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Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Bleacher Banter
Raleigh Durham, NC
By: Adam Harris, 99.9 FM The Fan
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Photo(s) By: Kyle Danztler/MyActionPortraits.com
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It's The People, Right?
What makes high school sports so great is the people. The coach who spends extra hours with his kids so they can learn the proper technique. The people. The freshman who sheepishly takes on the lion's share of the carries at running back only to break the school record for rushing yards in his first season under the lights on Friday nights. The people. The senior leader of a close-knit team who displays all the right characteristics of greatness both on and off the field. The people.
The connection that we all feel to these great people in our individual communities is what drives us to the bleachers on Friday nights. It doesn’t have to be our son, brother or cousin. It could be the child of a friend, or perhaps a boy we’ve seen around the neighborhood or at church since they were just a tot.
We all want to have someone to root for in our community. High school sports presents that to us in a neat little package and brings us together with others in our community so that we all can support something great as a single unit. Sports is better than almost anything at uniting us with others.
Our own personal connection to these boys in pads and helmets makes us show up to holler and yell and clap; or berate the officials. The passion that comes from our connection is certainly an integral part of the game. Without the screaming fans the gridiron would lose much of its luster.
Still, it’s the boys on the field who shine in front of the screaming masses that are under tremendous pressure each week to be great. Those who are able to display such greatness without yielding to the pressure are the ones we’re talking about over the weekend and on Monday when we head back to our grindstones.
One of those outstanding people in the Triangle was Atlas Fraley of Chapel Hill High School. Atlas was taken away from his family, friends and teammates in the Chapel Hill community on August 13th. He spent his last day playing the game he loved. Fraley passed away just hours after a scrimmage football game in Wake County.
Atlas was in his final year as a lineman for the CHHS Tigers. He was being recruited to play college ball at NC State, Wake Forest, Louisville and Georgia Tech. Scouts believed wholeheartedly that Atlas would have excelled at the next level, and possibly played on Sundays after that. If only he had gotten the chance to show us all.
It is a terrible loss for the Fraley family. This loss will also create a void in the lives of the many friends and loved ones in the community that surrounded Atlas. Our hearts go out to those close to him.
But this loss presents an eye-opening reminder to appreciate and cheer for the people in our lives, and on our teams. It is important to remember that each down, each series and every single snap is a gift. It truly gives new meaning to the idea of treating every play as if it were your last.
So remember to keep making those connections with the boys in pads and helmets in your neck of the woods. Each Friday night brings us a brilliant chance to relish in the greatness of these hard working young men. We can see something remarkable on every play if we open our eyes.
Sometimes we forget about the people with our focus too often on the scoreboard. We’ve all heard the saying about not seeing the forest for the trees. Make sure you don’t overlook the people who make this game, and all games, so great.
It is the people, right?
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Where Are They Now?
by: Lamonte Garrett
The 1988 Millbrook football team could arguably be the best football team that played in the Wildcats stadium.
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A collection of this month's best action photos.
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