Countdown to Kickoff l August 2019

preview o h t p e d n i Your

f Nor thern and Nor thwest Guilford High Schools’ fall 2019 football seas

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IN THIS ISSUE Meet the football teams and coaches 2019 game schedules 2018 season results Meet the cheerleaders and coaches Meet the band directors and drum majors

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2019 GAME SCHEDULE

2018 RESULTS Northwest Vikings Northern Nighthawks Northwest Guilford High School

Northern Guilford High School

2019 GAME SCHEDULE

2019 GAME SCHEDULE

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION Aug. 23 ..........Smith.....................................Away • 35-12 (W) Aug. 30 ..........Western Guilford .................. Home Sept. 6 ............Southeast Guilford .................Away Sept. 13 ..........Northern Guilford ..................Away Sept. 20 ..........Southwest ............................ Home Homecoming Oct. 4 .............Reagan ............................... Home Oct. 11............Page.................................... Home Oct. 18 ...........Grimsley .............................. Home Oct. 25 ...........Ragsdale ...............................Away Nov. 1 .............High Point Central ................Away Nov. 8 .............Asheboro ...............................Away

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION Aug. 23 ..........Grimsley ................................Away • 34-0 (L) Aug. 30 ..........Page......................................Away • 7 p.m. start Sept. 6 ............Ragsdale ............................. Home Sept. 13 ..........Northwest Guilford............... Home Homecoming Sept. 27 ..........McMichael .......................... Home Oct. 4 .............Northeast Guilford .................Away Oct. 11............Eastern Alamance ................ Home Oct. 18 ...........Person ...................................Away Oct. 25 ...........Rockingham County ..............Away Nov. 1 .............Morehead............................ Home Nov. 8 .............Western Alamance .................Away

2018 SEASON RESULTS (4-8, 1-3 conf.)

2018 SEASON RESULTS (8-4, 5-2 conf.)

DATE OPPONENT SCORE Aug. 17 ...........Smith..................................................... 26-19 (W) Aug. 24 ..........Western Guilford .................................... 48-21 (W) Aug. 31 ...........Southeast Guilford ................................. 28-27 (W) Sept. 7 ............Northern Guilford .................................. 38-28 (L) Sept. 12 ..........Southwest Guilford................................. 34-0 (L) Sept. 21 ..........Reidsville ............................................... 28-14 (L) Sept. 28 ..........West Forsyth .......................................... 43-27 (L) Oct. 5 .............High Point Central ................................. 44-23 (W) Oct. 15 ...........Page...................................................... 26-6 (L) Oct. 19 ...........Ragsdale ............................................... 41-34 (L) Nov. 2 .............Grimsley ................................................ 14-7 (L) Nov. 16 ...........Zebulon B. Vance .................................. 50-7 (L)

DATE OPPONENT SCORE Aug. 17 ...........Grimsley ................................................ 20-15 (W) Aug. 24 ..........Page...................................................... 48-0 (FFW) Aug. 31 ...........Statesville .............................................. 34-7 (L) Sept. 7 ............Northwest Guilford................................. 38-28 (W) Sept. 21 ..........McMichael ............................................ 55-12 (W) Sept. 28 ..........Northeast Guilford ................................. 42-14 (W) Oct. 5 .............Eastern Alamance .................................. 40-36 (L) Oct. 19 ...........Rockingham County .............................. 28-0 (W) Oct. 25 ...........Morehead.............................................. 37-7 (W) Nov. 1 .............Western Alamance ................................. 35-28 (L) Nov. 8 .............Person ................................................... 50-14 (W) Nov. 16 ...........Cleveland .............................................. 36-0 (L)

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Northwest Vikings 2019 VARSITY FOOTBALL TEAM ROSTER NO. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 19 17 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

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NAME Cam Carter Landry Garris Ethan Smith Brandon Thomas Xavier Simmons Micah Salmon Carson Cassetty DeWayne Johnson Jonathan Crosson Cosie Pagano Tucker Gibbs Tyler Lovin Bristol Carter Sammy Abaka-Mensah Christian White Spencer Mann Will Rankin EZ Gravely Hegin Dawes Jadyn Coleman Pranav Bunetti Devon Stewart

