•V
Wofford Eyes Three Seniors"
College Recruiters Interested Li KM Players
with the high school and college football
seasons rapidly coming to a close, the college
recruiters soon will begin beating paths to the
doors of the high school standouts In hopes of
getting their signatures on a grant-ln-ald.
Several colleges have expressed an Interest In
some of Kings Mountain High's top grid per
formers.
Of the 10 senior members of the squad, three
have alreacty been sought out by Wofford College
and there’s a good chance the Terriers will have a
Kings Mountain flavor next season.
Wofford’s high on quarterback Mike
Bumgarner, halfback Richard Roes and safety
William Thompson. Bumgarner, a three-year
starter at quarterback for the Mountaineers, Is
hoping Instead for an appointment to West Point.
“I think there’s a good chance he’ll get the
ai^lntment,” says Coach Bobby Jones of the
Mountaineers, "and If he gets It, he’s hoping to
play football there.’’
If things work out, Bumgarner could be
throwing passes for former Davidson coach,
Homer Smith, one of the best In the nation In
coaching quarterbacks.
Four Juniors at KMHS are already getting their
names mentioned to college recruiters and were
recently Invited to Chapel Hill for a University of
North Carolina game. Of course, the recruiters
can’t approach those players personally until
after their senior year.
Those four standouts who are sure to get a
major college grant Include linebackers Bruce
Valentine and Scott Ellis, guard Kelly Land and
tackle David Oordon. They’re four of the top
college prospects turned out at KMHS In many
years.
4.^GM!y
fTeWhRT
with the playoffs nearing completion, the All-
Conference teams wlU soon be annoimced, and
you can bet many deserving players will be
omitted. Chances are, some deserving KMHS
players will be left off the AU-SWC team.
These would be my nominations for AU-SWC
from KMHS:
—Linebackers Bruce Valentine and Scott Ellis,
the best two linebackers In the league and the
mainstays of the KM defense which held five of Its
first six opponents to under 100 yards total of
fense.
—David Gordon, a two-way performer at
tackle, one of the league’s better blockers and a
defensive terror.
—Quarterback Mike Bumgarner, one of the
league’s better passers, but one who didn’t have
the best receivers In the world. But, more Im
portant, he was a great field general who gave up
perscmal glory for the good of the team, and It paid
off with an 8-2 record.
—TaUback Kenny BeU, KM’s bread-and-butter
runner who was the number two rusher In the
SWC.
Tim Spicer, one of KM’s best defensive players
and one of the most underrated players In the
SWC.
—Defensive back Richard Ross, a good comer-
back and one of the league’s best runners In the
second half of the season.
-linebacker-fullback David Ray Robinson,
Just a sc^homore but one of the best aU-round
players In the league.
—Offensive tackle Mark Moore, one of the
league’s best blockers and (me of the most
dedicated footbaU players you’U ever see.
—Guard Kelly Land, the son of a preacherman
but an all-out defensive terror during the 48
minutes of a f(x>tball game.
And, along with the All-Conference teams, the
SWC coaches choose the coach and player of the
year. Picking the player of the year wlU be tough,
because there weren’t that many pe(^le that stood
out over the rest, but <di<x>slng the league’s top
coach should be easy.
That honor should go to John Keeter at Chase,
who took a team that wasn’t picked to be even a
winner to a share of the SWC title. But not to be
overlooked were some accomplishments of
several others. Including;
Bobby Jones of Kings Mountain, whose team
made the biggest Improvement of any In the
league, going from a 4-5-1 record In ’76 to an 8-2
mark this year. The Mountaineers weren’t
regarded as a (»ntender, either, but they led the
league for the first six weeks and were In the
running for the league title throughout the seascm.
Ron Hendrix, R-S Central, another coach who
took a lowly-regarded team and turned It Into a
winner. And his team solved a tie-breaking vote
for first place by upsetting South Point 26-20 In the
season’s finale and giving the title to Shelby and
Chase.
Gerald Allen, the Shelby mentor, who did his
usual good Job of leading the Lions to another title.
Shelby had only f(xir players back from last year’s
team but Allen took a bunch of sc^homores and
Juniors and built them Into a champion.
Richard Powell, Cherryvllle, who took a small
but spirited C!herry vllle team and came out with a
6-6 record. Anytime Cherryvllle goes 6-6 In a
league as tough as the SWC, the coaching staff has
done a remarkable Job.
