The last time Garinger High was in the N.C. football playoffs, in 1990:

“I was at Charlotte Latin teaching P.E. and coaching track,” Garinger athletics director Claire Gardin said. “Wow, that was a looonnnggg time ago.”

“Aw man, I was just finishing Orangeburg-Wilkinson (S.C.) High,” Garinger coach Chris Carter said. “I played linebacker and was getting ready to go to Tennessee Tech.”

Garinger quarterback Marquez Stanley, a four-year starter, was a newborn.

Making the playoffs and hosting a playoff game are special at Garinger, which is 4-7. The Wildcats won four of their past six games after ending a streak of 61 straight losses on the field. Since 1989, Garinger has had four losing streaks at least 18 games long.

In 1990, Jimmy Teague's Garinger team tied for the Southwestern 4A Conference championship and made the playoffs for the second straight year.

Teams like Butler and Independence and Country Day and West Charlotte probably don't make much of this first playoff week, but it's got to feel good at Garinger to puff up its collective chest and strut with the big dogs for a little while.

“This is a very exciting time for us,” Gardin said. “We're just enjoying the moment.”

Carter came to Garinger from a winning team at Dalton (Ga.) High. He's still trying to fathom how bad things have been at his school – and how good this moment is.

“It still hasn't hit me,” said Carter, whose team will play Providence Friday. “ … Our kids are enjoying it. This is something they won't forget. They made history.”

Roy Jones Jr., it's time to give up boxing.

If I was in charge, college and high school football players could spike the ball after scoring.

Yes, Jake Delhomme and the Panthers were bad Sunday, but at least you don't live in St. Louis and have to watch the Rams every week.

Two school officials I spoke with recently had an interesting idea for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools: Leave the N.C. High School Athletic Association.

Schools would pay $3.75 per athlete for insurance and 75 cents per student plus a $100 administration fee for dues. Schools would also return 25 percent of the gate for endowment games and anywhere from 15 to 25 percent of playoff gates, all before expenses.

The plan would be for CMS schools to have city championships instead of going to the playoffs. So when, say, Butler and Independence draw 20,000 to Memorial Stadium at $8 a head, the local schools would get the benefit – and we'd be guaranteed a local champion each year.

Wonder what the kids and parents would think of that?