Crossroads Christian School

SportsTalk: Crossroads Christian Preparing for Conference Tournament

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According to Crossroads Christian Athletic Director and Head Men’s Basketball Coach Scottie Richardson, his team has entered the part of the season known as “The Grind.”  This occurs near the end of the regular season but before tournament time as teams try to grind their way through schedules.

For Crossroads the grind will include a lengthy road trip to Erwin to play Cape Fear next Tuesday night before finishing of the schedule later next week with two non-conference games including one against Kerr Vance Academy.

The season has been a good one for the team as they are currently ranked third in the state behind two teams from the Charlotte area.  “We are peaking at the right time,” Richardson said, adding “you don’t win championships in December and January.”

Conference tourney play for Crossroads begins Thursday of next week.

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SportsTalk: Wilkerson Joins UNC Baseball Coaching Staff

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You may have heard the saying of going around your thumb to get to your elbow and that might be the best way to describe former Kerr Vance Academy baseball standout Daniel Wilkerson’s journey to get to UNC as an Assistant to the Head Coach and Clubhouse/Equipment Manager.  He’s been to Massachusetts, East Carolina in Greenville and Appalachian State in Boone before finally making it to UNC.

Wilkerson was at App State for only two months when he got the offer of the job at UNC. “My heart has always been at UNC,” Wilkerson said on Thursday’s SportsTalk.  His first season in his new role kicks off on February 17th when the Tar Heels open the season.  Wilkerson says baseball can be challenging in cold weather. “You’ve gotta get used to it and be prepared to play no matter the circumstances,” Wilkerson said.

One of the extra perks of the job is that his brother, Colby, is UNC’s second baseman, who is a senior. UNC is loaded with older players and Wilkerson expects the Tar Heels will have a great season but also adds the ACC is loaded with excellent teams from NC State, Wake Forest, Duke, Miami, Notre Dame, Boston College and Virginia Tech. “We’ve got to be ready to go no matter who we are playing,” according to Wilkerson when sizing up the ACC.

As part of his job as Equipment Manager, Wilkerson has to make sure players have what they need in practice and during games.  That can mean hats, bats, balls, gloves or even the right uniform, and he is excited about the newly updated weight room. It’s all part of a journey that started here in Henderson with Kerr Vance Academy.

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SportsTalk: Mike Joyner on KVA Athletics

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As an athletic director Mike Joyner of Kerr Vance Academy stays busy overseeing all of the sports his school provides to students. In addition to that there are tournaments that also are part of the school’s athletics.  Over the recent holiday period KVA hosted a basketball tournament with Oak Forest winning the men’s’ championship and Brunswick Academy in Virginia taking the girls’ title. “We hoped we could have done a little better,” Joyner says of KVA. “We are very young. We start a lot of 9th and 10th graders,” Joyner added.  The boys’ team did win this week over Wake Prep while the girls lost.

Joyner says it’s great to have a team like Wake Prep to play since they are close by in Youngsville.  The KVA conference schedule requires longer trips to Rocky Mount and to Greenville, and Kerr Vance is just about to start the bulk of its conference play. The travel means kids miss some classes which can be difficult on students and teachers.

In addition to basketball, Joyner says the school’s swim team has an upcoming meet next week and will soon be hosting travel volleyball tournaments bringing in some extra cash for the school and exciting games.

Additionally, KVA is gearing up to celebrate the 2003 State Baseball Championship team.  “We are looking to hold an alumni game between the 2003 team and the current team,” Joyner said. No details for that have been set but should be forthcoming soon.

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Oxford Prep School

SportsTalk: Oxford Prep Athletics With John Hammett

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John Hammett patrolled the football sidelines as a head coach for many years but the former JF Webb coach now finds being athletic director at a small school such as Oxford Prep to be quite satisfying.  Even though there are aspects of being a football coach that he misses, one of the reasons he made the change was it began to become more like work.

Being a football coach meant Hammett had to deal with injuries, something he says Oxford Prep takes very seriously. “You have to teach players differently about how to deal with injuries.  The more education the better,” Hammett says. “Athletes have to be honest,” according to Hammett. That’s hard he says because the kids are competitive and don’t want to miss any time on the field or the court.

