That’s right, starting tonight I will no longer have this blog, instead each of us in the sports department will combine forces to provide our readers a general sports blog.

The site can be reach at jdnsports.encblogs.com.  Among the things you can see now on it is the 2007 high school football schedule.

I invite all to visit it often and leave comments.

So for the final time on this blog I say … Now back to the action.

If you’re like me, then you can’t wait for the start of the high school football season. 

It’s just 15 days away when the games kickoff, but it seems like an eternity. But if you are itching to see some local pigskin now, you have a chance in the form of the Jacksonville Raiders semi-professional football team. 

The Raiders will play at Northside High School Saturday at 7 p.m. against the Hampton, Va. Crusaders. 

Both teams enter the Mason-Dixon Football League contest at 2-1 and with the way Jacksonville head coach John Davis spoke Wednesday, it has the makings of a competitive game. 

While the play on the field might not be as sharp as one would think when you feature the word ‘professional,’ locals will have an opportunity to see just plain out football. At this point, any type of football is fine with me. 

Also, seeing the Raiders will give some a chance to see how a handful of former area prep players are doing. The team consists of not only guys who once played in the county, but also of military servicemen who balance time defending our freedoms while also suiting up the helmets and pads. 

If anything else, watching them play will be a way to say thanks for all that they do for our country. 

Now back to the action. 

I’m not going to lie, although this is an exciting time, it is also a very busy time for us in the sports department.

This week we have been at work reporting on the start of high school football practice and at the same time have begun talking to coaches on what will be good times we can schedule team photo days and when we can come by practice to work on the Pigskin Preview.

It’s a challenging process trying to schedule each of our 14 area schools in a short period of time, but nonetheless a process that needs to be done in order for us to put together a good preview.

By the way, the Pigskin Preview will be out on Aug. 24. So pick up a copy when it comes out.

And while football has dominated our thoughts this week, I assure you we haven’t forgotten about other sports. Highlighted by soccer, the remainder of the fall sports will begin their practices on Aug. 6.

I am looking forward to a great fall season and I anticipate many special moments.

Now back to the action. 

I didn’t realize it before, but late Monday I shared something in common with high school football teams. 

Both had first days. 

Monday marked the first day of practice and simultaneously it was my first day back from my honeymoon. What a way to get back to work then to cover a couple of practices. 

I first made my way to Richlands before visiting Northside’s practice. Sports editor Paul Thompson went to Southwest before watching Dixon practice. These were the only Onslow County teams who hit the field in the afternoon. 

Jacksonville, White Oak, Swansboro and Lejeune practiced in the morning. 

For Swansboro, though, the saying the early bird gets the worm was taken a step greater as the Pirates did their “Midnight Madness,” practicing at 12:01 a.m. Monday. 

We have video on www.jdnews.com, so check it out. Also, we have several pictures of Monday’s first day of practice, and we will have several more of other teams in the upcoming days, so pick up a copy of the paper to see them. 

Now back to the action. 

Vacations rarely come in this business. The same can be said about folks in the business getting married.

But I get the best of both worlds.

That’s right, on Saturday my fiancée Veronica and I are getting married and soon after will venture to Busch Gardens for the week. I will get back to work on Monday, July, 30, just in time for the first high school football practices.

So if you are wondering why the blog won’t be updated for a while, that’s why. If you leave comments on anything, they will not be seen until I get back. That’s because I have to approve each comment.

Thanks.

Here are some extra quotes from Northside head basketball coach Tony Marshburn that I was unable to use in my story last week about the Monarchs playing without star Tyler McDaniels.
 

Tony Marshburn:
“I don’t know anything else. All I know is that he is in Atlanta. They (players) haven’t asked me anything. They have come here and worked hard. A lot of the kids didn’t play with Tyler, so it’s not a situation where they miss him.
They have proven they will show up against anybody. I have not had one kid discuss with me ‘coach where’s Tyler?’
Kids, I don’t think they think about that stuff like that. They want to be apart of a team and they want to play.
I have had so much fun coaching these guys here. Practices have been fun.
It was frustrating in Wilmington when we couldn’t run an inbounds play and couldn’t get everybody there. It’s frustrating when we don’t compete.
We brought nine players at North Carolina camp where we made strides and got better. This camp (East Coast Invitational) we have made bigger strides. We still need to work on execution.
I enjoy teaching the game. With such a young group you see more growth.
We really need to have more depth. Post depth, we just don’t have that many post players. I feel good about guard depth. We have moved Joe Womack to post at times just to have size and experience. I can play Joe a lot of places and he’s comfortable with that.
It will take a lot of hard work from players and coaches to develop. Every year is different and that’s the fun thing about coaching.”
 

Now back to the action.

The meeting was priceless.
Jamal Shuler and Kendric Burney went back and forth. But their debate Saturday at Jacksonville Commons Recreation Center during the East Coast Invitational team basketball camp wasn’t anything in malice.
Instead, each one took turns crediting the other.
Burney, a former Southwest High football star and currently at North Carolina, made the first comment when he mentioned to Shuler, a former Jacksonville High hoops star and current Virginia Commonwealth player, about his 14 points against Duke in the NCAA Tournament.
Shuler laughed and came back with a comment ‘yeah but you’re the one going to the NFL.’
That’s all I heard of their conversation, but it was enough. I was just thrilled to be able to see both fine athletes and have an opportunity to interview them.
In case you didn’t see, I had a story in Tuesday’s paper on Shuler and in Wednesday’s paper I will have a story on Burney.
Speaking of Burney, I have enclosed some quotes of his I was unable to use in the story.
 

