Athletics

Despite the heat, Drake Griffith ’21 manages a smile and thumbs up at a cross-country race.

Cannon Athletics

Although it wasn’t always easy, we managed to continue athletic contests throughout the fall and winter. Here are a few highlights, courtesy of photographer Rob Walley.

Courtney Nix ’23 goes for the kill. Courtney, along with Taylor Geist ’21 and Meghan Schreck ’22, were named CISAA 1st Team All-Conference. Meghan was also the CISAA Player of the Year!

Victor Lopez ’24 looks to pin an opponent.

Brayson Wilson ’23 heads downfield during a game against Metrolina Christian. DJ Nix ’22 looks for a teammate at a game against Covenant Day.

The Class of ’21 girls basketball players celebrate on Senior Night.

A Warriors Awakening: Young Cabarrus private-school team wins first conference title, wants more

BY C. JEMAL HORTON, INDEPENDENT TRIBUNE

CONCORD – As the 2020 high school football season dawned for the Cabarrus Warriors, first-year coach Jamie Bolton had a good feeling about his inexperienced team.

But what the underclassmen-laden Warriors did this year surprised even the optimistic Bolton.

After a victory over High Point Christian, the Warriors clinched the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Piedmont Conference championship.

This is no small feat for the program featuring players from Cannon School and Concord Academy. It’s the first title for the Warriors, who are in their second year as a combined team, while neither Cannon nor Concord Academy has ever won a conference football crown.

“It’s been a wild run,” said Bolton, a Gastonia native. “It’s been fantastic.”

Cabarrus set the tone this year when it opened with a comefrom-behind victory over North Raleigh Christian (21-14) and then a rout of Covenant Day (31-3), both in home games at Randy Marion Field.

The Warriors sustained a mighty blow when they went down to Georgia’s Rabun Gap Nacoochee, minus five starters, and came back with a 49-0 defeat. But they bounced back impressively against Indian Trail Metrolina Christian the following week, taking a 24-21 victory.

“I thought that was one of the biggest games of the year to see where we were because we’re a young team,” Bolton said. “I wanted to see how we matched up against some good competition. It took both sides of the ball and special teams to win that one, but our guys put the Rabun Gap game behind them and played well.”

On Oct. 30, the Warriors had to face High Point Christian – which, like Cabarrus, was 2-0 in conference play—in a game that would decide the Piedmont Conference title. And they answered the call.

In a hard-fought contest that saw the pendulum of momentum swing back and forth, the Warriors rebounded

with a narrow 28-27 win over High Point Christian. The game featured a pair of rushing scores by freshman Will Jones and an interception return for a touchdown by junior defensive lineman Ashton Cunningham. In addition, freshman quarterback Tyler Green hit senior Zach Kellman for a touchdown.

The Warriors’ coach beamed with pride after his team secured its first conference crown.

“They’ve never been in this position before,” Bolton said of his players. “Before we played High Point, they’d never competed for a conference title, but they showed up.”

One thing that’s been evident about the 2020 Warriors is that they aren’t afraid of tough circumstances. It’s a characteristic Bolton said he noticed as the players convened in the preseason, not long after he arrived from a successful stint as an offensive assistant at much bigger public-school programs in South Carolina.

Still, Bolton has been amazed by what he’s seen take place within his still-new program.

“I’ve never been around a group like this before,” the coach said. “We’ve got a lot of freshman that are resilient; they play very hard. We’re also starting four sophomores, and those guys have stepped up each and every time and played hard and made some big plays.”

“Our receiver, Max Riley, had 146 yards off seven catches against Metrolina—as a freshman. We’ve had several guys step up like that. Tyler has been very consistent. Will Jones has got six touchdowns on the ground.”

Bolton said there’s a reason the team is ahead of schedule with its goals, and it isn’t just about football.

“It’s a testament to not only our freshmen but also to our leadership from our seniors,” Bolton said. “Michael Dickens, Zach Kellman – those seniors are very good leaders for our young group. And the way those groups have merged this year, I think, is kind of the story of our team. The older guys have kind of taken our younger guys under their wings and provided that leadership we’ve needed down the stretch.”

Myriad Warriors have played key roles for the team.

Green is among the state leaders as a quarterback, passing for 1,124 yards and six touchdowns, while Jones has been a workhorse at running back and linebacker. Riley leads the team with 20 catches for 342 yards and two touchdowns, followed by Kellman (17 for 255 with a touchdown), Jones (15 for 142) and Gavin Powell (14 for 141 and a touchdown).

Defensively, Jack Schultz leads the Warriors with 32 tackles, including seven for loss, and is tied for the team high with six sacks. Myles Stradford has three sacks, while Cunningham, Randy Marion III and Jackson Scurlock have registered two sacks apiece.

Cunningham, Joshua Reid, Gavin Powell and Eli Snodgrass all have an interception, while Frood (three), Dickens (three) and Powell lead the team in deflected passes.

It’s all been a recipe for a conference title, and Bolton hopes it could lead to something more once the postseason begins.

“I can’t speak enough to the resilience of our football team,” Bolton said. “There have been some ups and downs. We’ve won some games that were tough and still put ourselves in a position to be conference champion, so I’m really excited about our young football team.”

CONGRATULATIONS

Coach Jamie Bolton!

Piedmont Athletic Conference Coach of the Year 2020 Record (5-3) (4-0) 2020 PAC Conference Champions NCISAA Division II State Semifinals