Kevin Thomas

Down 21-0 to Franklin at halftime on his senior night in 2010, former Falcon running back Kevin Thomas was determined to bring his team back. At halftime Coach Paul Whitaker provided both motivation and new plays, and in the second half Thomas broke through the defense for three touchdowns and a 24-21 win.

Hard work has defined Thomas’s career at West and as a linebacker at Wofford College. Earlier this week, Thomas received an invitation to the New York Jets training camp where he hopes to make the team.

“You go from high school to college, and college to the NFL, and that’s a tough road,” Whitaker said. “I hope that he gets that chance.”
Former teammate Zach Cole isn’t surprised to see his friend preparing to play professionally.

“If everyone was dragging on the field, Kevin would come alive for us and give us that energy we needed,” Cole said.
Thomas played varsity football for four years and varsity basketball for three. In his senior year, he led the football team in tackles, earned all-conference honors and won the Times-News defensive player of the year. His hard work in high school landed him a football scholarship at Wofford College. While at Wofford he led the team in tackles, started at inside linebacker for three years, was named to the academic All-American team.

“Wofford is a truly special place. There is a very strong football tradition,” Thomas said. “We have had some good years here, and I have met some great people.”

By Caroline Ward

Brooke Stanley

Fans watched as the volleyball players walked onto the court in preparation for their game with Band-Aids on their foreheads. It was the fall of 2003, and the Band-Aids were to support freshman Brooke Stanley, who had hit her head on the stairs while setting up the gym.

A few stitches later, she was ready to get back on the court. Stanley, a 2007 graduate, recently took the position as head volleyball coach at Converse College in South Carolina. She will coach her first season in the fall.

“Brooke’s been around volleyball her whole life. Her mother was a phenomenal coach (retired coach Jan Stanley). She is just following in those footsteps,” Coach Cathy Corliss said. “She is very athletic and very dedicated.”

In 2005 Stanley won WNC Volleyball Player of the Year honors, and in 2005 and 2006 she won conference player of the Year.In college she earned player of the year once and setter of the year three times.Although she appreciates the titles she won, she loves the memories that she has from playing with her teammates and friends.

“We went to state four times, the two times that we won were pretty good, especially because my mom coached,” Stanley said. “When you look back at it, it’s pretty sweet to win, but creating good friendships is pretty special because they all still last today.”

In Stanley’s four years on the varsity volleyball team at West, they won 77 out of 81 matches, four conference championships and played for the 2A state championship all four years, winning twice.

By Josh Conner

John Dunn

His first start as a varsity quarterback, junior John Dunn brought hope to a West football team looking for a new start. After going winless the previous two seasons, 13-9, Dunn looked to lead his team over county rival Hendersonville.

His team won the game, 21-13, setting the stage for his successful career.

Dunn, a 2001 graduate, is now a tight ends coach and recruiting director for the football team at the University of Maryland.

“It is hard as a coach to predict someone’s success, but I knew John would be successful at whatever he chose to do,” former coach Dean Jones said. “It is no surprise to me now because he understood the game. A lot of players at the high school level do not understand the game.”

Dunn had always pictured himself coming back to teach and coach at West Henderson; however, along the way he found a different path.

“Looking back, I never would have thought I would be here. If you had asked me in college, my goal was not to be a college coach,” Dunn said. “I never in a million years would have guessed it. I have been very fortunate.”

During his two years as a starting varsity quarterback, Dunn helped to turn around a winless football team and finish with a 13-9 overall record over two years. In addition to playing football, Dunn was also a first baseman and pitcher for the baseball team.

“John was a leader of the team, dependable, someone you could count on. You knew he was not going to get flustered. He worked hard, and he was a good teammate,’ Jones said. “I would have loved to have had John later in my career because he had some skills that not every quarterback that I coached had.”

By Josh Conner

J.B. Tanner

Rising senior player J.B. Tanner was knocking down shot after shot in a game at Presbyterian team camp in the summer of 2004. He recorded 30 points with 10 three-point shots in that single game.

According to varsity coach Rick Wood, Tanner suffered a knee injury at the camp that would require surgical procedures.

He faced the possibility of not being able to play by the start of his senior season. In the face of adversity Tanner worked hard, and with determination he was able to rehab by the start the season.

“He came to West as a junior, and he was a hard-working, dedicated player that worked on his game constantly,” Wood, coach from 1990 to 2006, said.

Tanner played varsity basketball under Wood for two years. In the time Tanner was at West, he set a school record of 135 three-point shots made in his 2003-2004 season. He transferred to West in 2003 and then graduated in 2005.

“My overall experience was great, which was largely shaped by basketball; it was a really great time,” Tanner said.

After graduating, Tanner attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he played basketball two years on the junior varsity team and then played varsity for two years. His teams won two Atlantic Coast Conference titles. With the Tar Heels he played in the 2009 national championship game against Michigan State.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Tanner attended Virginia Commonwealth University where he spent two years as a graduates assistant. During his time there, the Rams won 55 games and had a run in the NCAA tournament with a Final Four appearance. In 2014 he became the athletic director at Elon University in Burlington.

By Kole Thomas