Last-minute changes are part of the challenge when choosing teams for the annual N.C. Coaches Association East-West All-Star football game.
But this week, East head coach Bill Sochovka of Pine Forest and assistant coach Jeff Morehead of Terry Sanford faced more than the usual challenges.
For the first time, the game is being played in December, a change from the usual July date that football coaches had been requesting for years.
The hope was that by playing near the end of football season, players would be in better shape and less likely to drop out at the last minute because of having to attend required summer training sessions if they were committed to a college team.
But injuries and other unforeseen problems forced the East team to replace nine players, among them Kamal Thames of Terry Sanford who was injured.
On top of that, the threat of bad weather Sunday forced a last-minute change in the kickoff to Saturday at 1 p.m., still at Grimsley High School's Jamieson Stadium in Greensboro.
The good news for Cumberland County is there are now five seniors from county teams on the East roster. They include original selections Landon Sargent and Rico McDonald of Cape Fear and Juan Hernandez of Pine Forest. Late additions to the East roster are Tyler Davis of Gray’s Creek and Tim Blue of Pine Forest.
Here are capsules of all five players:
- Landon Sargent: Sargent was All United 8 Conference for the Colts and recently received a scholarship offer from Chowan. He had 96 tackles last season, 64 of them solos.
- Rico McDonald: He was a second team United 8 All-Conference wide receiver with 308 yards and three touchdowns. He is a Wake Forest recruit.
- Juan Hernandez: Hernandez was the kicker for Pine Forest, hitting 33 of 36 extra point attempts. He was honorable mention All American Conference.
- Tyler Davis: Davis was second team All-Conference quarterback for the United 8. He threw for 597 yards and eight touchdowns. He rushed for 961 and 17 scores.
- Tim Blue: Blue was a first team All American Conference choice in the defensive line. He had 48 tackles, 38 solos and seven sacks.
While the coaches and the players all want to win the game, Sochovka said the focus has to be on making it an enjoyable experience.
“We want to make them enjoy each other so they feel like a part of the team,’’ Sochovka said. “The most important thing is to make sure they are all good character kids. I think that helps with the transition.’’
Morehead agreed. “When you’re limited roster number wise you’ve got to have a bunch of guys able to go both ways,’’ he said. “Hopefully we’ll build some chemistry fast. Mental reps are going to be key this week."
“You’ve got to be locked in mentally as well as physically," he continued.
Morehead thinks it helps that the players are still in football mode, having only recently ended playing their respective school seasons.
“They may have had a week or two off, but they’re still in shape and still in that football season mentality,’’ he said.
Earl’s Pearls
- Unfortunately, like Seventy-First, I ended my picking season with a defeat as the Falcons suffered a tough loss in the state 3-A championship game to Hickory.
I’ll repeat a comment I shared on social media shortly after the final score for that contest was posted.
This team left it all on the field and made no excuses. Congratulations to Duran McLaurin and his Falcons on an outstanding season. Best wishes for a great 2024.
- As for my final record, I went 0-1 for the last week, leaving the season count at 67-21, 76.1. At least I finished over 75%.
- Because of the impending holiday break for schools, we will suspend CityView Athlete of the Week until all teams return to competition in January. Have a blessed holiday season.