HEIGHT 5'9" 6'5" 6'1" 6'3" 6'2" 6'2" 5'11" 6'3" 5'10" 6'1" 6'1" 5'10" 5'9" 5'9" 5'11" 6'1" 5'5" 6'0" 5'8" 5'11" 5'10" 6'3"

WEIGHT 170 200 155 170 205 190 170 170 160 170 175 160 155 160 160 160 140 160 180 190 180 170

POSITION WR/DB TE/DE DB/WR/QB WR/DB LB/WR QB RB/LB WR/DB RB/LB WR/DB DE/WR DB/WR WR/DB RB/DB DB/WR QB RB/DB LB/WR LB/RB LB/RB LB/RB DB/WR

GRADE 11 12 11 12 10 11 11 11 10 11 11 11 9 10 10 10 11 11 11 9 12 12

NO. 28 33 45 50 60 61 62 65 68 70 72 75 78 85

NAME Cameron Tippett Sammy Nelson Dylan Kesselring Noah Edwards Hudson James Luke Montgomery Chasten Kota Daniel Green Stephen Vega Tanner Schuck Triston Thompson Jacob Perry Alex Distefano Austin Manzi

HEIGHT 5’7” 5'11" 5'10" 5'8" 5'10" 5'10" 6'0" 6'0" 6'2" 6'1" 5'8" 6'5" 5'8" 5'9"

WEIGHT 130 150 180 195 180 230 255 295 250 210 195 250 180 180

POSITION K/P DB/WR LB/RB DL/OL DL/OL DL/OL DL/OL DL/OL DL/OL OL/LB OL/DL OL/DL DL/OL DL/OL

GRADE 10 11 10 11 11 11 11 11 12 9 11 11 12 11

Head Coach: Kevin Wallace Assistant Coaches: Ron Bare, Aldine Payne, Parker Frazier, Jim Scott, Aaron Murphy, Justin Dukes, Will Satterfield, Ethan Smith, Christian Dix, Jeremy Andrews, Josh Kogutkiewicz, Damian Jackson Manager: Jimmy Hall

‘Green’ team relying on commitment, attitude

Despite its youth, this year’s team aims to improve on that. Players talk of

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That team finished a disappointing 4-8 overall and 1-3 in the Metro 4A Conference.

Micah Salmon, a junior who will start at quarterback, led the JV team last year and has little more than a half game of varsity experience. But he was impressive when he was in, Wallace said, recalling one game in which Salmon took over after a scoreless first

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A chunk of last year’s team – 32 players – graduated, leaving Wallace with slots to fill everywhere.

“We’ve got to get them up to the speed of the game,” said Wallace, who is beginning his third year as Northwest’s head football coach. “We’re going to have to get them used to the game. I feel confident with the blend that we have.”

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“We’re going to be very green,” said Coach Kevin Wallace, referring to the large number of underclassmen moving into key roles.

For now, Wallace is looking for leadership from this year’s juniors and seniors. Many of them started on the junior varsity team last year and got a lot of experience. But the varsity game is played at a whole different level.

Ph

Consider this a rebuilding year for Northwest Guilford football.

wide receiver. His brother, Cam Carter, is a junior wide receiver.

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by Meredith Barkley

a different attitude around workouts, one that has them driven.

“Everyone is committed, wants to do better than last year,” said senior lineman Stephen Vega. “We may be inexperienced but we have the attitude to carry us far.”

Wallace acknowledges it might take a couple of games “for us to click. The main thing is to get better each week.”

He takes heart in a talented corps of freshmen and sophomores, and believes many of them will make a large impact. Some, he says, will start.

“We’ve got some good kids coming up,” Wallace said. He attributes that largely to the growth and quality of the youth football program in the area.

“We’ll see the effects (at Northwest) in the next couple years, I think,” he said.

One freshman he expects to start is Bristol Carter, who’ll play safety and

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With 32 seniors from last year’s team graduated, this will be a rebuilding year for Northwest Guilford

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half against Reidsville and put points on the board.

