news-record.com

Day One: Page's boys pounded Grimsley, but the Pirate girls needed every second to hold off Smith. Both No. 1 seeds cruised as the top of the bracket held serve.

Day Two: Ragsdale's Jay Canty put on the show of the tournament, exploding for 29 points to lead the Tigers into the finals against Greensboro Day. The Tigers' female counterparts also put on a show in dispatching of Page to earn a date with top seed Northwest, which posted a .

Day Three: Greensboro Day completed a three-day demolition derby by wiping out Ragsdale, giving Freddy Johnson his fourth consecutive tournament title. Ragsdale's girls crashed the party in their first tournament berth, beating Northwest for the second time this season to take the title. Grimsley's girls and Northern Guilford's boys took third place. Dudley's Helen Terry and P.J. Hairston captivated the crowd with their I'll-see-you-and-raise you free throw battle but weren't able to claim their winnings. Hairston's mom, Wendy Poteat, said this morning that Greensboro Sports Council president Brett Schulman will suggest to the group's board that a donation from the gate proceeds be made to charity in Hairston and Terry's name in the amount they would have won. A satisfying conclusion to an enjoyable tournament.

Southern Guilford's Darryl Brown was chosen as our All-Area Football Coach of the Year last month, but as always, there were several others who were worthy of the award. Here a few:

-Jimmy Teague, Reidsville: Duh.

-Steven Davis, Dudley: Double duh.

-Gary Whitman, McMichael: Took the Phoenix from 2-9 to 8-4 in his first season.

-Joe Woodruff, Northwest Guilford: For doubling last year's win total and leading the Vikings back to the playoffs.

-Tommy Pursley, Northeast Guilford: For improbably extending his streak of winning seasons to 17 by recovering from an 0-4 start to make the 3-AA semifinals.

-Tommy Norwood, Ragsdale: For coaxing an undefeated regular season and school record for wins out of a team few expected could do it.

The Artist Formerly Known As The Little Four tips off the New Year tomorrow, and I'm legitimately excited to go through it for the first time. Coaches are saying the boys field is as deep as it's ever been and the girls field is as wide-open as it's ever been. We've got Page-Grimsley boys in the first round and a potential rematch of last year's girls championship game (Grimsley-Northwest) in the second round. Who do you like to make a run?

Here's the official press release. We'll keep a running blog here throughout the tournament.

33rd Annual Pizza Hut Invitational Basketball Tournament
Presented by the Greensboro Sports Council
Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center
January 1-3, 2009
Tournament Facts

â–º New Name: With the 33rd renewal of Greensboro's premier high school basketball tournament comes the next chapter of the tournament's rich history. The Little 4 is now the Pizza Hut Invitational. When the tournament began thirty two years ago, it was a four-team affair involving teams from Greensboro's four public high schools. Through three decades of evolution, the event has become a true invitational tournament with the possibility of teams changing on an annual basis. 2007 participants Dudley and Southwest Guilford High Schools will not participate in the 2008 tournament as Northern Guilford and Ragsdale High Schools round out this year's field.

â–º Unusual Dates: The 2008 Pizza Hut Invitational will actually be contested in 2009 due to the way the calendar falls this year. Since Christmas is on a Thursday, the tournament's traditional dates would place the championship round on Sunday, Dec. 28, but the North Carolina High School Athletic Association does not permit its schools to play on Sundays. Due to Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center availability, the next window for the tournament is Jan. 1-3, 2009. A similar set of circumstances will affect the 2009 tournament, which will be played in January, 2010.

â–º The Tournament: The Pizza Hut Invitational was founded in 1976. At that time, the Big Four Atlantic Coast Conference schools, Duke, N.C. State, UNC-Chapel Hill and Wake Forest, competed in the Big Four Tournament in the Greensboro Coliseum. The Pizza Hut Invitational was created to mirror the tournament that showcased North Carolina's ACC teams and raise funds for the participating high schools' athletic programs. The Pizza Hut Invitational is now widely considered the most successful holiday basketball tournament in North Carolina.

â–º Major Fundraiser: Schools in Guilford County have received more than $818,000 in Pizza Hut Invitational proceeds from the Greensboro Sports Council in the last nine years. Following the 2007 tournament, $83,000 was distributed to the participating schools from the Pizza Hut Invitational. This Greensboro holiday tournament donates 100 percent of its proceeds to the participating schools and other local charitable causes every year.

