Big game
For those that have read, and hopefully enjoyed, my blog posts, apologies for not being prolific lately. This is a wild time of year with cross country, tennis, volleyball, etc. coming to a head, and football closing down the home stretch.
I have been asked to keep my posts short, and I’ll do my best with this one, but there are a couple of things to hit on, starting with…
REYNOLDS AT WEST FORSYTH
The last time I vividly remember two unbeaten county teams playing this late in the season was in (I think) 1993 when Reynolds and Mount Tabor met in the infamous Fog Bowl on the final night of the regular season, a game which Mount Tabor pulled out.
That’s based on my memory though, and things can get hazy. If I am wrong about that, feel free to point it out.
Truth is though, Friday’s game at West should generate as much fan interest as any game in recent years, with both teams being 9-0 overall, 3-0 in the Central Piedmont 4-A, and ranked in the Class 4-A poll by AP. The winner will lock down a share of the conference title.
West has the size, Reynolds has the speed. It’s often said that speed kills, and West’s field should be in good shape for the game. Reynolds has been charmed this season for a variety of reasons, and West has been rock solid, albeit a little shaky over the last month as compared to early in the season.
I would advise on getting there early. It will be interesting, at the very least.
Wish I had more opportunities to do retrospective stories such as the one I had in Wednesday’s paper on North Forsyth honoring their 1971 football state championship team. I didn’t possibly have room in the paper for all the material I came up with from talking to coaches and players, and the following piece is something I had to leave out, but wanted to get in the blog.
Boyce Shore, the man who kicked the winning field goal in that 10-7 victory over High Point Central in the 4-A state final, talked at length about how black and white players on the team bonded just one year after schools were integrated.
“Cleo Joyner, an offensive tackle, was African American, and he and I kidded with each other like brothers,” Shore said. “He called me ‘Marshmallow’ and I called him ‘Chocolate Drop’ and we had a friendship that went deeper than the field.”
I bet those former coaches and players are going to have a blast while reuniting at North on Friday.
Hopefully I can get back into a regular routine with this next week. As always, questions and suggestions are welcome. Back to the grind…