Since opening 27 years ago, Green Hope High School has had a rich athletic history with countless extremely talented athletes who have excelled beyond the high school level. The Falcons have won 51 team state championships and hundreds of conference and regional championships across 20+ sports. Ultimately, team success stems from the combined effort of elite athletes, a tradition Green Hope has long upheld, with over 45 coaches and athletes inducted into the school hall of fame.
Recently, athletic production has been nothing short of elite. A few key athletes who graduated from Green Hope have found themselves excelling at a high level, including Blake Watson playing football for the Tennessee Titans, Mason Dean playing baseball at Fordham University and Elly Henes running professionally for Adidas.
Blake Watson – Tennessee Titans
Blake Watson graduated from Green Hope as part of the Class of 2018. Watson was a generational athlete for the Falcons, performing at a high-level for both the football and track & field teams. Helping lead the Falcons to their most recent conference championship in football back in 2017, Watson committed to Old Dominion University, where, in just his sophomore year, he ran for over 1100 yards with 8 touchdowns. Two years later, Watson transferred to Memphis for his senior season, where he had over 1600 scrimmage yards with 17 touchdowns. Following college, Watson was signed as an undrafted free agent to the Denver Broncos in May 2024. Watson spent time on the Broncos’ active roster and practice squad before joining the Tennessee Titans. In 2026, Watson is gearing up for his third season in the NFL, continuing to make the Falcon community proud.
Mason Dean – Fordham Baseball
Mason Dean graduated from Green Hope as part of the Class of 2025. Dean was a stellar dual-sport athlete, playing for the basketball and baseball teams. Once Dean wrapped up his senior baseball season, he committed to Fordham University, a prestigious division one school that competes in the Atlantic-10 Athletic Conference. Dean has started all 15 games for the Rams with a batting average of .222 in 55 at-bats thus far. Also in the batting department, Dean has two home runs and 10 RBI’s with 12 total hits. In the outfield, Dean has been stellar with a perfect fielding percentage. Despite being 6-9 on the season, the Fordham Rams are coming off an 8-7 victory over Rutgers, where Dean went 3-5 in the batter’s box with an RBI and 2 runs. As only a freshman, Dean is making the Falcon community proud with his athletic feats beyond high school.
Elly Henes – Adidas
Elly Henes graduated from Green Hope as part of the Class of 2016. Henes established herself as one of the greatest athletes to ever come out of Green Hope, holding numerous cross country and track & field records to this day. In her time at Green Hope, she won multiple North Carolina state titles and became the 2016 NCHSAA 4A Indoor State Championship MVP. Henes qualified for multiple major national meets like the New Balance Indoor Nationals, Nike Cross Nationals, and the Penn Relays, earning All-American honors in cross country in 2014 and being named News & Observer Cross Country Runner of the Year three times (2013-2015). After High School, Henes continued to excel, with potentially her most outstanding feat coming in the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, where she placed first in the 5000m with a time of 15:28.05. Henes competed in multiple USATF Championships and even the 2024 Olympic Trials, where she placed ninth in the 10000m. Back in 2024, Henes suffered a ruptured lung, which acted as a severe setback to her professional running career. Following her surgery on October 13th, Henes made a resilient return to the track just four months later. Henes spoke on her comeback, “I had lung surgery on October 13th, so it’s four months back now. Just really happy to get back on the track and be out there racing… as for now I’m just gathering data on where I’m at”. The comeback was punctuated by an 8:49.93 performance in the 3000m at the Boston University Valentine Invite, a mark that served as an essential bridge back to her professional career.
Now, Elly Henes is cemented in the Green Hope Athletic Hall of Fame as of 2023 and runs professionally for Adidas, continuing to make the Falcon community proud.
The Falcons
Green Hope Athletic Director Robbie St. John was asked about the Wall of Athletes located on the athletic hallway, “I love the reminder the board offers to our current students that their dreams are not only possible, but achievable. I also think it is important to promote our former student-athletes because they will always be Falcons…the board is just one way we do that.” St. John has had his fair share of success, leading Athens Drive to multiple state tournaments and conference championships in basketball before coming to Green Hope. When asked about what makes these athletes special, St. John stated, “The common theme in my conversations with our college athletes centers around their love for the sport, their constant pursuit of excellence and their desire to always better themselves. College athletics are hard, and the demands on your time, energy and physical and mental state can be overwhelming. It takes a special person to navigate those demands and still perform at a high level.” St. John has helped establish an inclusive, winning culture at Green Hope, as he encourages former athletes to stay in contact and communicate with the coaches and admin here at Green Hope.
These athletes are simply a sample of the elite talent that has come out of Green Hope since the opening back in 1999. As current Falcons walk past the Wall of Athletes each day, they are reminded that the path from Green Hope to the highest levels of competition is not just possible; it has already been paved by those who came before them. For today’s Falcons, the tradition of excellence isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
