Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/558473
58 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED BY STACY CLARDIE SClardie@GoldandBlack.com P aul Griggs knew he was ready to move on. Though he'd been playing soccer since he was 5, there really was only one sport that was accept- able when you reached the feeder program for Charlotte Catholic High School, which had built itself into a perennial football powerhouse in North Carolina's Class 4A. It'd partially got to that point because it started priming its middle school kids at Holy Trinity Catholic in the system. Griggs estimated three- fourths of his sixth-grade class went out for the football team, and he was eager to be among them. There was only one problem: He had to convince mom Julie to let him make the transition. Paul's solution? "I had to really convince her by showing her I could do something that wasn't going to get me injured or really involve a lot of contact whatsoever," he said, laughing. That left two options in Griggs' mind, quarterback, which at least Mature Griggs always focused on big goals On Target Photo by Tom Campbell / Illustration by Bill Ray Paul Griggs nearly has perfected his ball-striking — and it's because he's ded- icated endless time toward that goal. Griggs has been kicking since he was a fifth-grader with the ultimate dream of becoming an NFL player. 2015 Special Teams Preview