Gilmer's Gospel

     There are a lot of things I remember about D.J. Moore and his days as a standout athlete at Broome High School.
     The most glaring memory is how he hated being interviewed. He was always quiet.
     And that’s why I was shocked when Moore was the Vanderbilt Commodore interviewed by an ESPN sideline reporter following Vanderbilt’s 16-14 win over Boston College in the Music City Bowl on Wednesday night.
     I stopped chewing and started listening, as I wanted to hear how much Moore spoke.
     Then Moore shocked me even more by telling the world that he didn’t plan on returning to Vanderbilt for his final year.
     Moore, a cornerback who finished with four tackles in Vanderbilt’s first bowl win since 1955, told a reporter that he’d “played his last college game.”
     He talked to reporters after the game about his decision and said he’d made up his mind a few months ago.
     “About the middle of the season I decided I was good enough to leave,” Moore told Nashville City Paper writer David Boclair. “I had done well. ... I wanted to be All-American, so once I was (second-team) All-American there was pretty much nothing left to do.”
     And I don’t blame Moore for leaving.
     Here’s a kid who worked his tail off to get to where he is, wasn’t recruited heavily by the two big in-state schools and went to Vanderbilt to show everyone how good he is.
     We knew it.
     We saw him starting on the basketball team as a freshman.
     Watched him lead the football, basketball and track team to state titles as a junior.
     Watched him make a catch in the state championship football game off his shoestrings.
     He was simply the best all-around athlete to come out of Broome since quarterback Randy Anderson in the early-80s.
     Now, he can put his name beside guys like Gabe Wilkins and Mike Reid as Centurions who played in the NFL.
     “I’m for D.J., and I want what’s best for him, and I think everybody in our program is for D.J.,” Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson told a reporter after the game. “I really hope it works out for him. I think he’s a fantastic football player.”
     The quote appeared in a story, written by Boclair, Wednesday night on the Nashville City Paper Web site.
     Moore will get drafted soon. And we’ll watch him on Sundays and say things like, ‘I remember when he was a high school kid.’
     I can tell people, ‘I interviewed him a few times. He didn’t say much. He did his speaking on the field.’
     And that’s where he yelled.

     The new year is almost here, meaning there’s another year to watch some talented athletes on the fields and courts around the area.
     Here are six athletes – three boys and three girls – to watch as the year goes on.

- Casey Black, Woodruff soccer

As a freshman forward Black was named the Region II-2A Player of the Year and named all-state. Can she up the incredible numbers she put up last year? She scored 31 goals and assisted on 22 other goals. She also helped the Wolverines to play for the 2A state championship and scored their only goal in the match.

- Marcus Lattimore, Byrnes tailback

There will be plenty of questions about Lattimore in ’09. He will be one of the most coveted recruits in the nation and it looks like he will wait until the last moment to tell everyone where he plans to go. Other questions: Will he break his own single-season record - again? Help Byrnes to another title? How high will he set the school’s all-time rushing record?

- Caroline Cann, Landrum track and volleyball

Cann, a junior, won the 800-meter state championship at the state track meet and helped her team win the 4X800 relay. She was also second in the high jump. Those are lofty marks to topple. That was just her spring. In the fall she led the Cardinals to a third straight volleyball championship and was named 1A Player of the Year. Can she do that again?

- Cameron Holmes, Boiling Springs baseball

If the Bulldogs want to repeat as 4A champions, Holmes will be a major factor on the mound. Holmes, who’s signed with the College of Charleston, will be a big hitter in the lineup, too. He pitched a complete game in the state championship series clincher and drove in the go-ahead run with a two-run homer.

- Shelbey Spencer, Broome softball

She’s already been in Sports Illustrated for her pitching, so what can she do for an encore? Spencer went 20-6, struck out 241 batters in 166 innings and had a 1.40 ERA. She threw 13 shutouts, seven no-hitters and two perfect games. She also pitched the Centurions deep into the playoffs, which she’ll try to do again.

- Brandon Easler, Dorman runner

Easler placed second at the state cross country meet again in the fall and will try to grab a gold medal in ’09 at the event. He will also try to repeat at the track and field meet as the 3,200-meters champion. Easler will try to help the Cavaliers win a third team title in track, too.



     There are plenty more athletes who will be fun to watch this year. I’m ready for it to get here.
     Happy New Year to you all.

