Rolesville receivers fill big shoes and overcome past playoff ghosts
PHOTO: Rolesville’s Jaeden Alford was haunted by the playoffs for a year until catching two touchdown passes last week.
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ROLESVILLE’S JAEDEN ALFORD AND GAVIN WADDELL
DECEMBER 20, 2024
By TOM SHANAHAN
ROLESVILLE — Postseason football ghosts hover over high school programs capable of accumulating a wealth of deep runs. The highs are celebrated, but the lows can haunt them.
This season the NC High School Athletic Association playoffs have extended to a week before Christmas, and with Rolesville High playing for the 4A state title, Charles Dickens’ ghosts would have loved Jaeden Alford’s story.
The Rams’ fleet-footed wide receiver has been haunted the past 12 months by the ghosts of playoffs past. His fourth-quarter fumble in a fourth-round game against Cardinal Gibbons opened the door to the Crusaders’ comeback victory.
“I was in tears after the game,” he said. “It was a terrible moment.”
Click here for the remainder of my story: NC high school football state final: Rolesville vs Grimsley | Raleigh News & Observer
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ROLESVILLE’S GAVIN MARKS
DECEMBER 20, 2024
By TOM SHANAHAN
ROLESVILLE — Listen to Rolesville High senior center Gavin Marks praise his teammates. He’s proud of the Rams for overcoming health issues to advance to the NC High School Athletic Association 4A state football final.
“This team has gone through a lot in the postseason,” said Marks, a varsity starter since his freshman year. “I couldn’t be prouder of my boys.”
Yes, those were heartwarming words from the big guy — a 6-foot-2, 302-pound lineman bound for Mercer University — and they reflect well on the Rams’ camaraderie. But Marks left out the primary character in the post-season drama:
Click here for the rest of my story: Rolesville, NC football lineman on cancer battle, state final | Raleigh News & Observer
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ROLSEVILLE’S BRADEN ATKINSON
DECEMBER 12, 2024
By TOM SHANAHAN
ROLESVILLE — Braden Atkinson learned long ago reading a defense involves more than a quarterback’s vision. The Rolesville High senior listens, too.
“The defense does a lot of trash talking before the snap,” the third-year starter said. “I know they’ve been preaching all week in practice they can pressure me. I hear them saying I’m not fast enough.”
The 6-foot-1, 200-pounder is quick to respond. But not with words.
“He has a quick release — the quickest I’ve seen,” Rolesville head coach Ranier Rackley said. “He knows what to throw and when to throw. He doesn’t force passes. He throws deep passes. He throws into tight windows.”
Click here for the rest of the story: NC high school football regional Rolesville QB leads Rams | Raleigh News & Observer
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CARDINAL GIBBONS’ KENDALL SCOTTON
DECEMBER 5, 2024
By TOM SHANAHAN
RALEIGH — The way Kendall Scotton runs with the football, you’d guess he was born to play the sport. And based on the bloodlines of the senior running back at Cardinal Gibbons High, you’d be right.
His father, Stefen Scotton, was a Georgia Tech fullback, from 1987-90. But don’t assume Kendall was born in the end zone solely from his genetic gifts.
Prior to Kendall’s breakout 2024 season, he endured two knee surgeries, subsequent infections, endless rehab hours and an ankle injury. Those obstacles cost him nearly two varsity seasons as a sophomore and junior. Question marks remained as his senior year opened.
“There were times I had doubts that I’d be able to return to the field, but I wasn’t ready for my football career to be over just yet,” Scotton said. “I love playing football. I always tried to keep a positive mindset.”
Click here for the remainder of my story: Cardinal Gibbons high school football player Kendall Scotton | Raleigh News & Observer
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DURHAM JORDAN’S AMAREON BLUE
NOVEMBER 28, 2024
By TOM SANAHAN
DURHAN — Watching Amareon Blue’s feats on feet leave a person searching for superlatives. Or in the case of Jordan High football public address announcer D.J. Kraze, perhaps forgetting the microphone was live.
Take last week, for example, in the second round of the NC High School Athletic Association 4A playoffs.
Midway through the third quarter, No. 8 seeded Jordan was buried on its 6-yard line protecting a 28-14 lead against No. 9 Apex Friendship. On first down, the Falcons ran a staple off-tackle run designed simply to gain breathing room. Blue turned the play into something more dramatic
Click here for the remainder of my story: Top NC running back forges path to NCHSAA playoffs, college | Raleigh News & Observer
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CLEVELAND’S JACKSON BYRD
NOVEMBER 21, 2024
By TOM SHANAHAN
CLAYTON — A blue canopy stationed on Cleveland High’s football sideline draws a steady stream of rotating offensive and defensive coaches and players throughout the game.
What’s the attraction? Well, the Rams have gone high-tech.
Two big-screen TVs are positioned back-to-back with chairs and benches on either side. Wireless tablets are available for use. The Rams study formations on the devices that are connected to cameras in the press box and end zone.
“It’s a good way to make in-game adjustments,” Scott Riley, Cleveland’s 10th-year head coach, said. “This season was the first colleges were allowed to use sideline tablets, but we’ve been doing it four years. I think it will continue to grow from here.”
