Hertford County Bears Reunion in Boone

In eighth grade, I was by far one of the tallest guys in the school standing at about 5 foot, 9 inches. I towered over everyone including this kid named Oshane Ximines. At the time, to say I was taller than Oshane wasn't really a feat at all, but looking back now, I'm contemplating sticking that on the ole resume.

Over the weekend, I had to opportunity to see my friend, Oshane, when the Old Dominion Monarchs came to Boone to take on my Appalachian State Mountaineers. We got to catch up on Friday night in the lobby of the hotel he was staying at and talked about high school, how college life was treating us, and the roles we had in the game Saturday. Oshane would be on the field starting at defensive end for the Monarchs and I was going to be in the press box inputting stats for the Appalachian State Sports Information department.

Every time I was told to input a tackle for #98, I did it with a little grin, like, "Yeah, that's my bro!" He finished the game with 7 tackles, two of them unassisted, including one tackle for a loss.

Three years ago, that same guy was wearing #7 for the Hertford County Bears and was making tackles on a high school field against Bertie or Northeastern, now he lines up in a Division I football stadium against the Appalachian State Mountaineers. What a difference a few years can make!

Oshane is now 6' 3"
(F.Y.I. I haven't grown an inch since 8th grade)

Sports is a beautiful thing that can spark a love and drive for sports at a small high school in Ahoskie, North Carolina. It'll send one guy to Norfolk, Virginia, to continue playing football and send another to Boone, North Carolina, to be behind-the-scenes in a sports information role, and somehow, the two can meet again. I'm forever proud to be a Hertford County Bear and I will always be one of Oshane's greatest supporters. I look forward to seeing what God has in store for him down the road!