We sure learned a lot from the 2009 NFL season.

Of course, if I had blogged, I could have told you some of what we all learned throughout the season.

Instead, I might be 7 weeks late, but I’m definitely not seven dollars short…it’s time to find out what we learned from Week 7 of the NFL.

And here goes nothin’, folks.

Buffalo 20, Carolina 9

I think we all pretty much knew this going in but the Carolina Panthers are going to be bad this season.

Very bad.

If a franchise has a hard time getting past the Washington Redskins, a team that’s got more problems than an episode of the Jerry Springer Show, then it’s going to be a bad year. Not only that, but the Carolina Panthers also had a hard time getting by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following week. To top that off, the Panthers fell at home on Sunday to the Buffalo Bills, a team that was playing with back-up quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

It was also no secret that the Panthers have a bad quarterback in Jake Delhomme, a guy that used to be good but now forces the ball too much. I don’t know what the answer is in Carolina, I really don’t. Who does coach John Fox go to if he replaces Delhomme? A.J. Feely? Matt Moore? Are those guys the answer?

I’m still boarding the Sign Jeff Garcia bandwagon. It’s too late to salvage this season for the Panthers, though. It’s going to be a long season. They still have the Vikings, two meetings with the unbeaten Saints, the Giants, the Dolphins and another battle with the Falcons. I’m smelling a 6-10 season this year for the Panthers.

So, what did we learn from the Panthers (2-4) loss to the Bills (3-4)?

Jake Delhomme has four touchdowns passes this season (none of them to Steve Smith, by the way) and 13 interceptions. At this point of the season in 2008, during his only season with the New York Jets, Brett Favre had just as many touchdowns as Jake has interceptions this season. Favre had 13 touchdowns and eight picks. Favre finished the 2008 season with 22 TD’s and 22 interceptions, which were the most in the league.

Speaking of Favre…

Pittsburgh 27, Minnesota 17

Not only did we learn that Favre will go unbeaten with the Vikings, we also learned that Favre cannot tackle. Maybe he can, he just tries not to. Seriously, what was that? Your team needed this tackle with the game on the line.

Houston 24, San Francisco 21

We learned that the 49ers have lost all control of the NFC West. We also learned that Alex Smith is still alive. Remember him? The top pick in the 2005 NFL Draft out of Utah. The same guy that threw just two touchdown passes in the last two seasons. Yeah, him. He threw more touchdowns (3) in one half than he did in the last two years with the Niners. Welcome back, Alex. Hope you stick around longer this time.

Also, sticking with this game. After holding out for the first five games of the season, 49ers rookie Michael Crabtree made his NFL debut with five catches for 56 yards. The person that was drafted 3 spots ahead of him, Darius Hayward Bay, has only four catches for 64 yards in SIX games. How does Crabtree already have more catches than DHB? Maybe, the 9ers should have given Crabtree the money he wanted.

New York Jets 38, Oakland 0

The Jets beat the Raiders…I think anyone can do that…Well, except for the Eagles. I guess the only thing I learned from this disastrous game is the fact that Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez cannot eat a freaking hot dog on the sideline without apologizing. Seriously, Mark. Eat up. Enjoy the hot dog, man.

Seriously? He apologized for enjoying the 38-0 whoopin’ his team was putting on the Raiders? C’mon.

There’s worse things that go on down on the gridiron. Like this for example,

Anyone remember when former Carolina Panthers linebacker Kevin Greene attacked assistant coach Kevin Steele on the sidelines? Is Sanchez munching on a hot dog any worse than that?

I’m just sayin’…

Sanchez shouldn’t have to apologize for eating a freaking hot dog. If anyone should apologize it should be the Raiders apologizing to the fans for stinking so bad year after year.

New Orleans 46, Miami 34

The most important thing that we learned from this weekend is this:

Drew Brees has ups. That and the Saints are pretty legit after coming back from a 24-3 deficit to beat the Dolphins.

