All for one: Across the generations, Cougar pride
By Renee Carey
Published in News on September 21, 2014 1:50 AM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Charles Leathers, left, and "Uncle" Ray Bryant, two of the team's biggest supporters, share memories.
rcarey@newsargus.com
A sharp whistle blast signifies the end of practice.
The team, winded after a tough workout, takes a knee and bunches around Coach Bennett Johnson.
He calls on the team to keep pushing, to keep expecting more from themselves and each other. They accept the challenge -- loudly and enthusiastically
A moment later, the members of the Goldsboro High School football team are off to the locker room.
The seniors lead the way.
And just as they do every practice, they pause to shake the hands and to greet those who are there to watch -- longtime supporters, visitors, family and friends.
"Thank you for coming," says Joe Baker, a senior, one of the team captains.
He does not lower his gaze when he offers the greeting -- and his handshake is firm and strong.
So, too, are those of the young men who follow.
It is a tradition of sorts -- an acknowledgment of a support that they notice, and honor.
It is no gimmick, not a motion that these young men go through to placate a coach.
It is respect -- and a mature expression of respect not often seen in teenagers.
One of the first hands the young men shake belongs to Ray Bryant -- "Uncle Ray" to the hundreds of Goldsboro High School students he cheers for and has cheered for from the stands at the school for decades.
The 71-year-old calls them his nieces and nephews. It is obvious what he means to them, and to the parents, alumni and others who know just how committed he is to making sure when the Goldsboro High teams take the field, that they hear a friendly voice.
And it is a loud one.
Bryant is almost always accompanied by his fellow superfans, Charles Leathers and John Kornegay.
The trio says that there is always at least one of them at every game -- even those that require a road trip.
But when you hear a voice across the Goldsboro High field, there is no question whose it is.
"I am the loudest," Uncle Ray says.
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Bryant doesn't have any children on the field. His sons and daughters went to Southern Wayne.
"The last person who played in my family for Goldsboro was in 1974," he said.
But when the whistle blows, the man pacing the sidelines and shouting out encouragement -- and sometimes admonishments -- is Goldsboro's biggest fan.
And he has been to nearly every game since the 1970s.
"I love them," he said, simply. "They are family to me, all of them."
Bryant, Leathers and Kornegay hold the team to a standard of excellence that is less about wins and losses and more about strength of character.
"They are young," Bryant said. "They are trying to keep the legacy going. We try to be their backbone to push them to keep going."
So they offer words of encouragement as they watch the team head to the showers, but they offer advice, too -- especially to the youngest members of the team.
"You have got to hold them to a high standard," Leathers, 77, said.
He also expects that same standard from the coaching staff -- and holds them accountable when they do not show the players the proper way to execute a play.
"They have to be shown what they are supposed to do," he said.
Leathers has Goldsboro ties. He has five children -- all of whom went to Goldsboro High. His family now includes 12 grandchildren, he added.
He is not from the area himself. He grew up in Durham, but he bleeds blue and gold, he said.
"If I am not out of town, I am here," he said, motioning to the stadium.
And that includes road games, too, said his friend, Kornegay.
"We all ride together," Kornegay said.
And the men know how important it is to the team to see their diehard fans in the stands.
"A lot of the time, they look for us," he said. "There has never been a game where at least one of us isn't there."
And there is one thing for sure, the men said.
Nothing interferes with a Cougar game.
In fact, one of the men's daughters even went so far to say that she hoped that if someone passes away -- they don't pick a night when the Cougars play.
And all the men nodded in agreement.
That's what being a superfan is all about, they say.
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The team's seniors and juniors know that they have a job to do.
Leadership, they say, is not just about the right plays, a cool head on game day and the wins and losses column.
It hasn't been an easy year so far. More growing pains than victory parties this year.
But they know the team will get better, the players more confident as the season rolls on.
For now, it is about something more.
It is about setting a standard.
And that focus starts in the classroom.
"You have to keep your grades straight," junior Nashir Bowden said. "On the field and off the field, everybody has to have their heart right."
They know the younger players look up to them -- and see how much they have accomplished.
"Most of them are kind of scared to talk to us at first, especially when they see us in the weight room," Baker said.
Their advice is the same on the football field and off. They challenge those they are charged with leading to keep pushing, to keep their eyes on the prize.
"You have to stay in the books," senior Taylin Davis said. "You have to stay focused on what your goals are. You have to be ready for whatever your options are."
And these young men are planning futures.
Baker hopes to be a photojournalist -- following political campaigns.
Davis wants to be a dietitian -- with a specific focus on healthy eating and keeping your body strong.
Bowden wants to be an engineer.
"I like science and math," he said. "I love taking stuff apart and putting it back together."
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These young men know that they do not stand alone.
They credit their mothers with the lessons they have learned about strength, character and the rewards that come with making the right choices and holding yourself to a higher standard.
For Bowden, that support comes from his mom, Quintina Bowden.
"She has always been on me to do my best," he said. "If she sees me looking down, she gives me that look and I know to straighten up."
For Davis' mother, Monique Davis Reeves, being there is not just about supporting her son.
"She has been there no matter what. No matter what the team needs, we can count on her," he said.
For Baker, there is no question. Without his mom, Donna Smith, he would not be where he is today.
"She's my best friend," he said. "I can tell her anything."
She is his role model, he adds.
"She leads by example," Baker said. "She is amazing -- a hard worker. She believes nothing is worth doing if it is not done right."
But that support comes with expectations, too, Baker adds with a smile.
"She is my biggest critic, too." he said. "She doesn't let me slide, no way."
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It is not easy being a football mom.
There are clothes to wash, games to attend and schedules to juggle.
Setting standards -- and a schedule -- is the key, Mrs. Reeves said.
And knowing how and when to be a parent.
She has taught Taylin to be respectful and to care about others.
"I have taught him to help anyone in need," she said.
And she has made sure that the young man -- and his friends -- understand the meaning of expectations and consequences.
"I have to stay strong, to stick to my rules," she said.
And then there are the priorities.
"Family comes first," she said.
And all that hard work has paid off, she said, not only for her son, but for the others on the team.
"These are well-respected young men," she said.
For Sadie Simmons, just juggling her son Matthew's schedule is a trick -- especially since his focus is firmly on his future, too.
The senior wants to be a funeral director -- and is determined to have the education and the character necessary to succeed in that profession.
"I am proud that he is focused," Mrs. Simmons said. "He knows what he wants to do with his life."
And her son, she added, is a role model for her.
"He is deeply religious," she said. " He preaches to me. I am proud of the young man he has turned out to be."
But there are challenges to being a football mom, she added with a smile.
"You have to be prepared to cook a meal no matter what time it is," she said.
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The team knows that when they are on the field, they are not alone.
They are aware of the new crowd of supporters and appreciate them, while still honoring those who have been there from the beginning.
"It is a diverse crowd in the stands, and that is something new, something good," Baker said. "They give you support. You look up to see the loyal people that have been with you all along, you hear them. It matters."