Ray Noel said he’s looking forward to his new job as athletic director at Vance County High School, but right now, he’s focused on his closing out the school year at Granville Central High School, where he will still be athletic director until the end of June.
July 1 marks his first day in Vance County, and Noel said he’s excited about the new opportunity.
When his teams faced Vance County High School’s teams, Noel said he noticed how close and tight-knit the community seemed to be.
He told David “Doc” Harris, Bill Harris and John C. Rose on Monday’s Sports Talk that really made a lasting impression on him.
“I’d see the turnouts for sports in Vance County,” he said, adding that he looks forward to being part of an athletic program that receives such positive support.
But Noel said he values his 15 years at Granville Central High School – he took a job there upon graduation from Averett University – and will miss the relationships that he has developed with staff during his time there.
Noel takes over the AD position from Joe Sharrow, who announced in April that he would be leaving VCS, took the AD position at Jordan High School in Durham.
“I hope to continue the success that Mr. Sharrow had and take it to the next level if we can,” Noel said.
It’s important for student athletes to be recognized for their efforts, Noel said, and there are a number of athletes at VCHS who will get a lot of attention on social media and elsewhere for their accomplishments in sports.
But, he acknowledged, not everybody who plays high school sports makes it to the next level of sports. Quality, stable athletic programs are important to help students be successful after high school, he said. “We want them to be good men and women out in the job force,” Noel said.
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