Click here for the remainder of my story: NC high school quarterback Jackson Byrd hero for Cleveland | Raleigh News & Observer
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CARDINAL GIBBONS’ JACK SHEEHAN
NOVEMBER 14, 2024
By TOM SHANAHAN
RALEIGH — Jack Sheehan’s football-blessed body seemingly destined the Cardinal Gibbons High offensive tackle to follow in his father’s footsteps — Mike Sheehan was a college offensive lineman at East Carolina.
And sure enough, Jack developed into a Division I prospect.
The 6-foot-6, 310-pounder is committed to Old Dominion University. Though Mike’s alma mater also offered Jack a scholarship, dad gave his son consent to determine his best fit.
Click here for the remainder of my story: NC high school football recruit Jack Sheehan OT going to ODU | Raleigh News & Observer
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APEX FRIENDSHIP’S JADEN AVERY
NOVEMBER 8, 2024
By TOM SHANAHAN
APEX — High school athletes imitate what they see from pro athletes on TV. That’s a given, and Apex Friendship’s football team provided corroboration Friday night as the clock ticked down to the Patriots finishing off Green Level, 33-7.
A group of Patriots hoisted a Gatorade bucket to celebrate improving to 9-1 overall and clinching the Southwest Wake Athletic Conference (7-0). They snuck up behind unsuspecting head coach Adam Sanders and drenched him. A large crowd, adults and students, roared approval.
Yes, it’s a cliché copied from TV, but bravo the enthusiasm from the sideline to the grandstands. In only nine seasons of varsity football, the school has developed the traditions that define Friday Night Lights and its unique slice of Americana.
Click here for the remainder of my story: College football recruit Jaden Avery Apex Friendship Raleigh | Raleigh News & Observer
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SOUTH GARNER’S EKENE OGBOKO
OCTOBER 31, 2024
By TOM SHANAHAN
GARNER — South Garner High’s football team played a one-score contest last week until Fuquay-Varina tallied a third-quarter touchdown. As the defense trotted off the field, a Titans assistant coach confronted one of his players.
The critique irked the athlete. He walked away throwing up his arms. He sulked.
Now what?
Well, the biggest, most talented player on South Garner’s roster with 22 scholarship offers in his back pocket — in other words, the guy whose future is least impacted by a Friday night win or loss — approached his teammate. He put a comforting arm around his shoulder pads.
Click here for the remainder of my story: South Garner High School OT Ekene Ogboko top college recruit | Raleigh News & Observer
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MILLBROOK’S BRILISON MCCULLERS
OCTOBER 24, 2024
By TOM SHANAHAN
RALEIGH — The NCAA’s relatively new transfer portal rules remain a hot topic in college football. Athletes with immediate eligibility joining an established roster may or may not turn out to be good for locker room chemistry.
At the high school level, though, transfers and immediate eligibility are an old story.
Millbrook High was confronted with the dynamic at the start of this season when junior running back Brilison McCullers arrived from Sanderson High. But McCullers quickly assuaged concerns.
Click here for remainder of the story: Raleigh-Millbrook football running back Brilison McCullers | Raleigh News & Observer
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ROLESVILLE’S ZAVION GRIFFIN-HAYNES
OCTOBER 17, 2024
By TOM SHANAHAN
ROLESVILLE — It’s no secret athletes embellish their listed height by an inch or two, but Rolesville High’s Zavion Griffin-Haynes towers over the line of scrimmage when he takes his stance as a stand-up defensive end.
There is no doubting his 6-foot-6 height. If anything, the imposing 230-pound junior who committed on Sept. 8 to North Carolina appears taller.
“He’s been 6-6 since he was 15 years old,” Rolesville coach Ranier Rackley said. “One thing I’ve always told him is, ‘You pass the eyeball test. You’re 6-6. People drool over you. But you can’t just look good to play good football.’”
Click here for the remainder of the story: NC football recruiting: UNC commit Zavion Griffin-Haynes | Raleigh News & Observer (newsobserver.com)
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HILLSIDE’S ISAIAH DELOATCH
OCTOBER 10, 2024
By TOM SHANAHAN
DURHAM — Hillside High School’s Isaiah Deloatch, supported by crutches, progressed one halting step at a time from rival Riverside’s parking lot to the stadium’s entrance. He passed through the entrance proudly wearing a bucket hat with a stylish “H.”
Next, though, he faced a long arcing path around the stadium’s backside linking the entrance to the visitors’ side. He learned the hard way the expansive acreage required to enclose a 400-meter track around a 100-yard football within a high school stadium.
Upon reaching a midfield gate separating the stands from the field, he gently passed through. And exhaled.
Click here for the remainder of the story: Hillside HS Durham NC star LB Isaiah Deloatch battles injury | Raleigh News & Observer (newsobserver.com)
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APEX’S KALEB MORROW
OCTOBER 3, 2024
By TOM SHANAHAN
APEX –A table outside Apex High’s library hallway entrance features eight or so photos of football seniors encased in standup placards. A QR code on each player’s glossy page contains college prospect information.