     The area’s best basketball team in the early going might be a surprise to some people.
     After watching them on Monday night, I see why they’re undefeated.
     To see the possible new No. 1 1A boys basketball team, just drive up I-26 and head to Landrum.
     The Cardinals, who were ranked fifth in the preseason poll, could move up to the top spot when the new poll by the S.C. Basketball Coaches Association comes out.
     Calhoun County, the preseason’s top team, lost during the prestigious Chick-Fil-A Classic. That was after more than 80 straight wins.
     Landrum moved into the finals of the Battles of the Border Shootout on Monday night by knocking off district-mate Chapman.
     The Cardinals are fun to watch. They run the floor well, play good defense and take good shots.
     They have plenty of experience (six guys who started last season are back) from a team back from a 15-win team.
     Last season the Cardinals were led by Brandon Quarles, an all-state player who averaged 17.8 points.
     There isn’t just one player making leading the way. A lot of players are doing so.
     Center Alex Wilson, picked as one of the top five 1A seniors in the state, certainly plays that well. He’s big inside and is powerful on the blocks. He had 29 points in Monday’s 76-60 win.
     Teammate Jacob Hatchette scored the team’s first six points and finished with 20.
     Point guard DeShaun Hall makes good decision. Guard Jake McClure is capable of hitting double digits in scoring. Forward Dustin Morris is a great defender. And the bench plays solid minutes.
     Now, we’ll have to see if these Cardinals can best last season’s good year by winning the region title (which they are predicted to do) and making a postseason run.

     When I start to think about the memorable moments from the past year, my thoughts quickly go to a lot of state championship performances. But that’s not all. Here are some moments that I won’t soon forget.

     - Locker room after the 4A Division I state championship game
     The Byrnes Rebels had just won a second straight state title and sixth in seven seasons and they piled onto two buses to head back to their locker room.
     I crouched down in the front of the bus and listened to the conversations. I had no idea what was about to happen, but upon making it to the locker room, the players crowded into a room and waited on Coach Chris Miller’s final words to them.
     He pulled out the final piece of a wooden pyramid and had his seniors place it on the top.
     It may seem hooky to some, but those players believed in what Miller and his staff had preached all year about winning as a team. It was nice to see that they still preached that after the title-clinching win.



     - Standing on the football field at Blacksburg on the first day of practice
     Mickey Moss had returned home and one that wet field, he took his team of Blacksburg Wildcats through their first practice.
     Watching Moss, a man I’d heard about for years, go through the first practice was fun to see. He was old school, trying to teach kids about a game and about playing with character.
     Moss is certainly a class act and it was great to see him back in town. I hope he brings the Wildcats back to the glory days they’ve had in the past.

     - The video to welcome the new Reservation
     I stood on the field and stared at the new video screen, just like everyone else did, as a video played to open the new Reservation in Gaffney.
     It showed the Indian mascot take some dirt from W.K. Brumbach Stadium, board a helicopter and fly away.
     Then he really showed up at the field. I thought this was a perfect way of welcoming the new stadium.
     A little old mixed with a little new.



     - The change of side by Byrnes’ volleyball team
     They’d won the title and decided to share it with others.
     Byrnes’ volleyball team stood in a line near their bench, but their fans were across the court.
     So when it came time for the Rebels to be announced and crowned champions, they clasped hands and walked to be nearer to friends and family.
     The crowd had been there for them, supported them and cheered loudly for them during the championship match.
     The 4A championship trophy was handed to coach Katie Bridges and she held it up for all to see.
     It didn’t take long for photos to be snapped and for fans to sneak into the frames.

     - A circle for prayer
     Girls track state championships are almost the norm for the Spartanburg Vikings, but the players weren’t sure they had won this year’s crown.
     They waited together.
     In the middle of the field at Spring Valley High School, they sat in a circle and closed their eyes.
     When their name was called as the champions, the players went crazy. They jumped up, ran around and hugged each other.
     In a world where you aren’t supposed to leave your pocket books, cell phones and other valuables just laying around, there was a circle of items that players had forgotten about and left in their circle.
     Sports, especially when you’re winning, can make you forget.


      - Dorman’s Marcus Rowland breaking another record
     He was worried about his start, but he didn’t falter in the most anticipated race of the year.
     Dorman senior Marcus Rowland had broken the state record already in the 100-meter dash, but it isn’t really a record until it’s done at the state meet.
     For more than 15 years the record that former Spartanburg great Stephen Davis set had withstood attacks.
     It couldn’t withstand Rowland, though, as he toppled the mark.
     I stood at the finish line, looking through the viewfinder of a video camera as Rowland ran toward me.
     This is the race that people around the track will stop for to watch.
     They watched history.
     I heard “oohs” and “aahs” from other members of the media. We all knew what we’d just witnessed.

     - The atmosphere at Byrnes-Dorman I and II
     I’ve seen big games before. But nothing like this.
     And not twice.
     So many fans were there, there was so much excitement and so many memorable plays in these two games.
     Both contests will be hard to forget.
     But not as much as standing on the sideline and looking around at the throngs of fans that showed up for a game. That simply shows the love there is for high school sports in this area.

     - My last dinner with Tommy Sims
     Sims will be remembered as the play-by-play voice for the Chapman Panthers and a co-host on the Piedmont Pick-um Show.
     I’ll remember him as a funny individual who loved high school sports.
     The last time we ate dinner together was a few weeks prior to his untimely death.
     He joined me and another couple prior to heading over to watch the Chapman-Broome softball game.
     He didn’t have any major connections to the teams playing, except he’d heard there was some good pitchers going to throw against each other.
     That was Tommy in a nutshell.
     We stood around at the game and talked, but I’ll never forget that final meal at Bo’s Fish Camp.

