The News and Observer from Raleigh, North Carolina • B1

1ST SECTION, ZONE: SPORTS, CARY 10:18:44 PAGE: 1B, PUB. DATE: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 7 2015 THE CARY NEWS 1BSportsCARYNEWS.COM FACEBOOK.COM/CARYNEWS TWITTER.COM/CARY_NEWS November that will be the second playoff date. The playoff opener has been widely rumored to be Savannah, a site the Champions Tour left in 2013 after more than three decades. It remains histor- ically significant because senior golf essentially began there in the late with the Legends of Golf, the first successful tournament for over-50 pros. The Champions Tour would love to go back to Savannah for reasons both sentimental and meteor- ological, and if being part of the playoff is what it takes to bring a title spon- sor back aboard, that makes sense.

But if Savan- nah or anywhere else with friendly fall weather that would add a new tournament to the sched- ule cannot get it together before the new playoff format is officially an- nounced in November, the SAS Championship is ready. think all along been their Plan SAS Championship tourna- ment director Jeff Kleiber said Monday. fine with that. If they come to us, and we have the oppor- tunity, welcome it. If they been a strong event for 15 years without a playoff.

not that concerned where we end The SAS Championship offers similar geographic advantages to Savannah the weather is typically good, and at worst play- able, and convenient to Richmond and has traditionally held this position on the calendar. Being part of the playoff, with the attention and visibility and novelty that would come with it, could give the SAS additional leverage with new spon- sors and partners to grow the event. On the other hand, after 15 years, also doing just fine on its own. With a purse of $2.1 million bigger than the Senior PGA and one of the larg- est on tour it draws some of the best fields on tour of any non-major. The top 10 players in the Schwab Cup standings, 28 of the top 30 on the money list and 15 of this 16 tour winners have com- mitted to play this year, including Jeff Maggert, Colin Montgomerie and 2012 SAS winner Bernhard CARY After 15 years at Pres- tonwood Country Club, the SAS Championship has things pretty much down.

It has become extremely popular among Cham- pions Tour players and has carved out a niche on the Triangle sports scene despite an October slot on the tour schedule that often conflicts with col- lege football and the Car- olina opening games. This tournament is this weekend, Friday through Sunday. Next tournament will be very different, one way or another. As part of the Cham- pions 20-year title sponsorship extension with Charles Schwab, the senior circuit is adding a three-tournament playoff to the end of the schedule in 2016 and beyond that mirrors the PGA FedEx Cup. The finale will still be the Charles Schwab Cup Champion- ship, held in November on the West Coast.

The tour announced earlier this month that Rich- mond, will host a new tournament in early SAS prepares for senior golf playoff, one way or another COMMENTARY BY LUKE DECOCK Green Hope will offi- cially induct the first four members of its sports hall of fame at halftime of its home Friday night football game against Panther Creek. The first four members include the first Olympian, first female state champion, a PGA Tour golfer and its long- est-serving volunteer. HECTOR COTTO Hector Cotto (class of 2002) played football and ran track and field while at Green Hope, and later went on to become the first former Falcon to compete in the Olympics. Cotto was a hurdler for Puero Rico in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics. In Beijing, he was 27th in the 110 hurdles and was 42nd in 2012.

In 2010, he won a gold at the Ibero- American games in the event, setting the Puerto Rican national record. Cotto still holds mul- tiple Green Hope records in track, which earned him several all-conference honors. In college, he ran at East Carolina and broke school records in the 60 and 110 hurdles. DON Don was the voice of the Falcons for more than a decade. Dur- ing his time volunteering at Green Hope, announced every home football and boys and girls basketball game.

He also announced several basket- ball conference tourna- ment games at Green Hope and elsewhere in the conference. On senior nights, Don wore his tuxedo to make the night even more spe- cial for Green Hope stu- dent-athletes. Don called his last game for Green Hope in 2013 and was awarded a mem- to the Green Hope athletic booster club for his service. CHRIS BRADY WOLFE Chris Brady (2002) was the first female individual NCHSAA state champion in Green Hope history, winning the 2000 girls golf championship one year after the school opened. She also finished runner-up in 2002.