And, player of the year:
Several players come to mind, but, as
previously mentioned, none st(x>d head and
shoulders above the rest. There were several
great players In the SWC, but consider some of
these (starUng with KMHS products):
Bruce Valentine and Kelly Land, for reasons
already mentlcmed.
Alan Stroud of Chase, a quarterback who t(x>k
over for the Injured Ron Weathers after the
Trojans’ 8-7 loss to Kings Mountain, and led the
Chase team to eight straight victories and a share
of the league title.
Keith Crenshaw, Chase running back and the
SWC’s leading rusher with over 1,000 yards.
Quarterback Robert Kirkpatrick and halfback
Anthony Webber of Shelby, who picked the Lions
up after two early-season defeats and led them to
another SWC crown.
Mitch Painter of South Point, like Valentine and
Land, one of the top defensive players in the
league.
Steve Buff of Cherryvllle, a halfback on both
offense and defense, the league’s top punter with a
42-yard per kick average.
fjjr-
EVE OPENER — These tiro Kluge Moantaln High
returning starters are eyeing Monday night’s lorlm-
mage irlth Glover and Wednesday’s Southwestern
conference home opener against R-S Central. At left Is
Junior Oayla Roberts, the number two scorer a year
^0
ago, and right is senior Susan Mltobom, who is etarthig
for the Mountainettes for the fourth year iu a row.
ADtchem has led the team In scoring since her
sophomore year.
Temperatures Rising
WINSTON-SALEM Re-.
member that television
show of a few years ago
called "Temperatures
Rising?’’ It laughed Itself
out of the ratings and off
the air but will be replaced
this weekend by a new
aeries that will sometimes
be seen on television,
sometimes not, with a plot
that follows seven basket
ball coaches through the
terror of an Atlantic Coast
Conference season.
The first act unfolds this
weekend against the back
drop of the -Oreenaboro
Coliseum when Wake
Forest, Duke, North (3sro-
'Una, and North Carolina
State collide In a sweet
fory known as the Big Four
Tournament. All
I characters Involved have
serious questions about the
timing of Act One.
In the past, the early
part of the ACC basketball
a<diedule has been devoted
to tuning up for the post-
Chrlatmas rush, but not In
. 1078. The drama has been
orchestrated In such a
manner that all watchers
will have an early cardiac
exercise before March and
the ACC tournament. But
for the coaches there are
major questions about the
script.
How do you get a finely
tuned cast ready for such
an opening? How im
portant will be the Big
Four be In establishing
momentum, an early
favorite In the race, or the
ultimate outcome? How
will rookies fare under
such Immediate exposure?
How well prepared will the
teams be? And will the cri
tics expect midseason
form?
No crystal ball, no ar
dent fan, no writer, no
coach; and no player can
answer these questions
regardless of how heavily
they may weigh on the
minds of league mentors.
Sixne coaches are saying
It’s good to have the tour
ney early to get It out of the
way. Others say It comes
BY PAT GAINEY
too early for untested
teams. There are too many
unsolved personnel ques
tions says one coach.
Another says It's an Ideal
baptism under fire for
their players, especially
newcomers.
In the final analysis the
coaches are saying "We
don’t know what to ex
pect." The tourney results
do not figure Into the
regular season standings
and that’ll be a blessing for
those who leave Tluuiks-
glvlng weekend without
guttering hardware. The
winning (x>ach most
assuredly will be h(q)lng
they have established an
early psychological edge
that could be a factor later
In the season.
Regardless of how the
foumey ends we will see
the scheduled reiq)pear-
ance of that unlqiue In
dividual known as the ACC
fan. For him the rivalries
bom long ago will return
with fresh fuel for the fires.
Through It all he will relish
the sweet agony of yet
another ACC season and
that alone will make It
Thanksgiving weekend
times 16.
Somewhere next
weekend there wlU be a
happy coach, two who are
concerned, and one who
WlU perhaps head back to
the drawing board. Still,
the questions wUl linger for
all and there wlU be no
answers until the dust
clears again at the Greens
boro CoUseum on March 6.
Have a happy, safe, and
sane Thanksgiving
weekend.
Cagers Eye Openers
Kings Mountain High
bsusketbaU coaches, Kathy
Brooks and Jcdin Blalock,
wlU get a clumce to see
their cagers In game
conditions Monday night
vrtien they travel to Clover
far a scrlmnmge with the
Blue Eagles.
