Showing posts with label Mount Tabor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mount Tabor. Show all posts

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Attention North Davidson and Mount Tabor parents!



My friend Dana Warren has been busy this season capturing the images of your student athletes, band members and cheerleaders.  Please check out his website, www.DEWshots.com/sports to check out all of the images from this season.  He's been kind enough to enhance this blog with his work, and I'd appreciate it if you paid him a visit!

Black Knights Escape Spartans, 20-14


The undefeated North Davidson Black Knights defense once again proved to be the difference en route to a 20-14 victory over Mount Tabor in the third round of the NCHSAA 4-A playoffs.  Senior Devonte Moore rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore lineman Shy Tuttle added one of his own to pace the Black Knights.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Finally Friday! Best of 2012



After much careful thought, deliberation and dart-throwing I'm pleased to announce my "Best Of" winners for the 2012 regular season.  I can't reiterate enough how much I enjoyed going to all the different stadiums and meeting the students and student-athletes!  You should all be very proud.  Anyway, here's the list. 

Don't hate.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

So Nice, I Posted it Twice- the Catherine Wayne Pop Quiz!


Beach Night!
I love it when a plan comes together.  My idea for the Pop Quiz! segment was to find the best and the brightest students that our area high schools had to offer, and give them a chance to represent their schools and themselves in an online forum. So far, I've yet to be disappointed.
This week's participant comes to us from Mount Tabor High School, at the recommendation of Principal Ed Weiss himself.  She is the President of the student body which, as I found out, entails so many duties that I included a link to the full description.
Frankly, she humbles me a bit.  As a matter of fact, everyone I've interviewed to date has humbled (shamed?) me.  When I was in high school, my responsibility list was as follows:
Go to school.
Work at the car wash across from school.
The end.
Anyway, before I get too wistful about my own shortcomings, I'm happy to introduce you to Miss Catherine Wayne.  Cat?
 

Saturday, October 13, 2012

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Press Box

I love Davie, but getting to the press box can be a challenge, especially if one of the gates is locked and accidentally unattended.  When this happens, one has to meander down to the other end of the sideline and walk through the visiting cheerleaders and, occaisonally, the visiting band.  It wouldn't be a problem on this night, however, because Mount Tabor NEVER trav...


Friday, October 12, 2012

My Two Cents on the Mount Tabor Spartans



Tonight I get the pleasure of heading to Davie County for the first time this season.  It's Homecoming at Davie, and War Eagles are hosting the Mount Tabor Spartans and their top-notch defense.  The Spartans (4-3, 1-1 in conference) looking for a toe-hold on second place in the Central Piedmont.  Four of 6 teams in conference have identical 1-1 records, so Tabor needs both wins and help.  This marks the third time I've seen the Spartans this season, so I thought I'd add my two cents since they have been under the radar much of the season.

The Spartans' 4-3 record may be the most misleading statistic in their dossier, as they have fallen to East Forsyth, Fayetteville Britt and North Davidson.  Moreover, the losses to Jack Britt and North Davidson came by a total of 3 points.  Conversely, the Mount Tabor defense has allowed a combined total of 36 points in their 4 wins, while scoring 175 of their own.

In other words, Davie can't afford a Titan hangover tonight. 

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Suddenly Sunday

True Southern football is an all-consuming experience best characterized by cool weather, hot grills, and a passion that is without rival.  On Friday night in Welcome, the best of Southern football came together to produce a hard-hitting conference opener that saw the host North Davidson Black Knights finally topple the Mount Tabor Spartans in a 7-6 defensive struggle.

The scene I encountered on Friday night was straight out of a Hollywood script.  Although the weather was less than favorable (a line of thunderstorms had delayed kickoffs across the central Piedmont), I followed a long stream of taillights bound for a singular destination.  I exited my car, saw the bright lights of Palmer Field in the distance, and was immediately overcome by the wonderful smells of fried chicken and barbecue.  The fact that the Spartans were in town promised a special evening of football, indeed, but the atmosphere was heightened by the fact that the Black Knights were also celebrating Homecoming.

