North Meck swims to another title

For the 24th straight year, the North Meck boys’ and girls’ swimming teams won their conference title. This year was the first time they have won the I-Meck title in the league's first season.

The North Meck boys won the meet by 65 points over Lake Norman. Meanwhile, Viking girls edged the Wildcats girls by only 16 points.

The North Meck boys team was led by senior J.T. Stilley, who won three races. while the Vikings’ Tyler Fleming (500 freestyle) and Jake Matysek (100 breaststroke) also won their respective events.

Lake Norman’s boys’ team, who won the 3A state title last year, was led by sophomore Logan Heck’s four wins, including the 200 individual medley, the 100 butterfly and two relays (200 and 400 freestyle races).

The North Meck girls’ just outlasted Lake Norman by 16 points. The Vikings won only one event, the 200-individual medley relay, led by Linsay Cooper, Payton Schrum, Kaitlyn Poff and Katie O’Brien.

Meanwhile, the Wildcat girls’ won seven of the 12 events, led by junior Haley Powell and sophomore Heather Isetts, who both won four events, each.

BothNorth Meck and Lake Norman advance to the regional meet, Saturday, February 6th at the Huntersville Family Fitness and Aquatic Center.


Results
BOYS
North Meck 517
Lake Norman 452
Hopewell 362
Mallard Creek 357
Mooresville 111

GIRLS
North Meck 529
Lake Norman 513
Hopewell 364
Mallard Creek 258.50
Mooresville 117.50
Vance 28

--Jay Edwards

Lake Norman-Hopewell, Part II should be a classic (Preview)

One week from tomorrow, the game everybody has been talking about will finally be here.

Lake Norman versus Hopewell, No. 1 versus No. 2 (Observer Sweet 16), with the lead in the I-Meck conference on the line.

The game pits two of the state’s best teams over the last two seasons.

Hopewell (17-0, 5-0 in I-Meck play) has won 46 of their last 47 games, dating back to the beginning of last season, with their only loss coming to No. 1 and (2009) state champion Mount Tabor in the state semifinals.

Meanwhile, Lake Norman (13-1, 5-1) has been nearly as good, winning 38 of their last 41 games, with their only blemishes coming against Hopewell, and at West Rowan and at Concord (in playoffs) last year.

This season, the teams have been at their best with a combined 30-1 record, the only blemish on either side coming when Hopewell beat Lake Norman 64-60 on the road December 17.

**Records as of today, Jan. 21st.
Lake Norman at Hopewell
Boys Basketball Preview
Date: Friday, January 29th, 2010 - 7:45 p.m.

Hopewell
Head Coach: Eric Davis
Record: 17-0, 5-0.
Rank: No. 1 in Observer Sweet 16, beat Lake Norman 64-60 Dec. 17.
Streak: Won 46 of the last 47 games, started 29-0 last year.


PG Earl McLaurin…steady floor leader scored 17 pts. in win over Vance last week.
SG Adrian Addie…three-year starter is team’s glue guy.
SF Jordan Downing…future Davidson guard has showed he’s amongst the best in state.
PF DeMon Brooks…double-double machine is Titan’s best option inside.
C Bryce Hawkins…solid sidekick to Brooks playing well.
Key Reserves: Elliott Pope, Justin Avery, Michael Russell…bench adds toughness.

Lake Norman
Head Coach: Brandon Jolly
Record: 13-1, 5-1.
Rank: No. 2 in Observer Sweet 16, lost @ Hopewell 64-60, Dec. 17.
Streak: Won 23 of last 25 games, started 15-0 last year.

PG Kevin Canevari…steady floor leader doesn’t make mistakes and 7 assists per game.
SG Reggie Price… the price has been right about 18 ppg this season.
SF Matt Denyes…a threat on every play, does whatever the teams needs.
PF Matt Eller…versatility to play 3-4 positions invaluable.
C Paul Larsen…on monster streak of 30-plus points, 10-plus rebounds.

Key Reserves: Brian Whalen, Chris Patterson, Austin Eisenhofer.

Lake Norman U-15 lacrosse team wins bronze

The Lake Norman United Select U-15 Lacrosse team captured the bronze medal in the Dick’s Sporting Goods National Tournament of Champions held in Wesley Chapel, Fla., Jan. 1 –3.

This places them third in the country in their age group, the inaugural year for this division at the tournament. The team qualified to play in this event, the only national championship for club and travel teams, after winning the Southeast Championship in Georgia last May.

After defeating teams from Ohio, New York and Florida, Lake Norman’s only loss of the tournament and the season came at the hands of the eventual champions from Maryland FCA.

“This is a special group of very talented boys that should be proud of what they have accomplished here in Florida,” said head coach Mikko Red Arrow. The team was assisted in Florida by Chris Schiemer and during the regular season by James Brugger.

The team is comprised of ninth and tenth grade students at Lake Norman High School.

