East-West football notebook

The East-West football notebook ....

Catawba or East Carolina?

East Carolina or Catawba?

That decision has Andrew Womble wobbling over his college choice.

The kicker for the East in Wednesday night’s East-West All-Star football game in Greensboro said he is still mulling over his options. He told different people at different times he was going both places.

“East Carolina told me they’d let me know something in a week,” said the Western Harnett star. “ I’m not real sure about it. I think I’d be happier at Catawba. But I’m kinda waiting.”

Womble certainly has the leg. Earlier this season, he boomed a 57-yard field goal and was 6-of-9 for the season. He also had an average of 44 yards per punt.

In fact, his 43-yarder on the East’s last possession with three minutes left put the West in a hole and helped preserve an 8-3 East victory.

With Catawba’s All-American kicker Matt Gross graduating this year, Womble may have a better chance to produce earlier at Catawba. ECU kickers are young.

“I made a visit to Catawba,” Womble said. “It’s in the country and that’s what I like.”

But if East Carolina calls?

Stay tuned.

SMALLSCHOOL: Kyle Connor, a lineman from R-S Central, is going from a small school in high school to a small school in college.

But that’s where the similarities end with Central and Catawba College.

“We really weren’t a football school,” said Connor, who was one of just 24 players this past season.

But Connor, a 6-1, 280-pounder, made the most of a 4-6 season. He was all-conference on both sides of the line.

After a good game against McDowell, Connor said he began receiving calls from Catawba quarterbacks coach Kevin Brown. He watched Catawba beat Carson-Newman and then traveled to Lenoir-Rhyne to watch the Indians. He then said yes to head coach David Bennett.

“Lenoir-Rhyne was recruiting me too but I was leaning toward Catawba,” he said.

Connor will get financial aid his first season and hopefully earn a scholarship. And he wants to be redshirted.

“Ihad gone to Tennessee’s camp and they wanted me to walk on,”Connor said. “But I’d rather stay small and play instead of being a punching bag. I had to be realistic.”

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BIGHITTERS:Get this. Connor and Richmond County lineman Frank Long were both golfers on their high school team, which might interest Catawba golf coach Sam Gealy. That’s 530 pounds of golfers.

Connor said he was a 9-handicap.

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WHAT’S WRONG? The West rushed for just 23 yards on 21 carries, which miffed Connor.

“Ithought the line did pretty well,” he said. “But the backs acted like their heads weren’t in it.”

Brandon Mays of T.C. Roberson led the way with just 12 yards on four tries.

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LOWSCORE:The teams combined for just 11 points which was not unusual in this all-star classic. Since 1992, the game has averaged just 21 points.

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LONGWEEK:Sure it was fun and sure his role as a West assistant coach was fantastic preparation for his job as coach of the North Carolina team in the next Shrine Bowl, but A.L. Brown’s Ron Massey had an exhausting East-West week.

“You spend the whole week worrying about getting your own guys back home ready for the season,” said Massey. “It’s just a long week. If I never see that Wendover Drive sign again (Wendover’s the congested road leading to the week’s activities), it’ll be fine with me.”

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NOWONDER:Wearing the decal of a teammates’ high school is one of those unity things that’s done at the East-West Game every year.

But Concord High linebacker Courtney Caldwell drew the line at sticking one of those big green A.L. Brown Wonder K’s on the back of his headgear.

“I wasn’t going to be putting no K on my helmet,” said Caldwell. “Man, that’s got to be bad luck.”

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Mike London contributed to the notebook.