Tag Archive for: #sportstalk

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SportsTalk 5-25-21 Malia Simmons, Vance County High School

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Just after graduation from Vance County High School yesterday, Vipers Softball player Malia Simmons signed a letter of intent to play for Winston-Salem State yesterday. Simmons, who has set a number of school records, began as a Southern Vance Raider but finished her high school career as a Vance County Viper. “We were not the best. We had what we had. We had to make it work,” Simmons said about her high school years.

In addition to playing softball at Winston-Salem State, Simmons will be majoring in nursing. She said Winston-Salem State has one of the top nursing programs in the state and after talking to the school’s head softball coach, she said choosing the school was the best decision for her.

“Super Excited,” said Kim Simmons, Malia’s mother, about the choice of schools. “She had several college offers,” added Ms. Simmons. Kim said of her daughter, “I didn’t expect her to succeed like she has.” She also encouraged her daughter by telling her, “Reach for your dreams, the sky is the limit.”

“I’m really proud of the choice she is making,” said Malia’s father when asked about her decision to attend Winston-Salem State.

In addition to school and softball Malia also worked full time creating a difficult schedule for her and her parents. The hard work and commitment has paid off for Malia as she will continue her softball career and further her education at Winston-Salem State.

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SportsTalk 5-17-21 Kerr-Vance Academy State Championship

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Anyone who has ever played in an organized sport certainly knows how tough winning a championship can be, so imagine winning not only four state baseball championships but winning four in a row. That’s exactly what the Kerr-Vance Academy Spartans accomplished this past weekend. After dropping Friday’s game against undefeated Grace Christian in Sanford by the score of 9-6, Kerr-Vance roared back on Saturday with a convincing 6-0 win and left Sanford with another state championship.

“It feels great. The seniors pulled this group together,” said head coach Mike Rigsbee. Rigsbee has been a part of KVA baseball for many years, however this is his first season as head coach. “The players can take all the credit,” Rigsbee said of his team.

One of the stars of the Kerr-Vance Spartans is R.J. Johnson. Johnson, in his senior year, will be moving on to Appalachian State. “We played it game by game and never looked ahead,” Johnson said about the team during this season. Seniors were a big part of the KVA squad. “This senior class has really helped establish this new era of excellence,” said George Hoyle, the school’s athletic director. Hoyle said that during his time at KVA the baseball program has been to eight championship games, winning six. Referring to Grace Christian, Hoyle said, “We knew we could compete with them.” Johnson also praised his senior teammates saying, “All of the seniors stepped up.”

After Saturday’s game Grace Christian’s head coach told Rigsbee that his team just couldn’t make the adjustments needed to win. KVA lost the first game of this season to Grace Christian, but the Spartans were able to make their own adjustments as the team moved forward through the season enabling them to win their 4th state championship.

“Playing a tough schedule helped,” said Hoyle. Hoyle and Rigsbee put together a schedule that pitted the Spartans against some of the toughest teams in North Carolina and Virginia. Hoyle, who is leaving to take a similar post at Thales Academy in Wake Forest, said, “Seeing the seniors move on to the next level is unbelievable,” refering to Johnson moving on to Appalachian State. Hoyle also said that this season saw twelve Major League Baseball organizations come to Kerr Vance Academy games.

Kerr Vance finishes the season as state baseball champions for the fourth consecutive season with a 12 and 8 won lost record.

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SportsTalk 05-13-21 George Hoyle, Kerr Vance Academy

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For the fourth time consecutively the Kerr-Vance Academy baseball team finds itself in the running for another state championship. This weekend Kerr-Vance will take on Grace Christian in Sanford. Kerr-Vance has posted an 11-7 record so far this year while Grace Christian is undefeated at 20-0.

As with most school atletics programs, Kerr-Vance faced challenges to get games in. The school’s Athletic Director, George Hoyle, said one of those challenges was scheduling. He had hoped to get at least ten games in during the baseball season but has managed eighteen so far this year. “I’m thrilled with how this season has gone,” Hoyle said. “We were fortunate with weather and Covid,” Hoyle continued. Kerr-Vance Academy was fortunate with no instances of Covid reported for the team the entire season. This year was the first under head coack Mike Rigsbee. Hoyle said there was a lot of excitement and some uncertainty with a new head coach leading the program.  Hoyle said it was “great to see Rigsbee’s personality and energy come into the program. It was cool to see.”

In regards to Kerr Vance Academy’s successful season Hoyle said, “I can confirm winning is fun.” Even though he enjoys winning Hoyle thinks that seeing the growth of his seniors is far more important than winning baseball games. The school has been quite successful with its athletic programs with KVA winning eight state championships over the last four years.