Pictured above, from left: (front row) Anthony D’Auria, Jake Nanney, Eddie Hendrickson, Miles Cawley, Alec Castillo, Austin Grassey, Perrin Robinson, Brandon Adams, Brian Kos, Kyle Gradert. (Second row): Coach Mikko Red Arrow, Mat Kos, Danny Brown, Cole Maxon, John King, C.J. Scheimer, Will Scott, Ryan Bremen, J.T. DelTufo, J.D. Bunch, Ian Radcliff, Coach Scheimer.

Lake Norman swims past Hopewell

The Lake Norman boys and girls' swimming teams cruised past Hopewell last night. The Wildcats girls won 189-93, while the Lake Norman boys rolled was 175-108.

Double event winners were Haley Powell and Heather Isetts for the Lake Norman girls; while the Wildcat boys got two wins from Tyler Hill, Logan Heck, and Michael Blinn.

Heck broke the school record in the 100 freestyle, and the medley relay team of Hill, David Stamm, Heck, and Reed Wheeler also broke a school record.

"We definitely face a huge challenge in the I-Meck (conference) with North Meck being our main competition," Lake Norman swimming coach Karen Steger said. "But, we are working to get better and peak at the right time."

This was the Wildcats last regular season meet of the year. Lake Norman will compete in the Iredell County championships this weekend before the I-Meck conference meet later this month. Both teams have lost only one meet this season to North Meck.

--Jay Edwards

Area football team finishes undefeated

The North Lake Optimist Club Knights 11- and 12-year-old football team finished out a perfect season at 19 wins and no losses.

They won the Super Bowl of the Mid-Atlantic Carolinas American Youth Football League and also brought home two separate national championships during bowl competitions in December.

The Knights swept their own Mid-Atlantic AYF conference with a perfect 9-0 record, winning the league Super Bowl Championship by a score of 64-0 over the Polk County Wolverines.

After an impressive regular season, the Knights traveled to Knoxville, Tenn., where they beat other undefeated teams from Michigan, North Carolina and Alabama to win the Battle in Rocky Top Youth Football Classic.

The Knights also traveled to Easley, S.C., for a two-weekend bowl tournament, competing in the Upstate Football Invitational Championship. The Knights again went undefeated in all seven of their games, beating six All-Star teams from three states and their local rivals, the Pumpkin Center Panthers, who were the Southland AYF Super Bowl Champions.

The Knights outscored their opponents 688 to 68. The team was led by head coach Michael Cox, with assistant coaches Ken Drum, Will Bartlett and Chris Shaw.

Fifth Third Bank Holiday Classic: Day 3 results

Here are the results from the final day of the Fifth Third Bank Holiday Classic hosted by East Lincoln High School.

Girls

Seventh Place Game

Northwest Cabarrus Trojans 36
South Meck Sabres 23

Northwest Cabarrus: Johnson 2, Imani Williams 12, Kelsie Pethel 10, Merriman 5, Broome 3, Allen 0, Blakeley 0, Herring 2, Bostick 2

South Meck: Cobb 0, Sanderson 0, Coughlin 2, McArthur 0, Saunders 2, Raft 3,
Jasmine Wallace 14, Sheltra 2


Fifth Place Game

East Gaston Warriors 58
Mooresville Blue Devils 53

East Gaston: LaCresha Gore 11, Hayley Black 16, Hawley 7, Shelby Winchester 7, Coleman 2, Hayes 0, Carly Kluttz 2, Clippard 0

Mooresville: Faulkner 6, Sullivan 1, Pridgen 5, Ellis 0, D.D. Stockton 19,
Shakirah McLaughlin 10, Jasmine Berryman 8, Thomas 2, Holbrooks 2, Tatum 0


Third Place Game

East Lincoln Mustangs 69
North Meck Vikings 57

East Lincoln: Courtney Ashley 16, Long 19, Frazier 0, Davis 10, Lindsy Wright 24,
Miller 0, Bailey 0, Forney 0, Messmer 0

North Meck: Lauren Lewis 21, Kayla Lemke 15, Lehnert 6, Bullock 2, McKee 8, Garst 5, Beasley 0, Destefano 0


Championship Game

Myers Park Mustangs 60
Hickory Ridge Ragin Bulls 45

Myers Park: Iacopetti 6, Cherry 0, Rebecca Raffler 2, Carly Hammack 7, Hunter 0,
Smith 1, Timpton 7, Mason Jeffries 10, Herring 8, Winn 0, Tiffani Stephens 19

Hickory Ridge: Scott 0, Buddenbaum 0, Robson 4, Ferguson 0, Tanquay 5,
Candra Mathis 11, Akysia Resper 8, Yeargin 2, Yeager 0, Jordan Strode 13, Darnley 2


Fifth Third Bank Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team

South Meck - Jazymn Saunders
Northwest Cabarrus - Kelsie Pethel
Mooresville - D.D. Stockton
East Gaston - Hayley Black
North Meck - Lauren Lewis
East Lincoln - Lindsy Wright
Hickory Ridge - Candra Mathis
Hickory Ridge - Jordan Strode
Myers Park - Carly Hammack
Myers Park - Nikki Iacopetti

