Tag Archive for: #seahawks

TownTalk: Tri-City Seahawks Play In Holiday Bowl

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The holiday season and all its festivities may seem like distant memories for many of us, but for a group of young local athletes, the memories made on a football field on New Year’s Eve are likely to last a lifetime.

Eleven members of the Tri-City Seahawks had the opportunity to play in the Holiday Bowl in Knightdale.

If you’re a Seahawk around here, you’re part of the Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks Department league that gives young people the opportunity to play organized sports before they get to middle and high school, said HVRPD Director Kendrick Vann.

The Seahawks play in the East Wake Football League and Vann said it was a good experience for the young men all the way around to get to showcase their talent at the league’s post-season bowl game.

“Collectively, they had the best season they’ve had in the five seasons we’ve played,” said HVRPD Programmer Darius Pitt. Kids as young as 4 can come out for the teams, which include flag football for the 4-6 age group and then the 8U, 10U, 12U and 14U.

There were “a lot of eyes on some of our players,” Pitt told WIZS News, and as the season progressed, bowl coaches were assembling their teams from teams across the association.

Pitt and Chris Hardy are directors of the Tri-City Seahawks, which includes a total of more than 100 players on the different squads.

Hardy, who  also coaches the Vance County Vipers, said the young men who play with the Seahawks are learning about the X’s and O’s before they get to high school, which has proven to be a good thing.

The young people who wear the Seahawks jerseys are going to come to the middle and high school teams better prepared – in many ways, not the least of which comes through during a game.

“We preach to our kids that (in) student-athlete – student comes before athlete,” Hardy said, adding that Vipers need to conduct themselves correctly at school, not just on Game Day. “You’ve got to have the grades to play football,” he said. “We’re trying to groom young men – you’ve got to be on your A Game and show what you know.”

Tahjaye Fields was one of the Seahawks who played in the Holiday Bowl. “It was a great experience,” Fields said. “I like to be out there doing my thing.”

That “thing” for the STEM Early High School student who plays offense and defense, is getting tackles.

Teammate and fellow STEM Early High student Talik Perry said he had fun, too.

“I felt excited and I was just ready to play,” Perry said. A highlight: “I tackled a dude that was, like, two times my size.”

Being on a team like the Seahawks does more than just expose youth to coaches and playing as a cohesive group. Being a Seahawk also builds confidence – just ask Cameron Giddings.

At 13, he’s one of the older players of the group, but he’s been playing rec league ball since he was 6.

Giddings said he sees his role as helping the younger players build that confidence. “We put in the work and try to win,” he said.

Players who put in the work at practice and through playing other sports – in Giddings’s case, track, also helped his conditioning and improved his stamina.

The payoff? Being chosen to play in the Holiday Bowl.

“It was good – really surprising,” Giddings said of his selection to play in the bowl game. “I didn’t think anybody was watching me.”

Often, watching someone in a game inspires others. For Malachie Hayes, it’s Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry.

Hayes said “it felt good” to be out on that field in the Holiday Bowl, doing what he loves doing, “truckin’ and running through the defenders.”

And yeah, he’d love to do it again.

Ahmad Jeffers, playing for the 8U team last season, said he most enjoyed just running with the ball. Jeffers is a Clarke Elementary student and said he made a 10-yard run. He wants to be a receiver.

Hayes, 11, said he got pumped when he played his first play on defense. “I got a pick 6 and took it to the crib – that’s all,” he said.

Like the ad says, “It’s not bragging if it’s true.”

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Panthers Fall to Seahawks

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— by Patrick Magoon (patrickmagoon.com) of WIZS

The Carolina Panthers are a great football team until they get in their own way – a growing concern for the franchise. Despite losing to the Seahawks in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, the Panthers’ remain in the hunt for a spot in the playoffs. Here are five takeaways from Carolina’s 27-30 week 12 loss to Seattle.

Another game decided in the fourth quarter

Carolina has struggled to put games away this season. They start sloppy and then pick up the pace in the second quarter. Third quarter comes around and they fail to make adjustments, which then calls for a heroic performance from Cam Newton and his offense in the fourth quarter to pull out a win. The Panthers’ score a league-worst 1.3 points in the third quarter, but rank second overall in points scored in the fourth quarter (10).

A series of missed opportunities hindered success in the red zone

Several points were left on the field after the Panthers’ experienced a series of unpropitious events through different parts of today’s game. It started early on in the first quarter when head coach Ron “Riverboat” Rivera chose to keep the offense on the field on fourth down to try and keep the drive alive in the red zone. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner called for a quarterback run. Newton held the ball close, tucking his head behind his offensive line. His long legs churned as he fought for the extra yards. The initial ruling on the field was turnover on downs. Players, coaches and fans immediately turned to the big screen to watch replay from a camera that showed what looked like a successful first down run. Head coach Ron Rivera pondered the idea of challenging the ruling on the field for a few minutes before finally throwing the red flag. After further review, the decision on the field was upheld, and a potential scoring drive was cut short.

About five minutes later, Carolina’s offense unit reaches the red zone again, after back-to-back big gains from wide receivers Jarius Wright and D.J. Moore. The Panthers’ may have left that drive with three points, but they were in an excellent position to potentially cap off their exciting trip down the field with a touchdown if Turner had let Newton throw a pass into the end zone. Turner tried forcing McCaffrey into the end zone, which didn’t work. McCaffrey carried the ball three times in a row when Carolina was within 12 yards of the goal line and got nowhere.

The missed opportunities didn’t stop there. The Panthers’ had a chance to seal the win with a field goal from kicker Graham Gano. At the end of the fourth quarter, both teams had 27. Gano needed to make a 51-yard field goal. In short, he missed the mark by a few inches. After the game, Gano said he thought he hit the ball well.

An usual amount of fumbles

The final score of today’s game could have been very different had the Panthers’ not been able to recover their fumbles. Carolina fumbled a season-high five times. McCaffrey, the player responsible for three of those fumbles, needs to a better job of holding onto the ball moving forward.

Curtis Samuel and Moore are the future of the franchise

The absence of wide receivers Devin Funchess and Torrey Smith paved the way for another solid outing for playmakers Moore and Samuel. With every week that passes, Newton strengthens the mental bond he shares with his receivers. Samuel, again, proved that he is a hot target in the red zone. He took his first carry of the game 25 yards to Seattle’s 14-yard line. Two plays later, he reached the end zone – a seven-yard reception. Moore caught eight passes for 91 yards. These two versatile receivers have shown that can make a big play from just about anywhere on the field. Their physicality and speed allow them to terrorize the secondary unit of opposing teams when they get the ball in open space.

Newton was nearly flawless

Another remarkable performance by Newton was lost in a loss. Newton hardly missed a beat, throwing for 256 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His only mistake was a forced pass to tight end Chris Manhertz in the end zone, which was picked off by Bradley McDougald. He went 25/30 and finished today’s game with a QBR of 110.6.

Cornerbacks got outplayed

Donte Jackson’s early exit after an injury to his quad in the first quarter was a sign of bad things to come. Both cornerbacks Corn Elder (Jackson’s replacement) and James Bradberry were picked on throughout the game for giving up too much space in coverage and missing tackles. Some of the blame for the inconsistencies and miscommunication on defense does fall on Carolina’s defensive coordinator but tackling needed to be better – that is on the players.