All of the success has not gone unnoticed as Hoyle has announced he will be leaving KVA to take the athletic director’s position at Thales Academy in Wake Forest. Hoyle has recently become engaged and wasn’t really looking to move but Thales Academy made a good recruitment pitch. “I’m looking forward to the new opportunity and a great challenge,” Hoyle said about moving on to Thales Academy. For the moment, Hoyle and Coach Rigsbee have KVA Baseball on their minds as they head to Sanford to try and bring home one more state championship.

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SportsTalk 5-11-21 Scottie Richardson, Crossroads Christian

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“It’s a great day to be a Colt!” said Scottie Richardson, athletic director at Crossroads Christian after the school’s golf program won the state 1A championship by two strokes on Monday at Bryan Park-Players Course in  Greensboro.  The championship is the first athletic championship of any type ever won by the school. Two years ago Crossroads Christian was runner up in the state.  Richardson gave credit to golfing coach James Darnell. “He’s a local legend,” Richardson said. He went on to say that Darnell has to be part caddy and part psychologist as a golfing coach.

Richardson, who is also head basketball coach at the school, said all of the coaches of the school’s various athletic programs would “trash talk” with each other about which one would win the school’s first state championship but all of the coaches at the school have been very supportive of Coach Darnell and his team.

Speaking about Monday’s championship Richardson said, “It was a great atmosphere when the sun was out.” The tournament had to shut down for an hour and a half due to thunderstorms to rolled through the Guilford County area on Monday afternoon.

Richardson also acknowledged that the golf team will lose some players to graduation this year but feels that the team’s underclassmen are good enough to keep the team competitive in the coming seasons.

Representing the Crossroads Christian School Colts this year at the NCISAA Boys’ State Championship were Caden Woodward, Tyler Darnell, Merritt Cogdill and Colby Taylor.

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SportsTalk 5-4-21 Paul “Showtime” Gaffney, Gaffney Athletic Prep Academy

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Before he was known as “Showtime,” Paul Gaffney was a kid from a rural coal mining town in Kentucky. He was born to an unmarried teenage mom who placed him for adoption. At the age of two, his adoptive mother died and Gaffney was raised alone by his adoptive father. Gaffney would be considered as an “at-risk child” but Gaffney overcame these issues through his love of athletics and basketball. He is the Tennessee Wesleyan University Hall of Fame, where he received a B.S. in Business Management and, through his fifteen years with the Harlem Globetrotters, he is in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Now he is the founder of Gaffney Atletic Preparatory Academy (GAPA) in Tennessee which Gaffeny calls, “An innovative school dealing with sports careers including sports medicine, marketing, communications and nutrition serving grades six through twelve.” There is also a post grad program available to students who need it to help with GPA’s as well. GAPA enhances opportunities for students to move up to prestige college, according to Gaffney.

Gaffney says, “There were always people around me who inspired me to be a better athlete,” and this is what he hopes that GAPA will do for his students. Gaffney says GAPA teaches kids to find out what they love. While they may love athletics they might not be the world’s greatest athlete but might be great at cooking which could lead to a career as a sports nutritionist allowing them to be involved in athletics while not being on the field or court.

Students are from all over the world. He recruits students locally as well as Italy, Portugal and other locations.

However, GAPA isn’t his only interest. Gaffney is manager of the Tennessee Conductors of the WABA Basketball League. This women’s league is an opportunity to showcase talent so players may be able to move on to the WNBA. The team is scheduled to begin its season in July.

Gaffney credits his fifteen years with the Harlem Globetrotters in helping him open doors on these ventures. “The Globetrotters helped me develop the needed character for these endeavors,” Gaffney said.

Speaking of his Globetrotter experience Gaffney said, “We played eight days in a seven day week.” The constant travel all over the world helped the team develope a brotherhood that remains to this day. “The court was my office for 15 years and I enjoyed every minute of it,” Gaffney said. He calls the Globetrotter a tight knit family.

Gaffney also said playing with the Globetrotters was probably harder than playing basketball in the NBA due to the number of games involved and the travel which saw them go all around the world but the millions of smiles and memories those games brought to fans are special not only to those fans but for him as well. One of Gaffney’s fondest memories and one that changed his life was in 1996 when he met then South African President Nelson Mandela.