“He brought us back,” Wallace said. Northwest lost that one 28-14.

Making Wallace’s job a little easier will be a full corps of assistant coaches.

This season he’ll have 12 assistants, including a defensive coordinator.

Continued on page 16

From football coach to Life Coach

Defensive line coach, Jim Scott, is more than just a coach on Fridays; he's also a "life" coach-every day. Jim is the pastor of Awaken Church and strives to bring his passion for Christ to the field to encourage young men that there is more to sports, and life, than skills.

At Awaken Church, we are about There's also love, teamwork, sacrifice "RELATIONSHIPS, not religion". We focus encouragement,perseverance, on creating relationships with others, just as hard work, and resolve.

Christ focused on relationships rather than on

Tired of religion?

the traditional aspects of the church.

Join us this Sunday!

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www.awaken-church.org 9

Photo courtesy of Strawbridge Studios

Northern Nighthawks 2019 VARSITY FOOTBALL TEAM ROSTER NO. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 30 31 32 33 34

10

NAME Hayden Parker Nyles Mosley Chuck Conaway Asa McMillian Braden Bluitt DJ Anderson Jake Wagoner Brady Mercer Evan Klick Rashawn Pleasent Slater Ward Micheal Becker Isaiah Cassidy Michael Frogge Will Lenard Amaah Achina Teddy Forde Austin Lambeth Jackson Moricle Andrew McGowan Jordan McInnis Nkwenti Achina Terrell Timmons Trevor Lott Jalen Graves Tyshawn Wall

HEIGHT 5'11" 5'10" 6'0" 5'8" 6'2" 6'0" 6'0" 6'0" 5'11" 6'1" 6'1" 6'2" 6'0" 6'5" 6'1" 6'2" 5'10" 5'8" 6'2" 5'8" 5'10" 6'1" 6'1" 5'7" 6'0" 5'11"

WEIGHT 160 190 175 170 175 175 170 160 160 205 170 166 170 220 172 200 195 170 170 160 190 210 160 125 195 185

POSITION WR RB/LB OLB/WR RB/DB DB/WR OLB/WR LB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB/K WR/DB/K WR/DB LB/TE QB RB/DB LB/FB OLB WR/DB WR/DB RB/LB QB/LB QB/DB WR/DB WR/DB RB/DB

GRADE 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 12 12 11 12 12 12 11 11 12 12 11 12 10 10 10 12 12 9

NO. 43 44 45 50 52 53 54 55 61 62 71 72 73 75 76 81 82 83 85 86 87

NAME Tyler Anderson Joseph Bobatunde Rakeem Murchison Jacob Barlow Jalen Brooks Carleton Coleman Trey Ruff Justin Franklin Ethan Ryan Devon Ryals Tobi Fawole Jake Scott Ethan Mathena Gavin Bowden John Zuppo Clay Coulter Trevor Watkins Austin Flippen Noah Pruitt Connor Lachesky Garrett Palmer

HEIGHT 6'0" 6'0" 5'9" 6'1" 5'7" 5'10" 5'10" 6'0" 6'3" 5'9" 5'8" 6'0" 6'1" 6'1" 5'11" 5'10" 5'11" 5'11" 6'6" 6'1" 6'0"

WEIGHT 220 220 170 240 200 215 220 210 240 260 285 210 210 205 275 140 165 160 215 195 160

POSITION LB/FB LB/FB RB/DB OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL/LS OL/DL OL/DL OL/DL WR/DB WR/DB WR/DB TE/LB TE/LB K/DB

GRADE 12 12 11 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 10 12 12 10 11 10 11

Head Coach: Erik Westberg Assistant Coaches: Mart Grinton, Covie Mitchell, Jordan Keitt, Will Billingsley, Oscar Malone, Steve Tapley, Justin Davis, David Zochol, Greg Westberg, Taurean Lynch, Chase Cochran, Corbin Barwick Athletic Trainer: Justin Swenson

‘It’s our time to shine’

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| E ach rik W e st b g, he ad co er

Still, Westberg faces challenges.

