High School football is over, Coach Cheek retires

He won't officially retire until the end of this semester, but Coach Mike Cheek knew that this would be his last year as R-S Central's head football coach. Unfortunately, they lost to Huss in the second round of the 2AA playoffs Friday. The Hilltoppers kept it 7-0 at the half, but it all fell apart in the second half to end the season and Cheek's tenure as head coach of the Hilltoppers.

Traditionally, Central had not been very good on the gridiron, but Cheek changed all of that. This was his 13th year at the helm as he became the winningest football coach of all-time with 66 wins in R-S Central history. All he wanted to do was give the team a chance to win...and more often than not...Cheek did.

When Mike Cheek first got the job at R-S Central, there was definitely a buzz that was undeniable. In his first game with R-S Central during the 2004 season, the school bought in and quickly.

Despite a 52-yard run up the middle by Bessemer City to take a 7-0 lead during the first half, the Hilltoppers scored five unanswered touchdowns to win 35-7. The momentum carried over to the next week as they led at East Rutherford nearly the entire contest, but lost 35-28. In his 2004 season, they won five games and lost four by 10 points or less. They actually led Carver in the first round of the playoffs 14-13 before falling in that game.

I can remember in Statesville during the 2007 playoffs, while losing 35-26, Central hung tough. In the pressbox and while leaving the stadium, many people from that area were impressed by the team Central had put on the field that night. That team had also lost four games by ten points or less.

In 2009, it was the greatest year during his tenure. Central had it all. Their defense was incredible to go along with a stout offensive line. They finally knocked off Polk County and beat South Rowan in 28-21 in the first round of the playoffs behind a gutsy run from Jacob Kinlaw late in the contest to seal the win. The win ended a 22-year drought without a postseason win for R-S Central.

Five years later, the Hilltoppers would win with backup quarterback, Trey Clark, who hit Matt Atchley late to set up the winning touchdown in a 29-26 win over Bandys. Central gave top ranked East Lincoln all they wanted before falling late 49-28 the next week.

And finally, Cheek gave Central it's third playoff win in seven years, just two weeks ago as they ran over Wilkes Central 31-6.

I will miss hanging around Cheek, chatting about football, sports, life. Don't ever question Mike's football knowledge as he arguably goes down as the greatest football coach in Hilltopper history. No doubt, I admire Cheek for the integrity and loyalty to his kids and staff while there. For me, I gained a friend during those 13 years. Thanks, Mike for all you have done!

Meanwhile, Thomas Jefferson's football team ended their season at Mount Island Charter, 54-40. For the third year in a row, the Gryphons get 10 wins and come up with at least one playoff win each season. If anyone is keeping count, that is 44 wins in five years for Coach Jerry Cash at Thomas Jefferson. Nobody really knew what to expect this season since they had lost their two best athletes to graduation, but the Gryphons just keep on winning.

Despite not having a lot of speed this year, fundamentally, they were good on both sides of the ball. They held teams to just 14.5 points per game during the regular season. They scored 40 or more points in 9 of the 13 games this season. Congrats to both R-S Central and Thomas Jefferson on making it to the second round of the postseason.