Ten Years Later, This One Feels Different
Ten Years Later, This One Feels Different
I started covering sports four years ago at Neuse News Sports with nothing more than a vision and a whole lot of belief in what I thought “new media” could be. Videos on social media. Interviews posted directly to platforms. Graphics. Live score updates. A different way to tell stories.
My boss, BJ Murphy, was crazy enough to give me a chance.
Four years later—10,000 followers later—we’ve built something special. The best sports coverage in the state, if you ask me. And it’s not something I’ve built alone. I’ve had a team behind me: Danny Perez, the best video producer around, and a group of sports guys who believe in the vision, including my nephew, Chance Scott.
For those who don’t know me, I’m kind of crazy about sports.
I’m even crazier about Greene Central sports.
I grew up a die-hard Ram. Played three sports there. Went back and coached football. Served as head track coach for six years. My son played three sports too—quarterback, defensive back—and won a state championship with the baseball team in 2024, playing center field and serving as one of the best No. 9 hitters in the state.
Before Neuse News Sports, I was a passionate Greene Central guy. And with that passion comes rivalries.
Including Kinston.
If you were on social media during the 2015–2019 era, you probably saw me get into it with coaches, fans—everybody. But honestly, it was all love. I grew up in the Institute area, right between Kinston and Snow Hill. If we needed something, we went to Kinston. I still remember riding with my uncle to Blockbuster on Hull Road, yelling “FORE!” out the window at the old driving range just to mess with golfers.
Later in life, I lived behind Holloway Recreation at Wingate Townhomes for two years. Coached rec ball. Coached rec football—won a championship at Fairfield, by the way. Coached baseball too. Spent plenty of days at the Mock and at Holloway. Played in the industrial league against some Kinston legends. I even got mistaken for Coach Perry Tyndall more than once.
Point is: I grew up here. This area shaped me.
Then Neuse News Sports happened.
I started covering Greene Central, Jones, and Lenoir County schools—and suddenly, I had to cover the school I had passionately rooted against for years.
The first year, Greene Central was really good, and the Kinston-GC matchup was what it always is. Tyreek Copper was a freshman. My son was a junior. I remember telling my son, “Watch out for that kid. His dad played in the NFL. He’s dangerous. He’s going to be special.”
My second year covering Kinston, I walked into Coach Ryan Gieselman’s office just to talk.
That’s where the respect really began.
I’m an exercise physiology major at heart. I love weightlifting. I love building athletes. I asked Coach about the classic 2015 Greene Central–Kinston matchup and how good that team was. His response locked me in.
He didn’t start with plays or highlights. He said something like, “You want to know what we did in the weight room?”
From there, it was over.
Coach Gieselman keeps every lifting cycle stored on his computer. Every progression. Every detail. He talked about clean progressions, about Jaquan Artis, about development. His eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.
That’s when I realized—I’m not talking to a regular dude.
This guy is crazy too.
From that day on, my respect for Kinston changed. Don’t get it twisted—I’m still a Ram. I’ll always pull for Greene Central against Kinston. That will never change.
But what did change was the respect.
At basketball games, we didn’t talk basketball. We talked about next year. Who was going to be quarterback. How tough the Eastern Carolina Conference would be. We talked about freshmen who were about to become sophomores—Exzavion Croom, who would go on to win the 100 and 200, and Tyreek Copper, who had just put together a strong freshman season.
Two years before this season, we were already talking about it.
I remember asking him, “Their senior year—that should be the year, right?”
It was always the plan. Always the vision.
Now here we are.
Kinston is playing for a state championship tomorrow. The second state title appearance under Coach Gieselman. He’s reached 100 career wins this season. I’ve watched him build a program with a whatever-it-takes mentality. I’ve been to summer practices where a so-called “basketball school” had 70 kids working in 105-degree July heat.
It’s been beautiful to watch.
Ten years ago, I was pulling against Kinston. Now, I’m pulling for them harder than anyone in the building. I’ve grown to love these kids. I’ve seen the growth. I’ve watched them fail, watched them get beat up as freshmen and sophomores, waiting their turn.
The process has been exactly that—a process.
Diamonds are found in the dirt. And right now, those diamonds are shining.
With the utmost respect to the community, I hope the Vikings bring this championship home. I hope Coach Gieselman finally reaps the fruits of his labor. And I’m grateful—truly grateful—to be someone who helps this community see its kids and their stories.
Ten years later, I’ve grown up—as an adult and as a professional.
Ten years later, Ryan Gieselman gets his moment.
And I’m here for all of it.
— Trey Scott
