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.
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28 UCW MARCH 8-14, 2017 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Blake Maxwell is one of those fortunate people who's had the chance to chase the dream of being a professional athlete. But in the back of his mind while he was doing it was the hope that one day he'd be able to give back to the community where he got his start. Now he's on the second leg of his athletic journey. Maxwell, who spent seven years in the minor league system of the Boston Red Sox as a pitcher, is back in Cumberland County and working as head baseball coach at Douglas Byrd High School. A 2002 graduate of South View, Maxwell played under two of the greatest baseball figures in Cumberland County, the late Randy Ledford at South View and Tom Austin at Methodist University. Maxwell spent three years at Methodist before the Red Sox drafted him. He had stints with a number of Boston farm teams, the last two with Pawtucket in AAA, the last stop before the majors. When Maxwell finally realized a Major League career wasn't going to happen, he returned to Methodist and finished work on a degree in physical education and health education. He coached briefly at UNC- Pembroke while getting an online masters in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia-Irvine. His first teaching job carried him all the way to Columbia, N.C., down east near the Outer Banks, but he soon found himself wanting to get back home. He reached out to former South View athletic director Ronnie Luck, who helped him land the baseball job at Byrd. Maxwell said baseball is baseball, no matter what level, and he's applying one lesson he learned in the minor leagues to his practices here. "Giving 100 percent effort every day is the biggest thing,'' he said. "Even when a guy isn't a big-time prospect. If he busted his butt and worked hard every day, they found a way to get him on the field.'' Maxwell knows as a high school coach he's not going to be blessed with super talent at every position. That's why he's convinced everyone has to work hard to improve. "It's important to teach the fundamental side of the game,'' he said. "Baserunning, bunting, running. It can help you win a game whether you are a superstar or a bunch of guys just out there playing.'' Jesse Dailey, a Byrd senior who pitches as well as plays shortstop and first base, said the team has responded well to Maxwell's coaching. "We're confident and we've got teamwork,'' he said. "He's indepth and detailed. It's the little things. Throwing the ball and catching the ball.'' "I think we have a good team and I'm excited to see what we're going to put out there,'' Maxwell said. "We'll show up to the park, no matter who we are playing.'' Coach Maxwell Returns to His Roots by EARL VAUGHAN JR. Early returns from the recent N.C. High School Athletic Association Eastern Regional basketball tournament held at Fayetteville State's Capel Arena and Methodist University's Riddle Center, appear to be generally positive. Vernon Aldridge, student activities director for Cumberland County Schools, traveled back and forth between the two venues on championship Saturday and came away with a good impression. "The smaller gyms gave a bit more of an energetic atmosphere,'' he said. "The only issue we had was at the Clinton game.'' Clinton's powerful girls' team, which won the 2-A regional title, drew a crowd that packed one side of the Methodist gym and actually had people seated on the floor. But there were apparently no major complaints despite the size of the crowd. Aldridge said the biggest crowd of the day came from Greene Central in the 2-A boys' final. "They came with four or five busses,'' Aldridge said. "Every seat was taken for that first game.'' Aside from the change of venues for the regional this year, the NCHSAA also made a change in tournament operations. In past years, retired county athletic directors Fred McDaniel from Cumberland County and Ronnie Chavis of Robeson County had served as the two site supervisors. This year, members of the NCHSAA central office staff, Tra Waters and Mark Dreibilbis, took over those responsibilities. Aldridge said the county mainly provided the NCHSAA with county personnel to work at the two venues. The county didn't sign a long-term contract with the NCHSAA, and Aldridge said it will be up to the folks in Chapel Hill to decide whether the tournament will return to Fayetteville next year or move somewhere else. • Belated congratulations to veteran Pine Forest coach Jim Farthing, who was recognized in February with the naming of the gym at Pine Forest Middle School in his honor. Farthing coached there when it was still Pine Forest High School, before the current school building was constructed on Andrews Road. A number of his coaching peers and former players attended the ceremony in the middle school gym. • We reported a couple of issues ago that a controversial bill was working its way through the N.C. legislature that would give parents in North Carolina the power to overrule a doctor and allow their child to return to athletic competition in spite of a doctor's diagnosis of a concussion. My friend Joe Sirera of the Greensboro News and Record recently reported that wiser heads have prevailed and that provision has been removed from the bill. High School Basketball Tournament Off to a Good Start by EARL VAUGHAN JR. EARL VAUGHAN JR., Sports Editor. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-987-5311 HIGH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS Vernon Aldridge, student activities director for Cumberland County Schools Blake Maxwell Veteran Pine Forest coach Jim Farthing Jesse Dailey