Overtime

Albie Loeffler, the legendary founder of the Staples High School soccer program, passed away this morning at his home in Oxford, North Carolina, a day before what would have been his 94th birthday.

Mr. Loeffler — few ever associated with the program called him Albie — was not only the best coach, but one of the best teachers in the history of the school. He could get a message across with a look and a few choice words.

I was fortunate enough to be in his locker room my sophomore year — the one season I played in the program — during the celebration of his 250th career win — he finished with a then-national record 314 — and I can remember it like it happened yesterday.

It has been 31 years since Mr. Loeffler retired. I don’t even know how to describe him for younger people, but for those of you old enough, think Tom Landry’s sideline presence, combined with someone who epitomized class, dignity and honor. He taught his teams how to win, how to win and lose with class, and how to be better people.

To learn more about this truly special person, here is a link on the Staples soccer website, written by current coach Dan Woog, a former player, team historian and someone who has done a great job perpetuating Mr. Loeffler’s legacy.

Former Westhill star Cliff Louis was cut by the New York Giants today. Louis, who was on the team’s practice squad last season, just confirmed a published report in a text message.
“Yeah it happens,” he wrote. “The nature of the business.”
I’ll have more from Louis soon as he waits to hear if he gets picked up by another team.

The hardest thing about Cayleigh Griffin is finding something she does not excel at. She has a 3.8 grade point average, is vice president of the National Honor Society, belongs to five different clubs and is one of the top players on Trinity Catholic High School’s volleyball and girls basketball teams. In her spare time — what little there is — she coaches youth sports teams and does volunteer work.

Yet Cayleigh’s most impressive attribute might be her infectious personality, which has made her popular with coaches, teachers, peers — and most everyone she has come in contact with.

Cayleigh is adding another line to her resume this fall: blogger. She will be writing weekly entries on this blog through the fall season to take readers inside the Trinity volleyball team (here is her impressive first entry).

With the new season now less than two weeks away, I caught up with Cayleigh today after practice. She shared with me her hopes for the Crusaders this fall, her talents as a uniform designer and what readers can expect from her posts this year (if they are like everything else she does, they will be excellent).