â–º Charity: In addition to making its donations to the participating schools, the Pizza Hut Invitational makes other charitable contributions. Past tournament proceeds have been contributed to the American Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer, Friends for an Earlier Breast Cancer Test, the Eastern Guilford High School Fund, the Joey Cheek Fund, North Carolina State Games and the Girls and Boys Club.

(more)
â–º 2007 Tournament: In last year's Pizza Hut Invitational, both top-seeded teams won their respective tournaments. The Grimsley High School lady Whirlies lived up to their pre-tournament billing by waltzing through the tournament field on the way to their seventh championship. The Whirlies defeated Greensboro Day, Page and Northwest Guilford High Schools on their way to the title. On the men's side, Greensboro Day dispatched Northwest Guilford, Northeast Guilford and Dudley en route to their third consecutive championship and eighth tournament title overall.

â–º Honorary Chairperson: Camille Townsend is the Honorary Chairperson of the 2008 Pizza Hut Invitational. An integral part of the Greensboro sports landscape for more than a decade, Townsend has been a member of the Greensboro Sports Council Host Committee since 1995. She is one of the original volunteer coordinators for the Atlantic Coast Conference Men's and Women's Basketball tournaments, when held in the Greensboro Coliseum. She has been active in the Greensboro Sports Commission office for more than five years, and in January of this year, she became a fulltime Sports Commission employee when she accepted the title of Office and Administrative Manager.

â–º About Pizza Hut: Since 1989, Pizza Hut has been the title sponsor of the Pizza Hut Invitational. Commodore Restaurants operates eight Pizza Hut locations in the Greensboro area. Additional information about Pizza Hut and Commodore Restaurants is available at www.pizzahut.com.

â–º Women's Stats: The Page Pirates have won more women's tournaments than any other school with 10 titles. The Lady Pirates have played for the championship 14 times, also more than any other team.

â–  Championships â–  Title Game Appearances
â–  Page High School - 10 â–  Page High School - 14
â–  Western Guilford - 4 â–  Dudley High School - 9
â–  Grimsley High School - 5 â–  Smith High School - 7
â–  Northeast Guilford - 3 â–  Western Guilford - 6
â–  Smith High School - 2 â–  Grimsley High School - 7
â–  Northwest Guilford - 2 â–  Northeast Guilford - 5
â–  Dudley - 1 â–  Northwest Guilford - 4
â–  Eastern Guilford - 2

â–º Men's Stats: Dudley High School has won more men's championships than any other school
taking top honors 10 times. The Panthers have played for the championship in 19 of the 32 Pizza Hut Invitational title games.

â–  Championships â–  Title Game Appearances
â–  Dudley High School - 10 â–  Dudley High School - 19
â–  Greensboro Day - 8 â–  Greensboro Day School - 12
â–  Page High School - 7 â–  Grimsley High School - 12
â–  Grimsley High School - 5 â–  Page High School - 10
â–  Smith High School - 2 â–  Smith High School - 7
â–  Eastern Guilford - 1
â–  Southeast Guilford - 1
â–  Southwest Guilford - 1
â–  Northeast Guilford - 1

(more)
â–º Overtime Championships: The Pizza Hut Invitational championship game has gone to overtime twice, and both times, it was a Dudley — Greensboro Day title tilt. In 1987, Greensboro Day beat Dudley 57-55 in Greensboro Day's first Pizza Hut Invitational appearance. In 1992, the tables were turned as the Panthers beat the Bengals 66-63.

â–º Scholarships: The Bill Lee Memorial Scholarship was established in 2001. Lee was a Greensboro native and resident who was a major supporter of local sports. He was deeply involved with Greensboro's minor league baseball efforts, basketball and golf. The Greensboro Sports Council established the scholarship following Lee's death in 2001. Recipients are nominated by their schools, and the Greensboro Sports Council awards the scholarships. Each nomination is considered with the following criteria: 40% academic, 40% athletic and 20% civic. Four student-athletes receive a scholarship each year; 28 scholarships have been awarded since 2001.

â–º Sponsorship: Pizza Hut Invitational revenue comes from ticket sales and sponsorships. The Greensboro Sports Council is very active in raising funds for the tournament, and for the fifth consecutive year, participating schools are sharing in the sponsorship efforts. Each school is soliciting a minimum of $1,500 in sponsorship. Pizza Hut Invitational sponsorship is among the most economical sports marketing opportunities available to local companies.