According to Hammett, Oxford Prep is becoming more competitive on the basketball court.  After a slow start, the school won a big rivalry game last week over Eno River.

So while Hammett may not be patrolling the sidelines of a football field, Oxford Prep’s AD position seems to be working out for him. “It’s nice, because it’s small,” Hammett summed up.

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SportsTalk: Richardson And Downey Talk Local Basketball

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Scottie Richardson, head men’s basketball coach and athletic director at Crossroads Christian, and Taron Downey, head men’s basketball coach at Vance Charter School, have both seen injuries to players throughout their careers.

Both men briefly discussed their thoughts on the tragic injury to Damar Hamlin in Monday night’s NFL game. “I thought the NFL made the right decision,” Richardson said and added that Crossroads has an on site defibrillator in case there is ever a need for one.  “It was a very unfortunate and tragic situation. It’s part of the game and coaches have to deal with it as best as we can,” Downey added.

Both coaches are coming off holiday breaks at their respective schools.  According to Richardson, Crossroads men’s basketball is ranked at third in the state but will meet a big challenge Friday as they hit the road to take on the top-ranked team in state, United Faith of Charlotte. “We are not getting on the road for three hours to lose,” Richardson said. It’s the longest road trip of the year for Crossroads.  The school won on Tuesday defeating Thales Academy, but Richardson said they were sluggish during the win after the holiday break.

“We are trying to get back in the swing of things,” Downey said of Vance Charter.  They are coming off a win this week against Eno River but travel to face rival Oxford Prep Friday, who Downey says has quick guards and tenacious defense. Downey also said the game will have a great environment.  Downey feels that’s important to home teams.

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Duke’s Dominant Defense Thrived in Military Bowl Win

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— text and picture by Patrick Magoon freelance writer for WIZS

In their first Bowl game since 2018, the Duke Blue Devils’ stout defense prevailed, tallying a Military Bowl-record six sacks and eight tackles for a loss. The unit also deflected four passes and forced three fumbles.

Duke wasted no time putting points on the board. In the first quarter, Duke’s offense, led by Military Bowl MVP Riley Leonard, executed a nine-play, 87-yard scoring drive to take an early lead. Through four quarters, Leonard scored twice with his legs and threw for 173 yards.

Leonard, once again, was the star of the show. When the Blue Devils needed him to scramble to pick up extra yards, he did it. If his coaches needed him to execute a precision pass in tight coverage, it was done.

Despite quickly responding with a one-yard rushing touchdown to tie the game at seven in the first quarter, The Knights failed to compile a consistent rhythm on offense, and they struggled to convert on fourth down in crucial situations.

“It was inconsistent,” said head coach Gus Malzahn. “There is no doubt. We didn’t play good enough offensively to give ourselves a chance to win.”

Duke took advantage of The Knights’ miscues, capitalizing on a fumble and outscoring The Knights 13-0 in the second half. Facing a 16-point deficit at the start of the second half, The Knights had an opportunity to flip the script after a favorable exchange of punts gave them good field position, including the Duke 32. However, the offensive series stalled out after insufficient, minimal gains.

Once Duke orchestrated a comfortable lead, its versatile offensive unit won the possession battle with a run-heavy game plan. Four running backs and Leonard ran 40 times for a combined 177 yards.

“I felt we controlled the game pretty well,” said Leonard. “We executed pretty well on offense, did have a couple of three and outs here and there but throughout the game, we consistently ran the ball, and we were able to find the holes in the defense.”

SportsTalk: Adcock Hopes To Move Up In Mariners’ Organization

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There’s that old baseball saying about a swing and a miss.  One has to wonder if that phrase hasn’t gone through Oxford native Ty Adcock’s mind once or twice.  Adcock is about to begin his fourth year in the Seattle Mariners organization and hopes this year sees him transition from the minors to the parent organization.  It’s been a tough road for Adcock so far.

After graduating from South Granville High School, Adcock spent four years playing for Elon College.  He started as a catcher but by his junior year was pitching and his college coaches saw that he had what it took to go further pitching and promoted him to closer in his senior season.  He soon caught the attention of Major League Baseball scouts and was drafted by the Mariners.