With his fourth season underway, he’s got to like the prospects that trend will continue. The freshmen he started with in 2016 are now seniors – 27 of them. They’ve grown up in his system.

And they’re only a fraction of the horses in his stable.

He lost to graduation Walker Harris and Jaxon Hughes, a pair of defensive linemen who are now playing at the college Division 1 level – Harris at Jacksonville State and Hughes at UNC Charlotte – and Northern’s all-time leading tackler, Christian Bass.

He gestured to the sea of purpleand-white jerseys during a morning practice earlier this month.

Also gone are his two quarterbacks from last year: Tyler Flippen, who threw for 1,273 yards and 12 touchdowns last year, and Jakob Lenard, who threw for 785 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“We have 100 kids right now on the field,” he said. “So our numbers are really strong.”

The state title run not long ago is ever present in his mind.

“The tradition is here,” he said. He mused about “getting it (the program) back to respectability, to where it was.”

He thinks it’s headed there.

It won’t take Westberg and his players long to find out just how good they are. They face a challenging early season. His first four games are against teams from larger 4A schools – Grimsley, Page, Ragsdale and Northwest Guilford.

After a disappointing first year – when his young team went 4-8 – the Nighthawks seem to be bulling their way back. They went 6-6 the next year and 8-4 last year, finishing in a tie for second in the Mid State 3A Conference. They made the state playoffs all three years.

You can remove them the old fashioned way, or we can just take out the ones you choose.

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After getting off to a disappointing start when he took over as Northern Guilford’s head football coach, Erik Westberg has seen his team get better each year.

t o c o u r t e y o f St r a w b s

by Meredith Barkley

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Now in his fourth season as Northern Guilford’s head football coach, Erik Westberg and his players like their prospects for another state title run

But Westberg figures he’s got the talent to reload. Stepping in at quarterback will be Lenard’s younger brother, Will Lenard, who started for the junior varsity team the past two years.

“I feel really good about him,” Westberg said. “He works extremely hard, and wants to be the best player on the field.”

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Helping Lenard out will be Michael Frogge, a Wake Forest commit, at tight end; Nyles Mosley, last year’s leading rusher; Michael Becker, punter and receiver, and Chuck Conaway, a receiver.

Westberg likes the way his defense is shaping up, too. He’ll rely heavily on three-year starters Tyler Anderson at middle linebacker, Trey Ruff on the line and Jalen Graves at corner back.

Looking ahead to next year, is

Continued on page 16

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‘We will, we will ROCK you!’

Northern Guilford marching band pays tribute to the music of Queen at halftime

by PATTI STOKES Northern Guilford band director Kiyoshi Carter enjoys lots of activities, from reading, eating and cooking to running, hiking and biking – and anything related to music, whether he’s listening to it, playing one of several instruments, singing, or conducting other musicians.

His favorite music?

All kinds, depending on what activity he’s engaged in.

Before coming to Northern last year, Carter, who has a master’s in instrumental conducting and music education, directed bands and taught music at Southwest Guilford and Western Guilford high schools.

He founded and conducts the Greensboro Brass Ensemble and also conducts the Greensboro Concert Band, comprised of 90 non-professional musicians of all ages.

Carter said one thing that attracted him to Northern was the groundswell of community support for the Nighthawks, and never is that more evident than during football season.

“A Northern football game is unlike most high school football games in that everyone there is rooting for everyone in purple, whether that’s the band, cheerleaders, football team or student section … there is really a rallying around the Nighthawks,” he said.

Marching band students dedicate themselves to the band program, and “the payoff is that they are really celebrated,” Carter noted. “That is special and really unique. That keeps them doing it.”

He wants his students to be proud of being associated with the band and of the music they perform – and then to have fun.

“Music is supposed to be fun – that’s why we call it ‘playing,’” he said.

Carter has had a personal and professional relationship with Ed Kimbrough, Northern’s first band director, since he student taught under Kimbrough “100 years ago” and he said Kimbrough gave him some wise advice.

“He told me, ‘Don’t change anything unless you have a very good reason. It’s better to listen and pay attention first.’