Brady led the team to three straight regional cham- pionships from 2000-02 and went on to play at Vanderbilt. At Vanderbilt, Brady won four tournaments, was named all-SEC all GREEN HOPE HALL OF FAME Green 1st HOF class ready for induction CHRIS SEWARD The News Observer 2003 File Photo Green Hope golfer Brandon Todd (center) talks with teammates Tyler Bowen left, and Marcus Davidson after they finished the 4A championships played at Pinehurst on May 13, 2003. Todd shot 70-72 over the two days to win the best individual golfer title and he lead Green Hope to the team title as well. BY J. MIKE BLAKE SEE HALL OF FAME, 2B SEE DECOCK, 2B rest on Thursday.

And more importantly, the Bengals had no injuries. Hall said he wanted his team to get back on a regular schedule as soon as possible. were just so ready to get back on a normal schedule and not play on another Monday and mess up another Hall said. gave Holly Springs one less day to get ready and I thought we responded to the chal- Typically, high school football players have two days of recovery Sat- urday and Sunday before looking at game film and hitting the weight room on Monday. The truncated week meant the Bengals had one day of recovery and walk-through and another day of a quick two-hour practice.

is tough, but Monday-Thurs- day is really, really Hall said. PC AND ATHENS PUT UP POINTS If you liked points, you got plenty of them in Pan- ther 69-32 win against Athens Drive. Some notes from a wild A Panther Creek quar- terback Dom Samson threw six touchdown pas- ses on just 12 completions. A The game featured a kickoff return touchdown and two blocked punts returned for touchdowns. A There were two touch- downs scored in the first 1 minute, 52 seconds of the game.

A There were four touchdowns all of 54 yards or more scored in the first 5 minutes, 9 sec- onds of the game. A The teams combined to throw 66 passes. A There were three touchdowns of 90-plus yards in the first quarter alone. PLAYER OF THE WEEK Panther Justin Smalls scored five touch- downs including two on special teams as Panther Creek rolled against Ath- ens Drive. Smalls had six catches for 133 yards receiving and three scores while also returning the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and scoring from 12 yards after a blocked punt.

THURSDAY NIGHT HEROES Josh Arrington, Fuquay- Varina: Ran 24 times for 158 yards. Caleb Cross, Panther Creek: Three catches for 75 yards and one TD, kicked seven extra points and ran in a two-point conversion. Tre Echols, Athens Drive: Completed 17 of 38 passes for 272 yards and three TDs. Mitchell Haughee, Grace Christian: Ran 20 times for 90 yards and had the only TD. Austin Pluckhorn, Fu- quay-Varina: Linebacker was everywhere for the Bengals, including a game-saving interception.

Dom Samson, Panther Creek: Tossed six touch- down passes on 12 of 24 passing for 273 yards. Dominique Shoffner, Middle Creek: Was 13 of 26 passing for 203 yards and a TD. Also scored on a 7-yard TD run. Johnathan Spencer, Mid- dle Creek: Had a 100- yard interception return and a 95-yard TD catch. Tray Staten, Holly With rain washing away his chances of playing on Friday for the second straight week, Fuquay-Varina football coach Jeb Hall weighed his options, but his hand was forced.

No matter how he tried to work something out, any resche- duling included playing two games in one week. So rather than hold off on the inevitable, he chose to play twice in four days. me, not safe to play two games in one Hall said. way I looked at it was, either way, we were still going to have two games in one week at some point. I felt better about going ahead and doing it on It worked out for the Bengals, who won 36-26 against Green Hope on Monday and beat Holly Springs 16-8 on two THE POINT AFTER BY J.

MIKE BLAKE Playing twice in 4 days? No injuries, no problem CHRISTINE ADAMCZYK Cardianl Gibbons' Alexander Bates (50) recovers a Riverside fumble during the football game on Thursday. SWAC standings T1. Fuquay-Varina 7-0 (3-0) T1. Middle Creek 7-0 (3-0) T3. Apex 3-3 (2-1) T3.

Holly Springs 4-3 (2-1) T3. Panther Creek 4-3 (2-1) 6. Green Hope 3-3 (0-2) 7. Cary 1-5 (0-3) 8. Athens Drive 0-7 (0-4) scores Cardinal Gibbons 29, Riverside 12 Fuquay-Varina 16, Holly Springs 8 Harrells Christian 36, Wake Christian 20 Middle Creek 21, Cary 0 Panther Creek 69, Athens Drive 32 St.

58, Grace Christian Raleigh 6 Late Monday Arendell Parrott at Cary Christian SEE FOOTBALL, 2B.