SportsTalk: Rigsbee Relies On Youth For KVA Baseball

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Kerr-Vance Academy’s young baseball team is coming off of a 4-1 win over East Wake Academy on Wednesday.  While it was a good win for Kerr-Vance, Coach Mike Rigsbee knows his team is very young.  “We are young but we are talented,” Rigsbee said on SportsTalk on Thursday.  “We are relying on our junior and our sophomores,” Rigsbee continued.  Junior, as in singular. Kerr-Vance’s team only has one junior this year and no seniors at all. The team is also made up of three sophomores, five freshmen along with two 8th graders and one 7th grader.

“Our older kids embrace the younger ones. Kids start at a young age and they have to hustle and control their emotions,” Rigsbee explained.  Youth is not all he has to be concerned with though as weather is playing a factor.  With recent rains leaving the Kerr Vance field drenched, the upcoming game against Thales Academy is likely to be postponed. Rigsbee said the field at Kerr Vance is notorious for poor drainage.

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Oxford Prep School

SportsTalk: Hammett Optimistic About Oxford Prep Spring Sports

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Oxford Prep Athletic Director John Hammett’s teams are coming off a strong winter sports season. Both boys and girls basketball teams made the state playoffs and, for the first time in school history, a swimmer made the State meet.  According to Hammett, “We have a good group of girls who got better as the season went along,” in reference to the girl’s basketball team. Now Hammett turns his attention to spring.  The baseball team at Oxford Prep is off to a strong start defeating Granville Central this week 14-3 but, with only one senior, they are very young.  “Health is a big challenge because we only have  11 players,” Hammett said.

The girl’s softball team is also off to a solid start defeating Louisburg High School 6-0 earlier this week.  “They’ve got a chance to be real good,” Hammett said of the team which has quite a few returning players.  On Tuesday of next week, they will take on county rival Oxford Webb.

As for soccer, having plenty of players isn’t a problem.  Hammett said there are 23 girls on the squad.  The soccer team, unfortunately, is coming off a loss to Falls Lake.

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SportsTalk: Vance Charter Girls Advance To Second Round

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“My job is to ruin the fun,” according to Brian Howard, Head Coach of the girl’s basketball team at Vance Charter School.  His was referring to his team becoming over confident after advancing to the second round of the state playoffs. “Our confidence level is always high. Every year we expect to make the playoffs,” Howard added.  This year is no different.  After defeating North Edgecombe 58-27 in the first round Vance Charter will now face a very competitive Clover Garden school tonight at 6pm. This is a home game for Vance Charter.

Howard says their team is built on defense but would like to see his girls play a little harder in the first half.  “We are a strong second half team,” Howard said. In his fifth year as coach Howard feels like the program has come together.  “Everybody’s playing for each other and everybody’s playing together,” said Howard.  Once again, their game against Clover Garden is at 6pm tonight (Thursday) at Vance Charter.

 

Crossroads Christian School

SportsTalk: Crossroads Christian Girls Play For State Championship Saturday

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It may be a few days early to cue up Queen’s “We Are the Champions” but, Crossroads Christian Athletic Director Scottie Richardson hopes the girl’s basketball team comes home Saturday as champions.  It will be the first time the girl’s team has played in a championship game.  The game against Northside Christian Academy will take place at a neutral site, Calvary Day School in Winston-Salem.  “We knew we had all the pieces,” Richardson said on Thursday’s SportsTalk.

With only two seniors and one junior, the team was young but those younger players have played great and are lead by Izzy Thorpe.  After blowing out #1 seed Pungo 67-28 in the final four Crossroads has now made it farther than any girl’s basketball team in school history.  Richardson says the entire school is excited for the team.  Once again, that game is Saturday in Winston-Salem at Calvary Day School.  Game time is 6pm.

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SportsTalk: Carolina Hurricanes Outdoor Hockey Success

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To understand more about the success of last Saturday’s outdoor hockey event, we caught up with John Brockwell, radio producer and engineer, for the Carolina Hurricanes Radio Network.

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Crossroads Christian School

SportsTalk: Thorpe Surpasses The 1000 Points Mark

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One thousand points is a lot in the game of basketball and to achieve that level is a significant accomplishment, one that Israel Thorpe should be proud of.  The senior Crossroads Christian point guard has now done that but she wasn’t aware of the milestone until her coach, Cammy Simmons, called a time out after her 1000th point. “I was focused on the game,” Thorpe said on Thursday’s SportsTalk.  “The students were aware,” added Crossroads Athletic Director Scottie Richardson.

Her scoring milestone also points to her focus on and off the field.  She has a 3.9 gpa to go along with her skills on the court.  “If I’m not at the gym I’m doing school work,” Thorpe said.  This doesn’t leave much time for a social life. “That’s OK with me because I’m bettering my life,” Thorpe added. After this year, Thorpe will be going to Cairn University near Pittsburgh to continue her basketball career.

