Turnovers hurt Catholic in the first half.
A fumble by Ryan Miller ended Catholic’s second drive of thegame and a fumbled punt in the second quarter gave
Charlotte Catholic found the end zone on the next driveafter a 42-yard pass from Miller to Tyler Pumneo set up a 12-yard touchdown runfor Elijah Hood, making the score 14-7 with 9:19 left in the second quarter.
The two teams traded touchdowns for the rest of the half.
Charlotte Catholic’s next touchdown came on a trick playwith Miller dropping back as if to pass and pitching the ball to a waiting DrewTomsho, who went 23 yards for a score.
That score cut the Nighthawk lead to 21-14 with 1:47 left inthe half.
Hood had 108 yards on 22 carries and one touchdown for theCougars. Miller was 2-for-2 passing for 60 yards.
11 Aralık 2012 Salı
Northern Guilford leads Charlotte Catholic 29-14 at halftime
Post-game comments from Charlotte Catholic's loss in the NCHSAA 3AA championship
I wasn't able to get quotes into the print version of my story about Charlotte Catholic's loss to Northern Guilford in the NCHSAA 3AA championship game Saturday. The game started 45 minutes late and deadline loomed just minutes after the clock hit zero.
I did rush down to the media room after and added quotes to the online version of the story, which you can find here.
Here are other notable post-game comments from both teams:
Charlotte Catholic
Head coach Jim Oddo:
Opening statement:
“We picked a bad day to have a bad day.”
[...]
“Really, we hung with them for a half and right at the close of the first half we drove theball down the field and scored and were in it and then with just a little bit of time left hepopped a long one and I think that was the one that kind of broke our back.”
[...]
“I thought our kids played hard and we’re very happy to be here, but sorry that it wasn’t abetter game. But I’m proud of our young men and what they’ve done.”
On the uncharacteristic mistakes his team made:
“We turned it over too much early in the ball game. … When things went south, they wentsouth and then it snow balled.”
On Northern Guilford running back T.J. Logan:
“We knew that he was going to pop one or two. There’s no way you can hold him downfor a whole ball game and I expected that somewhere along the line he’d get off oneor two. I didn’t expect he’d get off that many, but, you know, that’s the way it is. He’san outstanding athlete. Blinding speed. And if you don’t get him tied up at the line ofscrimmage or close to it, half the time he’s going to take it to the house.”
On if Charlotte Catholic's offensive style makes it harder to come back from an early deficit:
“Our big problem was we rely on some base plays and they were able to take them away.We were not able to do what we wanted to do. We were still getting four and three andgetting first downs and matriculating down field and shortening the game, but it doesn't take them very long to hand the ball to Logan to bounce back.”
[...]
“They just bunched them up and we weren’t good enough to take it to them. And we're not going to pass every down.”
Running back Elijah Hood:
On what he hopes to take away from the game, going into his senior year:
"I mean, it's kind of a sour experience but I'm just going to use that to move on. I mean, I'm going to keep growing as a football player. Obviously there were some things in that game I could have probably did better. I probably missed some blocks, I've got to go watch some film and stuff.
"There's a lot for me to learn, so I'm just trying to learn from it. Football is a learning experience so I'm just going to keep learning, try to get better, that's the way I see it.
"Because I've got another year, I'm going to go back at it, so I'm just going to go ahead and go for the state championship next year. Same heart, same passion, same drive. Work harder. That's all I can give, give it my all."
Northern Guilford
Head coach Johnny Roscoe:
“We said defense was going to have to win a game for us and they did. They containedtheir running attack.”
Talking about the players sitting at the media table with him:
“These guys have been here four years with us and this is our program, right here in frontof you.”
On if he was surprised by Catholic's miscues, like fumbled punts:
“They made very few mistakes and that gave us an advantage. It really did. …It’s an outstanding football game. We knew what they were coming to do. … We knewwhat was in store. 34 (Elijah Hood) is an outstanding player, the offensive line did a good job and wehad to come in and defensively do something.”
On the importance of Northern Guilford's two quick scores before and after the half:
“It was so important. … the movement of the game goes back and forth so many times… It’s so important to stop their momentum because we saw them on film, certain teamswould stop them and then, bam they’d get an 80 yard run, a 70 yard run, a 60, and so weknew that they were going to make some runs at us and we were going to have to justtake care of those and move the ball offensively.”
