The Grimsley Whirlies will play host to the Page Pirates this Friday night in Greensboro, North Carolina. Page won last year’s rivalry match-up 49-0 to extend its winning streak to five straight in the series. Page currently holds a 40-11 advantage in wins in the all-time series. This is a pivotal game for both teams as they each look to win the Metro 4-A Conference.

MVP

Jordan Putnam
Page

SCHOLAR ATHLETES

Taylor Irvin

Grimsley

Taylor embodies what it is to be a Whirlie. Whirlies demonstrate excellence every day, and Taylor exemplifies this excellence in all that he does. An eagle scout, active member of his church, and avid service learner, Taylor carries a 5.11 GPA. He has been involved in various school activities such as young life, and student ambassadors. He is a varsity baseball and football player, and captain of the football team. A Whirlie through and through! Taylor comes from a long line of Grimsley graduates.
Andrew Lamore

Page

Andrew represents the best in what a student-athlete should be. Andrew is a member of the varsity football and baseball teams and was awarded Metro 4A all-conference in football last year. Andrew is a captain of this year’s football team. He carries a 4.774 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society and the Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society. Andrew serves his community and church as a cross bearer and usher and has worked with the Habitat for Humanity. Andrew plans to study engineering in college.

HALL OF FAME

Ethan Albright

Grimsley

Grimsley’s inductee tonight into the Great American Rivalry Hall-of-Fame is Ethan Albright, a member of the Class of 1989, who, after considerable success as a Whirlie athlete, went on to sports involvement at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and finally in a 17-year professional career in the National Football League. At Grimsley, Ethan played football, basketball, and baseball, and he received the Outstanding Male Athlete Award his senior year at GHS. He was selected to play in the North Carolina – South Carolina Shrine-Bowl Football Game, as well as in the East – West All-Star Basketball Game, and his senior year the North Carolina High School Athletic Association presented him their prestigious Athlete-of-the-Year Award, representing the entire state. At UNC in football, Ethan was both 1st-Team All-ACC Offensive Tackle, and 1st-Team Academic All-ACC. In the NFL, Ethan played a total of 242 games, which ranks 62nd-most among all NFL players in history, and he holds the #1 NFL record as the All-Time “Most Consecutive Games Played by a Long Snapper,” with 224 regular-season games. In 2008, he was selected to play in the NFL Pro Bowl. Over the course of his professional career, Ethan played for four teams: the Miami Dolphins, the Buffalo Bills, the Washington Redskins, and the San Diego Chargers. There is a multi-generational connection to GHS by the Albright family: Ethan’s father and three brothers were also Whirlie athletes, and his grandmother was a long-time staff member at the school as well.
Frank Starling

Page

Frank Starling graduated from Greensboro Senior and East Carolina University. However, Coach Starling became a fixture at Page High School teaching Biology and coaching in the sports of football, wrestling and golf. Coach Starling coached 39 years and was instrumental in Page footballs magic run in the 80’s. A run that saw the pirates win 50 straight games and win 4 of five state football championships during that span. Coach Starling’s fate as a coach was that he tirelessly coached the guys in the offensive line that made the way for others to become superstars in Page football history. That was Coach Starling nature, always wanting others to receive the glory and success. One of the characteristics of Coach Starling’s players was that his offensive line was relentless and always prepared. One of the best comments given Coach Starling by an opposing coach was that Coach Starling was the best offensive line coach in North Carolina on any level of competition. One of the rare facts about Coach Starling that most people don’t know is that he coached in the 1968 and 1969 Special Olympics World games in Chicago. Congratulations Coach Starling and thank you for touching the lives of so many people.

GAME SUMMARY

A sunny day in Greensboro, NC turned into a stormy night on and off the field for Grimsley as Page dominated the rain-soaked encounter and defeated the Whirlies 49-25 in this year's Great American Rivalry Series game. The game was tight until the second half when Page and Jordan Putnam took control, scoring 28 straight points.

GAME GALLERY