Lets Go Trojans

Trojans Of Both

Colors Should Be Proud

Anyone who has read a newspaper in the area this week knows what the sports story of this area is. It is not often that local sports dominates over the games at any other level, but that is exactly what is going on as thousands in the local area sit on the edge of their seats waiting for Saturday’s state football championships.

There is no way I am going to make any kind of prediction about the final scores of the weekend contests facing the Trojans of South Johnston and Harnett Central high schools. Something is just wrong about putting media pressure on young kids to meet the standard of someone who at least thinks they know a little about the sports world.

That doesn’t mean I won’t make a prediction, but this is one I can bet the farm against. When buses leave Chapel Hill and Raleigh Saturday on their way back to the local area they are going to carry groups of winners. That will be the case no matter what the scoreboard reads and who is hoisting the championship trophy.

A parent of one of the Harnett Central players told me recently their son is now involved in a year-round program. Officially practice can’t start until the summer but athletes do a lot of training months before their official group meetings with their coaches. Hours, and eventually days, are spent in weight rooms, on tracks and on other training devices trying to gain that extra edge that will pay off in December.

In other words, being able to play football this close to Christmas has taken a lot of training, time, patience and perseverance. It has taken dedication most don’t realize unless they have seen it first hand.

That is undoubtedly the case at South Johnston as well. Getting to the state championship game has been a long, hard road regardless of how the final chapter is written. Anyone who is less than a winner ceased being part of such a program a long time ago. That is true of any school playing in any of the championships this weekend.

There is another certainty about this weekend’s contest involving Harnett Central. When it is over there is going to be a stronger school community left behind between Lillington and Angier. The Harnett Central community is closer today than it has ever been and to a large degree that is due in part to the young men wearing the burgundyand gold. I will take the final words this week to give a big shout out from The Corner to all the Trojans, no matter what color they are wearing. I am looking forward to reporting the next chapter of the story next week

Check out the video bar aside to hear the fight song that will fill the air at Carter Finely tomorrow