KENLY- Once Kyle Sanders got his own play in order, he turned to helping out a fellow classmate. Now, if nothing else, Sanders has a new friend and fishing buddy in T.J. Williams.

Williams and Sanders tried out for North Johnston's baseball team together in February. Williams didn't make the team, ending up as a team manager for the Panthers, but his effort caught Sanders' eye.

So one day after practice, Sanders stayed around and offered to help Williams work on his skills.

"It wasn't anything really planned out, it just kind of happened," Sanders said. "T.J. is a good guy and he's got a great heart. He's always out there doing whatever he can to help the guys [on the team]; I just wanted to help him.

"T.J. is just another friend I've made through baseball."

It's that kind of dedication to the game of baseball that led to Sanders receiving the 2009 Sam Narron Baseball Award last week. The honor - and an accompanying $500 scholarship - is presented annually to one Johnston County high school senior who demonstrates outstanding determination, hard work and sacrifice for the game.

"It just means a whole lot to me," Sanders said of the honor. "We had a special season at North Johnston and this is just a great addition to the season. I'm honored and humbled."

Sanders exited the 2008 season as a solid contributor to the Panthers' program, but new North Johnston head coach Brian Ford knew the team would be better off if it could get more out of Sanders.

Ford, once a record-breaking pitcher at Methodist, had plans to take advantage of Sanders' 6-foot-2 frame on the mound.

"I was always told I had a good fastball, but I didn't have anything to go with it," Sanders said. "Coach Ford helped me so much with my pitching, adding a curveball and giving me the chance to pitch a lot this season. And coach [Glenn] House really helped me with my hitting as well.

"Without those two, I wouldn't have accomplished any of the things I did this season."

Sanders did plenty in helping lead North Johnston to the Carolina 1-A Conference championship. He led the team with 32 RBIs and four home runs while hitting .384. He posted an on-base percentage of .638, while going 7-2 on the mound with a 2.90 ERA.

The hard work has earned Sanders a shot at college baseball. He'll join the program at Methodist University this fall.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity," Sanders said. "Pitching more has opened up a lot of opportunity for me in baseball. I've learned a lot about the game in the past year and I know I'll learn a whole lot more at Methodist."

Sanders, the son of Wendell and Lynn Sanders, also is a volunteer fire fighter with the Antioch Fire Department.

Sam Narron, for whom the award is named, was raised on a farm in the Emit community near Corinth-Holders. He developed a passion for baseball as a young boy and, like most, had a dream to play Major League Baseball. Through persistence and determination, Mr. Narron overcame many obstacles and managed to attend the first ever baseball school in Arkansas. From there his dream became a reality as his hard work ethic earned him a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. Mr. Narron had a stellar career, which included a World Series Championship.

Mr. Narron's family established the Sam Narron Baseball Award in 1998 to honor a Johnston County Schools' Baseball standout who demonstrated those same qualities of determination, hard work, and sacrifice. For the past 11 years, one senior baseball player from around the county has received this coveted recognition.

The addition of these scholarship funds is simply another effort by the Narron family to reward those individuals who choose, as Sam Narron did, to follow and pursue their dreams.