J. Mike Blake
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How do you turn around a program? Hobbton knows
If there's a case study in the old "learning how to win" adage, there might be no better case study than Hobbton. The rural Sampson County school had fallen upon hard times, but the turnaround over the last two seasons has shown unmistakable growth.
Tags: football, Hobbton Wildcats
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There's only one Richmond-Scotland
J. Mike Blake took in his first Richmond-Scotland game last week. He left impressed.
Tags: football, Richmond Raiders, Scotland Fighting Scots
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The unlikeliest Senior Night in the state tonight is at Fairmont High
Fairmont will host Douglas Byrd in a nonconference game this Friday to wrap up the season, a game that was arranged during the year to make up a game that Fairmont lost when South Robeson closed during the summer.
Tags: football, Fairmont Golden Tornadoes, Hurricane Florence, Hurricane Matthew
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Brunswick County schools get the fields of their dreams. Who's next?
The turf fields at North Brunswick, South Brunswick, and West Brunswick could be a sign that more schools in the eastern half of the state might be switching playing surfaces soon.
Tags: football, North Brunswick Scorpions, South Brunswick Cougars, West Brunswick Trojans
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League of their own: why Spring Creek plays without a conference
It was the fourth quarter, the crowd was on its feet, and coach Daniel Robinson had 11 pairs of eyes on him as he detailed strategy and repeated all the things that his football team needed to be mindful of in the final stages of a close game.
Tags: football, Spring Creek Gators
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Titans setting down roots in first varsity football season at South Garner
Even as the town of Garner has experienced rapid growth, it has kept a small-town community feel, fueled in no small part by its fierce loyalty to the Trojans of Garner High.
Tags: football, South Garner Titans
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Washington hopes it's a 'team of destiny'
There's something in the air as it whips across the Pamlico River and through the historic waterfront streets of Washington -- or, "Little Washington" to some.
Tags: baseball, Washington Pam Pack
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After football flirtation, basketball proves home for Greene Central's Dodd
It was summertime, and one of the state's best seniors hadn't yet found a home for where he would be playing in college.
Tags: boys' basketball, football, Greene Central Rams
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More than a game: Basketball helped McKoys through toughest of times
Justin McKoy doesn't remember watching his dad play basketball, but there are some things that are just hereditary.
Tags: boys' basketball, Panther Creek Catamounts
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With a storied past and top seed, Hillside boys basketball hopes to live up to the legends that came before
Other high schools are ring-chasing this time of the year, hoping at long last to win a state title. But at Hillside, there's another pursuit afoot: chasing history.
Tags: boys' basketball, Hillside Hornets
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Simple math: 29 wins, zero losses for unique Unicorns
With 29 wins and zero losses, this is the best girls basketball team in N.C. School of Science and Math history.
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House Not Divided: Vance County's incredible hoops seasons bringing town together
The train tracks that split Henderson in half, East from West before curving westward as it exits the county was, not that long ago, the dividing line between two rival high schools.
Tags: boys' basketball, Vance County Vipers, girls' basketball
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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.