Calling All Aspiring or Established Sports Photogs

Courtesy Don Callahan

The DFBFan can use your help and in the process we'll give you a visible outlet to present your work on BCF4S!  I've never considered myself to be solid at photography.  Instead, I'm just one of the majority that finds myself looking at what the folks with the 'eye' and skills produce in the moment with their cameras and simply marvel.  Since we began the blog heading into the 2010 prep football season we've been especially grateful to a number of outlets and individuals that have been incredibly generous in allowing BCF4S to use their work as an impacting visual complement to the posts we've written.  Words can only say so much and I'm smart enough to know that a great picture can mean so much more.

Throughout last season we were fortunate to have the resources of the News & Observer prep sports photographic contingent on board, and as we did last season, we'd like to extend our thanks once again to those that provided us with that incredible opportunity.  In a few words, their work is incredible!  The photographs that many of us see on that Saturday morning after Friday Night Lights in the morning edition, accompanied with many more incredible shots on-line, are some of the best you'll find and we were fortunate to have the opportunity to provide another outlet to highlight the hard work of the staff.  For those that may not be aware of the vast on-line repository that the N&O has at their website, follow the link that follows to start looking at some of their most recent work [Link to Recent Millbrook Official Practice Photographs].  You'll notice that any of the photographs you see can be purchased - so be sure to check the N&O's site out each new week as there is a great chance you'll find that incredible shot that would be great on the wall or desk.

We've also been blessed to have the opportunity to utilize photographs from Don Callahan.  Recently, especially in our Beast of the Hill articles [Article One, Article Two], you've seen a number of incredible shots of members from the PAC-6 and the visual impact has been impressive in adding to the content we've tried to provide to our readership.  We look forward to our continued relationship with Don and hope that you will enjoy these photographs as much as we do when we are putting together our posts.

Earlier this summer we also had the opportunity to work with Dallas Jackson of Rivals.com and Marques Burnett of iHigh.com and both provided us the opportunity to use some of their photographs of both Hillside and Southern Durham at the Byrnes passing tournament.  As more teams from the local area engage in regional and national events I'm sure that both Dallas and Marques will cross paths with our local prep student-athletes and we'll look forward to working with them to bring that visual element to the local fans and supporters back here in North Carolina.

Finally, we'd like to thank some local individuals including Jeff Clark over at Jordan High School for providing us with a few photographs from their recent Holt Foundation Passing Tournament Championship.

As much as we deeply appreciate the opportunity that each of these sources provided over this past year and in some cases will continue to provide, we find ourselves moving into the 2011 prep season with the prospect that our resources overall will be much fewer than what we had this time last year.  It is at this crossroads that we call on any aspiring or perhaps established sports photographers for your support.  Whether it's a hobby or something that is financially your cornerstone, we could use your help!  If you would be interested in allowing BCF4S to use your work in association with the various stories we create throughout the year, then feel free to contact the DFBFan at durhamfbfan@gmail.com for additional information.

Again, thanks to all those that helped in the past and a special thanks to those that are continuing to help the blog into the future!  It is greatly appreciated!

Hillside Takes Six Slots in HSOT Pre-season All-OT

Courtesy Don Callahan

The Hillside Hornets may have lost a number of players off of the 2010 4A State Championship squad, but judging from HighSchoolOT.com's pre-season All-OT team [Link to HSOT article] it's safe to say that the reigning PAC-6 champs are simply reloading as opposed to rebuilding.  The Hornets snagged four first-team selections, the most of any area team.  The PAC-6 picked up two additional selections for a total of six out of thirty-two first team selections.  Six additional PAC-6 athletes made the second-team, with an additional six making honorable mention.

Highlighting the All-OT team from Hillside is the Defensive Player of the Year in defensive end and linebacker Jamal Marcus.  Marcus was a dominate force last season on one of the more formidable defenses in the state and has excelled throughout the off-season at a number of college camps and combine events.  Joining Marcus on the first-team are returning starter Casey Perry (offensive line) and dynamic running back Khris Francis (athlete) and one of the top returning corners in the area in Aaron Krah (defensive back).  Only Person and Jordan nabbed first-team selections in addition to the Hornets, in the form of returning starter and highly touted offensive lineman Casey Lawson (Person) and safety/wide receiver Phil Williamson from Jordan.

Southern Durham, a potential favorite this season to knock the Hornets off of the top spot, picked up three second-team selections.  All three returners are expected to lead the Spartans in their 2011 march, including two that played big roles offensively for Southern a year ago.  Wide receiver Darren Bullock and running back Akeem Judd (athlete selection) as well as defensive lineman Micah Martin secured selections on the second team.  Both Jordan and Person picked up two additional selections on the second team.  Jeff Clark, wide receiver from Jordan, will be one of the many offensive weapons the Falcons will put forth this season, while offensive lineman Spencer Carroll from Person will team up with first team selection Casey Lawson to help Coach Lou Geary in his second year as head coach in Roxboro.  Lee Williams, linebacker from Hillside, rounds out the second-team selections from the PAC-6.

Courtesy Don Callahan

Six players were selected for honorable mention from the conference.  Returning dual-threat quarterback Dorian Belcher from Southern Durham and Drew Davis, quarterback from East Chapel Hill were two of three quarterbacks selected for honorable mention.  Joining Davis from East Chapel Hill were two additional Wildcats, offensive lineman William Heine and wide receiver Alex Moore.  Another defensive back from Hillside, Keenan Stalls was selected as well as Riverside wide receiver Khourtne Whitted.  The only school in the conference to not receive any selections on the pre-season team was Northern Durham.

