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BASKETBALL PLAYERS TO WATCH THIS SEASON
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Basketball season isn't that far away. Assuming it starts on time, of course. And nothing is guaranteed these days. Joel Bryant previewed some of the top basketball players in the east on HighSchoolOT. (Hint: The talent is stacked)
There was (sometime hyperbolic) speculation during the summer that all the top athletes in the state were going to transfer to private schools or to schools in other states because of the NCHSAA schedule uncertainty. While some transfers did happen (as they do every year, even without a pandemic), most of the top players in the east stayed home at their high schools.
One thing I found interesting is how much talent is at schools in the smaller classifications. Oh, and Granville County is LOADED.
You only get 14 regular season games to see all of this talent, so plan carefully and check out Joel's breakdown here.
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FROM JOEL BRYANT: Each week, Kyle Morton and I keep track of how former North Carolina high school football players are doing in the NFL. You can watch our show every Tuesday on HighSchoolOT, and see all of our past content here. If you missed the show earlier this week, you can still watch it.
The perfect Pittsburgh Steelers are churning into Baltimore to take on the 5-1 Ravens in this week's biggest matchup. The Steelers receive heavy contributions from starting tight end Eric Ebron (Ben L. Smith) and linebacker Alex Highsmith (Ashley). The Steelers also have former Mallard Creek standout Jaylen Samuels. Ravens defensive back Anthony Levine (R.J. Reynolds) has been out with an abdomen injury for awhile, but he has a chance to play against the Steelers.
On FOX 50 at 1 p.m. on Sunday, NFL fans will be able to watch the Packers take on the Vikings. Rocky River graduate Jaire Alexander has been the premier defensive back in the NFL so far this season. Watch No. 23 cover either Adam Thielen or standout rookie Justin Jefferson. Vikings center Garrett Bradbury (Charlotte Christian) has been one of the league's best, and corner back Mike Hughes (New Bern) has played well recently.
Tampa Bay is looking to keep its hot streak going against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. The Buccaneers' special teams unit is made up of kicker Ryan Succop (Hickory) and punter Bradley Pinion (Northwest Cabarrus). The Giants are led by quarterback Daniel Jones (Charlotte Latin) and have been receiving contributions from defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence (Wake Forest) and B.J. Hill (West Stanly). The Giants will have three extra days of rest, too.
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Here are some high school sports stories and important links you might have missed from around the state and country this week:
- How would you like to go up against an offensive tackle who stands at 6-foot-9 and 330 pounds? Well, if you played in Texas you might have to. (via MaxPreps)
- I like to find the silver lining in things. Chris Stiles, the sports editor at The Robesonian in Lumberton, found it for some athletes. The delayed sports season is allowing some athletes to heal injuries, meaning they can hopefully go full-strength when the season starts.
- Here we go again. Maine has delayed the start of the winter sports season, but it hasn't set a new date. Here's the story from Bangor Daily News. We'll have to watch and see if this becomes a trend... again.
- About that trend. Winter sports championships have been canceled in Massachusetts due to COVID-19. Here are the details.
- The governor of Illinois has said winter sports must be moved to the spring, but the governing body of high school sports in the state doesn't seem to agree and has indicated it will defy the governor's order. The Chicago Sun Times has the story.
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COVID-19 CASES IN WAKE COUNTY ATHLETICS
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Wake County high schools have not returned for in-person instruction, but sports teams have been working out for nearly a month now. Volleyball and cross country teams were allowed to begin workouts on Oct. 1. A couple weeks later, basketball, cheerleading, and swimming & diving followed.
This week, the Wake County Public School System announced three cases of COVID-19 at three separate high schools and each was related to the athletic department. This news was not a surprise though. There are going to be cases, but so far, based on the information we have available to us today, it doesn't appear that the cases were transmitted at the workouts. I think it's important to remember that these high school kids can't be in a bubble like NBA players. These kids are living in homes with their families, they're working jobs (many of which involve being around the public), they're doing things outside of school. So just because there is a case among someone at the school doesn't mean participating in sports is a problem.
In fact, I would argue that it appears the protocols and procedures in place work. Wake County athletic director Deran Coe agrees, too. I asked him about it during our webinar last night. Here's what he said:
"We had a couple of cases of COVID that we dealt with earlier in the week, but it was clear that our guidelines worked, and the fact that we were able to mitigate any exposures because we followed our guidelines is certainly a positive story."
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NCISAA STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS THIS WEEKEND
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It's going to be a busy weekend for NCISAA state championships. But first, there have already been some state champions crowned this week!
