Crossroads Christian School

Town Talk 01/28/20: Trey Snide Named CCS Colts’ Head Baseball Coach

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THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY

WIZS’ own Trey Snide, the recently named varsity head baseball coach for the Crossroads Christian School Colts, appeared on WIZS Town Talk Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Snide said it was a conversation with the Colts’ athletic director Scottie Richardson on WIZS’ Sports Mayhem program that started the ball rolling. “They were looking for a baseball coach; it was vacant. About two weeks after that show, Scottie reached out to me and said he’d love to talk to me about the possibility of being the coach. We met at a restaurant here in town and he pitched the entire Crossroads culture to me.”

While baseball and softball have been part of the Colts’ athletic offerings for years, Snide said the school is looking to build a larger culture of excellence in these programs. “I love what they have going on at Crossroads. I love the culture they are focused on building.”

The opportunity to grow the baseball program appeals to Snide who said he was excited to “take my ideas of how I believe a baseball team should be and how they should act and build it from the ground up.”

Snide’s past coaching experience includes serving as the football coach at Dillard Drive Middle School in Raleigh, the basketball coach for the former Johnston Christian Academy in Smithfield and heavy involvement in the various sports programs at his alma mater, Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, NC, a private college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.

With baseball season around the corner, meetings with interested players and training sessions began four months ago, including practices over Christmas break. “I told the guys that we are here to build something special. Myself and assistant coaches Wes Collier and Robin Capps are dedicated to making it work,” said Snide.

The Colts’ first official day of spring sports begins February 10. The first game will be played at home on March 3 at 4 p.m. against Crescent Christian Academy. The team schedule is available at www.ccscolts.org.

To hear the interview with Snide in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.

Coach’s Corner Show 01/24/20

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Vance County High School

Ragland Resigns; Vance Co. High School Searches For New Football Coach

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-Press Release, Vance County High School Athletic Department

Vance County High School is searching for a new football coach for next fall following Darry Ragland’s resignation on Monday, January 13. He has resigned as the Head Varsity Football Coach but will continue teaching at Vance County High School.

Ragland became the first head football coach in Vance County High School’s brief history after the consolidation of Northern Vance and Southern Vance High Schools in 2018. He posted a record of 13-10 with one playoff appearance in two seasons with the Vipers. This past season, Vance County was 9-3 and 5-2 in Big 8 3A Conference play.

For 20 years, Ragland has been involved with Vance County Schools’ football programs. Prior to his position as head football coach at Vance County High School, Ragland was the head football coach of Southern Vance High School for one season, where he posted a record of 6-5. He has also been an assistant football coach at Henderson Middle School, Northern Vance High School, and Southern Vance High School.

Ragland served as offensive coordinator for the Raiders in 2006 when Southern Vance lost in the NCHSAA 2AA State Championship game to Shelby, 27-24

“I want to thank Coach Ragland for everything he has done for our school and community,” said Athletic Director Joe Sharrow. “He is a well-respected and important member of our Vance County family who has positively impacted the lives of a countless number of our student-athletes. We will miss his dedication to Vance County football and wish him the best of luck.”

Vance County High School will begin looking for a new head football coach immediately. Interested candidates should send a resume and letter of interest to Athletic Director Joe Sharrow (jsharrow@vcs.k12.nc.us) and Principal Rey Horner (rhorner@vcs.k12.nc.us).

Coach’s Corner 01/10/20

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Coach’s Corner 01/03/20

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Coach’s Corner 12/20/19

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A Photographer’s Perspective: Sights & Sounds From NCAA’s Soccer Championship

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— story and pictures by Patrick Magoon (patrickmagoon.com) of WIZS — Patrick Magoon is a recent UNC-C communications graduate looking to build his sports portfolio by writing and taking photos for WIZS

Over the weekend, WakeMed Soccer Park hosted a monumental NCAA championship matchup between the Virginia Cavaliers and the visiting Georgetown Hoyas. It was a long, high-scoring affair between two top-tier soccer squads. Both teams spent the first 90 minutes trading goals, which called for two overtime periods and an extended run of penalty kicks to determine a winner. Here is what I experienced as a photographer on the sideline.

I arrive at the soccer complex approximately 45 minutes before kickoff. I walked towards the stadium and quickly realized I was entering a scene unparalleled to previous sporting events. Although I have attended numerous professional soccer games at WakeMed Soccer Park, the vibes were better than I imagined.

To my right, a sea of passionate college fans bundled up in college fan gear swarmed the gates at the main entrance. Without delay, I fast-walked to the media check-in table. An older, bearded man with a long list of names handed me a media pass and blue sticker to wrap around my sleeve. My path to the field was located at the double door entrance to the locker rooms.

Before walking onto the cold, moist turf field, I quickly scanned the crowd and soaked in my surroundings. The cool air comprised of ecstatic cheering and smoke from the kitchens. I look to my right, and I see a student-filled section of seats swarmed by the colors of Virginia. Then I look to my left and saw another section controlled by students cheering on the Hoyas.

The warmup period looked nearly identical to every other soccer event I have covered and wasn’t easy to photograph. Players stretched, shared a laugh, took some shots on frame, and practiced a series of one-touch passing drills.

