(Sniurn^ounto
West Craven Highlights
Mews from Aloiiff The Hunks Of The Meuse
NAtlONAl NIMSPAPfS
VOLUME 12 NO. 47
SIX PAGES
NOVEMBER 23, 1989
VANCEBORO, NORTH CAROLINA
PHONE 244 0780 OR 946-2144 (UPSP 412-110)
25 CENTS
Asphalt race track
to be constructed
in Robersonville
By Keith Hempstead
Special to the
West Craven IllghllghU
ROBERSONVILLE — The
sounds of Saturday night stock car
racing will soon be a familiar sound
in Down Bast country because of a
recently approved proposal by three
Robersonville men.
A 3/d’B-of>n-mile oval asphalt
track, the only one east of Wake
County, will be constructed on a
13-acre tract of land just outside of
the town limitson U.S. 64. The track
vbill be called the Bast Carolina Mo
tor Speedway and it is expected to
bring up to 50-60,000 people over
the course of the racing season.
The track is being built by three
Rc^sonville businessmen, Gerald
Whitehurst, Lee Harney and Dur-
wood Allen.
Whitehurst said he expects the
track to be finished by April 1, com
plete with seating, parking, re
strooms and a souvenir shop.
Stock cylinder, modified cylinder,
late model sportsmen, super street,
See TRACK. Page 5
± i
Attending the annual support dinner for Mount Olive College were (from left) Howard Lamm of St.
Mary’s, Jean Ackiss of the college, Marice DeBruhl, Craven County dinner chairman, Mrs. J.T. Wil
son of Juniper Chapel and Darrin Jones of Spring Hope Church. The three churches received $100
scholarships to give to students who will attend Mount Olive College. The dinner raised over
$20,000 for the college.
Jordan finds team’s
success is enjoyable
By John Perry
Staff Writer
Clay Jordan sat down in the West
Craven High School gymnasium to
disucss how his 12th season as the
Eagles' head football coach had
went. It wasa discussion heenjoyed,
but not as much as he enjoyed the
Eagles’ success on the field this
season.
Dressed in his gray jogging pants
and his red pull-over with the word
‘Eagles” on the front, he talked
while keeping watch at the same
time over a gym class. Football may
be over, but teaching last the entire
school year.
*I thought the season was a great
success,” he told the Highlights.
*Tve had more talented teams
than this year's, but we went with
what we had to work with and ev
erything went real well.”
‘Coach J,” as he was referred to
many times by his students during
the interview, was taking nothing
away from his team when he said
he didn’t think the Eagles
would go as far as they did.
West Craven finished the regular
season undefeated, winning the
Coastal Conference championship,
and being ranked as high as No.5 in
the state. The Eagles advanced to
the second round of the playoffs be
fore falling to Colonial Conference
power Bertie, 12-9.
The stren^h of his team this
year, was the ability to have a ba
lanced attack, Jordan said. With ju
nior running back I^e Becton run
ning for over 1,000 yards for the
second-straight year (over 1,700 on
the season), the Eagles also got a lot
of output from junior quarterback
Kevin Holzworth with the passing
attack. This in turn made it hard for
an opponent to key on any one
player or phase of the Eagle attack.
Numbers were a problem for the
Eagles this year, Jordan said. ‘With
one or two key ii\)uries, we could’ve
been devastated,” he said, ‘but we
were just very lucky.”
Ihe balanced attack got the Ea
gles where they were, he said. But
with the loss of several key lineman,
like Eddie McKeel who will be play
ing in the Shrine Bowl this year in
Charlotte, Jordan will be searching
for some meat to puton the line next
season.
‘We're gonna be looking at our
second and third-string players to
step up for us next year,” he said, ‘if
that doesn’t work, we will have to
look at our eleventh-graderscoming
up to fill the positions on the line.”
The offensive fine is only the start
of the searching for the Eagles, Jor
dan said. ‘We’ve got Becton and
See JORDAN, Page 6
Campbell earns All-ACC
honors for second year
RALEIGH — West Craven product Jesse
Campbell was the leading vote getter among de
fensive backs in the annual balloting for all-
Atlantic Coast Conference football honors an
nounced yesterday. CdmpbOll
Campbell, a redshirt sophomore strong safety at N.C. State, waslast
year’s ACC rookie of the year and was named first-team All-ACC.
This year, last year's honors and output on the football field, found
team’s avoiding Campbell’s side of the field, much to his fhistration.
Still he is oneof the Wolfpack’s leading tacklers and will join his team in
playing in the Copper Bowl,
MO KROCHMAL
Eagles' success pul Jordan In and on the air.
Local churches
donate $20,331
to Mount Olive
By Mike Voss
Edtlor
Vanceboro’s Juniper Chapel Free
Will Baptist Church was one of
three recipients of $100 scholar
ships to give to students who plan to
attend Mount Olive College at the
annual Mount Olive gift support
dinner held at West Craven Middle
School.
The Free Will BapUstchurchesof
Craven County contributed $20,331
to the college at the dinner, '^o-
hundred people attended the an
nual fund-raising dinner, repre
senting the 11 ^ee Will Baptist
churches in the county-
Juniper Chapel Free Will Baptist
Church won its scholarship award
by giving the largest contribution on
a per-capitabasis. Spring Hope Free
Will Baptist Church won a $100
scholarship for having the most
high school students in attendance
and St. Mar/s Free Will Baptist
Church won a $100 scholarship for
the largest contribution. $5,175.
