Doyle was hired the first of Aug in 2016. JBB had already gotten in a bit of trouble over an incident at JH Rose with a Rose player. I want there and didn't see it so that is the extent I can say about that. But the week of our game with Havelock in 2016 he started complaining to the county office and our coaches about not having room for his staff and him in our press box. West Craven was not going to bend over backwards to make more room for him. We had 1 coach up there and all Havelock would have room for was one coach. Doyle told him that. He then started threatening to rent a lift and bring to West Craven. He would not be allowed on the track with it but was saying he would set it behind the visitors stand and he would get on that. His fans were a distraction.
Come game time he went to the head ref after they came onto the field and complained to him saying they had been denyed access to the press box which was not true. The head ref had no idea the superitendant had already dealt with this. He told our AD to fix the issue and in the process he took 5 minutes off the pregame clock. I never heard why but we failed to notice and get word to the coaches in the field house. Our team missed the national anthem over that. It was embarrassing as Havelock is a military community that a lot of Vanceboro people work there. The AD called Doyle and she was able to handle it and told both schools to be at her office on Monday. She told JBB to get on his sideline like our head coach and shut his mouth. He ended up in the stands on West Craven's side behind the student section. My daughter was in high school and texted me that JBB was right behind her. I'm always in the endzone so I called her and told her she better not bother him and to pay him no mind. I told her to make sure her friends left him alone. I figured he was trying to bait the students to get something started. JBB was a piece of work. The relations between our schools was getting terrible and it had always been good before him. Even in the 70's we got along like sister schools and they were beating us 70-0 back then. It had nothing to do with losing.
We were glad to see him go and I felt sure King would keep it rolling. It's a shame things have turned out like they have with pay in NC. Doyle is making a mistake not looking out for the money sports at our high schools. We have to be competitive with our neighboring states.
To Correct Non-Factual Statements:
I was on the sidelines at most every Havelock game.
Rose Game:
One of their coaches grabbed a Havelock player by the neck and pushed him on their sideline. No flags were thrown but the Havelock player told an Asst. Coach on the sideline and Havelock had video evidence of this. Coach Bryant confronted the coach after the game. Bryant met with Super to go over what actually happened that night and Super called Rose AD. CC office made an official statement about said incident and had it on film. The Rose coach was reprimanded for the incident and suspended two games....not Bryant.
Facts!
West Craven Play-Off Game:
West Craven played an away game at Havelock earlier in the regular season and I saw WC Coaches in the press box at Havelock. The press box is the same for the visiting coaches as it is for the home coaches. All coaches, home and away have the same accommodations…whether they use it or not is up to them. Bryant had been in the booth calling plays since the 3rd or 4th week of the season.
He was going to be in the booth or outside of the booth spotting like he had been all season long. The NC rules state that each team is awarded the same accommodations at each play-off game. From what was said...Havelock was gonna have to spot from their visitor side small perch, along with news media, and their own camera people. WC on the other hand was gonna have spotters on the outside of the home press box, with nothing out there with them. Havelock asked for the same accommodations on the other side of the home press box with no other distractions. WC put a TV station in that spot and the Refs made the proper call and fixed the situation. I heard the WC coach tell Bryant after the game that he had nothing to do with that situation and he was sorry. Facts!
West Craven/Havelock Tensions:
West Craven had several players disqualified and or ejected for punching players, eye gouging, stepping on fingers as they got off of piles, and ripping down posters that Havelock Cheerleaders had made for players. One year when that happened during the play-offs, Havelock players left the field after the game and did not shake hands bc of fear that WC would incite a fight and have them thrown out of the play-offs. The principal at Havelock agreed that the players should avoid contact after the game and sent Havelock players to the locker room.
Facts!
Since 2008: Havelock is 11 and 2 versus West Craven. Havelock also has 3 State Championships, 9 East Region Finals, 9 Conference Championships, 5 East Region Championships!
Facts!