I have been searching all season for "the buzz", the feeling I get when the football stars align and produce a special night.  North Davidson delivered within thirty seconds of my arrival.

After setting up shop in the press box, I grabbed my toys and went hunting.  It was not long until I encountered a group of students hovering by the end zone watching their "guests" warm up.  I enjoyed a good conversation with Caleb and his friends.




One of the things that Caleb (middle) let me know was that their chief rivalry was now Mount Tabor.  When I was in high school, the rivalry between North Davidson and Lexington was fraught with intensity and bad intentions.  Now, things have changed.  The link above should play in your favorite media player.

At halftime I sauntered down to the field to make a visit to the student section and met some really enthusiastic students who were more than happy to talk to Finally Friday!.




Hopefully I get some Pop Quiz! contestants from this year's Homecoming Court.  I will post them as soon as I get them back.  In the meantime, Mason Linker of the Winston-Salem Journal provides the particulars of the game here .  I am always happy to share a space with someone I can learn from, and Mason is no different. 

Friday, September 28, 2012

Pregame Images from Palmer Field


Welcome to Palmer Field!

Black Knights getting ready


Midfield on a wet night- great drainage!

My office for the evening.  Thanks, ND!

The Spartans in hostile territory

Tabor getting ready!

My new friends Caleb and Co.!

Friday Knight Lights!

We are so excited to be headed to Welcome, North Carolina for our first visit to North Davidson High School!  Tonight, the Black Knights welcome the Spartans from Mount Tabor to their Homecoming festivities.  North Davidson (6-0) is coming off a 48-3 win over Asheboro High while Tabor (3-2)comes in looking to bounce back from last week's nail-biter against Jack Britt.  The Spartans' only other loss was the season opener against the powerful Eagles from East Forsyth. 

Finally Friday!  is the official Qwixcorer for tonight's game, and you can follow game progress using this link.  Qwixcore is a great application from Maxpreps that allows people to track a game's progress, so that those not in attendance can keep up with the action.  Hopefully, it is user-friendly enough so that even I can figure it out!

As always, please be sure to follow me on Twitter @FinallyFri336 and feel free to drop me a line at jpmundy@gmail.com

Have a great Friday!

- John

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Pop Quiz! Catherine Wayne- Mount Tabor High School

I love it when a plan comes together.  My idea for the Pop Quiz! segment was to find the best and the brightest students that our area high schools had to offer, and give them a chance to represent their schools and themselves in an online forum. So far, I've yet to be disappointed.

This week's participant comes to us from Mount Tabor High School, at the recommendation of Principal Ed Weiss himself.  She is the President of the student body which, as I found out, entails so many duties that I included a link to the full description.

Frankly, she humbles me a bit.  As a matter of fact, everyone I've interviewed to date has humbled (shamed?) me.  When I was in high school, my responsibility list was as follows:

  1. Go to school.
  2. Work at the car wash across from school.
  3. The end.
Anyway, before I get too wistful about my own shortcomings, I'm happy to introduce you to Miss Catherine Wayne.  Cat?

Cat rolls the Quad at Wake Forest
1)     Identify yourself! Name, school, age and class please!

Catherine Allie Wayne, Mount Tabor Spartan, 17, Senior.

2)     What is your claim to fame? What do you do? (Sports, clubs, class offices, etc.)

I am Mount Tabor’s Student Council President and I am in several clubs in addition to student council. The thought of me playing a sport is pretty funny, but I did try out for women’s lacrosse freshman year for what it’s worth.

3)     So I Googled your name and it took me to the Student Council section of the Tabor website (http://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/Page/6308).  The description of the President’s position seems like a lot of work.  What does it take to execute your job as President as well as do your homework?