Apex coach John Mozerka uses the placards to assist players off the radar of Division I recruiters yet with the passion to continue playing at a lower-division program. The code can be scanned to transmit information directly to a recruiting coordinator’s database.
Click here for the remainder of the story: ECU football recruit Kaleb Morrow of Apex NC high school | Raleigh News & Observer (newsobserver.com)
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DURHAM JORDAN’S NOAH CLARK
SEPTEMBER 26, 2024
By TOM SHANAHAN
DURHAM — jordan High’s football players gathered in a team huddle encircling head coach Antonio King on Monday as practice ended. King offered final comments to the 3-1 Falcons preparing to play host on Friday to unbeaten Millbrook (4-0).
As the players broke from the circle and walked back to their locker room amid the usual teenage prattle, one kid loomed larger than others — 6-foot-3, 300-pound junior Noah Clark
Click here for the remainder of the story: Who is NC high school football recruit Noah Clark of Durham? | Raleigh News & Observer (newsobserver.com)
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CARY’S TREY BLUE
By TOM SHANAHAN
SEPTEMBER 19, 2024
CARY Trey Blue cringed when asked to recall arriving at Cary High as a roly-poly 250-pound freshman without college expectations. He was interested in car shows more than books and football.
But at a “meet the coaches” pre-season meeting Blue attended, Cary coach Coleman Tyrance spotted untapped potential in the big kid in the back.
“Coach Coleman saw something in me I didn’t see in myself,” Blue said. “He has done a lot for me.”
Click here for the remainder of the story:
UNC football recruiting: Raleigh area lineman Trey Blue | Raleigh News & Observer (newsobserver.com)
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ROLESVILLE’S JAYDEN FRY
SEPTEMBER 12, 2024
By TOM SHANAHAN
ROLESVILLE — First, he escaped a graveyard. Then, he emerged from a wasteland. Now he’s in the Wild, Wild West.
We’re talking athletic metaphors, so stay with this narrative. It spans Jayden Fry’s journey through Rolesville’s Middle School with a basketball mindset, to Rolesville High and committing to a University of South Florida football scholarship offer. But until Fry embraced football in the latter half of his high school years, he was without a college athletic future.
Click here to read the remainder of the story:
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WAKE FOREST’S KAVON SIMMONS
SEPTEMBER 5, 2024
By TOM SHANAHAN
WAKE FOREST — Duke’s fan base celebrated new coach Manny Diaz’s season-opening football victory last week against Elon, but the Blue Devils’ coaching staff had previously reveled another symbolic “first” in their new environs.
On June 28, Wake Forest High quarterback Kavon Simmons announced his commitment to Duke. Recruiting services rank the third-year starting quarterback as an “athlete” prospect, but the Blue Devils measured the 6-foot-2, 170-pounder’s stature beyond his 3-star ranking.
— Click here to read the remainder of the story
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CLAYTON’S KESHAWN STANCIL
AUGUST 29
By TOM SHANAHAN
CLAYTON — Sometimes, Clayton High’s Keshawn Stancil seems too good to be true. The junior defensive end, with a 6-foot-3, 260-pound frame that has room to fill out, looks like he could step on a college field tomorrow.
— Read the rest of the story: NC high school football recruit Keshawn Stancil of Clayton | Raleigh News & Observer (newsobserver.com)
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Tom Shanahan is an award-winning sportswriter and frequent contributor to Spartanamag.com. His new book on Michigan State leading college football integration is, “THE RIGHT THING TO DO, The True Pioneers of College Football Integration in the 1960s.” His first book was “RAYE OF LIGHT, Jimmy Raye, Duffy Daugherty, the Integration of College Football and the 1965-66 Michigan State Spartans.”
I invite you to follow me on Twitter @shanny4055
Below are links to click on to purchase my books focused.
My books tell the true story of college football integration in the 1960s and address the myths and fiction that allowed a false narrative surrounding the 1970 USC-Alabama game to usurp the credit from the true pioneers. As I said when I spoke at the National Sports Media Association book festival, no two books provide an accurate portrayal more than RAYE OF LIGHT and THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
I’ll put my facts up against anybody, anytime, anywhere. Watch here.
Click here for my story on the 1962 Rose Bowl and Segregation awarded first place by the Football Writers Association of America. I tell untold stories on Michigan State’s leading role and the true pioneers of college football integration. Click here to read the summary as a first-place story.
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Click here to purchase The Right Thing To Do
THE RIGHT THING TO DO
The True Pioneers of College Football Integration in the 1960s
Foreword by Ruffin McNeill
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Click here to purchase Raye of Light.
RAYE OF LIGHT
Jimmy Raye, Duffy Daugherty, the 1ntegration of College Football and the 1965-66 Michigan State Spartans
Foreword by Tony Dungy
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Click here to purchase my children’s book, Bubba’s Dad, Duffy and College Football’s Underground Railroad
The book for now is only a Kindle version on Amazon. Print and audio platforms available soon.
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My next children’s book coming soon: How Duffy Put Hawaii on the Football Map
Tags: Alabama, Bear Bryant, Jess Hill, John McKay, Sam Skinner, USC
