More to follow later !!

The Camp has become a staple in the program and this year figures to be the same !

It’s that time of the year when a select group of Carroll County High School Student Athletes sit down in the Library or the Auditorium and sign their Letter of Intent to compete at the next level.

Wednesday afternoon the CCHS Library was a Who’s Who of Carroll County Girls Soccer. Atop the list was our entire group of High School administrators and we will begin sharing the thoughts of the line of people there to share their praise of Miss Smith.

” Karmen is an excellent example of what other students should be ! She’s a fantastic student who excels in the classroom and one who has participated in many extracurricular activities. As a soccer player, she’s been an integral part of the team’s success this year! I know that Carolina University is lucky to get her as she’s an all-around great person!”

Thank You Mr Thompson

Athletic Director Kevin DeHaven was the next one to share his thoughts on this impressive young Lady.

” Karmen Smith has been one of the most delightful young ladies at CCHS. I have gotten to know her more this year being in my new role and she has been wonderful to talk with on days when we see each other in the hallway. She always has a smile on her face. She will be missed at CCHS next year! I wish her the best of luck in all endeavors of her future.”

Thank You Mr. DeHaven

Also in the crowd was the two Ladies that sit atop the All-Time Scorers in the Schools history. Both Ashlyn Newman and current Coach Adrienne Harris were there as well. Dr Ben Tickle, former Coach of the Lady Cavaliers also was more than happy to share a thought on the latest Carroll County Success story.

” When I met Karmen Smith 3 years ago at soccer practice she told me something that I will never forget. She said, “Tickle, the ball might get past me, the other player might get past me, but the ball AND the other player will never get past me at the same time!” As funny as that was at the time, I have learned something over the last three years, Karmen meant that statement! She is one of the best natural defenders I have ever seen or coached, any sport. She is strong, tough, and stands her ground. She is a very competitive young lady who does not like to lose. I think the world of her, and I am thankful I had the opportunity to coach her! Oh, and wow, what a leg she has!”

Thank You Mr Tickle 🙏.

Carolina University is located down in Winston – Salem and the Bruins compete in the Continental Athletic Conference. The team just completed their season at 5-7-5. They are getting ready to add a defensive player with the ability to play the front side of the pitch.

Smith has been a staple for the Lady Cavaliers, playing for a trio of Coaches across her four years wearing the colors. The current team sits at 8-3-2 with four matches left and then on to the Regional tournament

It’s our intention to build on this storyline as long as we have people with thoughts to share. We still need to add the thoughts of the Family and Coach Harris amongst others.

From time to time, we have an Athlete that belongs to a sport. But in regards to Smith, it feels like this amazing Student Athlete represents the entire School 🏫.

More to follow….

This is from her Travel Coach

” Karmen Smith graduates with a legacy of dedication, leadership, and relentless effort at Rush United FC. As a standout player, she consistently raised the level of play around her, setting the standard both on and off the field. Her commitment and impact have left a lasting mark on our club culture. We are incredibly proud of Karmen as she takes the next step in her journey to play collegiate soccer at Carolina University. Her future is bright, and we can’t wait to cheer her on every step of the way!”

Thank You Coach Ritchie 🙏

Next we have the part we call – A Mother’s Love 💘:

” Karmen works hard at everything she does. She’s always been her biggest critic. Whether it’s academics, soccer or work Karmen expects to be the best she can be. Karmen started playing soccer in 4th grade and immediately fell in love with it. Not long afterwards she joined a travel team and really began to develop skills that makes her the player she is today. Karmen has been first team all district the past three years and captain her first year on JV as an 8th grader and on Varsity her junior and senior years. She also has maintained a 4.4 GPA which put her in the top 10 of her graduating class. Karmen had offers from several other colleges, but felt Carolina University was the best fit.”

Thank You Mom 👩 !

