Athletics

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Warriors’ win over Harrells Christian means they walk away as state champions

By C. Jemal Horton, The Independent Tribune Photos by Rob Walley, Sr.

HARRELLS – The turnaround is complete.

The program that won two games just a few seasons ago has its state championship.

On Friday night, the Cabarrus Warriors won a back-and-forth duel against highly regarded Harrells Christian Academy, 3431, avenging an earlier loss to the Crusaders to claim the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II title. The Warriors (10-2) only came into existence three years ago when Cannon School and Concord Academy surprisingly combined to build the co-op football program.

After going 2-8 in their maiden season, the Warriors lifted their helmets as state champions Friday night, celebrating with busloads of fans who made the trip, all on Harrells’ Murphy-Johnson Field at Gary Lewis Athletic Complex. As the seconds wound down from the scoreboard minutes earlier, second-year Warriors head coach Jamie Bolton began to realize what might have been the unimaginable back in 2019 had become the program’s new reality.

“It’s kind of hard to put into words,” Bolton said during a telephone interview with the Independent Tribune.

“We’re down there, and we know we’ve got it sealed up after (converting) a big third-and-1. We knew that we had won the game. And to watch our fans, to watch our families, to watch our kids with the biggest smiles on their faces and to watch those seniors play their last football game was amazing.”

Second-year Coach Jamie Bolton gives the team a congratulatory message after the win.

“They were on this team two years ago, and nobody gave them a shot. To do what we’ve done this year, we may be the best story in private-school football history.”

The Warriors’ title is the first state championship for a Cabarrus County private-school football team since 2011, when Concord Academy (then known as Concord First Assembly) took the NCISAA Division II crown.

Moving into such elite company was not a simple accomplishment in the state championship, especially since the Warriors were facing Harrells (11-2), a team that has beaten them twice over the last two seasons – once in last year’s state semifinals, and once this year to hand Cabarrus its first loss of the season. But victory ensued, and the Cabarrus players first stormed the field in exaltation, but then they ran over to the fence to their rabid fans to celebrate.

“It’s an incredible feeling,” said Warriors senior linebacker Josh Reid. “Just winning it with my brothers, means everything. We worked so hard for this. Since, like, May, we’ve been going at it every day.

“I don’t even know what to say. I’m just speechless. I’m just so proud of all the seniors, all the coaches. I was here when we went 2-8. It’s been a heck of a journey. It’s just been a real good ride.”

During a phone conversation on the bus ride back to Concord, Bolton took inventory of what the Warriors had accomplished this season.

They had taken the hard road to glory. The Warriors only lost twice this season, home games to Indian Trail Metrolina Christian and Harrells, but they had to go through both those teams in the postseason to win their state title.

It was the perfect way to end the season, the perfect way to put 2-8 in the distant past. “The way things have been for this program, we were kind of on the rise last year, and this year we had all the expectations,” Bolton said. “But to do it the way that we did this year, where Metrolina beat you at home, Harrells beat you at home ... and then having to play Metrolina (in the second round) and beat them in a close one, having to go to Harrells and beat them in a close one, nobody can ever say anything different.

“We were glad the brackets worked out the way that they did, where Harrells was down (to Division II), because if we had won a state championship any other way, people would have said, ‘Well, if Harrells was down, they would have beat you.’ Well, they WERE down, and we beat THEM at THEIR place.

“For us, it was the greatest opportunity in the world, and our kids made the most of their opportunity.”

The Cabarrus Warriors took home their first-ever state championship this past November— an amazing milestone for an incredible team!

After the victory, fans (two busloads full!) swarmed the field to congratulate the players.

Cougar senior basketball players pose together.

Chase Erdin ’23 skillfully takes on an opponent. Our state championship football team is celebrated with a banner ceremony in January.

Kenan Bullard ’25 and Fiona Chen ’23 rally the crowd at the Homecoming game.

Phenix Brown ’25 was part of an excellent Aquacougs team.

Mary Patrick Folds ’22 gets an early lead at a cross-country race at McAlpine Park.

Dylan Kellman ’22 leads his JrK buddy, Grant Robinson ’35 at the start of soccer’s Senior Night. Cougar senior basketball players pose together.

Many thanks to Rob Walley, Sr. for these incredible photos!

Girls’ varsity volleyball enjoyed an excellent 12-1 season.

Coming Back Home

Cannon is more than just a school, we are a community.

Sydney Ross Manager of Alumni and Alumni Parent Relations Cannon is more than just a school, we are a community. It continues to be home for new students every year, with more and more Cannon alumni headed out in the world. Yet nothing has demonstrated just how connected to Cannon our alumni are than this past January.

