best students. And, incredibly, I still get to write about HS sports?
Very thankful indeed.
For those unaware, Farmville Central and Greene Central are arch-rivals. One of the most special ENC rivalries.
They’re just 14 miles apart and neither is more than 22 miles from ECU.
Minges Coliseum is just about full.
#HSOT
Greenfield's Coby White BROKE
#TheJohnWall
scoring record. He had 41 tonight, 32 in the semis and 46 in the 1st round.
That's 119, 4 more than Donald Williams, the Garner &
#UNC
great.
to his credit, he was visibly peeved when crowd celebrated it. He'd rather win.
It was a complete underdog tale, and it started right here in NC.
"Coming from the state of North Carolina, we already come into college wrestling with a chip on our shoulders." -
@mike_macch
, NCAA champ
🤼♂️ 👀
I teach sophomores and this is my third year, so this year's senior class is the first I've gotten to know. Before last year, I never got to go to a HS championship as a fan/faculty member. It's a completely different world to see the kids you care about out there.
I'm floored by this news.
Kevin Todd was a picture of perfect health to so many. He didn't even age over a good 20 years if not more.
I just can't wrap my head around this. I'll struggle to grasp it for some time.
Thinking of & praying for the Apex community..
Some incredibly sad news to report today.
Kevin Todd, longtime soccer coach at Apex High School, died suddenly today. He was a teacher and a two-time state champion coach at the school.
#HSOT
The
#SWAC
got 5 baseball teams into the playoffs. They all went undefeated against the other 4A East conferences. Not sure I've ever seen anything like that.
Apex took out Garner
Fuquay-Varina took out Middle Creek
Middle Creek took out Holly Springs
Thanks so much to the
@NCSoccerCoaches
, and all the ⚽️ coaches I work with, for this honor. And thank you
@GoHuskySoccer
, whose words about me today had me all choked up.
Baseball is back. Colfax-Mingo and Tri-County are under way at Principal Park in the first HS varsity baseball game in the nation as sports resume during this worldwide pandemic.
#iahsbb
Welcome to Whiteville, baseball capital of NC
The town of about 5,300 has 9 state titles, going into this weekend, a national player of the year, 12 MLB Draft picks (three 1st-rounders!) and two others to play professionally
@WHSDiamondBB
@WhitevilleHigh
FUQUAY-VARINA WINS 7-6 ON PKS AFTER BOTH SIDES GET 8 ATTEMPTS. BENGALS WIN THE 4A EAST, HEAD TO SATURDAY'S 4A TITLE GAME VS MYERS PARK
#rduscores
#NCHSAASOC
High school athletics are about life lessons.
I carry what I learned about work, practice, discipline and being a good teammate into my everyday life. My teammates who didn't learn those lessons have had a harder road in life. You gotta reach each kid, not just the stars.
In a sport where you can hardly hear yourself think sometimes, David Kushner has a voice can't project.
A headset and speaker are needed to help his paralyzed vocal cord.
It hasn't been easy, but it's made him a better coach (he was darn good already)
FUQUAY-VARINA!
YOUR 4A STATE BASEBALL CHAMPS - AGAIN!
Bengals defeat Ardrey Kell 10-6 with four runs in the top of the seventh to win Game 3 and take the
#NCHSAABASE
title for the first time since 2002!
Fuquay dropped G1, then won twice today to win it!
#rduscores
Harding QB Braheam Murphy justs ran a long TD that effectively iced this 4A title game and I think he pointed upward as he was going in.
If he did, he has a good reason. Read
@langstonwertzjr
's story tonight if you have never seen it before.
🗣COLLEGE COACHES
Unsigned super-senior‼️
4 years of NCAA eligibility left
High motor ✅
Great teammate ✅
Strong academically ✅
Sets screens ✅
Athleticism ❌❌
Elite scorer ❌
Ballhandling ❌
Creates turnovers ❌
Makes team better ❓❓
Garbage putbacks ✅✅
#DukeMediaGame
Punched in the final grades today. Wow. What a year. I can’t say enough about this place. Great kids, great culture, great bosses (tho I ran off
@principalcghsnc
pretty quickly. My bad.), and great support for a newbie like me. Looking forward to Year 2 in the fall!