Wednesdays mean Student Council. Each Wednesday, except for one a month, I have either an Upper House, Lower House, or Officer meeting. While I have a ton of work to do in this role, the student council sponsor Mr. Allen Smith makes it so fun and so easy to handle. I am lucky to have the world’s coolest and most hilarious officers working with me so we always mess around while getting our work done.  I have really hunkered down with some seriously hard classes this year. The good news is I have a free period where I can tackle as much homework as I can so I can have more of my afternoons free. My best friend Will and I do homework together every night so this makes sitting for hours on end working so much better.

4)     What makes Mount Tabor special to you?  Why does it stand out?

What makes Tabor special to me? I could do some serious word count damage on this question. When I walked into Mount Tabor freshman year, I knew that I was home. There is something about the old hallways and the people at Tabor that make it so welcoming and comfortable. As the years have gone on, I have had the pleasure of working with some of the most active administrators and devoted teachers. Tabor stands out from all other high schools because of our roots in tradition. From our amazing drumline to our annual homecoming dodge ball tournament, there are so many things that make Mount Tabor unique.

5)     One Direction or Justin Bieber?  Go.

I’m not going to say that I don’t have Justin Bieber’s CD in my car at this very second. I’m also not going to say that I know all the words to all of the songs on it. That’s pretty much all I don’t have to say about that.

6)     Give me three reasons why a Spartan is better than a Demon.
1) Our student section is easily eight-hundred times better and more spirited than that of Reynolds. They have the same three cheers while we have a beautiful variety in our artillery of spirit.
2) Our mascot is a Spartan who is ready to go into battle at any second for Sparta’s honor while Reynolds’ mascot is Lucifer himself.
3) I’m not sure about the exact numbers on this one, but I think the last time Reynolds beat us in football was at least 5000 years ago. Our football team reigns superior to theirs.
 Disclaimer: That was all in jest, Reynolds is a great school and they have a lot going for them.

7)     I covered the East Forsyth game at Mount Tabor a few weeks ago.  Like a lot of other schools playing the Eagles this year, the score wasn’t in your favor but the student section was WAY crazy.  My blog was hours old at that time and I was just live-tweeting the game.  Give me the rundown on Tabor City.

Eleven things everyone needs to know about Tabor City:
1. There is no feeling like the anticipation of the third quarter festivities at our football games, home or away.
2. To be in the student section, one MUST be dressed up and cheering (even the freshmen).
3. If we are losing, a halftime monologue will be delivered to the entire student section by one senior (a favorite is the halftime speech from the movie MIRACLE).
4. When third quarter rolls around and the drum line walks up the track, the crowd goes WILD.
5. During the drumline piece "H2O" everyone is singing and dancing while throwing water from water bottles everywhere, I always leave soaked.
6. DON’T THROW THE BOTTLES AFTER H20
7. We keep things "Dash Appropriate" (If you wouldn't yell it at one of our beloved Advanced Single A Winston-Salem Dash games, we don't yell it at our games).
8. Never sit down unless it's halftime or you WILL get yelled at.
9. Always let the seniors have the front row; the grades are organized in descending order the further up in the stands you go.
10. Corbin “ATM” Martin (44) is probably the most fun player to cheer for. You may even hear an “ATM” chant at the game.
11. Friday night football holds a very special place in the senior’s hearts and I know it will be one of the things we will all miss about Mount Tabor High School.

8)     I’m guessing as Student Council President you have some idea of your future.  What are your plans after high school? (College, professional ambition, etc.)

I want to attend Wake Forest University and double major in Political Science and Economics. Whenever I tell people this they say, “Wow, that’s pretty specific”. It really is, but at the same time I have known that I want to be a business lawyer for some time now. I can’t wait to get into college so I can start to specialize in these areas and get into the nitty gritty of my majors.

9)     When you leave Mount Tabor next year, what will you look back on as the defining moment in your high school career, or has that happened yet?

