In The Huddle

With Graham’s football team needing a strong finish to earn a berth in the Class 2-A playoffs, Red Devils’ coach Mike McCauley saw Friday night’s road trip to Cardinal Gibbons as a chance for his team to get away from distractions and renew its focus.

“I like road trips,” McCauley said. “I’m just not crazy about going to Cardinal Gibbons during the State Fair.”

One of the toughest things the Red Devils will have to deal with is the traffic surrounding the yearly festival that is held about mile from the
Raleigh campus of Cardinal Gibbons.

McCauley said the Red Devils will likely leave Graham at around 4:30. It should put Graham there in time for kickoff. The downside is that after a night spent in the shadow of the ferris wheel, the Red Devils may come back smelling like fried dough.

Sorry to make this so brief, but we’re about an hour away from kickoff in the Cowboys/Patriots game. As a devout Dallas fan since I don’t know when, I’m still not fully recovered from the Monday night affair in Buffalo (I have begin scouring the Internet for a Nick Folk jersey though). So yeah, I’ve got to collect my thoughts, tell my fiancé I love her and for her to disregard anything that comes out of my mouth for the next four hours or so. I think it might be a long afternoon.

Anyway, here are a few thoughts on last week’s games. 

EASTERN ALAMANCE 45, SOUTHERN ALAMANCE 16 

The Eagles hold serve in a crucial Mid-State 3-A home game. But with only five conference games, aren’t they all crucial?

WESTERN ALAMANCE 42, BARTLETT YANCEY 12 

The fact that the Buccaneers racked up 230 passing yards and 12 points against the top-ranked Warriors should be a source of concern for Western Alamance. It should also be a source of encouragement for a Bartlett Yancey team that could use some.

NORTHWOOD 42, CUMMINGS 28 

With an assistant coach hospitalized and top running back Audi Smith suffering a brutal knee injury, can the Cavaliers be blamed for falling to the underrated Chargers? Either way, it’s gut check time for the defending Class 2-A champs.

CEDAR RIDGE 36, GRAHAM 6 

Take the most productive offensive player off of just about any team and odds are that team’s going to have a rough go of it. With leading rusher Brendan Cundiff out with a concussion, Graham got to see that first hand.

OXFORD WEBB 41, WILLIAMS 21 

The Bulldogs take a tough road loss, making the final three games of the season critical for their playoff hopes.

REIDSVILLE 64, EASTERN GUILFORD 10 

Well, the Rams are the No. 1 team in Class 2-A for a reason.

EASTERN RANDOLPH 16, ASHEBORO 7

Eastern Randolph shows some fight and reminds the Mid-Piedmont Conference that heading to Ramseur won’t be a cakewalk any time soon.

Wrestling is a different kind of sport.

It asks so much of its competitors yet gives such humble returns.

To be good, a kid must put in hours upon hours of practice, make themselves strong but lithe, explosive but relentless. And if they don’t make weight, it can be all for naught.

It’s also a sport that exists in a level of obscurity. College scholarships are scarce. It’s biggest stars are far from household names and the most decorated high school standouts rarely ever achieve Big Man on Campus status.

There’s something about slipping into one of those revealing singlets that strips most people of all pretense.

Bottom line, everyone who competes is there for the love of the sport and little else.

Maybe that’s why it can be pretty fun to cover.

The kids, coaches and fans are real. They love their sport and respect everyone who practices it.

This sense of community makes wrestling tournaments feel less like competitions and more like social gatherings with headgear, funny shoes and the occasional blood timeout.

Cummings coach Andy Hawks is a fixture in this world. He is one of several talented area wrestling coaches that I’ve had the privilege to work with and learn about the sport from.

With his bright red hair and a mischievous glint in his eye, Hawks kept you laughing and made you feel like you were always in on the joke.

In my years on the beat, I’ve seen Hawks comfort his kids after crushing losses and rush to their aid after injuries. Heck, one Thanksgiving he had a few kids stay with him while their parents left town. They wanted to wrestle in a tournament, so Hawks made room for them in his home and at his table.

One thing was always clear with Hawks, if you competed for him, he had your back. Always.

