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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24 UCW MAY 17-23, 2017 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM South View High School was recently honored by the N.C. High School Athletic Association with the Commissioner's Cup at the organization's annual meeting in Chapel Hill. But South View principal Brian Edkins got an even bigger prize when he went to the Tiger prom later the same week. Attending the prom was South View student Lea Jordan, who graduated early in January but learned less than a month later she was suffering from leukemia. She's been in and out of the hospital at Duke since then getting treatments. Before she left, Jordan vowed to attend her prom in May. Edkins said if they had to, they'd carry her across the stage. They didn't. Jordan made it under her own steam. What made her appearance special was Jordan was one of the recipients this year of a donation made possible by South View's Kicking for Cancer soccer fundraiser. It was an idea started nearly 20 years ago by Edkins when he was the school's soccer coach as a tribute to his dad, who was a victim of cancer. The charity event, conducted in the soccer preseason each year, has raised close to $100,000 in its history. It is why South View was one of eight schools in the state to receive this year's Commissioner's Cup, which is presented to member schools of the NCHSAA for charitable or other outreach programs to their local communities. Initially, all money from Kicking for Cancer was given to the American Cancer Society. In recent years, donations have also been given to individuals battling the disease. This year, Jordan became the first South View student to receive a gift of $500 to help with her struggle with cancer. Edkins said the goal of Kicking for Cancer becomes clearer when you start to put actual faces on the people the money goes to. "When I saw her there she was absolutely glowing,'' he said. "It made me so happy. You get to see where your hard work is going to.'' Jordan said the week of prom she didn't have to undergo a chemotherapy treatment, so her energy level was good. She found a dress in Durham the Tuesday before prom and got out of the hospital the next day. "It meant a lot,'' Jordan said. "My last day of classes (at South View) was Jan. 27. I was thrown into a world of being in and out of the hospital and don't get to see people my age and my friends that much. "To be able to see them and spend time with them made me feel like a normal teenager.'' The chemotherapy has caused Jordan to lose her hair, but she said she never considered wearing a wig to the prom. "It's me and who I am now,'' she said. "It's something I had to deal with. It's not something I'm ashamed of.'' EARL VAUGHAN JR., Sports Editor. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-987-5311 HIGH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS It took the best athletic year in school history to make it happen, but Cape Fear High School is finally the owner of the Maxwell and Wells Fargo Cups. The Maxwell is for the best overall athletic program in Cumberland County while the Wells Fargo is for the best program in the Mid- South 4-A Conference. Both are based on points presented for order of finish in official conference sports. Cape Fear narrowly edged perennial cup winner Jack Britt 102-101 in the final tally. The Colts had a strong spring led by a co-championship in baseball and outright titles in softball and boys' tennis. The softball team has been nationally-ranked most of this season, getting as high as No. 3 in the country in the USA Today poll. Highlights earlier in the year were an unbeaten regular season in football and the school's first conference title, and Cape Fear's first boys' Holiday Classic basketball championship. Some of Cape Fear's top athletes will quickly tell you attitudes around the school and community have changed toward the school's sports program. Softball star Haley Cashwell said knowing you have the tools and qualities to make athletics successful makes it more fun. She doesn't think the tradition will die out when this year's seniors depart. "More people know about it and how successful we are becoming,'' she said. "People want to carry on. They don't want it to die.'' A.J. Baldwin was a standout in basketball and football. He gives a lot of credit to Cape Fear principal Lee Spruill who frequently uses the phrase, "Colt pride never stops." "Mr. Spruill is giving us school spirit,'' he said. "It puts a smile on everybody's face. Plus we've got support from the community and coaches telling us to work hard.'' Jackson Parker, a baseball and football player, said school pride is on the rise. "At all our games, you see the stands filled up,'' he said. "More people get involved, more people take it seriously. That's been a big part of the success.'' Football standout Justice Galloway-Velazquez agrees with Parker that community is a huge part of the school's success. "The community got behind us and stuck with us,'' he said. "We had personal relationships with them. The teachers started believing in us. "Everywhere I go now it's all about Cape Fear. You see guys that don't even go to our school wearing Cape Fear stuff. I tell them it's all about our fans in the community.'' Galloway-Velazquez returns for his senior year this fall and he's aware of what it will take to keep Cape Fear on top. "We've got to stay strong in the classroom,'' he said. "If the coaches stay on us, we should have another fun time of it.'' Cape Fear Eager to Continue Title Tradition by EARL VAUGHAN JR. A.J. Baldwin Attention Students: Do you have a story or idea to share with High School Highlights? Email us at highschoolhighlights@upandcomingweekly.com Jordan Puts a Face on South View's Charity by EARL VAUGHAN JR. Lea Jordan Justice Galloway- Velazquez Jackson Parker Haley Cashwell