Next up is Marion Harris, the Godfather of Carroll County Soccer ⚽️

” From the first day that I saw Karmen on the Woodlawn soccer field as a fifth grader I could tell she had the potential to become a great player. She was one of my managers for the varsity soccer and she started playing travel for me and then Adam Richie. She never backed down from any of the varsity players and wanted to do everything they were doing. She started watching games and working at the sport that she fell in love with. I look back on her young playing career and I am just amazed at what she has accomplished. Looking forward to watching the games that she has left in high school and getting to watch her at the next level. It’s always a great thing when players love the game and get a chance to play after high school.”

Thank You Marion !

We wrap up our efforts with some words from Head Coach Adrienne Harris:

” I have had the privilege to get to watch Karmen throughout most of her soccer career!! She became the Varsity girls manager my Junior year of high school when she was in 5th grade. It didn’t take her long before she was ready to jump right in and play with us during practices. Karmen is one that never backs down from a challenge. From watching her as a 5th and 6th grader jump into drills and games with the varsity girls team I knew she was going to grow into an amazing player!! She is a great soccer player and leader on and off of the field. I have loved watching Karmen grow as a player and person for the last 8 years and I can’t wait to watch her in this new stage of life that she’s about to begin!! I am so proud of this girl and I know she is going to do great things in college and in life and make our program very proud!!”

Thank You Coach !

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you, Miss Karmen Smith and the Smith Family 👪!

Britt Berrier is one of the Senior members of the Burcham Bunch and Wednesday morning 🌄 it worked out that his Father, Chuck Berrier and I ended up in the same waiting room for roughly 60 minutes down in Mt.Airy. . While we had crossed paths a few times over the years, today was the first opportunity for the two of us to have an extended conversation.

Let’s lead up to the conversation by doing a quick recap of the layers of Coolness surrounding Casey Burcham and his Baseball ⚾️ program. Coach and I have had a few chats about just how well things have gone on the maiden voyage of Casey’s Great Cavalier Adventure.

Casey Burcham has a really Cool Mother, especially Cool Grandmother 👵, ultra Cool Wife, fascinating Sister and Sisters – in- Laws.

Above his perch, you will find unquestionable leadership in Principal Chuck Thompson and his immediate Supervisor, Athletic Director Kevin DeHaven. The latter happens to be the last man to hold the position of Head Baseball Coach.

The next group of Cool 😎 people surrounding Coach is his immediate Staff. Assistant Coach Steve Combs is loving his role as the #2 in the program, Robin to Batman if you will. How Cool 😎 is Combs? Cool enough to have won 🏆five straight District Championships at the Junior Varsity level. Adam Nester is the definition of Cool and he has the Nester Nine sitting atop the Three Rivers District standings in his first season.

The Village of folks that proudly call Bill Worrell Field home 🏡 are enjoying a season for the ages. Both teams currently have dropped just one contest this Spring and are gearing up for a Post Season run, at least for the Varsity team. The decision has been made that the Junior Varsity will not have a Tournament after the season.

Now we know about the first four levels of support, Mr Berrier is one of the people in Category we will call 4A. Parents that are the extention of the Coaching staff. Having the conversation with Mr.B, it allowed the storyline to continue to the next level and it was fun to find out the number of thoughts that the two of us share.

Nobody knows how far the Burcham Bunch will go in regards to the upcoming Regional tournament. But we already know just how much the team / program has accomplished in Year #1

To borrow a line from the Late Stuart Scott – ” Casey Burcham is as Cool as the other side of the Pillow “

One more – Carroll County Baseball ⚾️ must be Butter 🧈, because its on a Roll!

Thanks to Mr. Berrier for the conversation and the insight included in it !

Having already earned her third straight trip to the Class 3 State Track and Field in Lynchburg, Carroll County Junior Corrie Delp just recorded the longest jump of her life !

Head Coach Shawn Montgomery reports that Delp bested 17 feet for the very first time today down in Abingdon !

We will have all of the results from the meet, later tonight. In the meantime, how about Miss Corrie Delp !