Here's my next stop: the classroom.
That's right. I'm an English teacher! 👨🏻🏫
I have always admired the teachers/coaches I cover and the impact they make, now I join their ranks!
I'm so grateful to Cardinal Gibbons for giving me the opportunity! Can't wait to get started!
IT'S OVER!!
FUQUAY-VARINA IS YOUR NCHSAA 4A GIRLS SOCCER STATE CHAMPION. THE FIRST ONE IN PROGRAM HISTORY.
The Bengals score early in the 2nd half and down previously undefeated Myers Park 1-0!
#rduscores
#NCHSAASOC
Voyager Academy boys basketball coach Mike Huff is stepping down. Said he knew this would be his last year. Wants to spend more time watching his son Jay at UVA. The father-son duo won the
@NCHSAA
1A title together in 2016
🏀:
@VAHSNCAthletics
A
#TBT
🔗:
She was at Athens Drive last semester, won her
@NCHSAA
record 4th straight 4A title, graduates early and she's ALREADY an NCAA All-American in her first semester on campus
Congratulations to freshman Jennifer Chang and sophomore Allisen Corpuz on earning WGCA All-American honors! They are USC’s 31st & 32nd All-Americans.
#FightOn
Wow! I'm incredibly honored to receive this award again. I have so much respect for the soccer coaches of our great state. This means a lot to me. And I'm proud to share the award with
@HPEmichael
, a true pro in preps coverage if there ever was one!
There's a winner and a loser, but this is what high school sports are about. Jayden Gardner left it all on the floor for Heritage & for his teammates. If you have any doubt, watch.
@Husky_Sports
@Jayy_Baller_1
@WCPSS
@HHSHuskyHoops
4A swimming championships update:
Grace Countie is UNFAIR.
Leesville Road was in 4th going into her leg, she anchors the Pride to a win in the 200 IM relay.
#NCHSAASWIM
Tarboro has one of the state's most dominant and respected football programs, noted for its selflessness, discipline, and athleticism -- but only one player holds an FCS offer.
They lack nothing -- except ego.
Wherever they end up, they'll be fine.
💻
Fun Greene Central fact:
Rams missed the playoffs 8 years in a row, hired Charles Harris 4 years ago and since then...
-made playoffs
-made playoffs
-East final
-state title game awaiting them
@GCramsports
No large gatherings of more than 100 people, says the Governor.
I feel like I know of this thing that does this 5x a week. Can’t quite put my finger on it. I know it rhymes with cool. Hmm 🤔
(The writing’s on the wall, isn’t it?)
Brunswick County’s new turf fields a real rarity in the eastern half of NC.
That’s 10 years without having to paint a line, gas up or fix a lawnmower, water a single blade of Bermuda, and maybe — just maybe — watch as others take the plunge for turf.
💻📲
Today's champions (East and West teams split, 4-4)
4A Boys: South Central
4A Girls: West Forsyth
3A Boys: Southwest Guilford
3A Girls: Southeast Guilford
2A Boys: Farmville Central
2A Girls: Mountain Heritage
1A Boys: Bishop McGuinness
1A Girls: Pamlico County
#HSOT
He was one of the most gifted coaches I've ever been around. And the way he handled his diagnosis was truly remarkable and inspiring. Please pray for his wife & family's comfort, both now and in the days & years to come.
Holly Springs Wrestling mourns the lost of Coach Noz. Please join the coaching staff, our wrestlers, and the Holly Springs community in celebrating the life of Coach Noz and his impact to Holly Springs High School and the wrestling program.
The new calendar makes a lot of sense, but not for boys & girls lacrosse.
Four sports run April 26-June 11, NONE of them use the football field.
Why is lax not playing during that window and instead overlapping w/🏈 & girls ⚽️ and coincides w/boys ⚽️?
One thought from last night: Garner was a really gracious team in defeat. Basically half the team called out to Wake Forest as WF huddled and told them "y'all go win it all again" and "best of luck" and things like that. I've seen it before, but not that large of a scale.