With the dawning of the 2019 high school football season comes the Sampson Independent’s second year of featuring a Game of the Week in its weekend edition, an opportunity general manager Sherry Matthews said to give subscribers, parents and athletes an in-depth recap of football games involving all Sampson’s high schools.

And with the ushering of a new Game of the Week, Matthews said, came the opportunity to find a community partner willing to become the weekend feature’s sponsor.

Enter Donnie Lamm and Nissan of Clinton, long-time community supporters and, what’s more, huge backers of local athletics.

“I approached Donnie about Nissan becoming our sponsor for this year’s featured Game of the Week and he welcomed the opportunity to partner with us,” Matthews said. “Nissan of Clinton and Mr. Lamm have always been supportive of our community and of our students. It seemed a perfect fit. We are extremely appreciative of the sponsorship.”

For Lamm, partnering to bring the Game of the Week seemed in step with Nissan’s commitment to Sampson.

“Being a part of Sampson County since 1991, Nissan of Clinton has always been a huge supporter of local high school athletics. It’s just one of our ways of giving back to the community that has supported us for so many years,” Lamm stressed.

And football, like so many other athletics in Sampson, is a way of bringing people together in support of its young people.

“It’s always great to see our community come together and support our local high schools. We all know the outstanding sports history of our local schools and the number of quality athletes that have been produced right here in Sampson County. It’s has always amazed me how tight knit this community is and how much the residents of Sampson love their team sports.We’re just glad to be a part of such a tradition in this wonderful community,” Lamm acknowledged.”

Like last year, the Independent will alter its Friday night coverage in order to showcase one game each week as the “Game of the Week,” while providing in-depth coverage and improved content across the platform.

All six local teams will be spotlighted as the season progresses as part of the “Game of the Week,” which will be the headline story of the weekend paper, featured on the front page of the sports section. The final outcome of the remaining games involving local teams, as well as general synopses and photos, will likewise be encompassed in the weekend edition.

In-depth rundowns from those remaining games, as well as analyses, coaches’ and player reactions and overall season outlooks — all accompanied by photos — will be published in the following Tuesday’s B section, which will now be dedicated to sports.”

“The new way we handled sports last year was well received, so much so that we decided to continue for a second season,” Matthews said.

Athletics, she said, was a vital part of the Sampson community and a major part of The Sampson Independent’s continued efforts to provide quality local coverage.

“Game nights are always exciting. They were when I was in high school and they continue to be today,” she stressed.

Lamm couldn’t agree more.

“The excitement of Friday night lights and football plus the opportunity to spend quality time with kids, grandkids and family members is always fun. We’re excited to be a sponsor for this year’s football page. Nissan of Clinton hopes everyone is a winner this season.”

In next week’s season opener on Friday, Aug. 23, the first edition of the “Nissan of Clinton Game of the Week” will feature the much anticipated showdown between Cape Fear and Clinton as the Colts come in for a battle with the hometown Dark Horses. The full rundown with photos will be in that weekend’s edition.

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Week 1 spotlights Clinton-Cape Fear

Staff reports