Maybe that was why, when he collapsed in class on Wednesday morning, his students rushed to get help, help that proved to be life-saving.

They had his back too.

Right now, Hawks is in a Durham Hospital and the Cummings community is hoping for the best.

I’m sure those in wrestling, a sport who’s heart is in the right place, are doing the same.

It may be 90 degrees outside but, believe it or not, the high school football season is nearing its final stages. Conference play is in full stride and playoff scenarios are coming into focus.

Several area teams have all but assured themselves of spots in the postseason, but there are a few that need to make some things happen during the final few weeks to keep playing after Nov. 2.

One such team is Williams. The Bulldogs have had more than their share of tough
breaks this season, losing four games by seven points or less (one was reversed by a forfeit).

With a tough trip to Oxford Webb on tap for this Friday, getting a win will be paramount if the Bulldogs want to achieve that goal.

“Oh yes, they’re aware of it,” Story said.

Here are a few thoughts on this week’s games…

SOUTHERN ALAMANCE AT EASTERN ALAMANCE

Eastern Alamance has proven to be one of the area’s strongest teams and Southern Alamance has proven to be one of its most resilient. Only one will get to move to 2-0 in Mid-State 3-A Conference play.

BARTLETT YANCEY AT WESTERN ALAMANCE

After a strong showing last week Bartlett Yancey, faces a tall order in trying to slow down the red hot Warriors.

CUMMINGS AT NORTHWOOD

Plain and simple, this could be the Mid-State 2-A Conference Game of the Year. Cummings has appeared to shake off its three-game losing streak.

WILLIAMS AT OXFORD WEBB

The winner of this game keeps its postseason hopes alive, the loser is staring at an 0-2 league hole.

CEDAR RIDGE AT GRAHAM

Graham is another team that can ensure a playoff spot with a strong finish. After a good showing in a loss at Northwood last week, the Red Devils have shown the promise to have that closing flourish.

EASTERN GUILFORD AT REIDSVILLE

After a tough loss to Winston-Salem Atkins, the Wildcats are likely not looking forward to a meeting with the top-ranked team in Class 2-A.

ASHEBORO AT EASTERN RANDOLPH

Eastern Randolph will look to gain revenge on the only team it lost to last season.

Friends, things are getting serious. Friday night Western Alamance heads over to Northeast Guilford for a matchup of Triad Conference heavyweights. The top-ranked Warriors will try and derail the high-powered option attack of the Rams. There’s quite a bit riding on this one and the tension has even spread to the newsroom of the good old’ Times-News.

Out Accent Department is usually a happy place. It cranks out stories about music, movies, the arts and local happenings. But this week, there’s a different feel. Times-News rock n’ roll aficionado Brian Rose, a former Western Alamance punter, and Accent head Charity Apple, a graduate of Northeast Guilford, have barely spoken.

Upon entering the Accent Department’s work area, the temperature drops a couple degrees. Ok, maybe that has something to do with the office’s schizophrenic HVAC system, but either way, I’d steer clear of the place until all of this blows over.

Here’s a few thoughts about this week’s schedule.

WILLIAMS AT SOUTHERN ALAMANCE

Both teams had brutal non-conference schedules. No doubt both are looking for a fresh start in Mid-State 3-A Conference play.

WESTERN ALAMANCE AT NORTHEAST GUILFORD

This has got to be one of the area’s most under-the-radar rivalries. Both schools are separated by only a few miles and they’ve been traditional powers.

NORTHERN VANCE AT EASTERN ALAMANCE

With the Eagles’ football, volleyball, tennis and cross country teams doing well, it’s a good time to be an Eastern Alamance fan.

ORANGE AT CUMMINGS

I still say the league is Cummings’ to lose, as long as it’s healthy, that is.

GRAHAM AT NORTHWOOD

Graham running back Brendan Cundiff has been battling a balky ankle as of late. Coach Mike McCauley said it’s pretty well heeled after last week’s bye. Not good news for the Red Devils’ opponents.

WINSTON-SALEM ATKINS AT EASTERN GUILFORD

The Wildcats will try and make it four straight wins this week against the Camels. Win or lose, this Eastern Guilford team is making its school proud.

