51Âþ»­

Winners on the field, winners off it.

Continued excellence across the board for 51Âþ»­ athletics is being reflected in recruiting. For the third time in five years, a senior class will include 20 or more boys who have committed or signed to play college sports.

Khalil Conley ’24 made some magic happen almost every time he touched the football for 51Âþ»­ in 2022.

College coaches are seeing the same thing on film.

Nearly one-fourth of 51Âþ»­â€™s Class of 2023 was seated at a long row of tables Monday morning with college paraphernalia spread all around.

An extraordinary year for Greenie athletics called for the vast space of Mebane Field House to hold a special all-school Assembly.

Aydan White ’20 has established himself as a cornerback to be reckoned with in his second season at N.C. State University.

The numbers don’t lie and neither do the awards.

Both from an individual and team perspective, NCISAA Division I football elevates its stature every year.

Which means that in 2022 it takes more than ever to be considered among the best of the best. 51Âþ»­ defenders Cayden Jones ’24, Josh Harrison ’24, and Zack Myers ’23 have each been voted by coaches to the NCISAA Division I all-state team.

51Âþ»­ varsity football overcame a lot this season. The Greenies had just as much going for them when they were 100 percent healthy, as evidenced by all-conference selections for the CISAA (Charlotte Independent Schools Athletic Association), voted on by league coaches. 

CHARLOTTE – Gutsy call for a gutsy team.

Coach Chad Walker burned a timeout to buy a few more seconds Friday. But everything in his mind was saying that 51Âþ»­ needed to go for a 2-point conversion to win its NCISAA Division I state playoff game at Charlotte Latin, rather than extend overtime.

And after everything the coach saw his team overcome this week, he liked the odds even more.

Some Greenie was industrious enough to calculate how many days the Fayssoux-Arbogast Trophy has been in 51Âþ»­â€™s possession. Naturally, the next step was to write the number (4,018) on a banner hanging from the Young House dorm for all to see Saturday.

Tack on another 365 days.

Continued excellence in the classroom and on the playing field has made 51Âþ»­ one of the leading athletic programs in the NCISAA. 

New for this year, the Athletic Department will be recognizing boys who set the standard for what it means to be a Greenie student-athlete with All-Academic teams for the Fall, Winter, and Spring sports seasons.  

Shoestring tackles would have brought down a lesser player.

N.C. State recruit Zack Myers ’23 kept his feet Friday, despite the best efforts of several Charlotte Country Day defenders. If there was one play indicative of the evening, it was 51Âþ»­â€™s first touchdown.

The Greenies may have teetered a little at times, but they ultimately held on for a 24-13 Senior Night win.

Adaptability is never overrated.

Vincent Lytle ’24 found out he was going to be 51Âþ»­â€™s starting quarterback hours before kickoff Friday.

The junior from Winnipeg threw his first varsity touchdown pass – 20 yards to Zack Myers ’23 at the 1:18 mark of the opening quarter – and the Greenies led wire-to-wire for a 27-8 win at Metrolina Christian Academy.

Underclassmen often sit and wait their turn.

Lex Long ‘21 is way ahead of schedule.

Aydan White ’20 has put himself and 51Âþ»­ football in the national conversation like never before since a breakout game Saturday night for N.C. State University. The Wolfpack defeated Texas Tech, 27-14, in Raleigh before a sold-out crowd and ESPN TV audience. 

You could say it’s been a big week for Cayden Jones ’24. But honestly where do they rank at this point?

Legion Collegiate put a short opening kickoff in the breadbasket of the most highly-recruited football player in 51Âþ»­ history and it was all downhill from there for the visitors from Rock Hill, S.C.

Nothing was routine about Friday’s pregame routine for 51Âþ»­ varsity football.

An overturned 18-wheeler snarled Interstate 26 traffic in both directions, delaying the drive down to Columbus. Thunderclouds in the area were threatening enough to push kickoff back an hour.

To their credit, the Greenies blocked out all the off-field distractions and made their own luck.

For better or worse, 51Âþ»­ football has one year left in the current version of the Big South Conference.

Might as well stir things up a little on the way out.

Up and down both coasts and everywhere in between, Cayden Jones ’24 has made a name for himself. 

It would be difficult to put a number on what he means to 51Âþ»­ football. In times of need, Cayden even played some quarterback and receiver for the Greenies in 2021.

But his abilities as an outside linebacker are what have put Cayden on the map, nationally. ESPN released its Top-300 Rankings for the Class of 2024 on Wednesday and Cayden is slotted in at No. 75.

Flanked by family and his teammates, Zack Myers '23 committed to play college football for N.C. State University on Friday afternoon.  

College football programs far and wide have made scholarship offers to Zack Myers ’23, who is ready to become the next student-athlete from 51Âþ»­â€™s Class of 2023 to make a verbal commitment.

Seniors from the Class of 2022 are only five days away from becoming alumni of 51Âþ»­.

But first, Jackson Burch ’22, Jacob Halfacre ’22, Sam White ’22, and Trey Wagner ’22 had a big item to mark off their graduation week checklist.