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/827358
22 UCW MAY 24-30, 2017 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM There's an air of anticipation, but more than a little concern as Cape Fear High School holds spring football conditioning workouts after the best season in school history. Coming off a 15-1 record that included the school's first-ever conference football title and trip to the state 4-A championship game, there are plenty of reasons to be excited. But the reason for concern is quickly made evident when you arrive at the practice field and see star quarterback Justice Galloway-Velazquez wearing a walking boot on his left leg. The boot is the result of recent surgery to repair an assortment of injuries to his left ankle. The worst was a torn ligament he suffered in the Eastern 4-A finals against Scotland. There were also pieces of cartilage left in his ankle from a previous injury, plus tissue and bone damage from his freshman year. "They cleaned all that up and said I'll come back 100 percent,'' Galloway-Velazquez said. There's an outside chance once the boot comes off in about a month and he finishes rehab he could take part in the closing stage of summer workouts. "The healing process is coming along faster than I thought,'' he said. Still, don't be surprised if the Cape Fear staff plays things cautiously and holds him out until the official start of summer practice on July 31. Meanwhile, though he can't work out, Galloway- Velazquez is showing up at practice during the spring conditioning period. "I'm a leader on and off the field,'' he said. "Me being out here while I'm injured shows a lot to them and means a lot to me. "I can contribute not only by wearing a helmet but by just being a standby, helping out with the coaches.'' Cape Fear suffered some key graduation losses, especially among Galloway-Velazquez's corps of receivers, but he doesn't think that means Cape Fear won't field another good team. "We're going to be different, but people should be prepared for a good game,'' he said. "We play to win, and we play Cape Fear football. We're always going to have a hard-nosed, hitting team and good scoring offense.'' Cape Fear coach Jake Thomas said the approach to the season is the same with Galloway-Velazquez on the sidelines for now. "We're still putting in the same plays,'' he said. "We'll have to make adjustments until he gets back.'' The biggest gaps the Colts need to fill are at receiver, on the offensive line and the secondary, Thomas said. "We feel like we have the best group of leaders in our program that we've had,'' Thomas said. "It's always good when you have to build around those senior leaders.'' One thing Thomas knows will be different this season is Cape Fear will be a marked opponent after beating every school it faced from the Eastern half of the state. The Colts will also be dropping to 3-A and joining the new 4-A/3-A Patriot Conference. It includes former Mid-South Conference rivals Overhills, South View and Pine Forest, still 4-A schools, new fellow 3-A school E.E. Smith, plus former members of the Cape Fear Valley 3-A Conference Terry Sanford, Douglas Byrd, Gray's Creek and Westover. "I've stressed to these guys they're going to have a target on their back after the season we had,'' Thomas said. "It's going to be tougher to make it along that same type of road.'' EARL VAUGHAN JR., Sports Editor. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-987-5311 HIGH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS When it comes to summer baseball traditions, there's none older or with stronger local ties in Fayetteville and Cumberland County than American Legion baseball. State American Legion Hall of Fame coach Doug Watts has been a part of the tradition stretching back over 50 years. He's stepped aside from active coaching, but is still involved and was on the sidelines working hard last week when the Hope Mills Boosters team convened for its first practice session of the season at South View High School. Watts is officially listed as the athletic officer for the Boosters, but he's turned head coaching duties over to Mark Kahlenberg, who has a staff that includes Randy Nalls, Cecil Combs and former Boosters player Logan Haines. They will have played their season opener at Wallace on May 22 by the time this story runs, but they start the year with a five-game road swing and don't play their first home contest at South View until June 7. As always, there are some changes for the Boosters this season, the biggest being they have dropped Terry Sanford as one of the schools they draw players from and added Pine Forest. Returning to the fold are players from Jack Britt, South View and Purnell Swett. Britt and Swett both had great years, Britt sharing the Mid-South 4-A regular-season title with Cape Fear and Swett winning the Southeastern 4-A regular-season championship. A handful of players is back from 2016, including D.J. Bishop of Jack Britt along with Landon Harris and Andrew Sabalboro of South View. Kahlenberg was excited about a turnout of over 20 players at the first practice. "We have 13 pitchers who are also listed as position players,'' Kahlenberg said. "Having 13 pitchers is very important. We've never had 13 to start the season.'' One of those pitchers is Jacob Austin from Pine Forest, son of Methodist University baseball coach Tom Austin. Austin's not sure if he'll be just a pitcher or a daily position player, but he's excited about the opportunity. "Every team we play will have college-level pitching,'' Austin said of the Legion schedule. "There are no patsies.'' He hopes to work on command of his curveball during the summer. "It's been in and out the whole year,'' he said. Two players from Jack Britt Kahlenberg is counting on are Zachary Knapp and Gavin Wheeler. Knapp, like Austin, is also a pitcher. "It gives me the opportunity to work on my skills and play with a bunch of guys I know are the best of the best,'' Knapp said. "I just want to keep getting better in every aspect of the game.'' Here is this year's Hope Mills Boosters schedule. Home games are at South View High School. All games begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted: May 22 – at Wallace; 26 – at Wilmington Post 545; 29 – at Wilmington Post 10. June 2 – at Whiteville (West Columbus High School); 4 – at Jacksonville (doubleheader, 3 p.m.); 7 – at Wallace; 14 – at Wilmington Post 10; 17 – Wilmington Post 545 (doubleheader, 3 p.m.); 21 – Jacksonville; 23 – at Wallace; 25 – Morehead City (doubleheader, 2 p.m.); 30 – at Wilmington Post 10 July 1 – Whiteville (doubleheader, 3 p.m.); 2 – at Morehead City (2 p.m.); 5 – State playoffs open. 26 – State final 8, at Pitt Community College, Greenville. American Legion Baseball a Local Tradition by EARL VAUGHAN JR. Attention Students: Do you have a story or idea to share with High School Highlights? Email us at highschoolhighlights@upandcomingweekly.com Cape Fear Holds Spring Conditioning by EARL VAUGHAN JR. Justice Galloway-Velazquez Jake Thomas Zachary Knapp Jacob Austin