ROCKINGHAM COUNTY AT BARTLETT YANCEY

The Buccaneers return to Yanceyville in need of some good news. Hopefully some home-cooking will get things going in the right direction.

One glance at my ratty little workspace, and you can easily tell that I’m big on to-do lists. I can’t start my day without filling out a small, ripped sheet of paper telling me what tasks I need to knock out before I can go home.

Usually on Tuesday, I’ll write a list of the coaches I need to call for the prep football preview rail that goes in Friday’s paper. Before thinking, I’ll write the same names I’ve been writing for the last six years: Kirby, Capps, Johnson, Story, Cates, and usually before I’ve caught myself, Perrou.

Tony Perrou was Southern Alamance’s football coach for the first five years I was on the beat. He died about a year ago after an auto accident.

Things have settled down in the year since he died. His alma mater, Williams High School, retired his No. 43 jersey. Southern Alamance has a bell that bears his name just steps from its home field.

The two teams will meet Friday and his memory won’t be far from anyone’s mind.

In the year since he died, he hasn’t left mine.

When I arrived at the Times-News, I was a 23-year old with precious little experience managing a beat as labor-intensive and as meaningful to the readers as preps. And there were times during my first few years that it showed.

No matter what happened, Tony always treated me with respect and proved to be an always reasonable and always friendly face on a job that can at times could feel like a minefield.

As I grew into my position, he became one of the most entertaining and most fun coaches I dealt with.

Each time I’d cover a game at Southern Alamance, win or lose, Tony, who by this time dropped all of his fiery bluster of the Friday night sideline and assumed a relaxed demanor more befitting of a lazy Sunday afternoon, would tell me to have a seat. Once his wife and daughter were safely out of sight, he’d put in a plug of tobacco and we’d sit in the grass and have an unhurried chat about the game.

One of the last times I saw him, we followed a brief post-practice interview at the far end of the Patriots’ practice field with a few minutes of small talk. He then gave me a ride to my car, which was parked up by the school.

In those few minutes in the fading light of an autumn Tuesday, football didn’t really come up. Instead we spoke about my sister’s impending wedding, how old his daughter was getting and how much he enjoyed watching her play soccer.

He told me to watch for her name in the paper in a couple of years.

That talk, and others like it were nothing special, but then again, they kind of were.

There are times when the high workload and low visibility of the preps beat can leave you feeling unsatisfied. But I’m willing to bet that not many reporters get to build those kinds of relationships with, say, Roy Williams or John Fox. It’s then that you appreciate the personal nature of the beat.

And also when a loss of someone like Tony can affect you in ways you wouldn’t expect.

I’m sure by now most of you have seen Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy have kittens at a postgame news conference on Saturday after a columnist penned a piece critical of one of his players. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and scoot over to youtube to check it out. It knocks Colorado coach Dan Hawkins’ “play intramurals, brother!” rant out of the top spot on the list of most entertaining coaching meltdowns.

While the journalist in me isn’t in love with the fact that Gundy called most of The Oklahoman columnist’s Jenni Carlson’s column “fiction” without backing it up with specific examples (in the same way I’m not nuts over that fact that so much of Carlson’s piece cited “rumblings” and “stories told on the sly”), his rant did have some merit.

If you chose to play football (or any high-profile sport) at a major college, you may not have the enormous paycheck of your professional counterparts, but you do have a scholarship, a certain level of notoriety and plenty of perks that aren’t available to most of your classmates. As a result, you must develop a thick skin and be able to take criticism.

College sports fans have an increasingly insatiable appetite for information and college athletics departments have had an increasingly insatiable appetite for donations. Combine those two forces and it shouldn’t come as a shock that the media isn’t shying away from asking tough questions.

Bottom line, if a columnist claims you don’t have the guts to lead a team, prove them wrong or, if your feelings are too hurt, go play D-III.

However, once you get past the bright lights of major college or pro athletics, the lines between who is open for criticism and who isn’t becomes blurry.

I’ve been in situations where I’ve had to toe that line, and it’s rarely simple. Short of running afoul of the law or outright cheating, it can be tough to figure out when criticism is appropriate.

