By By KEVIN TRAVIS
Sports Editor
Washington Pam Pack football coach Sport Sawyer will be putting in a little extra work next summer, but he certainly doesn’t mind. Sawyer was selected to coach in the 2010 NCCA East-West All-Star Football game.
“It was a surprise,” Sawyer said. “It’s an honor to do something like that.”
The game will be played at Grimsley’s Jamieson Stadium in Greensboro on July 21, 2010.
Sawyer, 32-29 entering his sixth year as the Pam Pack coach, will help pick out the East All-Stars for the game. The coaches will evaluate players and make their decisions based on what they see on tape.
“It’s going to be some hard work, but I’m looking forward to it,” Sawyer said.
Sawyer is joined by some familiar faces on the East staff. South Central head coach Walt Davis, a former coach at Northside High School, among others, is the head coach of the East squad.
“Getting to be with coach Davis is an honor,” Sawyer said. “I’ve known him since my playing days at Belhaven.”
The rest of the staff consists of New Bern’s Bobby Curlings, West Craven’s Randy Murphy, South View’s James Dockery and Roanoke Rapids’ Russell Weinstein.
“It helps that we know each other and compete against each other,” Sawyer said. “To coach with each other and to be able to learn from them will be an honor.”
Sawyer said his assistant coaches at Washington helped make this possible.
“Being selected represents our whole coaching staff at Washington,” Sawyer said. “We wouldn’t be successful without them. We all do this together and we do it the best way that we can.”
Sawyer is looking forward to the challenge.
“I’m excited about meeting different athletes from the state and seeing how the other coaches do things,” Sawyer said. “I think it will be a rewarding experience.”