Harlem High School - Year in Review

Ex-Harlem star picks prep route

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By Stephen Fastenau

June 14, 2009

Former Harlem High School basketball standout Cedric Boatner received interest from a lot of schools, but landed no solid offers.

He decided to press the pause button on his college decision. Instead, Boatner will attend Prince Avenue Prep in Pickens, S.C.

"I had a lot of looks, but they weren't offering, or were talking about, 'We have somebody else to look for first,'" Boatner said. "I figured going to Prep would help me more, because I'll have more time for the schools to look at me; kind of like give me a second chance."

Boatner will attend a camp with his new school in July. He said he will also try to play another summer of AAU ball.

The coaches he heard from during the past two years said they liked Boatner's ability to play either guard position. Boatner said he did not have the height of a typical shooting guard, but his jumping ability closed that gap, and he was big enough to take advantage of most point guards.

Boatner, who was The Columbia County News-Times Boys Player of the Year as a junior, said he heard from Mercer, North Georgia, North Florida, Winthrop, Wichita State, Stanford, Louisiana Tech, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Troy, Cornell and South Alabama.

Fellow lefty lends hand to Gamblin

By Stephen Fastenau

Nov. 23, 2008

Former Greenbrier standout Nolan Belcher agreed to help Harlem's Patrick Gamblin with his pitching, and it paid off with a scholarship to Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C.

Gamblin faxed the Eagles his letter of intent Nov. 12.

"I certainly appreciated it," Gamblin said of his meetings with Belcher. "It kind of earned me that scholarship, really."

Gamblin had attended a baseball camp at Winthrop in August. Coaches liked what they saw of the hard-throwing lefty, but they wanted him to work on his breaking stuff.

Belcher, also a southpaw, gave Gamblin pointers on his grip and release point.

Gamblin debuted his new-look pitch at a Winthrop showcase tournament Sept. 12.

The school was prepared to offer Gamblin a 50 percent scholarship after the showcase. But, after coaches watched him again at a tournament in Jupiter, Fla., in late October, they upped it to 65 percent.

Harlem picking up late momentum

By Stephen Fastenau

Nov. 5, 2008

Harlem's football team seems to have come a long way since it opened the season against Greenbrier on Sept. 5.

After that game, a 49-28 Harlem loss, Bulldogs coach Jimmie Lewis bemoaned his team's poor tackling.

In recent weeks, and after beating Josey 41-20, Harlem has won three of its past four games.

Friday, the Bulldogs defense spent much of the night chasing down Eagles quarterbacks Brandon Brown and Travis Crawford.

Josey's featured back, Charles Hankerson, broke free for some big gains, including a 55-yard touchdown run. But Brown and Crawford, who might have been the fastest players the Bulldogs have encountered, carried a combined eight times for 19 yards.

"We've been practicing real hard lately," Harlem linebacker Forrest Christian said. "We didn't want to go out with a losing season, even though we will.

''We just want to play hard and let everybody know we're not just weak Harlem."

Lewis' team entered Friday's game knowing it wouldn't make the postseason. But the Bulldogs (3-6, 3-5), behind their rejuvenated defense and an offense that's clicking at the right time, have played lately like a team making a playoff push.

"We've come out focused and ready to play," quarterback Zach Morris said.