Granite Bears are real - and State Champs, too

I've made it clear in previous blogs that I'm a big football fan.  It's great watching a group of guys come together and take the team concept to new levels.  As a proud Wake Forest grad I enthusiastically cheer for the Demon Deacons on Saturdays in the fall.  Sunday afternoons after church I rush home to turn on the TV and see how my Carolina Panthers are doing.  My Deacs are bowl-bound, and the Panthers are sitting at 10-3 on the season and, hopefully, on the verge of the playoffs.

But I must confess that my true football excitement this fall has revolved around a group of 30 high school guys who, every Friday night, have donned the helmet for Mount Airy High School.  The "Granite Bears," they are called - a nod to the huge granite quarry in our city, supposedly the largest open-face granite quarry in the world.  In recent years the school has fielded some pretty competitive football teams, but this year topped the cake.  Mount Airy went undefeated for the season - 16-0 - and yesterday in Raleigh at Carter-Finley Stadium (where NC State plays) won the 1-A State Championship game, beating Williamston 37-14.

Just about the entire town of Mount Airy made the trip down I-40 to see the game yesterday afternoon.  Alas, I had two music gigs and couldn't make it. I turned on the radio to listen to the game while driving from one gig to another and caught the entire fourth quarter.  It was great to hear the faithful cheering loudly as the game ended.  I smiled and imagined myself there.

Now - it's quite an accomplishment to win a state football championship, but let's face it - every year five teams from North Carolina earn that title (we have five divisions).  There are fifty states in this great country of ours, so that means literally hundreds of teams every year win a state football championship.  But there are many reasons why this team is such a special one, and why my football-loving self has come to claim it as my own.

First, the Bears went undefeated on the way to the championship.  And not only did they not lose a game, but they never trailed in a game (until yesterday).  They also won by huge margins with scores like 55-0, 63-13, and 51-7.  These are actual scores.  And before the cynic in you shows, let it be known that this was not due to running up the score.  Seriously.  The first string hardly saw any second half action the entire season.  Coach Kelly Holder routinely put in second and even third-stringers, and they still played better than the other team's first string.

Which leads to the second reason I enjoy being a Granite Bears fan - and that is that these guys are so talented.  With a team of only 30 players, most if not all of them go on both offense and defense.  This is partly out of necessity, but the fact is that they really are skilled enough to play more than one position.  Sure, there are guys like running back Michael Dobson, who had some 1600 yards rushing for the season and has verbally committed to East Carolina.  But this team is loaded with stars, many who never get heard about.  They're that good.

Ultimately, though, football is just a game.  And even the sports fanatic in me recognizes that there are more important things in life - like, for instance, being a good person.  And that's another reason why I'm a Bears fan.  These guys are good people off the field too.  Two players are church members; and one of them gave a fine sermonette for our Youth Sunday service back in November.  I also have four of them in the Old Testament college class I teach and they are some of my best students.  A few weeks ago our church hosted a pre-game meal in our fellowship hall (most of the churches in town do this), and I came away so impressed with the conduct and general disposition of the team. 

Because our town is small, and because this is the only high school in town, most everybody knows these players.  They've watched them play from Little League on up, they know their families, they sit next to them in church on Sunday.  In many ways the community itself has raised these kids; and that has fostered a strong connection between this team and the community.  All of this is to say that these players and coaches are class-acts, which gives this town even more to be proud of.

God forbid my Deacs falter in their bowl game in a few days, or my Panthers fail to make it to the Super Bowl this year.  But if either of these happens, the 2008 football season won't be for naught.  I'll have the Bears to remember - we all will.  And in a community that's been hit hard by the recession, business struggling and people losing their jobs, this is something we can all get excited about.  Congrats, guys, on a great season, and for representing your school and town so well.  This will stay with us for a while.

Comments

[Nancy Malone]

Hi Steve! I finally found the comments tag-I think they are making the print way too small for me! :-) I greatly enjoyed the uplifting blog about the Mighty Granite Bears! They have been a great inspiration to all of us through this difficult year. Young and old have been cheered by having a first rate group of kids play together so well as a team. These are days that will be remembered for YEARS to come!

[Gary Bowers]

Great blog about our Granite Bears. They are truly an inspiration for everyone to include the young kids that they inspire. I know Alex really looks up to a lot of them and they are all great role models.

Thanks again for a great read! Gary