For Pinecrest High School senior Cole Harrison, athletics have always been about more than wins and awards. Whether it was under the Friday night lights on the football field, on the wrestling mat during the winter, or competing in lacrosse this spring, Cole built a reputation as a competitor who never backed down and always gave everything he had for his teams.
Cole finished his career at Pinecrest with a list of accomplishments. In football, he played linebacker and halfback, earning All-Conference honors three times and serving as a senior captain. Wrestling also brought success: he was a two-time All-Conference wrestler, a team captain, and qualified for the state championships during his senior season. This spring, he also competed for the Patriots lacrosse team, adding another sport to an already busy senior year.
Even with all the awards, Cole says football was always his favorite sport because of the energy and competition it brought.
“I just loved the competitiveness of football, and I had a great time playing it,” Cole said. “Being around the team and competing every week is something I’ll always remember.”
That same competitive mindset also carried into the classroom. Cole will graduate with a 4.4 GPA and is a member of the Honor Society, balancing academics with multiple sports and a job outside of school.
After graduation, Cole plans to attend the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to study mechanical engineering. While he is still undecided about whether to continue with athletics at the next level, he already knows the career path he wants to chase.
Cole hopes to work in high-performance automotive engineering one day because of his fascination with how vehicles work.
“I’ve always thought it was fascinating seeing how everything works under the hood,” he said. “I like learning how things work together and what makes them perform better.”
Outside of school and sports, Cole enjoys working out and spending time working on bicycles. For the past four years, he has worked at Rainbow Cycles, fixing and assembling bikes.
As graduation approaches, Cole says he is excited for what comes next and the opportunities ahead.
“I’m looking forward to graduation, honestly, just to get out of high school and experience new opportunities,” he said.
Cole also made sure to thank the people who helped shape him throughout his journey. He credited all his coaches for helping to make sports enjoyable and thanked his dad for always being there and for teaching him never to quit.
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Contributed photo of Cole Harrison.
~Article by Curtis Self, a Sandhills Sentinel reporter and owner of Moore Daily Sports. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
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