Moments later, the referee blew his whistle, and both teams wasted no time moving the ball swiftly up and down the sideline. I saw plenty of action in both penalty areas through the use of several creative set pieces and strategic corner kicks.

Most of the match looked clean, but players didn’t shy away from some slight pushing and assertive sliding to break up passes. Healthy competition kept the game close, which forced both coaches to adjust their gameplan to avoid falling behind.

Then the pace of the match changed. Crisp passes turned to sloppy kicks as both teams desperately tried to hold their lead in the final fifteen minutes of regular time. I heard numerous players yelling and projecting a few vulgar words at sideline referees. Players fell like dominoes while trying to create scoring opportunities. For a few minutes, I thought the main referee was close to losing control of the game, but he managed bookings accordingly and disciplined players promptly. Fans sat on the edge of their seats anxiously waiting for the outcome of the game.

In the end, the Hoyas outlasted the Cavaliers in penalty kicks and capped off a 17-win streak with their first championship trophy.

Coach’s Corner 12/06/19

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Vance County High School

Vance Co. HS Well-Represented in 3A’s ‘Big-Eight’ Conference Standings

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-Information courtesy the NCHSAA

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has released the ‘Big-Eight’ All-Conference standings for 2019, and Vance County High School shines with two ‘player of the year’ honorees.

In football, Viper quarterback Samein Burwell was named ‘Offensive Player of the Year,’ while Emani Foster was awarded the coveted ‘Player of the Year’ title in volleyball.

The ‘Big-Eight’ 3A Conference includes VCHS, Southern Durham High School, Northwood High School, Northern Durham High School, Orange High School, East Chapel Hill High School, Cedar Ridge High School and Chapel Hill High School.

The list of VCHS student-athletes that made all-conference and honorable mention status in football, volleyball and soccer includes:

2019 ‘BIG-EIGHT’ 3A FOOTBALL 

Samein Burwell – ‘Offensive Player of the Year’

ALL-CONFERENCE:

Samein Burwell, Noah Terry, Phadol Jordan, TaQuan Lyons, Davonte Evans, Daunta Wimbush, Kemarreus Jones and William Hawkins IV

HONORABLE MENTION:

Demarius Harris, Jy’Kavious Judkins and Malik Williams

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2019 ‘BIG-EIGHT’ 3A VOLLEYBALL

Emani Foster – ‘Player of the Year’

ALL-CONFERENCE:

Emani Foster

HONORABLE MENTION:

Kyra Mitchell and Kynnedy Keel

SPORTSMANSHIP:

Vance County High School

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2019 ‘BIG-EIGHT’ 3A MEN’S SOCCER

ALL-CONFERENCE:

Jesus Zuniga

HONORABLE MENTION:

Diego Vasquez and Miguel Garcia

Duke Football Ends Season With Win Against Miami

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— story and pictures by Patrick Magoon (patrickmagoon.com) of WIZS — Patrick Magoon is a recent UNC-C communications graduate looking to build his sports portfolio by writing and taking photos for WIZS

In a sloppy, mistake-filled fight between two teams recovering from disappointing loses, Duke overcame its offensive woes in crunch time to defeat the Miami Hurricanes and finish their season with a not-so-great-but-optimistic-for-the-future record of 5-7 (3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Duke Blue Devils quarterback Quentin Harris finished his college career on a high note, leading two fourth-quarter touchdown drives and ending an unpleasant five-game losing streak.

A dominant nine-sack defensive performance led by defensive end Chris Rumph II, who recorded a team-high 3.5 sacks, allowed just two touchdowns through four quarters of football.

Here are game grades from Saturday’s win:

Offensive line: C-

Duke’s offensive line crumbled under pressure multiple times, which allowed Miami’s defense to rack up six sacks and 10 TFL.

Quarterback: C+

Although Quentin Harris put on an impressive show in the fourth quarter, we cannot ignore his poor execution on several passing plays in the first half. Numerous passes sailed over the head of the intended receiver and Duke’s offensive unit often appeared disoriented from pre-snap motions. Harris completed just 10-of-24 passes for 156 yards and rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown.

Wide receivers: B-

The wide receiver group led by Jalon Calhoun combined for 156 yards and averaged 15.6 yards per reception. Despite some clear instances of miscommunication between Harris and his receivers, the group made some big plays in dreary weather.

Running backs: B

A relentless rushing attack in tough conditions resulted in a pair of touchdowns, which helped the Blue Devils seal the win. Duke outran Miami 131-98 with help from Mataeo Durant, who executed an impressive 42-yard run through traffic.

Defensive line/linebackers: B+

Duke’s stout defensive line and talented group of linebackers demonstrated superior situation awareness by constantly changing their stances to better contain Miami’s ground game. With strength and good communication, Duke’s front seven prevented the Hurricanes from reaching triple-digit rushing totals. After giving up an average of 42 points per game each of the last three weeks, a refreshed Blue Devils showed out to give fans hope for better seasons to come.

Cornerbacks: B+

Members of the secondary looked solid in man coverage, batting down six passes and forcing opposing receivers out of position. With their help, the Blue Devils gave up just one passing touchdown.