Running back T.J. Logan:
On what helped him have such a big game:
“The O-line. I feel like in practice they opened up a lot of holes and I just try tohit the seam.”
[...]
“They were just like over pursuing a little bit so I could just cut to the back side.”
On his response to Charlotte Catholic fans who might say they Nighthawks were running up the score:
“It’s just football. You play to the end.”
On how it felt to finish an undefeated season with a state championship:
“It feels good. We’ve been playing together since like the seventh grade."
[...]
“This is perfect.”
On what he would say to fans of North Carolina, where he's committed to play next year:
“I’m ready. I’m ready for Tar Heel nation.”
Defensive lineman Austin Simmons:
On how playing in past state championship games helped the team this year:
“It helped us get ready for the noise and the level of competition. Every player, like theseniors on their team, it was their last game so they were going to play as hard as they can. So we were ready to face their best. Film can’t prepare us for how well they’re going toplay when they’re ready just to give their all.”
Beth Erb breaks Country Day's career scoring record
Charlotte Country Day senior girls' basketball player Beth Erb broke the school's girls' basketball scoring record in a Dec. 5 game against Parkwood.
Erb scored 12 points in the 47-36 loss, giving her 1,170 career points with the Buccaneers. The previous record was 1,164 points held by Janice Roberts, a 2010 graduate now playing at Furman.
Erb also had 3 rebounds, two steals and two assists in the game.
George Whitfield's baseball clinic scheduled for Jan. 12
The baseball clinic run by North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Famer George Whitfield is set for its 41st annual renewal.
The clinic is scheduled for Goldsboro High School on Saturday, January 12, 2013 and features another tremendous lineup. Registration is scheduled from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m, and then the clinic will run until 6 p.m.
The clinic is open to all players from Little League through high school, and all coaches at any level are welcome.
Ron Polk, the assistant baseball coach at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, will be the kickoff speaker at 9:05 am, followed by Dr. Chris Hasty and Trey Mooring, who will speak on injury prevention for today's baseball players.
Here are some of the other outstanding baseball people and topics that will be covered at this annual event:
• “What College Coaches Are Looking for in Today’s Athletes” will be discussed by UNC-Greensboro assistant coach Matt Boykin, East Carolina head coach Billy Godwin, Georgia Southern assistant Chris Moore, Liberty assistant Garrett Quinn and Louisburg College head coach Keith Shumate.
•”Practice Organization for the High School Coach” will include Tony Guzzo, head coach at Nash Central High School, and Appalachian State head coach Billy Jones.
• "Indoor and On-Field Drills To Become a Better Player” will be presented by Campbell head coach Greg Goff, Richmond assistant coaches Tag Montague and Tanner Biagini, and Mount Olive assistant Rob Watt.
• Pitching will be covered by Shenandoah University head coach Kevin Anderson, Pitt Community College head coach Tommy Eason, North Carolina assistant coach Scott Forbes; Sam Narron, pitching coach for the Auburn Doubledays in the Washington National minor league organization; and Dan Roszel, East Carolina assistant coach.
•Catching will feature Virginia Commonwealth assistant Kurt Elbin, Eastern Wayne High School head coach James Fulghum, Duke assistant J.J. Jordan, Virginia assistant Matt Kirby, and Virginia Military Institute assistant Michael Roberts. • Infield play instructors will be Central Florida retired head coach Jay Bergman, UNC-Wilmington head coach Mark Scalf, Brunswick Community College head coach Robbie Allen, U.S. Military Academy assistant coach Matt Reid, and Michigan assistant Nick Schnabel.
• Outfield play will be covered by Methodist head coach Tom Austin; retired Ohio University head coach Joe Carbone; Paul Faulk, a scout for the Washington Nationals; Mount Olive head coach Carl Lancaster, and East Carolina assistant Ben Sanderson.
• Base Running will be discussed by Dave Bristol, former major league manager with the Reds, Brewers, Braves and Giants; Catawba head coach Jim Gantt; High Point assistant Bryan Peters, UNC-Asheville head coach Tom Smith and Wake Forest head coach Tom Walter.
• Hitting instructors will be retired Virginia Tech head coach Chuck Hartman; Campbell assistant Justin Haire, College of Charleston assistant Matt Heath, UNC-Greensboro head coach Link Jarrett, and N.C. State assistant Brian Ward.
Coach Whitfield will mail information to schools across the state in November. The only charge for the clinic is a pre-registration fee of $60 per person, which includes lunch. Any school or team that registers six or more people will be charged $50 per person.
