J. Mike Blake
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Blake: No perfect endings when dealing with loss, but St. Pauls found perhaps a perfect tribute
The 32-yard line is special to this year's group after a former player who wore the No. 32 jersey, Marquiese Coleman, was shot and killed in July. That Baldwin's final score of a record-breaking and significant night came from 32 yards out was the perfect way to honor his mentor.
Tags: football, St. Pauls Bulldogs
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Blake: For years, this South Granville fan sees the game differently with the help of his friend
Hayden Shackelford has given Tom Husketh the play-by-play from many a South Granville High School football game through the years.
Tags: J. Mike Blake, South Granville Vikings
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Blake: Hey NC, we need to talk about these mascots (and more)
There's just something different about a new high school that sparks our imagination. But our imagination seems to run dry when it's time to pick out a new school's colors and mascot.
Tags: J. Mike Blake
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Blake: Why I've been to so many NC high schools -- 205 and counting
There's so much that comes with visiting a school. It's a window into a community that you can't get from a roadside sign. That's why J. Mike Blake has been to more than 200 of them.
Tags: J. Mike Blake
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Blake: 25 years in the making, Fuquay-Varina making best of boys basketball's playoff return
The last time Fuquay-Varina made the boys basketball playoffs the year was 1996 and there were only 12 public high schools in the Wake County Public School System and the town had a little more than 5,000 people.
Tags: J. Mike Blake, Fuquay-Varina Bengals, boys' basketball
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Faith comes first: Cox Mill's Raven Gray keeps Sabbath while recruiting, playoff participation affected
Cox Mill senior Raven Gray is an Seventh-Day Adventist. Sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday is her faith's Sabbath, or holy day. She's prepared to miss the state championship if the Chargers advance and the time isn't moved until later in the night.
Tags: volleyball, Cox Mill Chargers
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Explaining three eastern regions in NCHSAA realignment
HighSchoolOT's J. Mike Blake explains how conferences were created in three areas in the east under the new realignment protocol.
Tags: realignment, J. Mike Blake
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Blake: The defining moment for the high school sports this year is as simple as a smile
The defining moment of the 2020-21 high school sports season has already happened. I saw it.
Tags: NC High School Athletic Association, COVID-19
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In rethinking realignment, it's time for a breakup of sorts
The pandemic should be a wake-up call for those of us in high school sports. It's presented a newer, more extreme version of the same old obstacles, a version that could jeopardize the lifeblood of athletic departments (which were always in more perilous shape than we wanted to admit, anyway).
Tags: NC High School Athletic Association, realignment, COVID-19, J. Mike Blake
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One answer to the upcoming scheduling dilemma: divisions
Not too long ago, the athletic directors of Southwest Wake Athletic Conference had a bit of a problem when trying to schedule for one sport. The SWAC had nine boys lacrosse teams -- eight conference members plus Pinecrest, which was a lacrosse-only member -- but the number was increased to 10 when Fuquay-Varina became the last team in the league to add the sport.
Tags: NC High School Athletic Association, COVID-19, J. Mike Blake
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If basketball championships can't be played, co-champions should be named
If worse comes to worst, then the best and most fitting option is for a double-order of NCHSAA championship plaques.
Tags: boys' basketball, girls' basketball, NC High School Athletic Association, COVID-19
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Six NC counties have never won a state championship in any sport. Why?
If high school sports are a source of community pride, then state championships are a tangible achievement that those communities can hang their hat on.
Tags: J. Mike Blake, Camden County Bruins, Gates County Red Barons, Harnett Central Trojans, Overhills Jaguars, Triton Hawks, Western Harnett Eagles, Mattamuskeet Lakers, Ocracoke Dolphins, KIPP Pride Panthers, Northampton County Jaguars, Columbia Wildcats
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About this Blog:
J. Mike Blake has covered high school sports in North Carolina for more than a decade. After starting at HighSchoolOT.com when the site launched in 2008, Blake spent several years with The News & Observer and its affiliate papers. Blake now brings his expertise back to HighSchoolOT.com. Follow J. Mike on Twitter @JMBPreps.