Green county’s top three-sport athlete

While wearing his emotions on his sleeve, Washington’s Stevie Green tends to lead more by example, letting his on-the-field performance speak for itself.

Exhibiting a calm, humble demeanor, as well as a 6-foot-1, 190-pound frame, the Pam Pack senior earned the venerated all-conference nod in three sports – football, basketball and track and field.

“We put the ball in his hands and let him make play,” said head football coach Sport Sawyer. “Some of the stuff he did was all natural instinct, nothing that any coach told him, it came naturally. He’s a very smart young man.”

In the fall, Green graced the hallowed ground of Wagner field and left his mark as a dual-threat offensive playmaker. Playing mostly running back and receiver, while also recording minutes at quarterback and on the defensive line, Washington’s super athlete notched 1548-yards rushing and 284 yards receiving, the second-highest mark on the squad in each category, respectively.

“I’ve coached a long time and have had guys who were great players, but didn’t want to practice,” Sawyer said. “That was never the case with Stevie. We needed to tell him not to practice. That really, as a coach, is special. What he did was make other players want to do that, and that made our job easier.”

Above all else, Green’s unrelenting desire to win rubbed off on his teammates, as the Pam Pack reached the fourth round of the state playoffs, before eventually falling to T.W. Andrews in a 42-15 blowout. It was a loss that hung over Green, who was awarded with Eastern Plains Conference Player-of-the-Year, well into the winter, where he was also expected to be head coach Steven Flowers’ most dynamic scorer on the hardwood.

“At the beginning of the season, coming from football to basketball, my mind was still stuck on football and wanting to win a state championship,” Green said. “I hadn’t let it go, so I tried to take a more aggressive approach to basketball and change the way I did things.”

Green felt the need to control the tempo of every game. Over the first five games, he averaged more than 21 points, but Washington won just two games. As the season progressed, the Pack’s struggles continued. Nevertheless, Green began to sacrifice the high point totals and get his teammates more involved in the offense.

His team finished 3-12 (1-9 Eastern Plains) and missed the playoffs, but Green’s most successful single-season campaign was yet to come.

In three events – the high jump, long jump and 110-meter hurdles – the senior excelled throughout the season and was a constant fixture in the winner’s circle.

Earning a spot in the regional meet on May 3, Green picked up a bronze in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 15.67 and a silver in the high jump with a six-foot two-inch mark. As a member of the 4×100-meter relay team, he finished in third place, while also picking up a silver in the 4×800-meter relay. Despite not finishing in the top five, he also competed in the 800-meter run and long jump, making him the most versatile and durable athlete at the meet.

At the Class 2-A State Championships, his best performance came in the high jump, where he finished fourth.

Green will attend Elizabeth City State University in the fall and will join the Vikings football team. What position he will play remains unknown.