Smith, Brantham comprise Class of 2012 for Rosewood Hall of Fame
By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on September 28, 2012 1:48 PM
The former voice of the Eagles and a decorated women's tennis player comprise the 2012 class of the Rosewood High School Athletics Hall of Fame.
Steve Smith and Kayce Brantham will be inducted during halftime of tonight's Carolina 1-A Conference game against state-ranked Ayden-Grifton.
Smith became Rosewood's PA announcer upon invitation from then-head coach Joe McCullen in 1988 and for 16 years thrilled fans with "First down...Eagles" during each home game. He also introduced lineups during the basketball and baseball seasons, and the annual Eagle Invitational -- the longest-running individual wrestling tournament in Wayne County -- until 2006.
He has been the Master of Ceremonies for the booster's club reverse drawing and was instrumental in getting a track constructed so Community Drive would not be used for training. Smith hosted the Miss Rosewood Pageant during its early years and is a former recipient of Rosewood High School Volunteer of the Year award.
Smith is currently the programming coordinator for SJCCTV at Johnston Community College and continues to officiate high school games. His biggest role now, however, is to spoil his twin grandsons -- Connor and Cooper.
A three-time all-conference player and two-time team MVP, Brantham helped lead Rosewood to a runner-up finish in the 2002 N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A dual-team playoffs.
Brantham played women's soccer for four seasons and participated on the winter track team for three years. She was named Rosewood's female scholar athlete-of-the-year in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06, and earned the RHS female-of-the-year sportsmanship award in 2006.
Rosewood won four Carolina 1-A Conference championships in three sports during Brantham's career. She received the inaugural Malcolm C. Perry Scholarship Award in 2006 and was the Salutatorian of her senior class.
Brantham graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in chemistry and a B.S. in biology from East Carolina in 2010. She is scheduled to graduate from the ECU Brody School of Medicine in 2015.