Coaches work together to build All-Star rosters of talented team players

We want guys that will be good guys, team guys, that are going to fit in as much as possible.”

Bruce McClelland, head football coach at Terry Sanford, who will be an assistant coach on the East football team at the upcoming All-Star games

Coaching all-stars might sound like a dream job to some, but Terry Sanford head football coach Bruce McClelland quickly realized there are a lot of moving parts to deal with once you stick your head under the proverbial hood of an all-star machine.

McClelland will be an assistant coach on the East football staff next week for the 75th annual East-West All-Star football game at Grimsley High School’s Jamieson Stadium in Greensboro. 

Kickoff is at 8 p.m. Wednesday.

As one of the East assistants, McClelland was involved in the selection process for this year’s team. That process relies heavily on working relationships with other coaches.

“You can watch the film, see the stats and know they are really good ball players, but you really want to try to build a team,” McClelland said.

That’s why coaches picking all-star teams often turn to friends in the coaching business, people they have known for some time and whose judgment of player talent and attitudes they trust.

McClelland said that from the time the East staff was assembled, head coach Battle Holley of East Duplin, son of legendary coach Jack Holley, has stressed picking the right kind of player for the game. 

“We want guys that will be good guys, team guys, that are going to fit in as much as possible,” McClelland said.

The East staff has only eight practice sessions over a five-day span to get the team ready for its game Wednesday.

Another tool McClelland has relied on heavily is conversations with recent coaches in the game who can advise him on what works and what doesn’t. Veteran Bulldog assistant football coach Bill Yeager is a former East coach, along with longtime Cape Fear assistant Chris Hall and Seventy-First head coach Duran McLaurin.

Hall was just on the East staff last summer and has been a helpful source for McClelland.

Hall has offered advice on everything from potential barriers McClelland might face to the best way to structure practice. 

The football game is one of five the N.C. Coaches Association will hold next week. Girls and boys basketball are scheduled Monday at Greensboro Coliseum, and girls and boys soccer will be Tuesday at Macpherson Stadium.

Cumberland County will have at least one athlete on every East-West All-Star roster next week with the exception of boys soccer.

McClelland thinks that’s a good commentary on the athletes and coaches of Cumberland County.

“We’re well-respected around the state,” McClelland said. “Our athletes can compete with anybody.”

Cumberland County’s all-stars

As previously noted, Cumberland County will be represented in all but one of the East-West games scheduled next week in Greensboro.

Here are capsule bios of each athlete. Information was gathered by the staff of the East-West All-Star games program for 2023:

Football

• Christian Olivas, offensive line, Terry Sanford: All-State and All-Conference. Won Terry Sanford’s Neal Turlington Offensive Lineman of the Year award. Plans to walk on at UNC-Pembroke.
• Mathias Winston, linebacker, Pine Forest: Team MVP. Mid-South Sports Lloyd Foster Extra Effort Award winner. 56 solo tackles, 18 for losses, three sacks, three interceptions. Rushed for 483 yards and 6 touchdowns. State qualifier in wrestling and track. Member of marching band. Plans to walk on at N.C. Central. 
• Trevon Wactor, defensive end, Terry Sanford: Replacement for teammate Jesus Hernandez, who will miss the game because of a sprained ankle. Wactor started both ways for the Bulldogs for three years and was named Terry Sanford’s defensive lineman of the year. He was a two-time All American Conference all-conference selection. He was also twice all-conference as a defenseman in lacrosse.

Boys basketball

• Jared Davis, forward, Seventy-First: Scored 2,020 career points. All-State, All-Conference, All-District and Holiday Classic MVP. He averaged 17.2 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Earned scholarship to J.C. Smith.

Girls basketball

• Keashiana Murphy, wing/forward, E.E. Smith: All-Conference and Conference Player of the Year as a senior. 910Preps All-Star. Holiday Classic MVP. Averaged 13 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Undecided on college. 

• Skylar White, guard, E.E. Smith: White averaged 12.5 points and handed out 3.7 assists per game. She averaged 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 steals. She was named to the All American All-Conference team.  She will attend Virginia State. 

Girls soccer

• A’jaylah Yates, forward, Seventy-First: Scored 43 goals and added 19 assists. Ended career with 98 goals, including a single goal in the 2020 season that was suspended by COVID-19. Earned scholarship to Tusculum University.

Game times for the East-West contests next week aside from football are as follows: 

• Monday, July 17: Basketball at Greensboro Coliseum, with girls at 6:30 p.m., boys at 8:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 18: Soccer at Macpherson Stadium, with girls at 6:30 p.m., boys at 8:30 p.m.

Earl’s Pearls

• The All American and United 8 conferences announced the winners of their respective Wells Fargo Cups this week. The award is presented annually to the conference school with the best overall sports program based on points awarded for order of finish in each of the officially recognized conference sports.

The winners were Terry Sanford in the All American and Cape Fear in the United 8.

Terry Sanford survived a tough battle with second-place Harnett Central, winning with 605.5 points to 602.5 for Harnett Central.

The Bulldogs were boosted by conference titles in boys soccer, girls tennis, baseball, girls soccer, boys tennis and boys golf.

Other season point totals in the conference were Pine Forest, 585; Overhills and Triton, 555; Western Harnett, 507.5; E.E. Smith, 350; and Westover, 305.

Cape Fear scored a 25-point win over second-place Jack Britt, 905-880.

The Colts took championships in volleyball, girls tennis, girls golf, girls basketball, boys and girls swimming, baseball, softball, girls soccer, boys tennis and boys golf.

Other season point totals were Gray’s Creek, 795; Lumberton, 720; Purnell Swett, 610; South View, 555; Seventy-First, 420; and Douglas Byrd, 250.

• The schedule has been set for the annual Cumberland County Football Jamboree. It will be held Friday, Aug. 11, with scrimmages at E.E. Smith and Douglas Byrd High Schools.

The schedule at E.E. Smith is as follows:

• 5 p.m.: Gray’s Creek vs. Hoke.
• 6 p.m.: Jack Britt vs. Apex Friendship.
• 7 p.m.: Terry Sanford vs. Hoke.
• 8 p.m.: Westover vs. Purnell Swett.
• 9 p.m.: E.E. Smith vs. St. Pauls.

The schedule at Douglas Byrd is:

• 5 p.m.: South View vs. Triton.
• 6 p.m.: Pine Forest vs. Richmond Senior.
• 7 p.m.: Cape Fear vs. Durham Riverside.
• 8 p.m.: Seventy-First vs. Panther Creek.
• 9 p.m.: Douglas Byrd vs. Goldsboro.
• Terry Sanford golfer Ethan Paschal won a berth in the U.S. Amateur, scheduled Aug. 14-20 at Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills, Colorado.

Playing at Dataw Island Club’s Cotton Dike course earlier this week, Paschal earned one of five available qualifying spots by shooting a seven-under-par 137. 

Paschal tied for third place in the final scores with rounds of 70 and 67, finishing three shots behind the co-leaders.

Follow Earl Vaughan Jr. on Twitter at @EarlVaughanJr

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