The coaches I deal with on the preps beat usually don’t just coach. While coaches like Butch Davis and Mike Krzyzewski are allowed to live, eat, sleep and breathe their sports, guys like Western Alamance’s Hal Capps and Cummings’ George Robinson spend their days teaching classes and grading papers. Sports come later. Both college and high school coaches usually have spouses and kids, but guys like Eastern Alamance’s John Kirby and Southern Alamance’s Jason Smith don’t have the seven-figure salaries to make those late nights and lost weekends easier.

The players I deal with have parents and siblings. They have classmates and homework. High school can be hard enough without some guy from the newspaper making it harder.
I have always tried to take that in account when I write about them.

So when I hear Gundy rip into a columnist for painting a less-than-flattering picture of an amateur athlete, on some level, he may have a point.

That said, I’ve won exactly no Pulitzers and have never been approached to teach a class on journalism ethics, so take my thoughts for what their worth. If you have a problem with them, you come after me. I’m a man. I’m 28.

Anyway, here are a few thoughts on this week’s games.

WESTERN ALAMANCE AT ROCKINGHAM COUNTY

Western Alamance’s Hal Capps said the Cougars feature a straight-forward offense but will mix in trick plays. They might need to hit on more than a few to keep up with the top-ranked Warriors.

CEDAR RIDGE AT EASTERN ALAMANCE

Eastern Alamance will only have to play one game this week. After enduring two games last week, the Eagles will no doubt enjoy the return to normalcy.

NORTHEAST GUILFORD AT SOUTHERN ALAMANCE

With the Rams bringing in their tricky option attack, Southern Alamance coach Daniel Barrow will call upon his decades of knowledge running a similar attack to get his Patriots prepared.

SOUTHWEST GUILFORD AT EASTERN GUILFORD

Eastern Guilford will aim to keep its momentum going in its final pre-conference tune-up.

RAGSDALE AT EASTERN RANDOLPH

Tommy Norwood and Burton Cates have forgotten more about football than I will ever know.

BARTLETT YANCEY AT GREENSBORO DUDLEY

Bartlett Yancey coach Dennis Bannick said that the last time the Buccaneers traveled to Dudley, traffic jams nearly forced them to miss kickoff. Bannick said there will be no repeat this time.

Cummings and Williams entered Friday night’s Burlington showdown with losing records. Anyone who said that the stumbling starts dulled the intensity of the rivalry was mistaken.

The hits were hard, the game was tight and afterward the Bulldogs’ huddle was silent while the Cavaliers didn’t have to fake anything while filming a raucous celebration for a local TV outlet.

There will be a handful of intra-county games during conference play, but this week marked the last of most of the neighborhood rivalries for this season.

I think it’s no coincidence that the statewide respect for Alamance County football has risen along with the heat of the area rivalries. Because win or lose, games like the one the Bulldogs and Cavaliers played on Friday night will only make them stronger.

CUMMINGS 21, WILLIAMS 14

If Cummings can keep its bodies healthy, it should be a force to be reckoned with in the Mid-State 2-A Conference. If Williams can keep its mind healthy, it will also be a force in the Mid-State 3-A Conference.

EASTERN ALAMANCE 35, GRAHAM 18

Eastern Alamance shook off the rust of its game against Orange. Graham got through a brutal early schedule and can now focus on a conference race that it should be a part of.

WESTERN ALAMANCE 41, EDEN MOREHEAD 8

Newsflash - Western Alamance is really good.

EASTERN GUILFORD 24, CEDAR RIDGE 13

Eastern Guilford can now move out of the realm of feel-good story and into the domain of teams to watch. The Wildcats should be in the thick of the North State Conference race.

EASTERN RANDOLPH 20, SOUTHWESTERN RANDOLPH 3

Eastern Randolph may have had mixed results early, but it secured bragging rights in at least one part of Randolph County.

SOUTH GRANVILLE 24, BARTLETT YANCEY 0

This was surely not the way the Buccaneers wanted to come out of its bye week. The search for answers continues in Yanceyville.