â–º 2008 Participating Schools: Greensboro Day School, Grimsley High School, Northeast Guilford, Northern Guilford, Northwest Guilford, Page High School, Smith High School and Ragsdale High School.

â–º Tickets: Pizza Hut Invitational tickets are available through the participating schools or at the Greensboro Coliseum Box Office. Tournament books containing tickets for all games are $15. Single-session tickets are $7 for the opening and semi-final rounds and $10 for championship day. Single session tickets are only available at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center box office.

â–º 2008 Women's Seeds:
1. Northwest
2. Page
3. Ragsdale
4. Grimsley
5. Northeast
6. Northern
7. Smith
8. Greensboro Day

â–º 2008 Men's Seeds:
1. Greensboro Day
2. Ragsdale
3. Northern
4. Page
5. Grimsley
6. Northeast
7. Northwest
8. Smith

MEN'S SCHEDULE - DAY 1

#3 Northern-#6 Northeast 6:00 p.m.
#2 Ragsdale-#7 Northwest 7:30 p.m.
#4 Page-#5 Grimsley 2 p.m.
#1 Greensboro Day-#8 Smith 6:15 p.m.

WOMEN'S SCHEDULE - DAY 1

#3 Ragsdale-#6 Northern 5 p.m.
#2 Page-#7 Smith 3 p.m.
#4 Grimsley-#5 Northeast 1:30 p.m.
#1 Northwest-#8 Greensboro Day 6:30 p.m.

We invited our first team All-Area football selections to the newsroom last week and got them talking in front of the camera, which is a great recipe to bring out some interesting stories. My favorites: Page's Will Newman talking about avoiding his father - who happens to be Grimsley's AD - and cross-dressing during Grimsley week, Dudley's Chris Neal and Josh Jones going back and forth about which one is the better singer and Eastern Guilford's Gerrod Herbin explaining what to do if head coach Scott Loosemore's spit lands on you.

It's our Hot Button question this week, and likely one that will play out into the New Year. We know it won't be Mark Saunders, who is heading to Pennsylvania after a 14-10 record in two seasons with the Whirlies. We know it won't be Jimmy Teague, who can't work at Grimsley and still draw his pension. So who do you think makes the most sense? What does the next candidate need to have to remain at the school longer than two years?

While Greensboro is befuddingly underrepresented on this year's team (only Page K Matt Millisor, Andrews WR Tony Washington and geographic stretches East Forsyth OL David Collins and Mt. Tabor's Hunter Furr made the N.C. roster), here's a press release that should tell you everything you need to know about Saturday's game.

Spartanburg, S.C. - The Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas and ESPNU announced today an agreement establishing ESPNU as the television home of the 2008 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas all star football classic. ESPNU will air a
tape delayed telecast of the December 20th game on January 7th at 10:00 PM ET.
The Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas is the oldest prep football all star game in America. The annual classic, established
in 1937, pits the top 44 high school football players from North Carolina against the top 44 from the state of South
Carolina. The 72nd game will be played at Gibbs Stadium on the campus of Wofford College in Spartanburg, South
Carolina on Saturday, December 20, 2008, with kickoff slated for 1:00PM EST. Some of the notable Shrine Bowl
alumni are Pro Football Hall of Fame member Sonny Jurgensen, Super Bowl XX Champion member William "the
Refrigerator" Perry of the Chicago Bears, 2006 #1 NFL draft pick Mario Williams, Julius Peppers, Albert
Haynesworth, Chris Leak and Duce Staley. Event proceeds benefit the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
"It's safe to say that every young man growing up playing football in the Carolinas dreams of competing on the big
stage. Thanks to ESPNU, all 88 student-athletes selected for this year's game will experience that thrill. In addition,
fans from all corners of the Carolinas and beyond will have an opportunity to watch the game on a premier network,
such as the likes of ESPNU," Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas Chairman of the Board, Billy Benfield said. "We are
dedicated to raising the awareness of the Shriners Hospitals for Children to the highest level and to uncovering new
avenues to enhance the overall game experience for the participating student-athletes and fans. ESPNU has
provided a major step forward in these endeavors."
"As a South Caroline native, I am proud that ESPNU can support an event that provides an opportunity for young
athletes in the Carolinas to display their talent, as well as raise awareness of a great cause," said Rosalyn Durant,
vice president and general manager, ESPNU. "This game further establishes ESPNU as a primary
destination that showcases the future stars of sports."
This year's game has yet another first. BI-LO will serve as the game's "presenting sponsor" as BI-LO has stepped
up in a major way to support this great game steeped in tradition and pageantry.
"I can't understate how important BI-LO has been in taking our game to the next level," Shrine Bowl of the
Carolinas Chairman of the Board, Billy Benfield said. "BI-LO's support for the Shrine Bowl and dedication to high
school student-athletes all across the Carolinas is to be commended. We are extremely appreciative of their
support."
General admission tickets are currently available at all BI-LO stores in North and South Carolina. You may also
purchase tickets from the Shrine Bowl office in advance for $20 reserve section and $10 general admission. Game
day, reserve section $25 and $15 general admission. Stop in your local BI-LO store or order over the phone at 1-
800-648-2695, or online at www.shrine-bowl.com.

