Friday, August 8, 2008

SWE's Cobb to coach East team at 2009 NCCA All-Star football game

By Calvin Adkins
Tarboro Daily Southerner

PINETOPS - SouthWest Edgecombe Coach Raymond Cobb will add another chapter to his legendary football status next summer.

Cobb was selected as the head coach for East in the 2009 North Carolina Coaches Association East-West All-Star Football Game that will be played on July 22 at Grimsley High School in Greensboro.

“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to be the head coach for the East-West All-Star game,” Cobb said. “It’s a credit to having good coaching staffs and great players at North Edgecombe and SouthWest Edgecombe.”

It will not be the first time that Cobb has coached in an All-Star game. He was an East assistant coach of the NCCA East-West All-Star squad in 1995 and in 2001, he was an N.C. assistant coach for the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas all-star game.Cobb legacy's was built at North Edgecombe, a 1-A division school less than 30 minutes away from SouthWest.

At North Edgecombe, he lead the Warriors to five state title games - including winning championships in 1994 and 1997.

After 16 years as the Warriors’ head coach, Cobb left and became head coach for SouthWest. In 20 seasons combined, he has guided his teams to the state playoffs each season and every season. When asked about his playoff streak, Cobb said, “I’ve been lucky.”

Cobb also feels lucky about the assistant coaches that were selected to coach with him. Including Cobb, three of the coaches are in the NEW 6 conference ties. Grover Battle of Northern Nash and Brian Foster of Southern Nash are Cobb’s current conference foes.

Cobb said he is also familiar with coach Kenneth Grantham of Greene Central, who started the program at Nash Central, and Ken Whitehurst of D.H. Conley, who was at one time at North Pitt. He has also had some dealing with Jimmy Williams of East Wake.“

One of the best news about being named to the head coaching position is the selection of the assistant coaches,” Cobb said. “I know all of them. It will be a fine group to work with.”

The next job for Cobb and his East team coaching staff is to select players for his team. Selection may start sometime in February.

But for right now, Cobb said, “I have to prepare SouthWest for this season.”

My notion: Northern Nash's Battle is the first-ever Rocky Mount area coach to be selected to work the East-West All-Star Games in two different sports.

In 2003, he was an assistant for the East girls basketball team. The East, with former Tarboro and N.C. State standout Marquetta Dickens aboard, won 78-72. Dickens was the game's MVP.

In case you're wondering, RMHS' B.W. Holt has served in the East-West All-Star Football Game. He was an assistant for the West in 1986 while at Starmount. His team fell to the East 16-0.