I know, I know.

A random blog update after almost two months away.

Don’t worry, though. Because I’m back.

For good, too.

I promise.

SANFORD — Stuart Creighton has resigned from Lee County Schools, the district confirmed to The Herald.

Sharon Spence, spokesman for the district, confirmed the resignation in an e-mail to The Herald on Friday.

Creighton, former Lee County High School soccer coach, last led the Yellow Jackets in an Aug. 20 match against cross-town rival Southern Lee at home — a match in which the Cavaliers defeated the Yellow Jackets, 4-0.

Creighton had not coached the team’s last three matches, leaving speculation about his job security at the school.

Danny Villa, the girls’ soccer coach at Lee County, has been named the interim coach and will be on the sidelines for the remainder of the season.

Lee County principal Greg Batten also confirmed on Monday that Creighton had resigned, but would not comment on why. He did say that a search for Creighton’s replacement will begin at the end of the season.

“There will be a search for a replacement at season’s end,” said Batten. “Coach Villa will certainly have an opportunity to be a viable candidate for that. We certainly appreciate his willingness to step up and take over and we’re thankful for the job that he has done so far.”

Phone calls and e-mails seeking comment from Creighton have not been returned.

SANFORD — Eric Puryear means business.

The new Southern Lee football coach was hired in June to take over a struggling program that finished 1-10 in 2008, and already Puryear has seen a big difference in the attitude of his team.

And when practice officially starts on Aug. 1, Puryear expects the Cavaliers to treat practice like a real world job.

“When they first get to practice, it’ll be like they are punching in to start work,” said Puryear, who has a Masters’ of Business Administration degree from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo. “That means during the time that practice starts, they are going to work and they are going to be working hard. I expect them to work hard and do their best during the time that they are at practice so that we can be ready to get the season started.”

During the offseason workouts, the Cavalier roster has expanded to 85 potential players. Puryear has been very surprised with how athletically gifted each of those 85 players are.

However, he still sees plenty of room for improvement, especially when it comes to commitment. He wants every single player on his team to be dedicated to rebuilding the Cavaliers back into contenders.

“Our weaknesses have nothing to do with our skill sets on the field,” said Puryear. “Right now, a lot of it has to do with commitment. I want the kids that do come out on a daily basis to understand what it means to ‘come out.’ I expect them to work hard for me each and every day that we practice. I’m trying to get them committed to this team and I think it’s working so far.”

Puryear will hold open practices when the practice season begins so that the fans and family members of the players can watch what the team will be doing during the season and how practices are run.

“My practices will always be open,” said Puryear. “That way, if anyone wants to come and see what we’re doing, they’ll have the ability to do so. We’re all excited to finally get things started.”

On Aug. 8, the Cavaliers will hold an Orange-Blue intersquad scrimmage. It will give fans an opportunity to see the team in action and showcase the new offensive and defensive schemes the Cavaliers will be using.

The Cavaliers recently played in a series of 7-on-7 scrimmages at Pinecrest. The Cavaliers played a series of 30-minute games against Pinecrest, Hillside, East Montgomery and played Union Pines twice. These scrimmages really showed Puryear just how athletic and competitive the Cavaliers are.

“I thought the 7-on-7’s went very well because we made progress in each game,” said Puryear. “I wasn’t looking to dominate. All I wanted was for us to make progress and I thought we did that. It was good to come out and see us compete very well. We even won a few of the competitions. We made significant progress and that’s all I can ask for.”

The schedule looks tough for the Cavaliers, who open the season on Aug. 21 at South Johnston. The following week, Southern Lee will host E.E. Smith in the home opener. The Cavaliers also have traditional powerhouses Douglas Byrd and Seventy-First scheduled later on in the season.

But right now, Puryear isn’t even thinking about the tough schedule. Right now, his main focus is on implementing his system and getting the Cavaliers ready for the season.