I think my defining moment at Mount Tabor High School was giving my first speech in front of hundreds of people. I had the honor of speaking at Senior Awards Day last year as the newly elected president. Freshman year I had to recite a monologue in front of my World History class and I was a nervous wreck. I don’t know why I was, I was speaking in front of just twenty people but nonetheless I was shaking, stuttering, and beet red. I honestly don’t know where I found my confidence to speak in front of people, but getting offstage at Awards Day with the entire senior class and their families cheering for me is a feeling I will never forget.

10)  Last question.  You get to have dinner with three leaders (politicians, coaches, preachers, etc.). Who are they and what are you going to talk about?

If I could have dinner with any three people I would choose President Jackson, Henry Clay, and John C. Calhoun. I would love to sit back and watch them argue about States’ Rights, the Fiscal Policy, as well as the “Corrupt Bargain”. I have always been interested in the Jacksonian Era and I would love to sit down with these three men and hear them debate. 

Want to try the Pop Quiz? Know someone who should?  Keep checking this blog, Twitter or the Facebook page to find out where I'll be next.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

College Thoughts

This week is usually my favorite time of the year.  Labor Day and Labor Day weekend usually mean two things to me: the start of college football and the impending start of the season for my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers.  I look forward to this week all year long.

However, my decision to immerse myself in prep football this season has changed some things.  Certainly, my joy for the start of football this weekend hasn't been tempered.  In fact, it's just the opposite.  I can now start looking forward to August, for heaven's sake!  Another big change is going to be how I watch college football.  Tonight, across the country, there are going to be true freshmen playing football on national television. 

That's astounding.

Now, I understand that high school football is big business in places like Texas, Ohio and California.  But high school is still high school.  I've seen pictures and video of the facilities at places such as Tennessee.  I can't fathom going from Mount Tabor, Page or even Richmond County to this:



I've watched two prep games in person this season, and many more over the past couple of years.  I still have a lot of respect for those student athletes who can go from playing in front of  a couple thousand fans to lining up in a cathedral that holds tens of thousands of rabid supporters.  As you watch tonight, listen closely for the words "true freshman" and tip your cap.  Trial by fire, indeed.

Merry Footballmas, everyone.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

The Eagles Fly on Friday

The East Forsyth Eagles defeated the Mount Tabor Spartans 28-7 in impressive fashion Friday night, spoiling the Spartans' home opener.  Running back Lavaughnte' Smith carried 21 times for 104 yards, while Eagle quarterback Garrison Duncan added 107 of his own to an astonishing rushing total of 305 yards for the game.  Marc Pruitt of the Winston-Salem Journal provides a full wrap-up here: http://www2.journalnow.com/sports/2012/aug/25/wssport08-east-forsyth-is-too-much-for-mount-tabor-ar-2543965/

Game Notes:
  • Lavaughnte' Smith gained 91 yards in the first half, and tallied two touchdowns.  He sat out until Mount Tabor cut the deficit to 21-7, returned to the huddle, and rushed for 15 yards the first time he touched the ball.
  • The Eagle offense looked a lot like Jim Grobe's Wake Forest offense, with few huddles and calls made at the line.  Garrison Duncan executed the offense to near-perfection, and showed good judgment on the read option.
  • Mount Tabor punter Ben Carson probably had a bittersweet night.  He was probably happy to get a lot of game action, but unfortunately it was due to the Spartans' inability to move the ball.
  • The Spartans were forced to go to the air early in the second half, and it proved to be very effective.  Quarterback Raekwon Brown has a good arm, and the Junior looks to have a lot of promise.
In Addition:
  • I really enjoyed the Mount Tabor spirit squads, particularly the talented Mount Tabor marching band.

  • The Mount Tabor students were vocal until the bitter end, adding to a great game atmosphere.

  • East Forsyth traveled well, and had very vocal support.  In all, a great night for the Eagles. Wish I had a better image...