Graham Hill: Ready to bring sports coverage to you

I've been asked why I’m excited for this upcoming high school football season. The question should be, why wouldn’t I be excited?

I get to be a part of a hyper-local news outlet that will be providing news daily in the Kinston-Lenoir County area by a team you know and trust. Being fresh out of high school and already having the opportunity to gain experience in a field that I want to pursue as my career is truly a blessing.

Some of you may ask, where did this opportunity come from and how was this kid lucky enough to already begin a career in sports commentating? Well, since you asked ...

I attended North Lenoir High School, a school which is known for its successful baseball program, but took it to another level this past season. The Hawks finished first in the Eastern Carolina 2A for the fifth straight year and made it to the 2A Eastern Regional finals for the first time since 2013.

With all their success, and being that many of my best friends played on the team, I wanted to make sure they gained the recognition they deserved. Before the Hawks took on Randleman in the fourth round of the state playoffs, I decided to start doing live broadcasts of the games for the rest of their run in the playoffs.

During the North Lenoir-Clinton basketball game in the second round of the state playoffs, I listened in on the “Mixlr” app on which CHS athletics provided coverage. I thought I could do this for the baseball games.

My broadcast partner Duane Joyner and I covered the Hawks baseball playoff game and two regional final games. My post on The Hawk Krazees Twitter page that gave instructions on how to download the app and listen to the games paid off.

I really appreciated the support from the players and Hawks head coach Jackson Massey. In return, they appreciated my contribution to the baseball program.

B.J. Murphy heard about what I was doing and asked if Neuse News could sponsor one of my broadcasts. After my three live broadcasts, Murphy asked if I would be interested in contributing to Neuse News during the high school football season.

This upcoming season, Junious Smith III and I will be teaming up to broadcast live, high school football in the area. This will be done through Facebook Live Audio feed on the Neuse News Facebook page.

We are kicking off our first broadcast with Arendell Parrott Academy traveling to Rocky Mount Academy on August 17. This will be the Patriots' first match-up with the Eagles since being defeated by them in the state championship game last year. Tune in to hear us call the action from the press box, and be sure to “Like” Neuse News on Facebook and subscribe to our daily edition.