SPORTS COLUMN: WOLFPACK COME UP JUST SHORT OF STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

The Walkertown Wolfpack almost had a dream season, falling one game shy of achieving their ultimate goal of a state championship. Although the game did not go their way, the Wolfpack are trending upward and have many reasons to keep their heads held high as they prepare for next season.

The Wolfpack finished the season with a 20-9 overall record, culminated by an 80-54 loss to state champion Kinston High School. Even with this loss, Walkertown shocked a lot of people and quieted many doubters that didn’t feel the Wolfpack had the chops to compete for a state championship.

Inside the school, the feelings were much different as head coach Richard Daniels, his staff and the players were all confident they could make a deep playoff run this season.

“I think it kind of played out how we wanted it to. I think we went through a little bit of adversity in the beginning and not having Camereon Cartlidge, who was one of our leading rebounders, who left to go play at North Carolina Central early,” said Daniels.

“I think getting the guys adjusted to not playing with him and the things he did was a growing up moment for them. Once we got our groove and figured out how to play without him, I think we showcased a lot of resilience.”

The Wolfpack had some ups and downs during the regular season but played many of the tougher teams on their schedule very well, with several of those losses coming down to the final minutes before the game was decided.

“Throughout the season, I think they showed a lot of poise and growth, especially in tough games,” Daniels said. “To lose to some of the top teams in their respective conferences like Tabor, South Stokes and Reidsville, I thought our guys showed a lot of maturity and they competed hard this season.”

For Daniels, there were a few key moments during the season that showed him and his staff that his team was ready to compete at a high level. He saw that his team was not negatively fazed after suffering early season losses, but instead locked in even more to get better.

“I think I take a little bit from each game. Playing West Charlotte in the first game of the season and losing by 10 points, which we had our opportunity to win, showed from the beginning what kind of team we were,” Daniels continued.

“I think after the Frank Spencer, watching how hard they practiced and bounced back, I think those two losses, back-to-back losses, made them realize if they take it for granted, you’re going to lose games. So, I think that was a growing-up moment for us, so coming back into the new year, I just thought we were more focused.”

As they headed into the playoffs, Daniels and his staff reminded his kids of the embarrassment from the holiday tournament and to not take any opponent lightly. He pointed out some of the higher-seeded teams lose early in the playoffs and felt his team took note of that.

Prior to the state championship game, Daniels told his team that making it to this point is something many players never get the chance to experience. Daniels was a star point guard for Carver High School and never had the opportunity to lace up for a state championship.

“As a coach, I definitely thought that taking it all in as far as the practices and the last couple of moments walking into the arena, the locker room and those kind of things, you know, I felt like I just wanted them to take that in for what it is and enjoy the moment, but realizing we are here to win,” Daniels said about his team prior to the state championship.

As one of the senior leaders, Kenan Grady says the players quietly had a goal of making a run at a state championship. He felt they had the talent and coaching to get there but everyone had to buy in to the program and he felt they did so.

“Yeah, we just always made that a goal. I just wanted to be the best version of me on the court, uplift my brothers and just play a leadership role,” said Grady.

Even though he is graduating and won’t be a part of the team next season, Grady wants the team to know they have the talent to make another run at a state championship if they put the work in during the off season.

Junior guard Ricco Daniels is the little brother of head coach Richard Daniels. He says this season was a great experience for him as well. He felt his team worked very hard this season and deserved to be in the state championship.

“I’m glad we made it there but it’s not the result we wanted. After the game, I was really hurt because losing in front of your home crowd and the result we had with the score, I just felt it wasn’t right,” said Ricco.

He enjoys playing for his older brother but says Coach Daniels does get on him a lot.

The Wolfpack are losing three seniors this off season but are ready to get back into the lab to have the result they worked so hard for this year.

“My plan is to take my game to another level,” said Daniels. “I want to get stronger and take another step and become more of a leader.”

Coach Daniels says his team put in a lot of work during last off season but feels they need to put in twice as much this summer because of how difficult it is to make it back to the state championship game.

Even with the doubters outside of the school, that doesn’t bother the staff or the players. Coach Daniels just wants his kids to focus on their success and not worry about the outside chatter.

“I try not to compare us to the other teams because if you’re doing what you’re supposed to do, people that need to know will take notice. I always remind them that you don’t worry about outsiders or people that don’t really matter. So, I think as long as they can do that and continue to work hard and have the same goal amongst the team, everybody else’s opinions and thoughts don’t matter,” Daniels said about his team.

Photo courtesy Walkertown High School.gravida neque convallis a cras. Non enim praesent elementum facilisis. A erat nam at lectus urna duis convallis. Scelerisque eleifend donec pretium vulputate sapien.