I did a lot of that last year,” Carter said.

Kiyoshi Carter, band director Photo courtesy of Strawbridge Studios

“But I think for band directors, our bands reflect who we are as musicians and our personality comes out.”

For example, Carter said he introduces his students to “a wide palette” of music – even though they sometimes find his choices a little “weird,” at least at first.

“It’s funny, though,” he said. “Those are often the songs they end up loving…

I encourage them to give everything a chance.”

The marching band, one of several instrumental groups Carter directs at Northern, gets much of his focus the first few months of the school year.

Continued on page 16

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The Power of Teamwork As a senior wide receiver for the Nighthawks, Chuck Conaway knows that his fellow players have his back. But he also knows another team is there to support him, just as it did when he suffered an ACL tear as a freshman – the Murphy Wainer team at Northern Guilford.

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Northwest football ...continued from p. 9

Until now he’s been both offensive and defensive coordinator.

“This is the first year I’ve had a full staff,” he said. “I’m not doing everything, which will be nice.”

We’ll help you score a

Among his assistants are Ron Bare, a longtime assistant football coach who is also Northwest’s head wrestling coach, and Aldine Payne, another

winning

Northern football

smile

...continued from p. 11

Westberg worried that losing such a large senior class will set the program back? Nope.

“We’ve got a big sophomore class,” he said. “Most of those guys are going to play JV.” That’ll give them lots of game experience to get them ready for next year, he said.

Northern band

...continued from p. 14

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This football season the band’s halftime performance pays tribute to the music of Queen, the British rock band formed in the ‘70s. Additionally, the band will entertain the crowd from the stands while playing a repertoire of about 25 songs, with more added as the season progresses.

Northern’s marching band has a powerful presence at both home and away games.

“To be honest, so does the home crowd,” Carter said. “There is a Northern crowd reflective of a home crowd everywhere we travel.”

Northern fans love their marching band, and the feeling is mutual.

After fans requested “Sweet Caroline” last year, Carter said the band quickly learned it.

longtime coach who will take over as defensive coordinator.

No one’s predicting a conference title this year. But there’s optimism in the ranks.

“If we stay healthy and develop over the year, I think we’ll be OK,” Wallace said. “We’ve got some good pieces to the puzzle.”

Anderson likes the Nighthawks’ chances this season.

“I’ve been playing with them (his fellow seniors) since the eighth grade, gotten closer with them, gotten better with them,” he said. “It’s our time to shine.”

And when they played it the first time, “You would have thought the queen of England showed up. They (fans) were very enthusiastic!” he said.

“Northern students are always enthusiastic about anything they can sing along to… Well, ‘singing’ may be a stretch – sometimes they’re just screaming along.

But they have a lot of fun!”

The drumline ignites the crowd even more when it performs on the sidelines.

“And there is this beautiful thing that happens,” Carter said. “The last thing the drumline does during each game is to make a tunnel, and anyone who wants to travel through it does – drum majors, cheerleaders, spirit captains, color guard, kids from the stands – whoever wants that moment gets to do it.”

And when they do? The fans… go… craaaaaaazy!

But don’t take our word for it – join the sea of purple at an upcoming football game and see for yourself.

Enter the funhouse Northwest Guilford Marching Vikings’ halftime performance this season will center on an abandoned funhouse

by PATTI STOKES Come halftime, a mighty team of Northwest High School Band Booster volunteers will take the football field at lightning speed and assemble a carnivaltype funhouse. As spectators watch the house taking shape, they’ll be drawn into an imaginative wandering through the abandoned dwelling, with the help of some “fun, crazy characters,” said Brian McMath, Northwest’s band director.

To enter the funhouse you’ll have to pass through an eerie clown’s mouth.

Inside, there will be a room with distorting mirrors, and before exiting you’ll pass through a crazy web of a room.

“It’s a little dark, a little creepy,” McMath said.

Director of Northwest’s band program since 2004, McMath pushes his creative boundaries each year when choosing the theme for the band’s halftime performance at home football games. Over the next several weeks the band will fine-tune its performance in preparation for upcoming band competitions.