Girls Golf, Division I
Team Champion: North Raleigh Christian (228)
Individual Champion: Amanda Sambach, Cannon School (-5)
Girls Golf, Division II
Team Champion: Wayne Country Day (231)
Individual Champion: Alexsandra Lapple, O'Neal School (E)
Girls Cross Country, 1A
Team Champion: Lee Christian
Individual Champion: Morgan Hudomint, Halifax Academy (22:09.6)
Boys Cross Country, 1A
Team Champion: Lee Christian
Individual Champion: Taylor Anthony, Christ Covenant (18:00.0)
This weekend we have the 1A, 2A, and 3A state championships in boys soccer and volleyball, we also have girls tennis and field hockey state championships. For details about where we'll be, keep scrolling...
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High school football continues tonight for private schools in North Carolina, but we've also got playoff action in other sports. Plus, on Saturday, NCISAA state championships will be held in volleyball, boys soccer, field hockey, girls tennis, and cross country.
Here's our coverage plan..
Friday:
- Joel Bryant and I will be at St. David's where the undefeated Warriors host Faith Christian. Why? Well, obviously an undefeated team is always intriguing, but Faith Christian is the team that put up 112 points a couple weeks ago and features RB Shaikey Hardy, who rushed for 456 yards and 10 touchdowns in that game.
- Kyle Morton is headed east where John Paul II is on the road at Arendell Parrott Academy in Kinston.
- J. Mike Blake will be covering two events at Durham Academy. First, DA hosts Wake Christian in the volleyball playoffs at 4:30, then at 6:30 DA hosts Wesleyan Academy in the boys soccer playoffs.
Saturday:
- Kyle Morton will be covering the 3A volleyball state championship as Cary Christian faces Asheville Christian at 1 p.m.
- Joel Bryant has the 1A boys soccer state championship in Wilson as Greenfield School takes on Grace Christian of Sanford. That game is scheduled to start at 2 p.m.
- J. Mike Blake will have coverage from the 1A volleyball state championship where Kerr-Vance Academy meets Lee Christian at 1 p.m.
- Zack Adams has a big day in the Triad. First, at 11:30 a.m., Zack has the 2A volleyball state championship between Gaston Day and Caldwell Academy. At 3 p.m., he will cover the 2A boys soccer state championship between Fayetteville Academy and Westchester Country Day. Then Zack will end the day with the 5 p.m. 3A boys soccer state championship between Concord Academy and Calvary Day.
- If you're wondering where I'll be on Saturday, I'll be manning the ship making sure we get all of our coverage up quickly from all of these different events, including results from cross country, tennis, and field hockey.
Be sure you download the free HighSchoolOT app so you don't miss any of our coverage over the weekend. Of course we'll have our scoreboard up and running too.
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High school sports can be played safely, but the use of masks and social distancing will be an important part of that, physicians advising 60 North Carolina school districts say. |
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Calvary Day School will play for the 3A boys soccer state championship on Saturday after a narrow 2-1 win over Coastal Christian in the semifinals this week. |
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A quick 3-0 sweep (25-17, 25-16, 25-15) of visiting Pungo Christian put Lee Christian into the 1A volleyball state championship match. |
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A convincing 6-0 victory for Grace Christian of Sanford propelled it to the 1A soccer state championship game. |
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I like to be optimistic, and I am very much looking forward to the start of the regular season for high school athletes at NCHSAA schools next week -- at least in volleyball and cross country. That being said, we can't ignore the fact that we are starting to see other states start to pull back on high school sports participation again due to the pandemic. Will that happen in North Carolina? I have no information that says it will, but we need to watch it because we are seeing the case numbers go up in a big way -- and it's happening in areas of the state (and country, for that matter) where previous surges didn't impact as much.
But here's the thing: We all have agency in this. If you're a coach or athlete participating in sports right now, do the right things to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on your team. You're supposed to have fun in high school, but sacrificing the parties and get togethers with your friends could help us bring back sports and keep them going. Wear a mask. Wash your hands -- a lot.
What I'm watching this week, and probably for the next several weeks, is the trend of what other states are doing. Are we seeing more cases pop up within high school athletics in North Carolina? Does more data come out? What happens with the cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and positivity rates here? All of this will impact high school sports -- whether or not we get to resume them, whether or not we get to play through, and whether or not fans get to attend. Fingers crossed. And masks on.
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Thank you for reading the HighSchoolOT Newsletter this week. Do you have suggestions, comments, or concerns? You can email me any time at nstevens@wral.com.
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