James Kenan upholding community's expectations

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on December 12, 2013 1:48 PM

• Print
• Email

rcoggins@newsargus.com

WARSAW -- Tradition never graduates at James Kenan.

In fact, the Tigers' football team reloads every August.

And each time the players step onto the field on Friday evening, they undoubtedly shoulder the burden of success from past teams and the expectations placed upon them by the community.

"Community support is definitely important and it's good that they try to live up to some expectations of what some groups have done before (them)," JK head coach Ken Avent Jr. said. "I feel like every year there is a hand full of teams that have got a chance to win a state championship or be in it, and I think we're one of those each year that has the talent to get there.

"Obviously, we set goals to win championships. If you find a way to win this Saturday, it would make it an unbelievable year."

Unbelievable, indeed.

The No. 1-ranked and unbeaten Tigers oppose No. 3-ranked West Montgomery for the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-AA state title on Saturday. Kickoff is 3:05 p.m. at BB&T Field in Winston-Salem.

It's a rematch of the 2007 title game won by the Tigers.

Two years ago, injuries decimated James Kenan's lineup and led to a season-ending, second-round playoff loss at Red Springs. A maturer pack of Tigers avoided the injury bug and advanced to the eastern championship game in 2012.

The returning players, led by 14 seniors, vowed to go one step further this fall. A great offseason helped lead to a Carolina Conference title, a sweep of county opposition and two victories over bitter archrival Wallace-Rose Hill.

Avent Jr. doesn't anticipate an emotional letdown after last week's triumph over Wallace before a standing-room-only crowd of 4,000-plus fans. The coaching staff hasn't encountered any trouble motivating a group that hungrily desires a third state championship in program history.

"We just try to keep them focused on winning one (game) at a time because if they start looking ahead, that's usually when a team stumbles," Avent Jr. said. "You've got to have some breaks and we've had some breaks this year. We've been able to avoid injuries.

"The biggest thing (about Saturday) is we just have to treat it as another game, put everything else behind you. At kickoff, it's just a football game like any other Friday night ... just a little bit more important."