Local church chairmen and their
churches were John Mitchell of
Bridgeton Free Will Baptist Church
in Bridgeton, Jimmy Smith of Core
Creek FVee Will Baptist Church in
Cove City, Charles ^voet of Geth-
samane FVee Will Baptist Church in
New Bern, Mrs. J.T. Vifilson of Ju
niper Chapel Free Will Baptist
Church in Vancebon^ Lois Wether-
ington of Moseley’s Cieek Free Will
Baptist Church in Dover, Harvey A.
Whitford of New Haven FVm Will
Baptist Church in Vanceboro,
Myrtle Lee Smith of Oak Grove Free
Will Baptist Church in Vanceboro,
See CHURCHES, Page 5
Eagles’ season ends
but honors continue
By John Burnell
Sports Writer
West (^raven’s Eddie McKeel and
Lee Becton became two-time all-
Coastal Conference selections,
while Eagle coach Clay Jordan was
named Coach of the Year for the
fourth time at the league meetings
Saturday.
McKeel is a senior offensive line
man and has been selected to play in
the Shrine Bowl all-star game. Bec
ton, is a junior running back wholed
the league in rushing with 1,784
yards and 22 touchdowns.
West Craven won the Coastal
Ckmference championship with a
6-0 league record. The Eagles ran
their record to 11-0 with a win
against Hertford County in the first
round of the North Carolina High
School Athletic Association Class
d-A playoffs before falling to Pertie
Friday.
West Craven led the seven teams
in the league with eight players
voted to the all-conference team.
‘This team was not as athletically
talented as some others I’ve had,”
Jordan said, ‘but is bigger in heart
and bigger in character than any
team I’ve ever coached.”
Jordan, in his twelfth year of^
coaching, all at West Craven, won
coach-of-the-year honors for the
fourth time.
‘I tiy to get across a motivational,
character type of attitude and the
team responded to that,” Jordan
said.
‘I can guarantee one thing —
these seniors are going to be good
solid citizens,” he said.
‘Many tim^s at the end of the sea
son you sit tock and are glad its
over,” Jordan said, *Not with this
team. They had a super attitude all
year and we went through the sea
son without ever having any discip
line probelms. And, they’re doing
very well in the classroom.”
Joining McKee) and Becton on
the squad from West Craven are se
nior split end Kip Bryan, the top re
ceiver in the Coosti:! with 26 catches
and six touchdowns; junior quarter
back Kevin Holzworth, the top
passer with 1,163 yards;junior line
backer Ray Hardy; senior defensive
end Tony Bryan; senior defensive
back Adrian Cameron; and senior
split end Craig Coward.
Ihe selections of Bryan and Cow-
See GRID, Page 5
One yard, one loss
ends Eagles’ season
West Craven’s Terrence White prepares to sack Bertie quarterback Derrick Watson (11)
Mo KrechiTMl pliolo
By Mike Voss
Editor
‘One IS the loneliest number that
youil ever see."
— Three Dog Night
One yard, one win kept West Chu-
ven from continuing in the playoffs
as Bertie’s Falcons clipped the Ea
gles’ wings for a 12-9 second-round
playoff vrin last night.*
Eagle quarterback Kevin Holz-
worth’s keeper fell a yard short on a
fourth-and-six from the Falcon’s
17-yard line with 32 seconds left in
the game. Holzworth appeared to be
headed for the first down but was
tripped up a yard short at the 12.
Bertie took over on downs and on
fourth-and-10 from the 12 Falcon
punter Mike White ran out of the
end zone to give the Eagles a safety
and bring them within three at 12-9.
Holzworth sent his receivers
down field three times but none of
his passes connected.
The Falcons ran juMlantly to
midfield while the Eagles wMked
quietly off the field.
The Falcon defense shut down the
vaunted Eagle running attack and
tailback Lee Becton. Becton, who
missed three days of school with a
virus, was heldto 66yardson 17car-
ries. Other Eagle runners were held
to a total of minu8-20 yards rushing.
Holzworth connected on eight of 16
passes for 120 yards.
Bertie improved to 11-1 while the
Eagles end the season at 11-1.
*We never could get our offense
established,” said Eagle head coach
Clay Jordan. ‘We had some things
that worked but not well enough.”
‘Bertie has some good athletes on
defense and they made the plays
they had to make,” said Jordsm.
*They were a little quicker than we
thought.”
Despite the loss, Jordan was
pleased with his team’s effort in the
final period. ‘Most football teams
would have quit down 12-0,” said
Jordan. This game as far as we ere
concerned does not diminish the
season,” said Jordan, whose charges
won the conference title for the first
time in five years.
‘This was a close one. We beat a
good team. It’s a shame anyone had
to lose this game,” said Bertie head
coach Spencer White. They took the
momentum from us with that long
pass in the fourth quarter. We had a
tough time getting it bock.
*Th{s was a big win for us. They
were saying Bertie couldn’t get past
the second round as we have been
matched up with Havelock,” said
White. ‘Ill er\joy this one until ab
out 12 noon tomorrow.”
White said the key to the game
was Mike White’s 48-yard touch
down run in the third quarter that
put Bertie up 12-0.
There were some many key
plays” on defense, said White. The
defense played go^ in the first half.
We held them deep in our territory
Sec EAGLES, Page 6