Spell succeeds Tommy Blalock, who announced his resignation following Riverside's final 2007 game.

"I've been a head coach before and I wanted to do it again," said Spell, who was head coach at Southern Durham for the 1997 season. "I think most high school coaches are in the business because they enjoy working with the players.

"I know that having the opportunity to teach and talk to boys as they become young men is the most rewarding aspect of coaching. The relationships are what keeps you going."

Spell, who has been coaching for 17 years, was an assistant coach at Southern (1991-96) and worked with current NFL Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard and current Southern Durham coach Adrian Jones.

Spell also was an assistant coach at Garner in 1999.

ALL-AMERICAN SOCCER STARS: Jennifer Partenheimer, a 2007 Apex graduate and the N&O girls high school soccer player of the year, and Katie Evans, a 2007 Broughton graduate, have been named to the National Soccer Coaches of America Association/adidas All-America Team.

The NSCAA picks its All-America teams based on the calendar year because high school soccer is played during various seasons in different states.

Partenheimer helped Apex win the 2007 N.C. High School Athletic Association 4-A girls state championship in the spring and started 19 of 22 games at UNC-Greensboro this fall. She had four goals and three assists at UNCG.

Evans started 10 games at UNCG and had two goals and an assist during the Spartans' 16-5-1 season.

UNC-Greensboro lost to UNC 3-1 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Earlier, Broughton's Watt Williams, the state boys player of the year, and Sean Haglund of North Raleigh Christian were named to the NSCAA/adidas boys All-America team.

TIES TO WAKE'S TITLE: Cary graduate Zack Schilawski scored the winning goal in Wake Forest's 2-1 win over Ohio State in the NCAA men's soccer championship game in Cary, but he wasn't the only local tie on the title team.

Durham Jordan graduate Ike Opara, a freshman, and Millbrook graduate Evan Brown were starting defenders for the Deacons.

MORE CLASSIFICATIONS? The next NCHSAA conference alignment may be the last that uses four classes.

"In hindsight, we should have considered five or six classes this time," NCHSAA executive director Charlie Adams said. "And we should not have counted the schools that don't play football when we divided into fourths."

There are big discrepancies in enrollment among schools within classifications.

In 4-A, for example, schools range from Charlotte Myers Park (2,977 students) to Fayetteville Sanford (1,394), a difference of 1,583.

The NCHSAA has announced a tentative alignment, but schools have an opportunity in February to offer other suggestions.

The Tri-Eight Conference, for example, has requested that the NCHSAA allow Athens Drive to remain in its league rather than be moved to the Cap Seven.

The Greater Neuse has noted that its proposed new league would have four different systems, plus Southeast Raleigh, which has a modified year-round schedule.

"You are looking at five different times for breaks and exams," said Gary Powers, Southeast Raleigh's athletic director.