Bertie High School • Bethel Assembly Christian Academy • Lawrence Academy • Bertie Middle School
Sports
JL WEDNESDAY-JUNE 21,2017
Inside:
I School news
Church News
■ Classifieds
Fourth and Lo
S Cowan realizes his dream
Local product joins LA teammates at Chowan
David Friedman
McGregor-
Mayweather
musings
It was announced
last week that the
much discussed and
highly-anticipated
Connor McGregor ver
sus Floyd Mayweather
fight will happen in
August. Somehow, I
am both shocked and
not at all surprised.
I am shocked that
McGregor will accept
a fight that even he
must know he prob
ably won’t win.
The UFC champion
would be a favorite to
win if they were fight
ing in the octagon; i
however, he will take
on Mciyweather in a
boxing match.
If Floyd were an aver
age professional box
er, I think McGregor
would have his hands
full. Instead, May-
weather is undefeated
with 49 professional
wins. He has taken on
and beaten some of
the biggest names in
boxing, men who have
spent their entire lives
training in this one
sport.
McGregor has sure
ly had some boxing
training but not nearly
enough to warrant an
opportunity to take on
a man many still con
sider to be the best
pound-for-pound box
er on the planet.
Fiscally, it makes
perfect sense, or
should I say cents.
Every time May-'
weather fights, he
makes more money,
and while McGregor
may prove to be his
least challenging op
ponent, he may also
turn out to be his most
profitable one.
While Connor is a
good fighter, he is a
great talker and I phe
nomenal promoter.
The trash talking
that I expect to go
back-and-forth be
tween these two guys
over the next two
months will most like
ly be far more enter
taining than anything
that happens in the
ring.
The fact that one
fighter is white cmd
the other is black will
certainly help.
Anyone that doesn’t
See FOURTH, B2
From Staff Reports
MERRY HILL - Chowan
University’s baseball
program has picked up
another local product.
Slade Cowan, a first
baseman/pltcher for
Lawrence Academy, re
cently signed to play for
the Hawks.
Cowan, who is from
Ahoskie, will join for
mer LA teammates Ty
ler Jones and Jarrett
Harrell at Chowan.
“Chowan is appealing
to me as a school be
cause of its size,” Cow
an said. “It’s a smaller
university, so the class
room size will be small
er and more one-on-one,
which appeals to me.
“I have always liked
the smaller setting, and
I also like the fact that I
am going to be close to
home,” he added. “We
are very fortunate to
have such a great col
lege in our small, rural
area.”
Cowan said Chowan
was his only choice
since he was 10 years
old.
“I have been asked
by several (colleges)
to come work out with
their school and take
tours of different cam
puses,” he said. “But it
was never a thought. I
applied to Chowan and
Chowan only.”
He continued, “Since
the 10-year-old boy
working with the Chow-
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Lawrence Academy first baseman/pitcher Slade Cowan (seated, center) flanked by his parents, Brad and Jeana, signed June
5 to play baseball at Chowan University. Joining him were (back row, from left) LA baseball coach Jason Wynne and athletic
director Lee Hoffman.
an University baseball
player, that was my goal
and dream and it nev
er swayed. That right
there should tell you
how great of a school it
is.”
Cowan ended his se
nior season with solid
numbers.
He batted .384 and
owned a slugging per
centage of .515. He
drove in 23 runs and
scored 20 times.
On the mound, he
was 3-0 with an earned-
run average of 1.30 with
two saves and 25 strike
outs.
Cowan has played
baseball since he was 5
years old, and along the
way, he has received
much support and guid
ance.
While he said he al
ways worked hard at it,
he admitted he didn’t
have the God-given tal
ent.
“I’ve always had to
work hard to succeed,”
he said.
At the age of 10, Cow
an had his parents con
tact the Chowan coach
at the time and inquire
about individual tut-
ledge. That’s when Bri
an Hill entered his life.
“The first day I met
him at the Chowan field,
I was in awe, like a kid at
Christmas,” Cowan said.
“From that day until
this one, my childhood
dream and goal turned
into being good enough
to go to Chowan and
play on their baseball
team.”
Hill remained a men
tor to Covvan through
high school, when an
other Chowan player -
Tyler Burden - became
an influence when Cow
an watched Burden at
Chowan.
In meeting head coach
Taylor Furlough, Cowan
felt a bond he saw as
family.
Jones had hunted and
fished with Cowan for
years, and were team
mates and opponents.
When Jones decided
to sign with Chowan
last year, “that was the
icing on the cake,” Cow
an said.
“Tyler is a pusher
See COWAN, B2
YMCA FLAG FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS
JIM GREEN / Bertie Ledger-Advance
Members of the Tigers, the Bertie County YMCA flag football champions in the 10-13-year-old age group, are (from left,
front row) Jaylen Matthewson and Justin Dameron; (second row) Makhi Watford, Zylee Bazemore, Darrell Harrell Jr.,
Jamari Brockers and Jhameik Bond; (third row) Coach Kelvin Outlaw.
Football
camp set
for July
From Staff Reports
WINDSOR - It’s set.
Bertie High School
will hold a youth foot
ball camp from 9 a.m.-12
noon July 26-27 at Roy
L. Bond Jr. Stadium.
The cost is $20, and all
of the funds raised from
the camp will go to the
Bertie football program
and the Bertie County
YMCA.
, All campers will have
the opportunity to work
with Bertie High School
and YMCA football
coaches, as well as cur
rent and former players
from BHS.
Campers with asthma
are asked to bring their
inhalers to camp.
For more information,
call BHS Football Coach
Grantley Mizelle at 252-
794-3034 or Bertie Coun
ty YMCA Director Casey
Owens at 252-794-9622.
DUCK THRU A
Duck Thru Food Stores congratulates
this week’s Athlete of the Week.
f
I
'oil & PROPANE
Female
Athlete of
the Year
BHS
Sha’Nidra Outlaw
Female Athlete
of the Year
7^