Fall ball has sprung

Posted
Updated:

Fall weather is finally here just in time for some of the greatest moments of the sports year.

As a sports fan, what more could you ask for with football at every level going on, the Major League Baseball playoffs in full swing, and the high school state playoffs getting under way?

Football-wise, it’s been, and continues to be, a great week on a couple of different levels. Last Friday evening in Bear Creek, Chatham Central held its 9th annual Powder Puff football game to raise money to fight breast cancer.

To say it was a success would be an understatement as a huge crowd turned out for the event. Featured were a pair of games with the senior class at Chatham Central battling the freshman class, before the juniors and sophomores hit the field in game two of the night.

I must say those girls left it all on the field, and the flag football competition was highly entertaining and competitive, and quite physical at times.

As expected, the Lady Bear seniors went out in style, erasing an early 7-0 deficit en route to a 35-7 victory over the freshmen behind the likes of Taylor and Cameron Hughes, and Eliana Phillips. The second game was tied at the intermission in a tough defensive struggle before I had to take off to a football game.

But the real story of the night was the raising of money through the gate admission, the concession food which was great, as usual, the HOSA club which included my daughter Jillian, and the Art Club doing face painting, including Eva Mann who certainly displayed her talents.

I also have to give a special shout-out to the guys that cheered the young ladies on. It was a sight, to put it mildly, but those young men provided some great entertainment for the teams and fans alike.

Continuing with the football theme, this Saturday, local fans are in for a treat if they choose to head up to Pittsboro Saturday morning where the East Chatham Chargers will play host to the Siler City Jets in a three-game event at Northwood High School as part of the Quad County Youth Football League. The 7/8-year-olds get under way at 9 a.m. before the 9/10-year-olds play at get after it at 10:30, and then the 11/12-year-olds crank it up in a high noon showdown.

So if you are looking for some real fun, come out and watch some of the future stars of tomorrow. These games always prove to be very entertaining.

Also this Friday night, Jordan-Matthews will celebrate its Homecoming against Trinity, which should be an exciting game to go along with all the highly anticipated accompanying activities. A big crowd is expected so there should be an extra level of electricity in the air for the Jets team.

Switching gears a bit, always a thrilling time for me is the state playoffs in any high school sport; it just doesn’t get much better in my book. This week Chatham County will have a pair of local teams carrying the banner in the NCHSAA 1A Dual Team Tennis State Playoffs. Chatham Central and Chatham Charter both earned berths and each club is poised to make some noise.

Chatham Central (16-3-1) will be in the West and plays host to Thomas Jefferson (6-2), with the winner traveling to Polk County (9-4) in the second round. Two wins by the Lady Bears, who have some real talent again this fall, would likely mean a showdown against Bishop McGuinness (13-1).

Chatham Charter (8-5), meanwhile, is in the East and travels down to Williamston to tangle with Riverside-Martin, who’s just 6-10. A win by the Lady Knights would mean a second round battle with East Carteret (11-4) down on the coast, and likely a third round match up with conference foe Research Triangle in the third round should the locals continue to win. So let the high school playoffs begin, what a great time.

Last but not least, the playoffs in Major League Baseball never fail to produce. There is always drama, like the Washington Nationals somehow rallying to knock off the Los Angeles Dodgers in a decisive game five, or the Atlanta Braves surrendering 10 runs in the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals in game five of its series to disappointingly fall short again of the World Series. It’s been an exciting few weeks of action.

And let’s face it, which is hard to swallow for me to admit as a Boston Red Sox fan, the playoffs in October are a whole lot more interesting when the New York Yankees are involved. You either love ‘em or hate ‘em — there’s no in between — and that certainly leads to some highly intense and emotional games for the fans.