Crossroads, who is seeded 4th in the state playoffs, is having their most successful season of girl’s basketball in school history.  Previously the most wins had been nine but this season they have twenty-three victories and are hoping for a few more in the state playoffs. A championship to go along with the 1000 points would certainly make Thorpe’s senior year a memorable one.

 

Vance County High School

SportsTalk: Israel Terry And Chris Jones Sign Letters Of Intent

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Vance County High School had a very successful 2022 football campaign making it into the state playoff and two of the reasons why are senior wide receiver Israel Terry and defensive star Chris Jones. Both young men have signed letters of intent to play college ball, Terry at Winston-Salem State and Jones with Barton in Wilson.

“It feels like home,” Terry said of Winston-Salem State where he is considering majoring in either the business field or sports training. About the challenges of moving up to the college level Terry says, “I just need to stay focused and locked on goals. I’m just an athlete and I’ll do what the coaches ask.” Terry also said he expects to play receiver for Winston-Salem State. At some point, he may even have to face another Vance Co. graduate, his brother Noah, across the field. Noah plays cornerback for Shaw University.

Jones, who athletic director Ray Noel called modest, will be heading to Barton. While primarily a defensive player with the Vipers, he did play running back on offense but at Barton he will be focusing on defense. “I want to be where I can make the plays,” Jones said about his preference for offense of defense.

Both players say Vance County’s success on the football field comes down to buying into the program that Coach Aaron Elliot put together. It allowed the team to bond. “Vance County (High School) is on the rise,” Jones said.

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SportsTalk: Jason Brown To Be Inducted In NC Sports Hall Of Fame

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There are a lot of analogies that can be made between football and farming. Just ask Jason Brown.

Football players prepare, stay in shape and recover from injuries in the off-season, for example. At Brown’s First Fruits Farm in Franklin County, the off-season also is a time to prepare. But Brown’s focus is on making sure the farm equipment is in good repair for upcoming planting and harvesting.

Brown, a standout center at UNC-CH, got his start at Northern Vance High School. And although it was football that took him to a career in the NFL, the ever-humble Brown said he relied then – and continues to rely on – “a lot of hope, faith and prayer.”

The pro football player-turned farmer is one of 15 inductees in the Class of 2023 North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. John C. Rose caught up with him this week for a few minutes to talk about the honor.

Asked about favorite memories he carries with him from his playing days, Brown said it’s “the team aspect that really rises to the top. I’ve been fortunate to be on some very good teams,” he said. “When you’re (playing the game) with your brothers, it definitely makes it a lot more meaningful.”

His big brother, Lunsford, graduated from Northern Vance High School too. But his life was cut short in service to his country in September 2003, Brown said. “I drew a lot of inspiration from my brother,” he explained. He wore Lunsford’s dogtags, pointed and jagged on one side from shrapnel, under his uniform. “After I put on my tight shoulder pads and tight jersey, I could literally feel” against his chest a reminder of his brother.

And he vowed to never quit, never complain, Brown said. “I just wanted to honor and serve my older brother. I knew he cared about my football career…about my success.”

These days, there’s not much time to reflect on bygone days of bowl games and personal honors. Brown gets up early, puts in a full day at the farm and tends to follow the sun. When it goes down, so does he.

But the lessons he learned during his football days definitely affect how he looks at life.

Diverse players came together to work as a single unit to get a job done. “It was a melting pot. Those guys were my brothers, no matter what they looked like. There was a shared common cause that brought us together,” he said.

He longs for the day when neighbors can do the same thing – set aside petty disagreements and treat each other with mutual love and respect.

“If we can do that, we can take on anything,” he said.

Learn more about the April 21 induction ceremony at  www.ncshof.org

 

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SportsTalk: Vance Charter Soccer Winning the Right Way

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The Vance Charter School men’s soccer team didn’t bring home the big trophy this year proclaiming them conference champions. But what the team did get recognized for may serve the players in ways they can’t fathom right now.

“We’re blessed to have student athletes (who) hopefully and prayerfully come off the field with a win,” said Head Coach Johnny Yount. But win or lose, he wants his players to be able to hold their heads high for a game well played.

The team was one of only 39 teams to receive Gold Level awards for team ethics and sportsmanship from the United Soccer Coaches Association.

The two yellow cards assessed to players during a 24-game season were two more than Yount would have liked, but neither was for unsportsmanship-like behavior.

“Number one, when we win, we want to be able to do it the right way,” Yount told John C. Rose on Wednesday’s Sports Talk.

In today’s society, when there seems to be an emphasis on winning at all costs, athletes can lose sight of what it means to play hard but play fair. Yount tries to instill in his student athletes values and virtues that extend far beyond the soccer pitch.

“Those trophies are nice and all, and wonderful to get, but those life lessons will carry them further,” Yount said. His players are future employees, parents, and leaders in churches and community organizations, and it’s character and integrity that he strives to develop in his players that will stick with them, he said.

Sports teaches a lot of great lessons, Yount said, adding that he hopes his role as coach plays a part in developing future leaders in our community. “We’ve got to make sure we’re doing our job,” he said. “Hopefully it will pay dividends for us all.”

 

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