Jewish holiday to push back CMS kickoff times

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools pushed back kickoffs one hour to 8 p.m. for football games on Friday, Sept. 30, to observe Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Rosh Hashanah began at sundown Wednesday, Sept. 28, and ends at nightfall on Sept. 30.

Hopewell wins on last-second kick
Pretty impressive for a player not even listed on the roster.
Ryan Santee, an accidental omission from Hopewell’s printed roster, kicked a 25-yard field goal as time expired for a 24-23 victory at Hough on Sept. 23.
It capped a 90-yard drive by Hopewell, which had no timeouts, in the final two minutes. Denzel Heath had a 20-yard run in the drive, and Tijaun Sifford threw a 20-yard pass to Christopher Strickland.
Santee, who had missed on a 32-yard attempt in the third quarter, hustled onto the field as the clock was winding down. The snap from center Tyshaun Cochran to holder Strickland was perfect, as was Santee’s kick.
“I just tried to stay loose and focus on what was coming,” said Santee, who also plays goalkeeper on Hopewell’s soccer team. “I felt it as soon as it came off my foot.”
Hopewell coach David Johnson didn’t hesitate to send in Santee for the kick.
“I had faith in him the whole way,” Johnson said. “He had that look and said, `I got it.’ I said, “Then go win it for us, baby.”
Hopewell rallied from a 23-14 deficit early in the fourth quarter.
“You just have to have that heart,” Johnson said. “We’ve been down the past couple of weeks and didn’t really play Hopewell football. That (against Hough) was Hopewell football. We knew we were going to give it our all, on every play. If we win, we win. If we lose, we lose. Good things happen when we play Hopewell football.”