Tim Stevens:The 36th annual GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational will have a different look this year and one of its most interesting fields.

Tim Stevens:When I was 16 years old, I was offered a new double-barreled shotgun for $50.

Tim Stevens:Broughton is ranked No. 1 in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America boys high school poll.

Tim Stevens:Ed McLean was an institution at Broughton High in 1982. McLean was the boys basketball coach and athletic director, but he was more than that.

Recruiting:Six Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball recruiting classes are ranked among the top 25 in the country by the Scout.com recruiting service.

Tim Stevens:Kenny Browning, who may have been the best high school football coach ever in North Carolina, once said senior leadership was too important to leave entirely to seniors.

Tim Stevens:Here are some hits and misses (caws for crows and cackles for chickens) from the preseason edition on Aug. 14.

Tim Stevens:Recruiting analyst Dave Telep said there is a distinct difference between being urgent and being desperate in college basketball recruiting.

Tim Stevens:Wake Forest-Rolesville's 21-14 victory over Leesville Road last week came during a great night for high school football.

Tim Stevens:Wake Forest football picked up a commitment last week from strong-side linebacker Joey Ehrmann, son of former Baltimore Colt Joe Ehrmann.

Tim Stevens:Area teams are expected to have a major impact on the N.C. High School Athletic Association boys state cross country championships Saturday at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons.

Tim Stevens:Lineup will be a tall order for Ravenscroft's opponents.

Tim Stevens:Not all ranked 4-A teams will advance.

Tim Stevens:The North Carolina coaches for the 71st annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas all-star football game should be congratulated.

Tim Stevens:University of North Carolina and Duke University basketball fans are not used to their favorites being told "no" by recruits, but it happened a couple of times last week.

Tim Stevens:The Person and Chapel Hill football teams already have forfeited games for using ineligible players in early season games.

Tim Stevens:If Leesville Road football coach David Greene has a question about how to attack a specific defense, he can call N.C. State offensive coordinator Dana Bible.

Tim Stevens:Wayne Bragg, football coach at Panther Creek High, is so competitive that his wife said it makes him mad to lose to his daughter in "Go Fish."

Tim Stevens:The early signing period for high school basketball players begins on Nov. 14, but 74 of the top 100 players ranked by Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports already have made commitments.

Tim Stevens:Enloe junior Matt Jurek used to dream about winning games at the buzzer.

Tim Stevens:Kendall Marshall, the University of North Carolina's most recent basketball recruit, was ranked the top fifth-grade basketball player in the country by Sports Illustrated a few years ago.

Tim Stevens:The best thing ever to happen to the Southern Pines Pinecrest football program might have been almost dropping its varsity team in 2006.

Tim Stevens:John Wall has a lot of new things in his life.

Tim Stevens:Marcelus Perry was glad when he finally was old enough to try out for the Knightdale High football team. Many thought he still wasn't big enough.

Tim Stevens:Joe Hailey attended his 400th Havelock football game on Friday, a 31-14 loss to Wilmington Laney.

Tim Stevens:Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha headlines the field for the annual GlaxoSmithKline Holiday Invitational basketball tournament in December.

Tim Stevens:Classes began at most area high schools on Monday, but school responsibilities started a month ago for the largest group of high school football players ever in North Carolina.

Tim Stevens:Washington Interscholastic Activities Association gained national attention, and derision, recently for what has become known as the "booing ban" or the "no booing rule."

Tim Stevens:Isn't it a shame that people don't get what they deserve?

Tim Stevens:N.C. State continued its impressive collection of in-state verbal commitments last week when Scotland County linebacker Terrell Manning announced for the Wolfpack.

Tim Stevens:N.C. State quarterback recruit Mike Glennon is a late-comer to the Wolfpack's corner.

Tim Stevens:N.C. State football coach Tom O'Brien had great success in recruiting last week.

Tim Stevens:Holly Springs sophomore commits early.

Tim Stevens:Unlike many of his contemporaries, Bunn football standout Brandon Barnes is in summer school because he wants to be.

Tim Stevens:This week's Sports Illustrated magazine, as part of a state-by-state listing of top high school athletics programs, chose Charlotte Independence as North Carolina's best.

Tim Stevens:One of the unusual things about college athletics scholarships is that many times acceptance comes down to whether the family can afford to take the scholarship.

Tim Stevens:Durham Hillside junior basketball standout Tyree Graham will transfer to National Christian in Fort Washington, Md., for his senior year.

Tim Stevens:Huntington (W.Va.) basketball forward Patrick Patterson said Duke just didn't click with him.

Tim Stevens:Two of the nation's top high school basketball players are expected to choose their colleges this week.

Tim Stevens:Garner linebacker Reggie Bowens' football recruitment will probably intensify after his performance in a recent Shrine Bowl Combine.

Tim Stevens:Brandon Barnes of Bunn, now has football scholarship offers from Southern California, Auburn, Penn State, Florida, Oklahoma, Michigan, Tennessee and most Atlantic Coast Conference schools.

Tim Stevens:Scout.com's early individual football prospect rankings are out and North Carolina doesn't have any high school football players who rank among the nation's elite.

Tim Stevens:Ohio State reached the NCAA men's basketball final this season and may be corralling the nation's finest 2008 recruiting class.

Tim Stevens:The vast majority of the top senior boys basketball players in the country signed national letters of intent this past fall before their senior seasons.

Tim Stevens:For someone with modest statistics, Bunn football player Brandon Barnes is getting a lot of attention.

Tim Stevens:Barnes, Palmer are two to watch.

Tim Stevens:A couple of area high school wrestlers could find places in the National High School Sports Record Book.