The first week after winter break, eighteen alumni came back home to share their expertise with our Upper School students during Winterm. Winterm, which began in 2014, is a week-long program for students to experience different interests and try things outside their comfort zones. Our first and second-year experiences saw Joseph Hurtado ’20 donning a Spider-Man costume, helping students prep for court in Rebecca Eury’s “Superhero Justice” course where they explored what laws superheroes would be subject to under U.S. law. In Laura Huffman’s “Star Wars for Storytellers,” students heard from Patrick Dodds ’19 and Griffin Jones ’20, two current film students, as they analyzed the film Star Wars: A New Hope and how it follows Joseph Campbell’s work, The Hero’s Journey.

During the junior experience, students got to jump into different career areas such as business and law, STEM, the arts, social sciences, medicine, and more. This is where our alumni shined, offering their career insights and knowledge. Barclay Sparrow ’13 shared stories and lessons from her career in the Broadway theater industry, opening the imaginations of our arts students to the multitude of career possibilities, while Joel Marburger ’19 toured the STEM students around the Concord Airport to discuss flying, private lessons, ground school, and more. Alexandria Mills ’17 gave valuable insight into the law school application process and expectations of being an L1 student at Wake Forest Law School and Eric Fromke ’14 prepped our students to understand the med school experience with his time in med school at UNC Chapel Hill.

While each of these interactions was a smaller piece of the whole week for our students, the impact will last far beyond. It’s the relationships and experiences like these that make Cannon home to so many and we look forward to welcoming more alumni back as we continue to make history.

Manager of Alumni and Alumni Parent Relations

Brandon Wade ’15

Joseph Hurtado ’20 Barclay Sparrow ’13

Patrick Dodds ’19 and Griffin Jones ’20

Alexandria Mills ’17 Kevin Ross ’12 Hailey Foreman ’13

Joel Marburger ’19 Paul Anderson ’13

THIS IS HOME

We asked our alumni…why does Cannon School still feel like home to you? #YouALWAYSBelongHere

“Knowing everyone on a somewhat personal level is so subconsciously supporting, and I didn’t realize that until I left. I could tell you a fun fact about every one of my peers and teachers! The power of knowing people is ‘home.’”

— Chloe Winchester ’21 “Cannon is home for me because on top of all the amazing friends and faculty I had there, I also had my whole family there, too. I was lucky enough to have both parents work at Cannon and my siblings attend Cannon as well. I loved getting to be around my family all the time; my mom was my swim coach and my dad was my math teacher and track coach. Cannon was home for all of us!”

“I met lifelong friends at Cannon, and we frequently reminisce on our shared memories. Whenever I come back to campus it feels like nothing has changed, and I look forward to seeing and catching up with former teachers!”

— Hailey Foreman ’13

— Jane Campbell ’12

“Cannon was where I made my first friends in North Carolina with whom I’m still close to this day. The school gave me the support system I needed as a teenager to grow and develop into the man I am now.”

“Cannon helped me fall back in love with learning. It’s full of so many faculty and staff members I consider friends, mentors, and role models.” — Zack Olguin ’17

— Sam Clemence ’08 “Although I have unique memories from 2004 as a student and 2010 as a teacher, there have been changes at Cannon and in my life since those times. Still, I feel at home and accepted when I’m on campus.” — Eddie Alcorn ’04

"Cannon is home because it brought me lifelong friendships, valuable lessons learned, and memories that I will hold onto forever." — Erin Mason ’16

“Attending Cannon was a life-altering experience that allowed me to flourish academically and individually by equipping me with the confidence to strive for excellence in every avenue of life. The genuine love and support expressed by my classmates and teachers still keep me anchored during difficult times and I am eternally grateful for the unique community that I was a part of building.”

— Nehmiah Broadie ’20

"Cannon School is home because of the faculty and staff who give the students a sense of belonging by being some of the most influential, caring, and kind individuals out there. They create safe spaces, cultivate community, and celebrate each student."

— Sydney Wood ’21

“With many of the faculty from 2008 still on campus and alumni in the community, every interaction feels very familiar, even after fourteen years.”

— Colin York ’08

“Cannon has always felt like home to me. It’s a place where you feel loved, supported, and celebrated. Throughout high school, especially once my dad began working as an English teacher, Cannon quickly became my safe space where I had family and teachers who were so dedicated to watching us succeed and grow.”

— Zoë Smith ’19

“Cannon School is home to me because I know that there are teachers, past and present, who will always be there to support me on my journey through life.”

— Rachel Cooke ’20

“Cannon is home to me because it is where I met friends that I will love for the rest of my life; they are now, and forever will be, my family.” — Vicky Bruce ’12