“No game is on my mind right now,” said Puryear. “The schedule looks tough on paper. I think that if the guys can come out and keep working hard, I think we can be competitive in those games. I’ve seen ways that we can expose some of those teams’ weaknesses. I’m ready to get started with my scheme defensively and our scheme offensively.”

This week at workouts, Puryear plans on giving his team some opportunities to rest before practice begins.

“The guys only have one more week before practice starts,” said Puryear. “So, I don’t want to beat them up too bad before practice starts. This week, I want them to rest their legs and their bodies. On Aug. 1, I expect them to be ready.”

SANFORD — In the four months that Burton Cates has been in town, he’s already seen a significant improvement with the Lee County football team.

So far during the offseason workouts, Cates has liked what he’s seen from the Yellow Jackets, but knows that there is more work to be done.

Cates, who has a 236-81 career record in 25 years as a head coach to go with a state championship victory in 2006, says that the main key in rebuilding the Yellow Jackets back into a contender is patience.

“As a coaching staff, we feel good with what we’re trying to do,” said Cates. “We have a good core of kids who are giving the effort. So far, there’s been a big improvement in the football team. We’re feeling good, but we’re cautiously optimistic about things.”

The summer has been fairly busy for Cates and the Yellow Jackets. Every Tuesday and Thursday, the team works out at 1 p.m. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, the coaching staff opens the weight room from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at Paul Gay Stadium.

“We’re seeing a lot of kids show up and come to these workouts and get in the weight room,” said Cates. “It’s a good thing to see. They are definitely putting forth an effort to be successful, and as a coach, you can’t ask for much more than that.”
Recently, the Yellow Jackets hosted a mini-camp and also played Jamestown Ragsdale and Southern Alamance in a 7-on-7 scrimmage.

“There was definitely a big improvement,” said Cates. “There were some areas that I felt we did very well in and there were some areas that I think need a little bit more work. It’s good to see their hard work paying off. Whenever practice officially starts, we’ll focus on improving on our weaknesses.”

Practice officially begins on Aug. 1. Cates and the Yellow Jackets will kick off the practice season at 12:01 a.m. under the lights of Paul Gay Stadium for midnight madness.

“We’re looking forward to practicing and getting these guys ready for our first game,” said Cates. “We’ve done a lot this summer and these kids have worked hard. I think they’re ready to get things started.”

After a few weeks of practice, Lee County will travel to Southern Alamance to participate in the Patriots’ Jamboree on Aug. 14. The Yellow Jackets will scrimmage both Southern Alamance and North Forsyth in the jamboree and could possibly play Burlington-Cummings as well.

“I chose that jamboree because of the fact that our junior varsity team will be able to scrimmage as well,” said Cates. “I want all aspects of our program to be successful and that includes our JV team. I want them to be able to scrimmage, too. It adds excitement for our team. It’ll be good to finally reward these kids with a game-like environment in this jamboree.”

The Jackets will open the season with their first game on Aug. 21 when they host Western Harnett in the endowment game at Paul Gay Stadium. The following week, the team will travel to Richmond County.

“I’d like for us to be a better team in September than we were in August,” said Cates. “We just have to use the time that we’re given wisely. It’s a work in progress and I have faith in my team and the coaching staff that we can be successful.”

FAYETTEVILLE — Lee County had Pinecrest on the ropes.

But the Yellow Jackets just couldn’t capitalize.

Lee County led 3-1 after three innings before falling 5-3 to the Patriots in Wednesday’s opening round of the Central Carolina Scholastic Summer League state tournament at Pine Forest to officially end the Jackets’ baseball season.

Neal O’Quinn and Alex Furl led the Yellow Jackets offensively, going 3-for-4 at the plate. Cody Palmer was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Tyler Castleberry was 1-for-3 and Julio Perez was 1-for-2.

