Wake County school board member Jim Martin flexed some of his political muscle at Tuesday's school board meeting.

As noted in today's article by Thomas Goldsmith, Martin got the board to amend the plan to reallocate $130 million in unused bond money to cover the cost of design work for renovations to Athens Drive High's stadium. Staff is projecting they'll have $500,000 left over, which Martin noted would cover the design costs for the stadium.

The design work would jump start the renovation project. The actual funding for the $7.4 million in renovation work would come from the next bond issue.

Chris Martin credits two high school football coaches as being his major influences – his father James, who coaches in West Virginia, and recently retired Athens Drive coach Jeff Smouse.

Both of those influences were hoping Martin would be given a shot to coach his own team one day. All parties were rewarded as Athens Drive promoted Martin from defensive coordinator to head coach on Thursday.

This Friday marks the fifth annual Hoops for Hope game between the Athens Drive and Apex girls basketball teams.

All proceeds from the game go to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, which raises money for breast cancer research.

By J. Mike Blake
mblake@newsobserver.com

RALEIGH The Athens Drive High School students, parents and faculty who attended the Raleigh City Council meeting Tuesday afternoon -- and there were about 80 of them -- waited almost two hours to hear the words they had been hoping for, and were almost told "come back later."

After a few last-minute tweaks and some deliberation on -- of all things -- the location of certain sewer lines, those Athens Drive supporters left the meeting happy.

Michael Dean Chadwick, Josh Hamilton's father-in-law, has been named as a special assistant by the Texas Rangers.

Chadwick is expected to travel with the team and be an accountability partner to Hamilton.  When the Rangers acquired Hamilton four years ago, the club brought in Johnny Narron to be Hamilton's accountability partner. Narron has accepted a position as Milwaukee's hitting coach for the 2012 season.

The Athens Drive community inched one step closer to beginning the first improvements to its stadium since the school opened in 1978.

On Thursday night, the Raleigh parks & recreation board recommended the school's plans to renovate Williams Stadium to the city council.

Jeff Smouse, who coached Athens Drive High football for the past seven seasons, will not return to the school next season.

No. 1 Leesville Road 62, Broughton 21 (FINAL) Braxton Berrios rushed for 200 yards in first half

No. 2 Garner 42, Athens Drive 0 (FINAL)

No. 3 Hillside 38, Pembroke Swett 32 ( OT, FINAL)

No. 4 Wake Forest-Rolesville 31, Millbrook 0 (FINAL)

Wilmington Laney 30, No. 5 Wakefield 27 (FINAL)

Here were your team standings for the 2011 Tri-Nine girls golf season, as well as tournament finish and all-conference team.

No. 1 Garner 37, Broughton 13 (FINAL, Thursday)

No. 2 Southeast Raleigh 55, Enloe 24 (FINAL)

No. 3 Hillside vs. Canes Bay, S.C. (Saturday)

No. 4 Cary 29, Holly Springs 7 (FINAL)

No. 5 Wakefield 42, Knightdale 32  (FINAL)

 Fayetteville Britt 42,  No. 6 Southern Durham 28 (FINAL)

No. 7 Leesville Road 39, Durham Jordan 6 (FINAL, Thursday)

No. 8 Wake Forest-Rolesville 37, Northern Durham 19 (FINAL)

No. 10 Middle Creek 48, No. 9 Fuquay-Varina 47    (FINAL 2OT)

No. 11 Harnett Central 22, Western Harnett 15 (FINAL)

Millbrook 26, No. 12 East Wake 9 (FINAL)

Green Hope 30, Sanderson 27 (FINAL, OT)

West Johnston 26, Cleveland 21 (FINAL)

Lee County 21, Apex 16 (FINAL)

Fayetteville Pine Forest 66, Smithfield-Selma 6 (FINAL)

Heritage 33, Corinth Holders 14 (3rd)

Panther Creek 23, Athens Drive 20, (FINAL)

Cedar Ridge 48, East Chapel Hill 34 (FINAL)

Cardinal Gibbons 44, Union Pines 0 (FINAL)

Southern Nash 21, Bunn 17 (FINAL)

Franklinton 41, Ravenscroft 27 (FINAL)

Jordan-Matthews 29, Northwood 12 (FINAL)

East Bladen 43, North Johnston 36 (FINAL)

Princeton 34, Dixon 0 (FINAL)

South Johnston 42, Clayton 35 (FINAL Thursday)