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SportsTalk 4-1-21 Hunter Jenks, Vance Co. High School; Paul Carr, Miracle League

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The 0-3 Vance County Vipers were looking forward to hitting the field this Monday Night against the Northern Durham Knights but that game has been cancelled.  Originally scheduled for March 26th the game was postponed due to Covid 19 protocols involving someone with the Knights’ organization. It’s not the first time it’s happened to the Vipers either so being able to reschedule the Knights game was important. Vance Co. had been able to sidestep Covid all season long but that changed on Thursday when a Vipers player tested positive causing Monday’s game to be cancelled. “I feel bad for the seniors,” Head Coach Hunter Jenks said on Thursday afternoon.

Looking back on the season, which will end next Friday night at Cedar Ridge, Coach Jenks said today on SportsTalk, “We didn’t even know if their would be a season. We want to send the seniors off with a win.” Jenks is hopeful he will have that opportunity against a struggling Cedar Ridge program.

Initially, this Covid shortened season was to be seven games. Three are in the books and Vance County hopes to give the seniors one more opportunity to get a win this year. The Cedar Ridge game will be broadcast on Vance Co. Friday Night Football next Friday evening beginning at 6:30 on WIZS.

Also on SportsTalk on Thursday Paul Carr, Board Member of the Miracle League of the Triangle, talke to hosts Trey Snide and Ron Noel about the baseball league. The Miracle League of the Triangle gives an opportunity for special needs people to play a sport and be part of a team. Over 1000 players are participating in the league.  Carr said “It absolutely changes lives.” Carr believes that participation is beneficial to not only those playing in the league but the parents as well.  “Parents never thought that they would have the opportunity to sit in the stands and cheer for their child like other parents,” Carr said. Carr encourages anyone in the area to come out to watch a game and volunteer. More information about volunteer opportunities for individuals, businesses and organizations can be found at their website www.miracleleagueofthetriangle.com.  Like other leagues, both small and large, Covid has had an impact. Only six games are on the schedule.

As a non-profit organization Carr said, “There is never enough money.” Even so, Miracle League of the Triangle is working on opening up a third field in Durham in addition to the two already existing facilites in Cary and Raleigh. The new third facility is currently under construction in partnership with the Durham Bulls and is located across the street from the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Also during Thursday’s SportsTalk, Bob Licklighter was announced as the new Athletic Director for South Granville. Ron Noel said that Licklighter has been at Granville Central before moving over to South Granville.

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SportsTalk 03-26-21 Joe Sharrow, Vance Co. High School

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It’s Friday in the middle of football season so most schools will be taking the field this evening but not Vance County. The Viper’s scheduled game against the Northern Durham Knights was cancelled at the beginning of the week due to Covid 19 protocols meaning the Vipers won’t return to the field until April 5th when they will finally get to tangle with Northern Durham.  According to Vance County High School athletic director Joe Sharrow juggling the schedule was the only way to get the Northern Durham game back.  “We really didn’t want to lose the game with Northern Durham,” Sharrow said.  Even though Northern Durham and Vance County will be in different conferences next year, the Knights will be part of the Viper’s schedule for the next two years.

The Knights will remain under quarantine until April 1st when they resume practice and will play the Vipers on Monday, April 5th, 6:30pm at Vance Co. High School.  In order to accomodate the Northern Durham game the Vipers would originally have had to play three games in eight days as Northwood would have taken on the Vipers on April 2nd but “three games in eight days was too much,” according to Sharrow. “We’re pretty beat up right now,” Sharrow added. Sharrow said that one of the games on the schedule would have to go if they wanted to play Northern Durham.  Sharrow and Coach Hunter Jenks were not in favor of cancelling the Cedar Ridge game scheduled for April 9th. Cedar Ridge is coached by former Northern Vance coach Corey Lee and Vance County has a good relationship with the school so that meant the Northwood game would have to go.  However, Sharrow helped Northwood find another school to play, Panther Creek High School in Cary. Even though Vance County gets to keep the game with Northern Durham it does mean that the team will play one less game than intended.

At 0-3 with two games left on the schedule, Sharrow said that getting into the state playoff would require some help and that it is a long shot. The school would have to receive an at-large bid and that means the improving Vipers would certainly have to win out the rest of the season and then get the help Sharrow discussed. Sharrow says, “The primary focus is finishing up with Northern Durham and Cedar Ridge, to stay healthy and let our seniors play out the year.”

As far as athletics in general at Vance County High School, “I am ecstatic about the Vance County High School Athletics programs,” Sharrow said.  Sharrow pointed to the really good numbers with the girl’s softball team and recent wins with that program along with strong numbers for the girl’s soccer team. Where many teams have had trouble finding players to field teams it hasn’t been much of an issue for Vance County. This is likely due to the fact that Vance County High School is the only school in the state conducting Covid 19 tests every week.