In the first inning, following base hits from O’Quinn and Furl, Palmer hit a double to score both runners. The two-run double gave the Yellow Jackets an early 2-0 lead. In the second inning, Perez and O’Quinn reached base and Furl drove Perez home with an RBI single to give the Yellow Jackets a 3-0 lead.

That’s where the scoring for Lee County would end and the scoring for the Patriots would begin.

In the bottom of the second inning, the Patriots got on the board with a run and trailed 3-1. They added four more runs in the fifth inning to pull ahead 5-3.

The Yellow Jackets had plenty of chances in the latter stages of the game but couldn’t get the runners home. In the top of the third, Palmer got on base with a hit.In the fourth Castleberry had a single and in the fifth, Furl hit a single to lead off the inning.

On the mound for Lee County was Trent Clark, who threw three complete innings with one hit and four strikeouts.

Baseball season is sadly over in Sanford following Lee County’s 5-3 loss to Pinecrest in Wednesday’s opening round of the Central Carolina Scholastic Summer League State Tournament.

The Yellow Jackets held a 3-1 lead after three inning, but a four-run 4th gave the Patriots enough of a cushion to take the win.

Still, after winning just three games in the spring and suddenly turning around and making a run to the CCSSL state tournament, the Yellow Jackets have a lot to be proud of with their baseball team.

The future is extremely bright for the Yellow Jackets, since all of these players will return for the spring season. If everything goes well for coach Charlie Spivey and assistants Shawn McNeill and Neil Rosser, the Yellow Jackets could go from pretender to contender next season and could very well make the 4-A State Tournament.

Southern Lee’s baseball program also has a very bright future following this summer season in which the Cavaliers finished 7-7 and failed to make the CCSSL tournament.

The Cavaliers played in one of the toughest divisions in the entire league this summer and still managed to finish .500. The Cavaliers also had a blend of new talent — Jared Kehagias, Tyler Appling, Connor Gaines and Nick Mauldin — mixed in with its returning core of talent.

If this summer was any indication of things to come, it’s that the future of Southern Lee and Lee County’s baseball teams look very bright. Both teams could very well make the post season next spring, which would be a rare feat in this area with both teams being successful.

Here is Thursday’s column to explain more as to why both teams should be proud of their progress this summer:

Although the Central Carolina Scholastic Summer League season officially ended for the Lee County baseball team on Wednesday night, this summer definitely showed that both of the area’s programs are clearly headed in the right direction.

Despite neither team bringing home a CCSSL title, Southern Lee and Lee County did a lot in the summer that could make both teams a threat in their respective conferences in the spring of 2010.

The Yellow Jackets won just three games in the spring prep season. During the summer, the Yellow Jackets won nine games and advanced to the CCSSL state tournament. In Wednesday’s tournament opener, the Jackets lost to Pinecrest 5-3 at Pine Forest High School.

But that’s not what matters.

While the loss will probably leave a sour taste in the mouths of the Yellow Jacket players and coaches, the team should look at how quickly it improved over the summer and take that confidence and motivation with them into the spring season.

This same team that competed in the summer will return next spring, and it could mean big things for the Yellow Jackets in the newly constructed Tri-9 Conference. Players like Neal O’Quinn, Tyler Castleberry, Alex Furl and Cody Palmer will return, and if they play like they did this summer, the Yellow Jackets will definitely win more than three games next season.

The Cavaliers, who made the CCSSL tournament last season, failed to make the tournament this year after finishing 7-7 in summer ball, which isn’t bad at all considering all the players that Southern Lee lost at the end of the spring season due to graduation.

Losing players like Daniel Haire, Chad Taylor, Jeremy McLeod, Matt Baker and Dale Bunnell sure gave the Cavaliers some tough shoes to fill. However, with seasoned veterans like Andrew McNeill, Jeffrey Ward, A.J. Jackson and Walt Podruchny, the Cavaliers have enough talent to win the Cape Fear Valley Conference championship for the second time in the history of the program.

