Bland ends career as Gryphons' leading scorer

By ETHAN JOYCE
Sports Writer
Friday, June 30, 2017
Soccer has always been there for Sarah Bland.
So much of her free time, whether it was organized or not, spilled onto the pitch while she grew up.
Bland finished her high school career this year, helping to guide Rocky Mount High to Big East conference regular season and postseason titles and an appearance in the third round of the 3-A NCHSAA playoffs.
She finished the season with 43 goals and set the Gryphons career mark with 153 to earn the All-Area Girls Soccer Player of the Year crown for a second-consecutive year.
Bland will head to study at the University of North Carolina, where she will only be a student. And she chuckled, somewhat nervously, when she thought about what would fill the spot that soccer has occupied in her life.
“I literally don’t know (what I will do now),” Bland laughed. “I’ve played soccer my whole life, and it’s kind of been like my main hobby.
“I really like the outdoors. Maybe I will get into hiking or something. I played tennis, so I will probably continue to do that. But I really don’t know.”
The Gryphons averaged more than five goals a game this season, many of which came off one of the feet of Bland. In an offensive attack that featured many speedy and sure passers at the front, Bland was often the receiver on through balls into the attacking third.
Her speed allowed her to blaze around defenders in Rocky Mount’s setup, which was implemented by head coach Richard Oxendine and assistant coach Zach Shaikh.
“We wanted to be the best we could,” Bland said. “And the coaching coming in was a big factor in that because they set a tone and an example that we were going to work hard and practices were going to be serious. Games were going to be serious. I think we learned a lot this year, and I think we grew a lot as a team.”
Bland’s speed attracted the track team, which attempted to use her in the 100-meter dash, the 4×200 and the 4×400 relay teams this year. It was a drastic change for Bland, who might run 5-plus miles on the soccer field in a given game. She only got to run in a couple meets, saying she didn’t do that well. But it was worth a shot for her senior year.
“(The coaches) saw my speed,” Bland said. “I played powderpuff one year, and I ran against some of the people that ran track. They saw me run against them and said I should come out.”
Bland set the Gryphons’ scoring mark early in the season. She appreciates the accomplishment even though she never really focused on setting it.
“It was never about trying to lead something,” Bland said. “It just kind of happened, and we just played so well as a team.
“It was just something that came about.”
Maybe that new hobby for Bland will come about soon, too.