City parade honors Jay M. Robinson basketball for Ôclass and composure'
March 21, 2016
CONCORD, N.C. – Coach Lavar Batts Sr. couldn’t contain his enthusiasm Monday, as he and his Jay M. Robinson's boys basketball players cruised slowly down Union Street in a parade celebrating the program’s first state championship.
“Same place next year, same time next year,” Batts Sr. said repeatedly while hoisting the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A state championship plaque along the parade route.
The Bulldogs became the first Cabarrus County public school boys basketball team since 2007 to win a state title, edging Fayetteville’s Terry Sanford High 59-55 on March 12 in Chapel Hill.
After the parade arrived at the intersection of Union Street and Means Avenue, Jay M. Robinson’s players, coaches and cheerleaders gathered on stage with Mayor Scott Padgett.
“How ‘bout them Bulldogs?” Padgett shouted to a raucous crowd of Jay M. Robinson supporters. “Their spirit, their composure, their class and maturity have made us all proud. This (celebration) is something that caps off their season and something these guys will remember forever.”
Bulldogs senior guard Jordan McKenzie said the parade and celebration was somewhat surreal.
“I felt like we were rock stars,” said McKenzie, whose team won 19 consecutive games to finish the year with a 29-3 record.
“I know we’re down here in (Concord High) Spider territory, but I think all of Cabarrus County is Bulldogs right now. I’m truly blessed to be a part of all of this.”
Chris Carter, district director for U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-8th, said Hudson spoke Monday on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., about the class and poise the Bulldogs showed throughout the season.
“(Hudson) wanted to do something special to honor not only the Bulldogs basketball team and their state championship run but also the sportsmanship and class they showed throughout that (playoff) run,” Carter said.
Even with the parade, senior guard Daniel Spencer, whose layup with 14 seconds remaining put Jay M. Robinson in the lead for good, said he was still coming to terms with the Bulldogs’ championship.
“I’m still trying to sink it in,” said Spencer, named the championship game’s most valuable player. “But it’s getting there every day.”