Things were looking good for Adcock but injuries and Covid has played a factor in his career. “I was hurt in my freshman year at Elon. I had a back injury,” Adcock explained.  He had fractured his L5 vertebra and then in his senior year shoulder issues appeared.  The Mariners felt it best to have him rehab all of 2019 so he didn’t throw at all.  In 2020 Covid came along and wiped out the entire season.

In 2021 baseball returned and so did Adcock, but not for long. “I was facing my 6th batter of the preseason when I tore my UCL ligament in my elbow,” Adcock said.  This meant that Adcock would have to undergo Tommy John Surgery.  After 17 months of rehab, Adcock is ready to get back to work.  He spent the autumn playing in the Arizona Fall League and is ready to start spring training in February.  “I’m 25 and that’s not old but, in baseball I know the clock is ticking,” Adcock stated. “I’ve got to make some big strides in 2023. I have to make a name for myself.  I’ve really got to show the organization what I’ve got,” Adcock added.

Perhaps, with a little luck, the phrase a swing and a miss will be applied to the batters that Adcock is facing instead of himself.

 

SportsTalk: Holiday Tournament Shaping Up At Kerr Vance

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Mike Joyner, Athletic Director at Kerr Vance Academy, is coming to the end of his first year on the job. Joyner, who was a guest on SportsTalk Thursday, expressed gratitude to those who have helped make his transition from bigger schools to KVA a success. “We have great support, lots of tradition and a great booster club,” Joyner said. After 27 years the smaller school size works well for Joyner. “Everyone knows everyone on a first name basis,” Joyner added.

Joyner and KVA are in preparation for the annual holiday tournament at the school, which kicks off Friday morning at 10:30 and will continue on Saturday.  The school will use both gyms for the tournament, which will feature Brunswick Academy, Thales Academy, Oxford Prep, Oak Forest and, of course, Kerr Vance Academy.  The tournament will start with JV games followed by women’s games and then the men’s games.  Championship games will take place on Saturday with the women’s game at 1:30pm and the men’s game at 3pm. All games are at Kerr Vance Academy.

 

SportsTalk: Mize Goes Out On Top At Webb??

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While Lisa Mize is definitely on top, the question is whether she is actually going to retire. Mize was a guest on SportsTalk on Thursday, and she said it is not yet set in stone, but her plans are to fold up the volleyball net. Mize was recently named as North Carolina 2A Volleyball Coach of The Year at J.F. Webb High School. The Warriors made it into the second round of the state playoffs this season.

Mize has served as JV and varsity head coach at Webb for many years, and she’s watched the girls grow up. “I’ve taught some of them in elementary school,” Mize said.”  She continued, “The seniors are why I came back this year.”  She was recently honored for her achievements by the Granville County School Board for her service in the school system.

“It’s very hard to step away.  I’ll miss the girls, but I won’t miss the long hours,” Mize said. She said she will keep up with her players and expects a few road trips to watch some of them play in college, but when pressed about whether she will actually retire she said, “Nothing’s final. Nothing is in stone.”  While she may have ideas of retirement, her players have other ideas. “They are begging me to stay,” Mize said.

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Crossroads Christian School

SportsTalk: Crossroads Christian Meets Vance Co. High School For First Time

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Only a few miles separate Crossroads Christian School from Vance County High School, and with the two schools in the same county, one might think that the two teams would meet on the basketball court with regularity.  That’s not the case.  Friday night will mark the first time these two schools will compete in basketball.

The Vipers will run into a Crossroads Christian team that is playing well. The JV team is undefeated, the girls team is 8-1, and the boys team is 7-3.  It all starts at 4:30 p.m. with the JV team, the girls tip off at 6 p.m., and the boys at 7 p.m.

According to Crossroads Christian Athletic Director and Men’s Basketball Coach Scottie Richardson, the matchup is a big deal for Crossroads. “It’s almost like a fundraiser,” he said on Thursday’s SportsTalk. The crowd is expected to pack the game which is hosted by Crossroads, so arrive early to get the best vantage point for the games.

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