Mix those veterans with new players like Jared Kehagias, Nick Mauldin, Connor Gaines and Tyler Appling, and the Cavaliers have what it takes to make the playoffs for the third straight season in 2010.

Another thing to take away from the Cavaliers’ performance this summer is the fact that they played in one of the toughest divisions of the CCSSL and were forced into playing powerhouse teams like Richmond County and Scotland County twice this summer.

Playing in the tough division and going .500 against that competition shows that Southern Lee is definitely not rebuilding. It’s just reloading.

CCSSL baseball shouldn’t be just about winning.

Granted, winning is great and makes the games that much more fun to watch for the fans. But winning definitely should not be the sole focus of the summer.

It should also be about evaluating the overall state of the program and improving the weaknesses that plagued the team in the spring. It should be about giving new players some real game experiences so that they can be ready to go the following season.

Both teams showed what CCSSL baseball is really about with their play this summer.

Lee County improved dramatically after a disastrous spring. Southern Lee, after losing in the first round of the 3-A East playoffs to Dudley in the spring, finished .500 with a slew of new talent and a tough schedule.

Southern Lee coach Matt Burnett and Lee County coach Charlie Spivey, along with assistants Shawn McNeill and Neil Rosser, have a lot to be proud of based on the summer performances of their teams.

Based on everything that happened in the summer with both programs, it should make the spring season that much more interesting and fun to watch.

Both teams should be significantly better in 2010, and based on what happened this summer, both teams could make a run in the playoffs next season.

That’s what both teams should take away from this summer.

While the Yellow Jackets might be a little stung following Wednesday’s loss to Pinecrest, they should look back on this summer and compare this season to the one they had in the spring and be proud of how quickly they turned things around.

That’s what the CCSSL season is all about.

SANFORD — The Lee County baseball team would love to mark Friday and Saturday on its calendar.

Friday is the Central Carolina Scholastic Summer League semifinals and Saturday is the championship game. Both of the semifinal games and the championship will be played at Lee County High School.

While the Yellow Jackets desperately want to make it that far with an opportunity to win the CCSSL Championship in front of their home fans, they must first get through Pinecrest tonight in the opening round of the CCSSL State Tournament.

“We’re not even thinking about (the weekend) right now,” said assistant coach Shawn McNeill. “All we know about this Friday and Saturday is that we’re going to have to be there to fix the field whether we win or not. We just have to take it one game at a time and play our best baseball and worry about Pinecrest.”

The Yellow Jackets, who finished the CCSSL season with a 9-5 record after winning just three games in the spring prep season, open up the tournament at 5 p.m. against the Patriots at first-round host Pine Forest.

McNeill likes his team’s chances of getting through Pinecrest, but knows that it will not be an easy feat to accomplish because of the depth of the Pinecrest roster.
“Pinecrest is such a well-coached team,” said McNeill. “Coach (Jeff) Hewitt does a great job with them. We played them in the spring and we know that they’re going to be a tough team to beat. We’re going to have to bring our A-game.”

In a recent game against Southern Lee, Pinecrest’s James Baldwin Jr., the son of the former major league All-Star, hit for the cycle against the Cavaliers, making him one of the dangerous players that the Patriots have.

Baldwin won’t be the only son of a former major leaguer that the Yellow Jackets will have to deal with. Dillon Maples, the son of former Baltimore Orioles pitcher Tim Maples, will also be playing in tonight’s game.

“Those guys are going to be tough,” said McNeill. “They’ve got a good group of guys on their roster like the Baldwin kid and the Maples kid. We’re just going to have to be ready for a tough game.”

Baldwin also pitched for the Patriots against the Cavaliers. He was replaced in the fourth inning by Joe Herbert, who came in and allowed just two hits while fanning seven in Pinecrest’s 9-2 victory against Southern Lee.

The Yellow Jackets are still feeling confident despite losing to their cross-town foes 6-5 in the CCSSL season finale. McNeill is certain that the Yellow Jackets will be ready to play in tonight’s game against the Patriots.