Breakdown of HSOT Pre-Season All-OT PAC-6 selections by school:

Hillside - 6 overall selections (4 - 1st; 1 - 2nd; 1 - HM)
Southern - 4 overall selections (3 - 2nd; 1 - HM)
East Chapel Hill - 3 overall selections (3 - HM)
Jordan - 2 overall selections (1 - 1st; 1 - 2nd)
Person - 2 overall selections (1 - 1st; 1 - 2nd)
Riverside - 1 overall selection (1 - HM)

PAC-6 Fields Five Squads in Beast of the Hill Tourney: Focus on Falcons

Courtesy Don Callahan

If you are interested in PAC-6 football, then this past Friday, the 4th Annual Beast of the Hill 7-on-7 tourney at the University of North Carolina was the place to be in attendance.  Five of the seven current members of the PAC-6 conference were participating, including Hillside, Person, Northern Durham, Jordan and East Chapel Hill. In an earlier post we discussed Hillside and their eventual run to the championship [Hillside and Wakefield Highlight UNC Beast of the Hill Tourney].  I was fortunate enough to get out in the 100 degree heat and take in most of the day and got to see a lot of squads in action including all five of the PAC-6 teams.  As I mentioned in the earlier post I was most impressed with the Hornets, but if you are fan of the PAC-6 or football in the area, then the prospect of some exciting football should make all fans excited to get the 2011 season underway.

The tournament was organized with four pods of six teams each and allowed for five games during the round-robin to establish a first and second place finisher.  The top teams from each pod were then moved to the elimination round in a four team championship.  The four second place finishers were placed in a lower level championship round to establish a second tier (lower flight) champion.  Both Hillside and East Chapel Hill moved through their pods undefeated, while Jordan tallied a 3-2 mark and both Northern Durham and Person finished at 1-4.  East Chapel Hill fell in the semifinals to Wakefield, while Jordan lost out on the chance to make either elimination bracket with a final round robin overtime loss to Hermitage High School out of Richmond, VA.  Both Northern and Person ended up near the bottom of their respective pods, but there were positives from both squads.

Jordan brought two squads to the event, an 'A' team and 'B' team comprised primarily of underclassmen and jayvee players.  The 'A' team was in a pod with eventual pod champ Hermitage (Richmond, VA), Leesville Road,  Great Bridge (Chesapeake, VA) and Northern Nash.  West Mecklenburg was also in the pod, but pulled out and provided each of the remaining five teams with a forfeit win.  The Falcons ended up 2-2 against the teams in attendance and 3-2 with the forfeit win against West Meck.  They opened up the tourney with an early morning loss to eventual lower level champ Leesville Road, 18-0 and followed it up with a 20-14 win over Great Bridge.  Prior to lunch they picked up another win against Northern Nash, 18-6, before falling in overtime to Hermitage in the final round robin game of the day.  The Falcons had a tough draw, with Leesville ending up with just one loss on the day to Hermitage in round-robin play and Hermitage going undefeated in round-robin play to eventually bow out in the semis of the championship tourney to an undefeated Hillside squad.

Falcons Soaring in Summer Events as They Prep for 2011

Courtesy J.Clark

The offseason has gradually changed over the years from a time once consumed with building the strength of the program through consistent strength work to a multi-tiered and organized season unto itself. Augmenting a typically intense strength program are extensive conditioning sessions, agility and speed work, and focused skill-development that in many cases is periodically tested throughout the summer at passing league events.  In years past, these events were primarily of the 'friendly' variety where events were held at a local school and a number of programs would convene and work what they had installed with coaches on the field and copious amounts of time allowed between reps in order to coach-up their team.  Over the past five to ten years, more 'competitive' 7-on-7's have hit the scene and it is not unusual to see schools mix up their passing league schedule with a number of the more coachable events with one or two tournament-centric events.  Although both types of event have their positives, the latter of these two events is a great way to strengthen what has been installed during the summer, while adding a bit more 'game-like' pressure and feel in a more Friday Night Lights type environment.

Throughout this summer the Jordan Falcons have been a great example of one of our area teams that has taken part in a number of passing league events, spanning both genres.  The Falcons, coming off a 7-5 campaign in 2010 where they pushed one of the top teams from Fayetteville to the brink in the first round of the playoffs, are looking to gain momentum from the performance they put forth against 71st and transfer it to the upcoming 2011 season.  The continued maturation of the 2011 Falcons has been evident in how they've worked as a cohesive unit this summer in their passing leagues.  The Falcons have participated in a number of events at local high schools, including Carrboro High and Northern Vance, as well as travelling to Greensboro for the Holt Brothers Foundation 7-on-7 and more recently the 4th Annual UNC Beast of the Hill competition.  Reports from all of the events have been positive for the Falcons as they work to adjust in many ways to the loss of an extensive senior class that was highlighted by current Tarheel, T.J. Thorpe.

One of the more impressive showings by the Falcons came just about a month ago when they participated with a number of Triad teams in Torry and Terrence Holt's Annual 7-on-7 Tournament.  More details on the Holt Foundation and associated camp and tournament can be found in a previous article [Falcons Invade Holt Brothers 7-on-7].  The Falcons, after going 4-0-1 at the Carrboro event just prior to the Holt Tourney turned in a solid performance from all accounts in posting an undefeated record and capturing the championship.  The Falcons picked up wins against George Washington Danville High School (Virginia), Greensboro Page, Eastern Guilford, Southern Alamance and Burlington Cummings.

After the event I was able to catch up with two of the rising seniors for the Falcons, Jeff Clark and Nick Drew.  Clark will be one of the wide receivers stepping into a more prominent role offensively with the departure of Thorpe, while Drew will be looking to lock-down half of the field as one of the cornerbacks on the Falcons roster.