“I choose music that I like and that I think the kids can be successful at playing, and then Mr. (Kevin) Greene (assistant director of bands and director of percussion students) and I talk about it,” McMath said.

Once the performance is selected each spring, the concept is passed on to the band’s design team, orders are placed for costumes and color guard flags, and parents prepare to make props.

Brian McMath, band director File photo

“It’s a large production and a lot of hands are involved,” McMath said, noting that performances on this scale wouldn’t be possible without the Band Boosters’ support.

“We have an incredible amount of parent support,” he said. “They have been hard at work building scaffolding, making props, etc. They have been fantastic.”

McMath is enthused that this year there will be 30 middle school marchers on the field and 37 marchers who are freshmen.

“So about half of our performers are either middle schoolers or freshmen,” he said. “We only have 13 seniors in marching band this year. The band is young, but you may not know that because they are performing well enough to not allow them to be noticed. I’m

very proud of that.”

Besides directing the 134-member marching band, McMath also directs the school’s jazz ensemble, concert band, symphonic band and wind ensemble – and teaches daily band classes. And, new under his direction this year is an audition-based wind symphony; the wind symphony has already been accepted to perform next March at the Sousa Band Festival, an exclusive music event that takes place at the Concert Hall of Washington, D.C.’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

McMath also works closely with the Band Boosters to organize fundraisers that help cover the band program’s annual budget. One of the group’s biggest fundraisers will take place Oct. 26, when the entire band program will collaborate to host the school’s 38th annual fall festival in which instrumental music ensembles from all over the state will be competing. Corporate sponsors are welcome – if interested, email mcmathb@gcsnc.com.

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Northern Nighthawk cheerleaders

by PATTI STOKES Northern Guilford’s fifth-year cheerleading coach Beth Truong cheered for many years when she was in school and understands firsthand the role of her cheerleaders, as well as the athleticism required of them.

“I was a cheerleader for a long time and cheered at the competitive level,” she said. “And I did a lot of other things, including dance, gymnastics, basketball, softball and track. My parents let us try everything.”

Photo by Patti Stokes/PS Communications | Bottom row, L-R: Amari Williams, Emma Church, Malaki Obie, Maci Hudson, Logan Horner, Katie Krueger, Charlzton Moore; second row: Haylie Peters, Emma Fischer, Kaitlyn Baker, Alexandra Santiago, Ashlyn Haines, Kate Eldredge; third row: Nicole Dinallo, Kendall Duvall, Adi Ames; top row: Sonia Allen, Anna Grace Rogers, Carly Herndon, Ellie Schmidt

Truong spends her daytime working hours as an EC (Exceptional Children) teacher at Irving Park Elementary School and is also Northern’s track and field jumping coach in the long, high and triple jump.

This year’s varsity cheerleading squad has 20 members:

Continued on page 20

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

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Northwest Viking cheerleaders

by PATTI STOKES Jennifer Loveday-Donovan, Northwest High School’s varsity cheerleading coach for football season, has three main goals for her cheerleaders: First and foremost, “Be nice people.”

Second, focus on keeping the fans engaged. And last, practice, practice, practice routines, stunts and tumbling.

Photo courtesy of Lifetouch | Front row, L-R: Captains Mya Hulse, Mackenna Myers and Layton Howard; second row: Claire Surrette, Kamryn Sprague, Carley Pope, Payton Roland, Elizabeth George, Elaina Edwards; third row: Kayla Hancock, Kaleigh Young, Kaley Mitchell, Sheridan Been, Isabella Joyner, Alli Stovall, Olivia Carr; back row: Ava Berry, Avery Payne, Mackenzie Pigg (manager), Autumn Martin (head coach, basketball), Jennifer Loveday-Donovan (head coach, football and competition), Dylan Logan (manager), Emma Craig, Avery Leggett

In her five years of heading up the school’s cheerleading program, Donovan has never been more proud of the squad members she coaches, nor more impressed by their skill level as she was last year and going into this year. After

Continued on page 20

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Northern cheer

...continued from p. 18

11 seniors, seven juniors and two sophomores. All of them, Truong said, have cheered together since middle school “and have that bond.”

