The Righteous Path

If I had to pick the most satisfying aspect of my job, it's when the kids that we cover so intensely in high school go on to bigger and better things at the next level. I got chills when David Stern announced Raymond Felton's name going to the Charlotte Bobcats with the 5th pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, and when Lawrence Timmons hugged his mom after getting selected 15th in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers a couple of weeks ago. There's no need to pick sides for me in the Clemson/South Carolina rivalry because I root equally for both schools thanks to former WPDE All-Zoners making key contributions for both programs. Whether it's Anthony Waters or Michael Hamlin running right over after a Clemson win or Syvelle Newton doing the same in Columbia, I always felt proud of our guys stepping up on the major sports stage.

Lately, I've been on the other end of the spectrum with news of former high school athletes getting in trouble with the law. Since we live in a country where you are innocent until proven guilty, it's not fair to get into the details, but there have been two crimes in recent weeks that have involved former high school athletes that were household names on our Friday night franchises. Usually, sports is an escape for potential trouble and the number of positives far outweigh the negatives when it comes to athletes benefitting society. We always try to get a message across to the members of our All-Zone teams on how they represent their community and they are in an elite group that is quickly becoming a legacy. The question that needs to be presented to each of our All-Zoners is this: What path are you going to walk down? Will you be like Lanard Stafford of Carvers Bay who not only walked on to Steve Spurriers Gamecocks and starts at fullback, but is on his way to an engineering degree. The other path is one that never works out. When the news department knocks on our door and asks us if we know the name of a former athlete at Blank High, Hags and I cringe as we cue up the video of a touchdown or a three point basket. Here's hoping that future All-Zoners take the righteous path. Coastal Carolina's David Bennett says the same thing to his team on a regular basis "Do Right". It's two simple words. If people can think about those two words when presented with a chance to walk down the right path, maybe we can keep our former All-Zoners out of the news headlines and back into the sports section.