Tillman Wants To Get Grimsley Football Its Rightful Title

A humorous factor occurred after the December 2022 gridiron battle over who could be state 4-A highschool soccer champion.

Greensboro’s Grimsley Excessive College misplaced the sport to New Bern, 40-28 within the state championship. Nonetheless, as all sports activities followers know, it ain’t over until it’s over.

And, actually, the sport wasn’t fairly over even almost a yr after it was “over” and a winner had been determined.

Earlier this month, the North Carolina Excessive Faculties Athletics Affiliation – which had been investigating the New Bern soccer crew for improprieties – decided that the entire crew’s wins needed to be taken off the books if a participant shouldn’t have been taking part in resulting from tutorial ineligibility.  That meant the crew needed to vacate the college’s 2022 state championship.

One would possibly assume that will robotically make Grimsley state champions for 2022 – however one could be mistaken in considering that.  Truly, what occurs on this state of affairs is that the affiliation declares the title for that yr as “vacated” – that means, in fact, there simply wouldn’t be a 4-A soccer champion that yr.

However that’s going to vary if Guilford County Commissioner Pat Tillman will get his means.  He spoke in regards to the matter at a Thursday, Oct. 5 assembly of the Guilford County commissioners simply days after the information broke that New Bern needed to vacate the title.

“I’m engaged on a decision to honor our crew,” he stated, including that the state athletic affiliation may not declare Grimsley the 2022 champions, however they will’t cease Guilford County from doing it.

“We’re going to declare that Grimsley is.” he stated.

“We’re Guilford. They’re the state,” he added, noting that the state can say what it thinks – however so can Guilford County.

Tillman stated after the assembly that he hopes to go additional than simply presenting and passing the county decision basically declaring Grimsley state champions.  He stated he additionally intends to talk to some state legislators to see if he can get some traction on formally making Grimsley the state champion for 2022 and get the crew the popularity and honor it deserves.