They’ll have to be. Otherwise the season is over.

I’m going through sports withdrawal.

I don’t know why.

But I’m starting to show the symptoms.

Instead of gluing myself in front of the television set to watch Phil Mickelson choke away another U.S. Open, I’ve been watching the countless reruns of “Jon and Kate Plus 8.”

I cannot wait until August to find out if they’re going to get back together or if they’re actually really divorcing.

Instead of sitting around and watching the 2 Live Stews debate with Skip Bayless on “The Artist Formerly Known as Cold Pizza” about whether or not Brett Favre will be in a Vikings uniform next season, I’ve been out walking my dog or actually wanting to spend time with my family and friends.

Instead of listening to Jalen Rose predicting that the Los Angeles Clippers will be the eighth seed in the NBA playoffs next season in the Western Conference, I’ve been reading about the latest unfolding drama on “I’m a Celebrity. Get Me Out of Here.” If you ask me, I think Heidi and Spencer are just hogging all the attention.

I think I’m going crazy. I need sports. And I need ‘em now. I might need help.

This is why I decided to root for the Cleveland Indians this baseball season. I wanted a team to enjoy cheering for while I tried to get through this “down period” of no NBA or college basketball and no NFL or college football.

But the Indians are stuck in last place in the American League Central and are standing at 29-42 and are 10 games back of first in the division.

I swear, that team has had me cursing them more times than I have cheered them. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even really care about them anymore. I know. I know.

There’s still golf to enjoy. There’s still The Chase in NASCAR. There’s still more than 100 games left for the Indians to make a turnaround and a late postseason surge.

There’s still boxing and mixed martial arts to enjoy as well, I guess. Oh yeah, the Tour De France is this summer, too. Also, I think Team USA soccer is playing in something. Yay! Not.

But there’s also tennis — without the world’s top player in Rafael Nadal. There’s no NFL, though ESPN says otherwise with the constant “Favre-Watch Part 882.” There’s no college basketball, just a bunch of scandals involving high-profile schools like USC and Memphis. There’s no Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. No more Most Valuable Puppets commercials.

There’s no Olympics. No Redeem Team, no Coach K, no Michael Phelps, no Usain Bolt, nothing. There’s no college football, either.

This is why I’m excited about the NBA Draft on Thursday night. It’s kind of a quick fix for my addiction to sports.

It gives me something to enjoy. We find out where our favorite college basketball players will be spending their professional careers. We find out which players from North Carolina (Sean May, Eric Montross), North Carolina State (Julius Hodge, Todd Fuller, Cedric Simmons) and Duke (Cherokee Parks, J.J. Redick, Mike Dunleavy) will be draft busts.

The draft day trades are also fun to watch. Which team will swap picks? Where will players with expiring contracts end up? How many teams will be dumping players off on different teams to try and save money and room for the 2010 offseason when LeBron, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade hit the free agent market.

I’m anxious to see where guys like Stephen Curry from Davidson and Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson and Danny Green from UNC end up. I’m curious to see how well Blake Griffin will do as a member of the Clippers.

I wonder if he’s really excited that he’s going to be a Clipper or if he wishes he could go overseas. I want to know if the Celtics will trade Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen to the Pistons for Richard Hamilton, Rodney Stuckey and Tayshaun Prince. I’d want to know why, too. I want to know if Al Jefferson and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ first-round pick will be going to the Phoenix Suns for Amare Stoudemire.

It’s two rounds.

It’s one night.

It’s my favorite draft of all the major sports.

Then, it’s over.

And I’m back to having nothing again.

Back to the constant talk of steroids in baseball.

Back to Favre Watch. Back to seeing Roger Federer surpass Pete Sampras as the greatest tennis player of all time. It’s back to the same ol’ stuff. It’s back to the Yankee-Red Sox love affair.

