Matthews-Mint Hill - Carolina Weekly Newspapers

C. Jemal Horton/MMHW photo
Charlotte Christian senior linebacker Kyler Brown has committed to play at Duke University.
Matthews resident Brown
helps Charlotte Christian
without always being vocal
by C. Jemal Horton
jemal@matthewsminthillweekly.com
The toughest, coolest guys in all those
football TV commercials usually are the
ones doing the screaming and fist pumping.
sports shorts
You know the ones: Ray Lewis barking
in the huddle and gyrating as he leads his
Baltimore Ravens from the tunnel onto
the field. Or that freakishly muscular guy
in those Under Armour ads motivating his
teammates by standing before them and
bellowing, “We must protect this house!”
Hey, whatever works.
But Matthews resident Kyler Brown
knows there are different ways to lead
a team. And for the Charlotte Christian
senior outside linebacker, it rarely involves
screaming and fist pumping.
Besides, who needs screaming in high
school when you’re nearly 6 foot 6 and a
ripped 220 pounds?
“Kyler’s a quiet kid, but he leads by
example,” Charlotte Christian coach Jason
Estep said. “He plays extremely hard, and
I think the kids know exactly what he’s
going to bring every Friday night. He
doesn’t need to do all the other stuff.”
Not that Brown doesn’t get excited;
he just usually gets more pumped up for
team success. And this year, despite a host
of young players and injuries, the Knights
are off to a 5-3 start to the season and play
host to Raleigh Ravenscroft on Friday,
Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. Brown, of course, has
been a major reason Charlotte Christian
has been so successful. In the Knights’
first six games, he had six sacks and 54
tackles.
But his strong play is inspired by his
goals, with the top one being helping
Charlotte Christian reach its fourth consecutive
N.C. Independent Schools Athletic
Association championship game.
From there, he’d like to win his second
state title and make the all-conference
and all-state teams for the first time in his
career.
And if accomplishing those feats
requires him to be a more outspoken
leader, well, he’s definitely willing to work
on that.
“I’m not the most vocal person you’ll
come across, but there definitely are
people on the team who can help me
with that,” Brown said before referencing
teammates Buddy Craft, Brett Cherry,
Matthias Farley and John Ahlert.
“I just want to win, so I’ll do whatever
it takes, even speak out more. But I think
what separates me from a lot of players
is my work ethic. I’ll push myself to the
limit, and my teammates know that.”
That was evident during his sophomore
season, when he played both varsity and
JV and, yes, was a more emotional leader
out of necessity.
That year, Brown played pretty much
every role for the Knights’ JV squad –
catching passes, sacking quarterbacks,
tackling runners, punting and long-snap-
(see Brown on page 24)
Matthews home to one of top paralympic athletes in nation
by C. Jemal Horton
jemal@matthewsminthillweekly.com
Sean Burns, a Matthews resident,
recently received two major honors
associated with the sport for athletes
with physical disabilities. Last week,
the U.S. Paralympics released its first
High School All-American Track and
Field Team, and Burns made the squad
in five different events: the 100 meters,
200 meters, 400 meters, discus and javelin.
In addition, Burns was one of only
eight All-Americans selected to participate
on the 2011 U.S. Paralympics
Track and Field World Championship
team that will compete in New Zealand
in January.
Burns is ranked No. 1 in the nation
in the javelin. He’s also ranked second
in the 200 meters and third in the 100,
400 and discus.
Four Lions make All-MAC soccer
The Metrolina Athletic Conference
recently released its 2010 all-conference
boys soccer team.
Covenant Day School placed four
players on the squad: Cameron Church,
Jack Hill, David Leonard and Grayson
Owen.
Other all-conference members
include Will Cavanaugh (Hickory
Grove), Michael Djali (Concord First
Assembly), Miles Duncan (Hickory
Grove), Samuel Dye (Gaston Christian),
Jacob Farthing (Hickory Grove),
Jimmy Kelly (Gaston Christian), Jason
Lee (Northside Christian), Scout Monteith
(Gaston Christian), Michael Ritch
(Hickory Grove), Kevin Scott (Hickory
Grove), Maverick Starkey (Northside
Christian), Kevin Trautman (Northside
Christian) and David Whitaker (First
Assembly).
Meineke bowl tickets on sale
Tickets for the ninth-annual Meineke
Car Care Bowl now are on sale.
College football’s first bowl game to
call the Carolinas home, the Meineke
Car Care Bowl takes place Dec. 31 at
Bank of America Stadium. The 12 p.m.
game features the Atlantic Coast Conference
against the Big East Conference.
Upper-level seats are $40, while
lower-level seats are $75. Individual
tickets can be purchased by visiting any
TicketMaster outlet in the Southeast,
visiting www.ticketmaster.com or calling
1-800-745-3000. Tickets are also
available at the Carolina Panthers’ box
office at Bank of America Stadium.
Club Level seats are only available
through ticket and sponsorship packages
by calling1-800-618-8149 or visiting
www.meinekecarcarebowl.com.
The Meineke Car Care Bowl has averaged
more than 60,000 fans each year,
with three sellouts in its eight years.
For more information, please visit
www.meinekecarcarebowl.com. q
Page 22 • Oct. 22-28, 2010 • Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly
www.matthewsminthillweekly.com