Carolina Panthers name Gray Stone, North Stanly athletes Community Captains

Published 1:46 pm Friday, November 12, 2021

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At halftime of last Sunday’s Carolina Panthers NFL game, 10 student-athletes from North and South Carolina were named Community Captains. Two of the nominees were from Stanly County.

Gray Stone’s Katelyn Griggs and North Stanly’s Luke Shaver were both honored during the ceremony, which recognized students for their accomplishments on the field and courts along with their respective classrooms and communities.

The athletic programs of Gray Stone and North Stanly, along with the other winners, each received a $500 contribution from the Panthers.

Griggs recently won this season’s 1A women’s golf individual state championship for the Knights, earning the school’s first state title in the sport.

The senior has a 4.0 GPA and is a member of National Honor Society, while also helping to run junior golf clinics in the community. Griggs has also worked as a mentor for Gray Stone’s middle school program.

Shaver started at quarterback for the Comets for the past three seasons, posting a 17-11 mark including the YVC conference championship last season. He also has played baseball for the Comets for four seasons.

A 4.64 GPA student ranked first in the 155 students in the class of 2022, Shaver completed 33 credits of work in the dual enrollment program at Stanly Community College. The senior is a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the National Honor Society and the National Technical Honor Society.

He also is a member of New Mt. Tabor United Methodist Church and involved in the church’s youth group. Shaver has taken part in service projects including Operation Christmas Child, Community Coalition for Christ Thanksgiving and Christmas Service Projects, along with assisting with collecting donations for the Pregnancy Resource Center. He also has worked at the North Stanly High School youth baseball camp for two seasons and he led a sock drive in 2020 to benefit homeless people in Stanly.

North Stanly athletic director George Walker nominated Shaver, while Gray Stone AD Scott Wolfe nominated Griggs along with the Knights’ women’s golf coach Michael Phillips.

The 10 winners of the awards, along with Griggs and Shaver, included the following athletes:

  • Colby Brown, Perquimans County High School, Hertford, N.C.
  • Nicholas Harvey III, Kinston High School, Kinston, N.C.
  • Shelton Honey, Rocky Mount Academy, Rocky Mount, N.C.
  • Caroline Murrell, Northwood High School, Pittsboro, N.C.
  • Hayes Pippin, Washington High School, Washington, N.C.
  • Bryson Reid, SW Randolph High School, Asheboro, N.C.
  • Alexis Wolgemuth, Fred T. Foard High School, Newton, N.C.
  • Emma Wrenn, Independence High School, Charlotte, N.C.

About Charles Curcio

Charles Curcio has served as the sports editor of the Stanly News & Press for more than 16 years and has written numerous news and feature storeis as well. He was awarded the NCHSAA Tim Stevens Media Representative of the Year and named CNHI Sports Editor of the Year in 2014. He has also won an award from Boone Newspapers, and has won four North Carolina Press Association awards.

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