Just give me sports. Give me football. Give me basketball. Give me the Indians winning. Give my boss the Cubs winning. Give me something to be excited about.

Give me an Indians-Cubs World Series. That’ll at least give me something to enjoy.

I can do this. I can fight this addiction. I’ve been told that if I don’t think about sports, I’ll get over this addiction a lot quicker.

If I watch something that doesn’t remind me of sports, I won’t want to think about them. It’ll help football season get here quicker.

Until then, it’s back to my regularly scheduled rerun of “Family Matters” on Nick at Nite.

Except this one has Larry Johnson playing Grandmama.

Great. Just great.

It’s about more than just winning and losing when it comes to high school sports.

It’s about building a brotherhood (or sisterhood), an unlikely camaraderie between teammates, building trust and chemistry with people that you can take with you for the rest of your life.

It’s about the memories. It’s about the uncommon bond between a group of strangers at the beginning of the season and becoming allies, friends and brothers (or sisters) by season’s end.

To me, that’s what high school sports represent.

I’ll always remember my friends, teammates and brothers on the wrestling team at Southern High School in Durham. I’ll always remember the enemies I had at the beginning of the season and how we grew close by season’s end, all thanks to the bond that we shared during the season.

It’s simply unforgettable. Those moments live with you forever and ever and it comes to the point where you want your children to have the same kind of memories that you had. The same kind of enjoyment and satisfaction that you enjoyed, high school athletes today hope their children enjoy those same moments and create their own life-lasting memories, too.

That’s why I think the hires of Burton Cates at Lee County and Eric Puryear at Southern Lee are perfect for both schools’ football programs. Both schools are trying to rebuild into contenders and both schools are trying to become more successful on the gridiron.

When it comes to hiring new coaches, it doesn’t get much better than either Puryear or Cates. Although both coaches are coming to the schools under completely different circumstances, both seem to know what they’re doing and seem very well qualified for the positions.

Everyone knows that it’s going to take time for both coaches to be successful in their transition seasons at Lee and Southern, but the two can bring something back to the programs that has been missing.

Excitement.

It’s more than about winning and losing on the field. To be successful in high school athletics, you’ve got to do it off the field, too.

Former Lee County coach Jody Stouffer won off the field by helping more than 20 players achieve their dreams of playing football at the next level. Several players have said that Stouffer served as a mentor and was like a father figure to them.

That’s why there was the shock from some players, parents and fans that Stouffer had resigned.

The players he helped get into schools like Campbell, Duke, Florida Atlantic and Lenoir-Rhyne, among others, all seemed grateful to Stouffer for his help and dedication to their success. If it wasn’t for him, they might not be where they are right now.

He might not have won as much as some would have liked on the field, but everything Stouffer did for the Yellow Jackets will sit with them for the rest of their lives, I’m sure.

Bill Maczko, unfortunately, did not win off the field. Southern Lee didn’t have a single football player sign with a university this year. The coach didn’t win over the parents and didn’t win over some of the players. It just wasn’t a good fit for the school.

It’s time to put the past behind us and move on.

Puryear had nothing to do with any of the behind-the-scenes mess that went on at Southern Lee as far as the coaching search is concerned. He had nothing to do with Maczko nor his short-lived era at Southern Lee.

Cates had nothing to do with the forced or unforced resignation of Stouffer at Lee County. He had nothing to do with the 3-8 and 2-9 seasons the Yellow Jackets had in the past two years.

Instead, these two are the architects in rebuilding not only football programs.

They’re also in charge of rebuilding the trust of the community and the trust of the players.

One school had that trust in Stouffer and another school didn’t with Maczko.

But none of that matters anymore.

What matters from this point on is what Cates and Puryear do during their time at Lee County and Southern Lee.

It’s now time to focus on the Cates and Puryear eras in Sanford.

Now is the time to move away from the past and look toward the future and see how many memories these experienced coaches can give these high school athletes.

After all, that is what high school sports are supposed to give us.