With Jimmy Teague moving on from Reidsville after one of the most successful 17-year runs in state history, where do you think he'll head? And who do you think will fill his Bozo-sized shoes for the Rams?

From an NCHSAA press release:

All eight of the NCHSAA state football championship games are now available on Time Warner Cable systems across these state. Time Warner digital subscribers may go to channel 1234 to download any of the games for free and watch them at their convenience. The NCHSAA volleyball championships from earlier in the fall are also available for viewing.

Also:

A total of four football teams out of the entire NCHSAA membership finished the season undefeated: Mount Airy, Thomasville, Reidsville and Dudley.

As expected at its annual Board of Directors meeting last week, the NCHSAA approved lacrosse as its first new sanctioned sport since fast-pitch softball in 1994. Here's the release from the association, which includes several other developments we'll follow up on this week:

CHAPEL HILL ­ The North Carolina High School Athletic Association Board of Directors ended its three-day winter meeting on Wednesday at the Simon F. Terrell Building in Chapel Hill.
The Board received nine recommendations from the Athletic Safety Task Force developed by the NCHSAA Sports Medicine Committee.
President Bill Harrison, superintendent of Cumberland County schools, noted that the Board supported, in concept, the recommendations made by the Athletic Safety Task Force, but there are a number of stakeholders. He noted it would be prudent for the NCHSAA to take the lead in bringing representatives from the State Board of Education, State Department of Public Instruction, Association of School Administrators, and the North Carolina School Board Association, as well as members of the General Assembly, to begin to develop an additional course of action. Charlie Adams, executive director, will help facilitate that initial meeting.
Staff will develop a document that highlights exactly where the NCHSAA is currently with each of those nine recommendations, since some are already in place. No additional voting occurred, and NCHSAA legal counsel will also review a couple of the items that have not yet been enacted.
Among the action items which were approved by the board
included:
--sanctioning both men¹s lacrosse and women¹s lacrosse as an NCHSAA championship sport starting with the academic year 2009-10.
Details about number of games, sports seasons and playoff qualification will be worked out and approved prior to the start of school in 2009
--changed the start of basketball for the 2009-2010 academic year, delaying the start by a week; the first practice may be November 9, first contest November 16; in two different weeks of the season, a school would be able to play four games in a week if the fourth is on a non-school day
--authorized NCHSAA staff to look at the option of using a 24-team bracket in 1-A dual team tennis, if needed
--approved a change that high school tennis teams may play four matches in a single week if the fourth is on a non-school day, starting with the spring season of 2009
--require STAR Sportsmanship program to be completed by any student-athlete, coach or administrator who is ejected or disqualified from a contest before he or she returns to play, starting with the 2009-10 academic year
--reviewed current policy on fighting; change policy to ³a team whose players or coaches accumulate three individual ejections for fighting (note: if a situation occurs where four players on one team are ejected during one fighting incident, then those four individual ejections will cause the team to lose its playoff privileges)²
--approved action budget for 2008-09 since the audit has been completed, but investment revenues are down substantially
--raised the ticket prices for regional basketball tournament from eight to nine dollars, effective with the 2010 tournament

An appeal from Greenville¹s J.H. Rose High School to change its conference placement in the upcoming realignment, which had been previously approved by the Board last May to start in 2009, was denied by the Board.