Most Valuable Player

Myers Park - Tiffani Stephens

Boys

Seventh Place Game

East Lincoln Mustangs 53
J.F. Webb Warriors 39

East Lincoln: Marquise McLean 12, Antwaine McLean 0, Wilson 0, Gaston 0, David 0,
Rendleman 5, Corona 0, Creed 10, Kendall Bethea 26, Hills 0

J.F. Webb: Thomas 6, Devante Hicks 0, Isaiah Hicks 0, Darquis Thomas 4, Lyon 11, Leon Greene 9, Seifert 5, Cooper 2, Richardson 0, Hamlet 0, Richardson 2


Fifth Place Game

Mallard Creek Mavericks 79
Northwest Cabarrus Trojans 55

Mallard Creek: Drabot 2, Rodney Cobia 15, Williams 0, Raymond Moye 13, White 2, Dominique Williams 10, Whaley 7, Gordon 4, Terrell Stembridge 13, Bradley Robinson 9, Patterson 2, Venable 2

Northwest Cabarrus: Tyler Honeycutt 6, Broome 9, Justin Seager 8, Chris Lockridge 12, Jackson 9, Arlan Wallace 2, Church 1, C. Seager 5, Lane 1, Rhinehart 2


Third Place Game

Myers Park Mustangs 63
Mooresville Blue Devils 62

Myers Park: Carter Seawell 13, Brafford 0, Atkins 0, Frank Elliot 4, Griffin Shaw 8, Wilson 0, Powell 6, Michael Humphries 25, Jenkins 4

Mooresville: Shawn Lester 23, Isaiah Johnson 6, O'Brien 5, Willis 0, Caldwell 0, Howell 0, Kendrick Johnson 16, Dantae Carson 10, Miller 0, Haslett 2


Championship

Forestview Jaguars 60
East Gaston Warriors 52

Forestview: Preston Holmes 9, Jack Sumner 12, Calvin Johnson 4, Catrell Boyd 12, Chris Johnson 10, Tyshem Sharpe 2, Hancock 2, Adams 9

East Gaston: Clark 2, O'Meara 3, Trevor Burgess 9, McGee 5, Vidol Crawford 3, John Floyd 22, Sterling 0, Thrams 8


Fifth Third Bank Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team

J.F. Webb - Darquis Thomas
East Lincoln - Kendall Bethea
Northwest Cabarrus - Justin Seager
Mallard Creek - Erik Whaley
Mooresville - Shawn Lester
Myers Park - Michael Humphries
East Gaston - Trevor Burgess
East Gaston - John Floyd
Forestview - Preston Holmes
Forestview - Catrell Boyd

Most Valuable Player

Forestview - Chris Johnson

Davidson Day upsets Victory Christian

First year head coach Ron Johnson and the Davidson Day Patriots boys' basketball team pulled out a huge 10-point upset of private school power Victory Christian Monday.

The Patriots (10-3) have now doubled their win total from last year.

The teams were tied at 22 at halftime, but Davidson Day outscored Victory 19-11 in the third quarter to pull away and seal the win.

The Patriots have their next game Friday against Caldwell Academy.

Here's the box score:

Davidson Day 58, Victory Christian 48

Victory Christian: 13 9 11 15 - 48
Davidson Day: 19 3 19 17 - 58

Davidson Day: Rashun Davis 14, Clay McLean 12, Albritton 9, Mercer 9, Gates 6, Smith 7, Brown 1.

Victory Christian 48: S. Tillett 10, Gumwell 7, Simmons 4, Bakheit 5, Hall 4, J. Clyburn 18.

Hopewell gets to lucky number 13

The Hopewell boys' basketball team is off to a perfect 13-0 start after beating Victory Christian 56-38 to claim their second straight Bojangles Shootout.

The Titans won 29 straight games last season, before falling to eventual state champion, Mount
Tabor in the 4A state semifinals. Hopewell has now won 42 of their last 43 games dating back to the start of the 2008-09 season.

Hopewell, No. 1 in the Observer Sweet 16 and No. 2 in the state, has been strong this season with wins over Ardrey Kell, Charlotte Christian, Concord, Providence and West Charlotte, who have also been ranked (in the Sweet 16).

The Titans, who are known for their stifling defense, are at it again allowing less than 50 points per game this season including 39 and 38 points to Ardrey Kell and Victory Chrisitan, in their last two games.

“Everything starts with our defense,” Hopewell basketball coach Eric Davis said. “We have always preached that defense is what wins games, and that has been the backbone of this team for the last few seasons.”

The Titans offense isn’t too bad either led by double-double machine DeMon Brooks, who is churning out 19 points and 10 rebounds per contest. Brooks, who has committed play basketball at Howard next season, has a lot of help just in his own frontcourt with Jordan Downing and Bryce Hawkins.

Downing, who will play at Davidson next season, is averaging 17 points and five rebounds per game, while Hawkins is scoring 11 points per contest while nabbing seven rebounds.

The Titans resume conference play (I-Meck), traveling to Mooresville Tuesday night before hosting Mallard Creek Friday.

--Jay Edwards