And they’re willing to try different kinds of stunts, she said, noting stunts require a lot of physical ability, not to mention working together and being able to trust fellow squad members – especially critical when doing stunts with “flyers,” who are thrown high up in the air.

Truong appreciates Northern’s marching band for helping the cheerleaders keep the fans engaged throughout the football games.

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But that’s not all.

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On Dec. 7, 2018, they won the NCHSAA’s Invitational Cheerleading Championship, placing first out of 129 cheerleading squads from across the state. Donovan said for a school that had not focused on competitive cheering, the win was totally unexpected. And, it was the first time a Northwest cheerleading squad had won the state competition.

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Once again this year, Northern cheerleaders will conduct a one-day cheer camp in partnership with the Northern Guilford Youth Football program and Summerfield Recreation Association. NGYF youth cheerleaders will perform with the varsity cheerleaders at a football game later this season and SRA cheerleaders will perform at a basketball game this winter.

Catch game previews and highlights from previous games in the Northwest Observer and follow the action with photos on our Facebook page and on Instagram

Northwest cheer

GO VIKINGS!

“It is awesome to work with Northern’s band – no matter how much you try to cheer, if it wasn’t for the band, it would be so much harder to keep the crowd pumped up. All that hype they bring, we can feed off of it,” she said.

The cheerleading squad also won NCHSAA’s Carolina Cup, awarded based on points.

“We beat everyone in the state!”

Donovan said. “Never in a million years did we think we were going to do that!”

For Donovan, the milestone wins reflect not only her cheerleaders’ level of talent, but their cohesiveness.

Donovan and best friend Autumn

Pennington, varsity cheerleading coach for the basketball season, have enjoyed working together the last five years as coaches and teachers at Northwest (they both teach Civics). In recent years they’ve focused on growing the JV cheerleading program and attracting kids who have either never cheered before, or who want to be involved with the program in some role other than cheering.

Working more closely with the Boosters Club is also something the two coaches have been intentional about, as is boosting school spirit, such as through activities during Spirit Week before Homecoming. They’re also developing connections with the school’s cheerleading alumni, many of whom are/were college cheerleaders.

And in keeping with the philosophy that cheerleading extends beyond the sport, squad members continue to volunteer with younger cheerleaders and find other ways to give back to the community.

Now, that’s the spirit!

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NORTHWEST GUILFORD drum majors: Hooked on band

by PATTI STOKES Northwest Guilford senior Violet Behnke joined her middle school band as a clarinet player. She confesses she preferred playing sports, but injuries had sidelined her and the band was her fallback. Meanwhile, she learned to play the saxophone, flute and bassoon.

And then in 10th grade “something clicked,” and Behnke said she fell in love with band, perhaps partly because band director Brian McMath “pushed” her.

ing the trumpet in sixth grade, was also hooked after joining the high school marching band in eighth grade.

Gonzalez, Behnke and Pena are the Marching Vikings’ drum majors this football season. On his new leadership role, Pena said, “It’s a lot different listening to other people perform instead of playing, and hearing everything as a whole and not just your own instrument or section.”

Behnke said being responsible for over 130 marching band students is a big change and Gonzalez, who was a drum major last year, said he still sometimes tunes in to the saxophone section “and reminisces.” And even as a more experienced drum major, he said “It’s still a weird feeling, because all these kids are your friends and you have to tell them what to do.”

On the band’s halftime performance this season, “Funhouse,” Behnke said it is “definitely not your normal show,”

Courtesy photos Violet Behnke (far left), Grady Gonzalez (center) and Ed Pena

citing as one example the 10-foot eerie- sons. He enjoys playing video games looking clown’s head that provides an (especially Hollow Night) and disc golf. imaginary entrance to the funhouse.

He plans to major in music education And while a few of the songs may have next year and someday become a high “He saw greater potential in me than some familiar parts to them, many will school band director.

I saw in myself,” she said. “But I didn’t not, Gonzalez noted.