     - Spartanburg guard Zycorrian Robinson winning a state title
     The free throw clanged off the rim, Spartanburg guard Zycorrian Robinson grabbed it, dribbled twice and heaved it up.
     I stood up just to see where the ball would land, just to add it as a sidenote to my game story.
     It fell through. I threw up my arms thinking ‘Holy cow, he just won the Vikings a state title.’
     Everyone else thought so, too.
     I still do.



     - Robinson’s reaction after the call was changed
     The prayer that Robinson threw toward a basket on that night in Columbia was quickly changed.
     The officials decided the shot wouldn’t count after a debate of a couple of minutes on the court.
     Media members started grabbing players and coaches for quotes.
     I found Robinson sitting on the bench with his head down.
     I knelt beside him and started interviewing him. Here was a player who’d endured a tough football season and should have won his school a basketball state championship.
     It was taken away from him.
     He was so classy, though, answering questions afterward.
     I still think it counted.

     - Two Bulldogs buses rolling into Conway
     Watching the Boiling Springs Bulldogs baseball team win the state title was quite impressive.
     More impressive was seeing the support they had.
     Someone mentioned to me that a couple of buses were headed to Conway for the game. I didn’t know what to expect.
     Then they showed up. And kids piled out. They filled the stands beside a large contingent of Conway students.
     Spartanburg is more than four hours away from Conway and there were more Bulldogs’ fans in attendance than Conway fans.
     That was amazing.

     There were other memories, but these stuck out.

      What are yours?

 

 

Congratulations to those who made this team.

The 2008 Associated Press South Carolina All-State High School Football Team as nominated by AP members (with school, class and highlights when available):

OFFENSE
QB — Stephon Gilmore, sr, South Pointe, Shrine Bowl selection, state's "Mr. Football," accounted for 37 TDs for state champs.
RB — Marcus Lattimore, jr, Byrnes, 2,314 yards and 30 TDs for state Class 4A champs.
RB — Rockarius King, sr, Timberland, 2,056 yards, 31 TDs.
WR — Jamere Valentine, sr, Myrtle Beach, "Mr. Football" finalist, Shrine Bowl, 98 catches, 1,515 yards, 32 TDs rushing and receiving.
WR — Cordarelle Patterson, sr, Northwestern, 75 catches, 944 yards and 18 TDs.
TE — Brandon Thomas, sr, Dorman, Shrine Bowl, named lineman of the year by the S.C. Football Coaches Association
OL — Quinton Washington, sr, Timberland, Shrine Bowl pick, finalist for state's "Mr. Football."
OL — J.K. Jay, sr, Christ Church, Shrine Bowl. , Sr.: Shrine Bowl selection, Clemson recruit
OL— Tyler Felt, sr, J.L. Mann, Shrine Bowl.
OL — Tymeco Gregory, sr, Greer, played in North-South game.
OL — Denzelle Good, sr, Gaffney, Shrine Bowl.
K — Dylan Zimmerman, sr, Summerville, finished 15 of 23 in field goals this season with a long of 49 yards.
All-purpose — Jarrett Neely, sr, Northwestern, Shrine Bowl, 21 TDs combined rushing, receiving, returns.

DEFENSE
DL — Matt Smith, sr, Myrtle Beach, 108 total tackles, 46 of those for loss; 18 sacks, four caused fumbles, North-South Game pick.
DL — Malliciah Goodman, sr, West Florence, 15 sacks, played in Shrine Bowl and will take part in U.S. Army All-American game.
DL — Brandon Willis, jr, Byrnes, had 114 tackles, 13 sacks, 39 quarterback hurries and 24 tackles for loss
DL — Aldrick Fordham, sr, Timberland, North-South game selection, had 83 tackles, including 11 sacks.
LB — Harold White, sr, South Pointe, 169 tackles, 15 for loss, 5 fumble recoveries.
LB — Sam Montgomery, sr, Greenwood, Shrine Bowl pick, 78 individual tackles.
LB — Quandon Christian, sr, Lake View, had 88 tackles, 8 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries.
DB — Devonte Holloman, sr, South Pointe, North-South game selection, 101 tackles, 2 INTs.
DB — Walt Canty, sr, Dorman, a Shrine Bowl MVP, had 84 tackles and 4 interceptions.
DB — DeAndre Hopkins, jr, Daniel, 9 interceptions and more than 20 in the past two seasons.
DB — Justin Bright, sr, Byrnes, Shrine Bowl, had 92 tackles, 3 INTs and 13 pass break ups.
P — Grant Clayton, sr, A.C. Flora, made Shrine Bowl as standout kicker-punter.



As a side note: If you're a Robert Earl Keen fan (or simpl a fan of good, Texas music), go to www.robertearlkeen.com and download a free concert. It's good stuff. My favorite song in this set is "Ride."