Burney:
On coach Butch Davis: “Coach Davis came in and if we (follow) the system, things will go our way.”
On being with his UNC teammates, but not dressing during the College World Series: “I was disappointed, you always want to play or at least dress, but I understood my role.”
On playing football and baseball: “It wasn’t a concern (from Davis). He said he had a lot of guys at Miami do it and he said he loves two-sport athletes. I am looking at playing time on the mound and outfield and hopefully it will work out for the best.”
On UNC’s low football prediction: “We have to do our jobs and prove them wrong.”
 

Now back to the action.
 

I could tell it was a topic neither Northside head basketball coach Tony Marshburn nor rising senior Joe Womack really wanted to go into detail about.
Regardless, the situation of senior star Tyler McDaniels’ absence in the local East Coast Invitational team basketball camp was something we at The Daily News had to persue for a story.
One thing we try not to do is bring any negative attention to any one of our area teams. However, McDaniels being the reigning All-Area Player of the Year and heavy recruit among many Division I schools and the fact he is not with his team now — and possibly for the season — is something folks have talked about this week during the East Coast.
McDaniels, a great kid if I may add, has spent the summer out of town due to what I referred to in my story as ‘personal reasons.’
But the story wasn’t just about him. I go on talking about how the Monarchs have adjusted without him this summer while playing in various camps and summer leagues and what the club needs to do if, in fact, he does not return home.
I appreciate Marshburn, Womack and senior Vincent Sanders for understanding our situation and agreeing to talk to me.
The focus of all three was that this summer Northside has learned that each player needs to elevate their game if the Monarchs are to once again stand tall in the East Central 2-A Conference.
“The kids have worked hard, they just want to play and compete,” said Marshburn.
Womack said the fact people have talked poorly about Northside’s chances gives the squad plenty of motivation.
“We took that as an insult,” he said.
And Northside has definitely played like it has something to prove.
Though the Monarchs won just three games in pool play, Northside has hit the court with aggressive play and the look that its players will not back down.
Perhaps then people will realize that Northside will again be a force to be dealt with come the regular season.
Now back to the action. 

Tragedy just seems to happen all so sudden, doesn’t it? 

And it certainly makes one look at things in a different perspective. The Jacksonville Raiders semi-professional football does now. 

The Raiders’ 28-12 season-opening victory over the New Bern Grizzlies Saturday in New Bern was marred by the death of Grizzlies player Takirra Koonce. 

I found out about the incident after New Bern Sun Journal sports editor Randy Jones called me earlier in the evening. The NBSJ was covering the game and was to send us a write-up. 

Raiders head coach John Davis also called in the results to us at The Daily News and I was able to speak with him regarding the situation. 

Koonce was neither a Raiders player nor was he a former local high school athlete. He was, however, a person, and the fact he passed while playing football, it’s something you hate to hear. 

It’s these types of situations that make people remember there’s more to life than football.

In an effort to make history, Jacksonville Post 265 will need to overcome the history of another team. 

On paper, the local American Legion baseball team’s first-round best-of-5 Area II-East series with Wilmington Post 10 appears to be a set of two clubs who match up with each other well. 

Both are solid squads with good hitting, decent pitching and good coaches with Post 265 being directed by Larry Coffman and Post 10 led by Scott Sandlin. 

However, it’s no doubt that Wilmington is the favorite in this series, and it has nothing to do with Post 10 being a second seed and Post 265 seeded third. 

Rather, Wilmington has the advantage of not only topping Jacksonville in recent postseasons, but also having more recognizition, both from the state level as well as nationally. 

Jacksonville, though, is hoping to change that and a series victory would certainly do that. The series kicks off Friday at Wilmington’s Legion Stadium. 

“We have to create our own history,” said Coffman, whose club is in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, being swept by Post 10 last year. “To beat a good team, you have to beat their history … it’s hard to defeat history.” 

Post 10 has been the Area II-East conference’s version of the New York Yankees. Every other team measures themselves with how well they do against Wilmington. How Post 10 got that role is easy: the program has produced competitive sides year in and year out and has generated plenty of postseason success. 

“Post 10 has always been the top program, even though Morehead City has been on top the past two years,” Coffman said. “Post 10 has a good ball club and it is by far experienced in the playoffs; they don’t plan on not making the playoffs. 

“Scott Sandlin does a great job with those kids.” 

But so has Coffman, along with his coaching staff of Scott Johnson and Will Taylor. Under the leadership of the three coaches, Jacksonville (10-6 overall, 9-5 in conference) is back in the postseason after a 0-3 start. 

That stat alone gives Coffman plenty of reason that his club will put forth a good showing come Friday. 

“You have to be a force to be reckoned with when kids are that determined,” he said. 

And while Coffman, his staff and myself are aware of that, maybe the rest of the conference and perhaps the state won’t know that until Post 265 knocks off Post 10. 

“We need to take it to the next step … to get more recognizition,” Coffman said. “(As far as respect) we are getting there, we are not there yet. 

“You don’t get there until you win.” 

Sounds simple enough doesn’t it? 

Now back to the action.