Once again, Vance County High School’s next game will be on Monday, April 5th against the Northern Durham Knights, 6:30pm, at Vance County High School.  Tune into WIZS for full play by play coverage of that contest.

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SportsTalk 03-18-21 Hunter Jenks, Vance Co. Vipers Head Football Coach

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Even though Vance County is 0-2 after a 20-0 loss at Southern Durham last Friday night, Coach Hunter Jenks praised his teams defensive effort citing a goal line stand and the pressure that was constant in the Southern Durham backfield throughout the game. In reviewing last Friday’s game, Jenks said that if events had unfolded slightly different that the Vipers could have come away with a win. Coach Jenks continues to see improvement with the Vipers. “Every day when we come off the field after practice we collectively say we’ve gotten better,” Jenks said of his team.

While Jenks is focused on playing well this season he is also looking ahead to the future of the program as well.  With only three seniors starting on defense this year he will have multiple seasons with many of the underclassmen on the Vipers squad.  “It bodes well for the future,” Jenks commented when discussing the defense. Jenks says that while the defensive unit may be undersized they make up for it with effort and speed. Jenks acknowledges that the defense is ahead of the Vipers offense. Jenks said “We’ve to be realistic and look for small victories,” when asked about the unit’s on field progress. The key is limiting turnovers, sustaining drives and limiting mistakes.

As for Saturday night’s game against Orange at 6 p.m., which was rescheduled from Friday, Jenks says that Orange lost their starting quarterback in the first game of the season, and he expects for Orange to have a similar style to Vance Co. meaning it’s likely to be a defensive battle, something in which both teams excel.

Kickoff for the game at Orange High School in Hillsborough is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday and can be heard in its entirety on WIZS Radio. Bill Harris will have the call of the game.

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SportsTalk 03-12-21 Brian Howard, Vance Charter

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Seventh Grader McKenzie Pendergrass scored her first points as a middle school basketball player for Vance Charter School Tuesday night against Roxboro Community School. However, Pendergrass isn’t just any player and those weren’t just any points. Those points scored put Pendergrass and Vance Charter on ESPN.  Pendergrass is in a wheel chair and Head Coach Brian Howard says he became aware of Pendergrass’ desire to be on the basketball team after she wrote a story in class. In her story, Pendergrass said she didn’t think her disabilities should stand in the way of her taking the court. “She wanted to prove she could do just as well as anyone else,” Howard said.  She did play in her 6th grade year but did not score.  That changed Tuesday night.

Pendergrass got the bucket late in the game. Howard said “The gym was electric.” “When the ball went in the gym erupted,” added Howard.  Howard went on to say that Pendergrass is well liked at the school, “She is outgoing, determined and doesn’t take no for an answer.” Her determination paid off with her first points of her middle school career and making it to ESPN.

 

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SportsTalk 03-05-21 Scotty Richardson, Andreas Prince and Player of the Week

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“He’s really been the heart and soul of the team,” Crossroads Christian Athletic Director and Head Basketball Coach Scotty Richardson said of Andreas Prince when both appeared on Sports Talk on Friday. Prince is the first player from the school to be named to receive 1A All State honors.  The school, which has only had a basketball program for four years, has made it to the Elite Eight the last two seasons.  Prince was part of the reason for the team’s success. In addition to the All State honors, Prince was named to the All Tournament and All Conference teams. He averaged 21 points over the season. “It’s definitely a great honor. It means a lot to me and my family,” Prince said.  Prince singled out Coach Richardson as making an impact on him both on and off the court.

Richardson said at the end of last season graduating players cost his team 65 points, the average of what the graduation players scored per game last season. And despite the season being interrupted by Covid 19 and having only three weeks of practice, the team was still strong this season. This year Crossroads Christian will lose three seniors to graduation. Richardson said, “The cupboard is not bare,” since the team will return four starters next season.

In the second half of SportsTalk, two county athletes received Player of the Week Honors. Alyssa Bullock, a 7th Grade basketball player at Vance Charter School, is averaging 20 points per game. Additionally, Bullock is averaging four steals, four rebounds and 5 assists per game and put up 27 points in this week’s contest with East Wake.

The second player of the week is Tyron Lyons of the Vance Co. Vipers.  In last week’s 42-6 loss to Chapel Hill, Lyons contributed one solo tackle and three assists.

Player of the Week honors are announced every Friday on the Coach’s Corner segment of SportsTalk with Trey Snide.

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