Holly Springs will honor the No. 16 jersey of former baseball great Carlos Rodon at halftime of its Oct. 5 home football game against Apex.

Holly Springs will present Rodon, named the 4A state player of the year in 2011 while leading the Golden Hawks to their first state championship title, with a jersey during the ceremony. Another jersey will be placed along the baseball field’s outfield fence.

Rodon was also two-time all-state selection and two-time Tri-9 Conference player of the year for the Hawks.

As a freshman last season at N.C. State, he was the ACC’s Freshman and Pitcher of the Year and was one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, given to the nation’s top player. He played for USA Baseball collegiate team this summer.

King, who graduated from MCHS last spring, was known more for his off-the field contributions and inspiration. He missed his junior season while battling leukemia and returned his senior year with the cancer in remission.

King, now a freshman at N.C. Central University, received much recognition for his comeback.

There was an outpouring of support and fundraisers. He got a standing ovation before his basketball team’s final holiday tournament game. He was a runner-up in the Inspireum Football Awards, earning a $2,500 scholarship.

Then, King used his Make-A-Wish to give back, changing his original plan of meeting LeBron James at the NBA All-Star game to providing everybody at his school with a thank-you lunch for their support during his battle.

King ran for 173 yards in football and scored two touchdowns. He was second-team all-conference in basketball with 5.8 points and a team-high 4.8 rebounds per game.

Panther Creek’s first-year head football coach Sean Crocker was King’s coach for his four years at Middle Creek.

“That’s why we picked that game,” said Middle Creek athletics director Lewis Owens.

Godwin, Abushouk find record book

In the Sep. 15 N.C. State Adidas Cross Country Challenge at WakeMed Park, Cary Academy’s Colin Godwin and Cary High’s Bakri Abushouk placed themselves in elite company.

Godwin edged Abushouk by one-tenth of a second (15:13.3 to 15:13.4) to record the 14th-fastest time in WakeMed course history. Abushouk ranks 15th.

The only North Carolina native to post a faster time is Godwin’s former teammate Thomas Graham (sixth, 15:07).

CA finds coaches

Cary Academy has filled both basketball head coaching vacancies.

The Chargers have hired Mindaugas Timinskas to be their varsity boys’ basketball head coach, while Mike Zeillmann will be the varsity girls’ basketball coach.

Timinskas, who replaces Kenny Inge, was the school’s JV coach last year. “Coach Tim” played at Iona, where he was the 1997 MAAC player of the year, and is an Olympic bronze medalist after playing for Lithuania in the 2000 summer games at Sydney.

There are some cool YouTube videos out there of “Coach Tim” in his playing days. In one, he dunks on a 7-footer. In another, he tips in the winning basket despite his team having to go the length of the court in 0.3 seconds.

Zeillmann, who replaces Danielle Harber, has been the head coach at Durham Academy and has made other coaching stops at Durham Jordan and Northern Durham.

He’s been featured in national news stories for co-founding the nonprofit BounceBack Kids in 2003. BounceBack Kids is a basketball skills program designed for children battling life-threatening illnesses at Duke and UNC hospitals.

Falcons go to N.C. State

Green Hope senior basketball player Ashley Williams, a starter in every game for the Falcons in her career, has committed to N.C. State as a preferred walk-on for next season. Green Hope is 87-6 in Williams’ three years, and she led the state in assists (7.0) last season.

Williams notched a triple-double in last year’s season opener at Wilson Hunt. She averaged 15.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 4.5 steals last season for the 28-3 Falcons.

Green Hope coach Mike Robinson said in a statement that Williams “turned down a number of scholarships to play for State and Kellie Harper and her staff.”

Green Hope volleyball player Madison Brown, a senior, has committed to N.C. State. Brown will be a libero or defensive specialist for the Wolfpack next year.

Apex pitcher picks UNC-Asheville

Apex left-handed pitcher Camby Abell, who has played on the Cougars’ varsity team since his freshman year, recently committed to the UNC-Asheville baseball program.

SAS tourney has 7 Hall of Famers

Things continue to heat up in preparation for the SAS Championship, the Champions Tour tournament that comes to Prestonwood in late October.

Tournament organizers have announced that seven members of the World Golf Hall of Fame – Hale Irwin, Bernhard Langer, Tom Kite, Nick Price, Larry Nelson, Curtis Strange and Sandy Lyle – have committed to playing in this year’s field.