One of Pena’s favorite bands is AJR, listen to him until my sophomore year.”

When taking the field at next week’s an indie-pop band comprised of three Senior Grady Gonzalez began playfirst home football game, Pena will do brothers who write, record and produce ing the clarinet in sixth grade, then the as he has in the past. music from the living room of their New alto sax, and later in middle school, York City apartment.

“I try to get my mind as far away switched to the baritone sax. He joined from the performance as I can so that Pena is in wind ensemble, has the high school marching band in when we go out on the field it will be played in the UNC-G honor band, the eighth grade and has been hooked on fresh on my mind and I’m not overthinkall-county band, and takes private muband ever since. ing it,” he said. sic lessons. He enjoys time with friends, Junior Ed Pena, who started playparticipating on the school’s Speech Behnke doesn’t anticipate any preand Debate team, and is pursuing his performance jitters.

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NORTHERN GUILFORD drum majors: “Get the stuff done – and then have FUN!”

by PATTI STOKES

Genwright plans to build on his firstyear experience and fine-tune his commuSenior Josh Genwright said he was nication skills with band director Kiyoshi drawn to the trombone in the sixth grade, Carter, Gilbert, student section leaders, but his mother encouraged him to take and band and uniform managers. up the alto sax instead and learn to play Northern’s marching band tradition“Careless Whisper,” a pop ballad featurally works closely with cheerleaders and ing a prominent saxophone riff. student “spirit/hype captains” to keep the “So I switched to the saxophone,” Photos courtesy of Strawbridge Studios crowd pumped up, and Genwright and Genwright said. He has no regrets, but Gilbert plan to continue that tradition. BeJosh Genwright (left) and Elijah Gilbert sides performing on the field at halftime, smiles as he admits, “I still don’t know the band has over 25 songs to play from how to play that song.” percussion section, but Smith steered him the stands – including last year’s addition Genwright credits Northern Elementoward the sax instead. of “Sweet Caroline,” a huge crowd favortary music teacher Jeaninne Dumond for On being a drum major, Genwright ite, and Janet Jackson’s “Velvet Rope” helping develop his love of music, and said it requires leadership, knowledge of (“We love to scream in the middle of that Mr. Smith, his former band director at the performance music, commitment – one!” Genwright said).

Northern Middle, who he said was “the and, as band parent Sunnita Tardy noted, The band’s beloved drumline has driving force” that kept him in the band. “being able to wrangle cats.”

12 members, all well-prepared to ignite Now a second-year drum major, GenTo prepare for leading the band, Gen- the crowd as in past years. wright is joined by Elijah Gilbert. A junior, wright and Gilbert attended a one-week Besides music, Gilbert enjoys video Gilbert said after watching “Drumline,” drum major camp this summer focused gaming, playing golf – and eating (he eshis sixth-grade aspiration was to be in the on field conducting and leadership. pecially loves chicken). He also loves math and is taking Honors III math this year, with plans to possibly study engineering and/or computer science in college.

Genwright works part-time at HaganStone Park. The senior, who gives a “shout-out to Northern math teacher Mr. Simms” for turning him into a lover of math, is dual-enrolled at GTCC, where he takes aviation classes. He said he enjoys many genres of music (except for country) 1 A. 2 Dr. DeVaney is an alumnus of and has recently been listening to Tyler the Northwest Guilford High School Creator, a singer, songwriter and rapper. and a former coach of Of Carter, Genwright said he is Northern Guilford Youth Football PHARMACY “amazing” and “one of the greatest band B. directors I’ve ever had. He also knows a lot of things that have nothing to do with band, and will just walk up and give you PHARMACY random facts.”

C. Gilbert said he enjoys Carter’s “crazy dances” PHARMACY and he and Genwright laugh as PHARMACY Now accepting new patients they describe Carter telling the band to dentistry D. “Turn it uuuuuuuup!” at Oak Ridge Whether it’s on or off the field this season, the Northern drum major duo (336) 643-5515 | 1580 Hwy 68 N, Oak Ridge | drdevaney.com plans to do just that.

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