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The Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas announced rosters for this year’s game last week, a move that caught some people by surprise. In past years, the announcement has been held until closer to the end of football season.Ronnie Blount, who is general chairman of the game and lives in Cumberland County, said there was logic behind the decision to move the announcement date up a month.
Nominations were opened on July 15 this season and closed on Labor Day he said.
The main reason for the advance was because of challenges getting football uniforms to fit an assortment of players. This year’s Shrine rosters have players as short at 5-foot-9 and as tall as 6-foot-7.
Blount said the Shriners had encountered problems getting equipment delivered in time with the late announcement date. The vendor who provides the uniforms needs 90 days to turn the orders around he said.
Another plus of moving the date up was that coaches had some free time over the summer to work on nominations, resulting in more nominations than in past years.
This year’s game is scheduled Saturday, Dec. 21, at 1 p.m. at Wofford College’s Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C.
The head coach for the North Carolina team has Cumberland County ties. Jimmy Teague, veteran coach at Reidsville High School, is a former assistant coach at Pine Forest High School.
• Lacrosse continues to grow in Cumberland County and the region. The North Carolina High School Athletic Association has announced the new conferences for boys and girls lacrosse and county schools will no longer be in the same league with teams from the Raleigh area.
The new league for boys includes Jack Britt, Cape Fear, Pinecrest and Terry Sanford.
For girls, the league members are the same four schools plus Union Pines.
Lacrosse practice begins Feb. 12, 2020, with the first matches on March 2.
• The next Region 4 Emergency Fund Golf Tournament will be held Sunday, Oct. 13, at Gates Four Golf and Country Club. Rain date is Oct. 20.
The tournament raises money for the coaches and officials emergency fund, which provides monetary support to individuals and families in the area during a time of crisis.
There are slots for as many as 32 teams in the fall tournament.
Those registering before Oct. 6 pay $75 per golfer. After Oct. 6, the cost rises to $85 per golfer.
For more information on the tournament, including how to register, visit www.regionfour.org.
Pictured: L-R Former Pine Forest assistant football coach Jimmy Teague, Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas general chairman Ronnie Blount and Dean Boyd of York Comprehensive High School in York, South Carolina announce this year's Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas teams live on Facebook. Teague is head coach at Reidsville High School and North Carolina head coach this year. Boyd is the South Carolina head coach.