Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1005599
JULY 18-24, 2018 UCW 25 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Golden Bulls hope to build on rapid rise to top by EARL VAUGHAN JR. E.E. Smith came within one win of a worst-to-first turnaround in football last season. Deron Donald's Golden Bulls tied for last place in the old Mid-South 4-A Conference in 2016, only to finish in a tie for second place in the Patriot Athletic Conference last season, going 9-4 and earning a first-round state 4-A playoff win over West Carteret. "We want to continue what we've started,'' said Donald. Smith will be hard-pressed to repeat the perfor- mance this year as the Golden Bulls were senior- heavy in 2017 and suffered major graduation losses. "We had a big senior class and they all played vital roles in our success,'' Donald said. "Right now we're trying to find some true leaders, people that can carry the torch and keep it going in the right direction.'' Among the biggest departures was versatile quar- terback Xeavier Bullock, who earned a scholarship at Fayetteville State University. He was one of two 2,000-yard passers in the Patriot Conference last season, throwing for 2,165 yards and 22 touchdowns with only five interceptions. e heir apparent to Bullock at quarter- back is senior Angel Holden. Holden saw limited action last season, getting a chance to play quarterback when Bullock was brief- ly sidelined by injury. Holden completed eight of 15 passes for 141 yards and a touch- down while throwing no interceptions. "His approach and offseason prepara- tion has been excellent,'' Donald said of Holden. "We hope he can be the leader we know he can be and keep it going in the right direction.'' Smith's top returner at any position is the talented Toshiro Spivey, wide receiver. Spivey had 37 catches for 612 yards and five touchdowns a year ago. "We're counting on him to do a lot of good things for us,'' Donald said. Spivey said he's already been working with Holden during the spring to improve the chemistry between the two. "He can move, and he throws the ball very well,'' Spivey said of Holden. As for the whole team, despite the grad- uation losses, Spivey thinks the Golden Bulls learned a lot from the experience of going from 3-8 to 9-4 in one year. "e key thing is the foundation is already laid,'' Spivey said. "It's all about building on it.'' Although the Golden Bulls will be young this season, Spivey thinks the team will make up for lack of experience with a bundle of speed and overall athleticism. By the time fall workouts officially open in a couple of weeks, Spivey is hopeful Smith will be cohesive. "I want everybody to know what we're doing, what we're fight- ing for,'' he said, "everybody in one accord, one mindset.'' e key for everyone will be gaining maturity quickly, Donald said. "ere's no one area of concern,'' he said. "We've just got to grow up and grow up fast.'' One of the responsibilities that parents take most seriously is protecting their children from injury, whether it is buckling seat belts in a car or wearing a helmet while riding a bike. When their kids become teenagers and want to participate in sports or other activities, parents do everything they can to keep their sons and daughters from getting hurt. But not all injuries are caused by a twist, fall, collision or accident. Many are caused when young athletes re- peat the same athletic activity so often that muscles, ligaments, tendons and bones don't have time to recover – especially among middle school and high school students. ese injuries can end promising careers, cost families tens of thousands of dollars, squash dreams and literally change lives. Examples include elbow and arm injuries to teenagers who play baseball or softball all year long, shoulder injuries to year-round swimmers, wrist and elbow injuries to gymnasts and stress fractures to soccer players. e culprit, most often, is what's commonly known as "sport specialization," the process of playing the same sport all year long with the goal of either gaining a competitive edge or earning a college scholarship. It involves intense, year-round training in a single sport. Research shows that sport specialization is putting teenage athletes at risk. According to a study commis- sioned by the National Federation of State High School Associations and conducted by researchers from the University of Wisconsin, high school athletes who specialize in a single sport are 70 percent more likely to suffer an injury during their playing season than those who play multiple sports. e American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons says much the same. It reports that "overuse injuries" (injuries caused when an athletic activity is repeated so often that parts of the body do not have enough time to heal) are responsible for nearly half of all sports injuries to middle school and high school students. ere is a solution. Young athletes should be en- couraged to play multiple sports. When student-athletes cross-train, they work different muscle groups and joints, which, in fact, results in better overall conditioning. ey also develop a new set of athletic skills like hand-eye coordination, balance, endurance, explosion and agility that are transferable to their primary sport. It's no coincidence that 30 of the 32 first-round picks in the 2017 National Football League draft played multiple sports in high school. Parents can play a key role in preventing these overuse injuries by encouraging their kids to play multiple sports rather than pushing them to special- ize in one sport. ey will have more fun, will be less likely to suffer burnout and will actually become better athletes. Toshiro Spivey Protecting young athletes from injury by BOB GARDNER and QUE TUCKER QUE TUCKER, NCHSAA Commissioner. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200. BOB GARDNER, Retired NFHS Executive Director. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. The culprit, most often, is "sport specialization." AUGUST 17 TH Clinton HS at Cape Fear HS Fuquay-Varina HS at Terry Sanford HS Airtime and GAME times pending 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 20 30 40 40 30 20 10 50 10 20 30 40 40 30 20 50 MONDAY FRIDAY & BRINGING YOU THE BEST IN CUMBERLAND COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS 6-8pm ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?