One last state title game piece
My column from Tuesday's Dispatch...
I interview a lot of coaches and hear plenty of interesting things, so when I sat down in front of Southern Vance football coach David Jennings in Raleigh at the state championship press conference last week, I was ready for just about anything.
But I was a little surprised when he said this:
“The Southern Vance Raiders aren't coming to Winston-Salem to watch a coronation. They're coming to play football. You better believe it. Shelby better be ready to play football. We're not coming to watch someone raise a trophy, we're coming to play football.”
It set the tone for a week of preparation that led to the Raiders giving the Golden Lions everything they wanted in the title game before falling by three points.
Aside from the kicking game, the experience was about all you could ask for from a team that had never been in a state title game before.
In fact, Southern Vance is only 99-92 all time, compared to Shelby's 644 wins. Shelby has won 11 titles, while the Raiders are still waiting for their first one.
Why do I bring this up? Rome, my friends, wasn't built in a day.
And neither was Shelby.
It takes time, hard work and dedication to build a program. It takes summer weight lifting, seven-on-seven passing leagues and a desire to want to out-work everyone on your schedule 365 days a year.
And it takes experience.
The pain of watching another team hoist the trophy, having to stand there and clap for them after giving your all. Being outnumbered two-to-one in fan support (though, the Raiders had a very good following), getting booed at every turn and doubted by everyone not wearing the school colors.
It takes all those things. And Jennings and company, whether anyone outside of the Tri-County area realizes it or not, are building the kind of program that can compete for a state title on a yearly basis.
Let's back up a second, though. The hit that knocked Shelby quarterback Darryl Montgomery out of the game for the second quarter has received some attention on messageboards, with some Shelby fans questioning whether it was late, dirty or even a directive from the Raider coaching staff.
Perhaps no one else in the world knows all three players involved like I do, so here's my take.
David Brodie hit him first - not late, by the way - from the QB's left. The impact of that blow moved Montgomery, and his head, to the right and into the path of Diral Burwell.
It was a helmet-to-helmet hit, but it was unintentional. And since the only high school rule on the books that addresses using the helmet for tackling relates to spearing, it was a legal one.
I met the two defensive linemen last week, and the type of kids that won't give you any smack talk for interviews don't go out headhunting between the lines.
As for Darryl, he's a great kid and a fantastic football player. I'm thankful that he's OK, and glad that the young man that struggled so much in the 2004 state title game bounced back to have success in the next two such contests.
Now, back to the Raiders.
Jennings has four straight winning seasons, and the Raiders haven't had a losing record since 1998. He's already the school's all-time leader in wins (41) and postseason victories (7).
And there are bullets in the gun for next year. Jamere Pugh, O'Darren Gill, David Person, several starters on the offensive line - Ryan Milton, Shawn Harris and Ryan Haskins - Burwell, Brodie, Rickey Nile and Daric Hawkins are returning next season.
You think they might be motivated?
Kudos to Southern Vance for making a bit of history this season - and helping me cover my fourth straight championship team.
I wouldn't close that book just yet, though. I get the feeling that there's more history to be written in the not-too-distant future.
Contact the writer at
rcapps@hendersondispatch.com.
I interview a lot of coaches and hear plenty of interesting things, so when I sat down in front of Southern Vance football coach David Jennings in Raleigh at the state championship press conference last week, I was ready for just about anything.
But I was a little surprised when he said this:
“The Southern Vance Raiders aren't coming to Winston-Salem to watch a coronation. They're coming to play football. You better believe it. Shelby better be ready to play football. We're not coming to watch someone raise a trophy, we're coming to play football.”
It set the tone for a week of preparation that led to the Raiders giving the Golden Lions everything they wanted in the title game before falling by three points.
Aside from the kicking game, the experience was about all you could ask for from a team that had never been in a state title game before.
In fact, Southern Vance is only 99-92 all time, compared to Shelby's 644 wins. Shelby has won 11 titles, while the Raiders are still waiting for their first one.
Why do I bring this up? Rome, my friends, wasn't built in a day.
And neither was Shelby.
It takes time, hard work and dedication to build a program. It takes summer weight lifting, seven-on-seven passing leagues and a desire to want to out-work everyone on your schedule 365 days a year.
And it takes experience.
The pain of watching another team hoist the trophy, having to stand there and clap for them after giving your all. Being outnumbered two-to-one in fan support (though, the Raiders had a very good following), getting booed at every turn and doubted by everyone not wearing the school colors.
It takes all those things. And Jennings and company, whether anyone outside of the Tri-County area realizes it or not, are building the kind of program that can compete for a state title on a yearly basis.
Let's back up a second, though. The hit that knocked Shelby quarterback Darryl Montgomery out of the game for the second quarter has received some attention on messageboards, with some Shelby fans questioning whether it was late, dirty or even a directive from the Raider coaching staff.
Perhaps no one else in the world knows all three players involved like I do, so here's my take.
David Brodie hit him first - not late, by the way - from the QB's left. The impact of that blow moved Montgomery, and his head, to the right and into the path of Diral Burwell.
It was a helmet-to-helmet hit, but it was unintentional. And since the only high school rule on the books that addresses using the helmet for tackling relates to spearing, it was a legal one.
I met the two defensive linemen last week, and the type of kids that won't give you any smack talk for interviews don't go out headhunting between the lines.
As for Darryl, he's a great kid and a fantastic football player. I'm thankful that he's OK, and glad that the young man that struggled so much in the 2004 state title game bounced back to have success in the next two such contests.
Now, back to the Raiders.
Jennings has four straight winning seasons, and the Raiders haven't had a losing record since 1998. He's already the school's all-time leader in wins (41) and postseason victories (7).
And there are bullets in the gun for next year. Jamere Pugh, O'Darren Gill, David Person, several starters on the offensive line - Ryan Milton, Shawn Harris and Ryan Haskins - Burwell, Brodie, Rickey Nile and Daric Hawkins are returning next season.
You think they might be motivated?
Kudos to Southern Vance for making a bit of history this season - and helping me cover my fourth straight championship team.
I wouldn't close that book just yet, though. I get the feeling that there's more history to be written in the not-too-distant future.
Contact the writer at
rcapps@hendersondispatch.com.
posted by Randy Capps at 9:16 AM
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