Ok, now it counts.

Yeah, I know that those games against area rivals in the non-conference slate were fun and all, but ask any coach and they’ll tell you, the conference games are the big ones.

Eastern Randolph and
Western Alamance jump into conference play this week. During the next two weeks, the rest of the teams in the state will follow suit.

If a team wants to see the postseason, it has to show up in league play.

A strong conference finish puts a team in the playoffs. A stronger conference finish gives them a better shot to go deep.

Last season three area teams, Cummings, Eastern Alamance and
Western Alamance won conference titles.

If another area team is to seize the league crown this year, the journey starts now.

CUMMINGS AT WILLIAMS

The 38th installment of the
Battle of Burlington sees both teams looking to right the ship. Cummings has lost three straight while Williams earned its non-forfeit victory of the season last week.

EASTERN ALAMANCE AT GRAHAM

The Eagles will be playing their second game in a week. After a sub-par showing against
Orange on Monday night, they’ll want to make amends. Meanwhile, Graham put up a valiant effort against Williams and looks closer to snapping its recent skid.

EDEN MOREHEAD AT WESTERN ALAMANCE

Western Alamance will face its first opponent from outside of Alamance County
when it plays host to Eden Morehead. Somehow I don’t see the Warriors’ intensity dropping off with no local bragging rights riding on this one.
EASTERN GUILFORD AT CEDAR RIDGE

After a forfeit reversed its only loss, the Red Wolves come in undefeated. After a bye week and a pair of nice wins,
Eastern Guilford comes in rested and confident.

EASTERN RANDOLPH AT SOUTHWESTERN RANDOLPH

Southwestern Randolph has scored six points this year.
Eastern Randolph may have a good chance to work out any frustrations this week.

SOUTH GRANVILLE AT BARTLETT YANCEY

If there was any team that needed a bye week, it was
Bartlett Yancey. The Buccaneers went into their week off with injuries both physical and emotional after a three-game losing skid. Here’s hoping they come out refreshed against
South Granville.

It’s the second week of September, the heat is no longer oppressive, school’s been in for a while and there’s football on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (and Monday, Tuesday, etc.). So Friday night, fields everywhere will be filled with the pop of pads and the cheers of fans. Except at Eastern Guilford and Bartlett Yancey, that is.

All teams will face a bye week at some point during the year, and this week two of our area teams will get a break.

But both head into the week off on different tracks.

Bartlett Yancey has lost three straight after starting the season with a win. No doubt the Buccaneers’ coaching staff will be hard at work plugging holes and fixing mistakes.

Meanwhile at Eastern Guilford, the Wildcats have won two of their last three and appear to be on the way up. The bye week may not have come at the best time as the Wildcats are likely hoping to capitalize on momentum.

Now a look at the teams that are actually playing this week.

WESTERN ALAMANCE AT CUMMINGS

Ask Western Alamance coach Hal Capps. Ask a fan of either team. Ask anyone who has followed football around here for any length of time. Western Alamance may be coming in with the No. 1 ranking and the spotless record and Cummings may have lost two straight, but if anyone thinks the Warriors are going to have an easy time, don’t count on it. The Warriors are the heavy favorites, but this one could be interesting.

GRAHAM AT WILLIAMS

Both teams come in with losses in their last three outings. Whoever wins this one will feel great. The loser, not so much.

ORANGE AT EASTERN ALAMANCE

The Eagles may not have come back down from last week’s shutout of Cummings. They’ll need to at least get somewhat back to earth to take care of an Orange team that has won two of its last three.

CHAPEL HILL AT SOUTHERN ALAMANCE

Southern Alamance will be looking to channel the momentum from last week’s fourth quarter into a full game. They’ll have a shot to do just that against a Class 4-A team that has yet to find its groove.

EASTERN RANDOLPH AT SALISBURY

Eastern Randolph coach Burton Cates said he’s been drilling his team all week on defending Salisbury’s wishbone attack. When asked how the Wildcats have been picking it up, he responded “they’re young, so who knows?”

Yep, sometimes prep football fans forget that when you’re dealing with 15-18 year olds, you need to be prepared for anything.