When I was in elementary school, I thought I'd accomplished a lot athletically.
In a coach-pitch baseball game one year, my team beat one of my friends' after he predicted we had no chance in the hallways of school earlier that day. In the triumphant win, I hit for a memorable 5-for-5 at the plate that included four inside-the-park home runs to help my Mets beat his Red Sox.
For a long time, I kept the game ball I received after the game displayed in my room as one of my most prized possessions.
In one of my first rec league basketball experiences, my team also went undefeated — reaching the glory every boy my age dreamed of. The hoops may have only been eight and a half feet above us, but the Georgetown Hoyas, a squad of young talent that included me, ran the floors of the Bill Sapp Recreation Center.
While they meant a lot to me at the time, my mediocre accomplishments pale in comparison to what Erin Matson was doing as an elementary schooler. Now a first-year for the UNC field hockey team, Matson had already caught the attention of the program she now plays for before she was 10 years old.
She has lived up to expectations since then. The forward has already won ACC Player of the Week honors twice in her first season — and I'm now a sportswriter, so I guess things ended up about like they should have.
Here are your stories of the week:
The good and bad of UNC football up to this point
With a bye this week, the UNC football team has had a chance to regroup as it looks toward the rest of the season. With no games this weekend, we reviewed the Tar Heels through four games.
Swim and dive preview
The UNC swimming and diving team opens its season against ECU on Friday. Coach Rich DeSelm offered analysis about his team this year ahead of the first meet.
'Jack's (not me) Back'
UNC men's soccer midfielder Jack Skahan impressed in a win over UNCW, one of his first games back from injury. Head coach Carlos Somoano was excited by the performance after the game.
Tar Heels in the Pros
Former North Carolina quarterback and second-year Chicago Bear Mitch Trubisky threw for six touchdowns on Sunday in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — which tied for an NFL season high for a game. After riding his time in Chapel Hill to being drafted second-overall two years ago, Trubisky's ability to put together scoring drives was reminiscent of his college days.
Fedora should pick a quarterback
An abysmal quarterback performance from both Nathan Elliott and Chazz Surratt against Miami sparked a column about the situation plaguing the program.
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