Both KMHS chibs have
been practicing a month
for their Southwestern
Conference opener next
Wednesday night against
R-S Central. That twlnblll,
beginning at 6:80, Is set for
the KMHS gym.
Both local coaches are In
their first year as head
mentors here. Mrs. Brooks
coached last year at
Alleghany High School In
^liarta suid Blalock, who
was head coach at Com
pact for several years, was
the KMHS Jayvee coach.
Both teams have seversd
returning starters off
teams that posted ivlnnlng
records a year ago, so
chances tor wining seasons
appear good.
The Mountolnettes wlU
sport one of the league’s
top performen In senior
Susan Mltchem, who has
been the KMHS scoring
leader since her
sophomore season. She
wu also the team’s most
valuable player Ust year.
Mrs. Brooks’ main
problem wUl be replacing
last year's senior leaders,
Cheryl Luts and Elizabeth
Eaker. But some of last
year’s reserves smd some
promising sophomores up
from the Junior high team
look like they’re capable of
fUllng the need.
Oayla Roberts, a junior,
returns to a starting spot
and with Mltchem fonn
one of the top 1-2 scoring
punches In the SWC. Also
returning Is Junior center
Judy Henderson, who was
the team’s best reboundsr
and number three scorer
last year.
Sherry Ingram, who
started last year beforo
being lost for the seaaim
because of an Injury, has
been sparkling In early-
season drills and Mrs.
Brooks says she has «ieo
been Impressed with ths_
play of s<9homor«8 Angle
Hickman and Priscilla
RIckenbacker. Phyllis
Mack, a part-time starter
last year, has also looked
good.
SPORTS
Wednesday, NovemBet::^24, 1976
A pair of six-footers,
FeUcla Bristol and
Deborah Hayes, should tlU
In well for Henderson
under the boards.
’’Everybody’s real
excited,” says Coach
Brooks, "and we’re
anxious to get the season
started.”
The Mountaineers return
three stsuters from last
year’s team which finished
second In the regular
season SWC chase under
Coach Allen Dixon.
William Thompson, who
has been starting tor the
Mcxintles since his fresh
man season, should rank
among the top scorers and
rebounders in the league,
but Coach Blalock Is
counting on several others
to give KMHS a balanced
attack.
One who has looked
exceptionally well thus far
IMS bean M William Lock
hart, a transfer from
Crest. His presence was
needed greatly under the
boards.
Eddie Ingram, a
returnee, should give the
Mcnintalneers the outside
scoring they need to keep
the oiq>oslng defenses from
double-teaming Thompson
suid Lockhart, and Coach
Blalock says he’s been
amazed with the Im
provement of center Bobby
Odoms, who was a play
time starter last winter.
Sophomores Glenn Ellis
and Vernon Bell, who
helped lead KM Junior
High to an undefeated
season and the Foothills
Conference crown last
seson, have been Impres
sive and will probably
crack the starting unit.
Alan Clonlnger, Terry
McClain, Jeff Prescott,
and others, should give the
Mountles adequate bench
■tzangth.
1 r >
-
I'.iiiaw
Blalock, who coached
one state champion at
Compact, has as his goal to
return the Mountaineers to
the success they enjoyed In
the late 106O’s and early
I970’a, when they won
three SWC tides in four
years under Don Parker
and Bobby Hussey. During
those championship
seasons the Mountles had
records of 20-1,26-1, and 28-
1, once going to the
Western N. C. High Schools
Activities Association
finsds.
“We have a good
nucleus," says Blalock.
"I’ve been telling the
players I want to win 20
games and play for the
championship. I really
believe we can do It.’’
The task won’t be easy,
however. Shelby, last
year’s champion, and
Crest, which tied KM for
second place, have most of
their players returning and
several other clubs are
said to be much improved.
As for the girls race.
North Gastcm, which
breezed through the SWC
unbeaten and reached the
IVNCHSAA finals before
loelng, has four of Its
starters back and Is
regarded as a ah(x>-ln to
rM>eat In ’76-77.
By Gary Btsesmt
MIDGET QUEEN — Sonya Smith,
left. Is shown here being crowned Queen
of Ifae John Henry Moss Football Classic
by Mayor Moss. Sonya will crown this
year’s queen Saturday at Gamble
Stadium during halftime of the midget
game between Kin^ Mountain and Long
Island, N. Y.