Registration at the door will be $70.
Players 15 years of age and under may have their fathers attend for free, and they can eat lunch for just seven dollars.
Questions about the clinic may be directed to George at (919) 778-6013 or write him at 216 Hardingwood Drive, Goldsboro, NC 27534.
--NCHSAA release
Wells Fargo Conference Cup standings
Charlotte Catholic and Providence High lead the NCHSAA Wells Fargo Conference Cup standings after the fall sports season.
The Wells Fargo Conference Cup is a companion to the Wells Fargo Cup and recognizes schools with the best overall interscholastic athletic performances within individual conferences.
Charlotte Catholic has a 12.5 point lead over Olympic in the ME-GA 7 standings after strong performance's in each of the fall sports (football, boys' soccer, girls' golf, girls' tennis, volleyball and cross country).
Providence High has a three-point lead over Ardrey Kell in the Southwestern 4A standings after conference championships in boys' and girls' cross country and second-place finishes in volleyball, girls' tennis and girls' golf.
Ardrey Kell finished first in the conference in volleyball, girls' tennis and girls' golf. Myers Park is in third with a SW4A championship in boys' soccer.
Full standings
Southwestern 4-A: Providence 73, Ardrey Kell 70, Myers Park 67, Butler 57, South Mecklenburg 52, Independence 45.5, East Mecklenburg 42, Rocky River 35.5.
Mega 7 3-A/4-A: Charlotte Catholic 49, Olympic 36.5, East Gaston 29.5, West Mecklenburg 21, Berry Academy 16, Harding 12, Garinger 8.
8 Aralık 2012 Cumartesi
Davidson Day's Will Grier sets national record with 837-yard passing night
Davidson Day junior QB Will Grier threw for a national record 837 yards in Friday's 104-80 win over Harrell's Christian.
Yes, you read the right: 104-80.
In a high school football game.
Grier's 837 yards passed the old national mark of 764 was set by Pacific Palisades (CA) QB David Koral in 2000. Friday night, Grier completed 35-of-42 passes and threw for a new N.C. record 10 touchdowns. The 10 touchdowns ties six other players for the national record, originally set in 1990.
Early reports had Grier throwing for nearly 800 yards and 11 scores, but Davidson Day coaches carefully reviewed the film to confirm the passing totals.
Grier, who is 6-3 and 190 pounds, now has 5,294 passing yards for the season, breaking former Independence QB Chris Leak’s 10-year-old N.C. and Mecklenburg County mark of 5,193 (Unofficially Raleigh Wakefield’s Connor Mitch threw for 643 yards Friday in a 76-34 loss to Garner which would give him 5,344 passing yards for the season).
Grier has 64 touchdown passes this season, just two short of former Independence QB Joe Cox’s eight-year-old county and N.C. record. Grier’s 64 TD passes ties Leak for sixth-most in national history.
Grier has scholarship offers from East Carolina, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and Wake Forest. Duke coach David Cutcliffe was on campus Friday, and Chad Grier said his son is being heavily recruited by Alabama, Duke, N.C. State and Oregon.
There's been a lot of conjecture about Grier's age this season, something that his father, Chad, has heard about. Chad Grier, a former East Carolina QB, is the Davidson Day coach.
Chad Grier said his son turns 18 next April and that he repeated half a year in sixth grade when the family moved him from public to private school.
Davidson Day's Will Grier wins national player of week award after 837 yard pass night
From Observer News Services
Wharton, N.J. (Nov. 12, 2012) - Quarterback Will Grier of Davidson Day (N.C.) High School was named the U.S. Army All-American Bowl High School Player of the Week, for the week ending November 11. Will Grier threw for a national record 837 yards and 10 touchdowns as Davidson Day defeated Harrells Christian 104-80. Grier shattered the previous national mark of 764 set in 2000 by Pacific Palisades (Calif.) quarterback David Koral.
Grier was joined by some other outstanding players who earned U.S. Army All-American Bowl High School Player of the Week nomination honors. One nominee was U.S. Army All-American running back Thomas Tyner of Aloha (Ore.) High School. Tyner’s 431 yard performance increased his total yards for the year to over 3,000. Tyner’s 5 touchdowns helped Aloha High School win its playoff game against Glencoe (Ore.) High School 38-35. The U.S. Army All-American Bowl High School Player of the Week was designed to recognize the nation’s top high school performance of the week.