All-I-Meck baseball, softball and girls' soccer teams announced

Baseball

Lake Norman's Taylor Thurber and Hopewell's Michael Russell claimed top I-Meck baseball honors, being named conference pitcher and player of the year respectively.

The Wildcats' Robert Little was named I-Meck coach of the year.

Here is a list of the all-conference players:

Josh Skidmore, Mooresville

Josh Hobcomb, Mooresville

Jimmy McElhany, Mooresville

Ryan Brennan, Mooresville

Taylor Thurber, Lake Norman

Ian Edmiston, Lake Norman

Jack Edmiston, Lake Norman

Jesse Seaford, Lake Norman

Mark Stevens, Vance

Blaine Lewis, Mallard Creek

Mikal Hill, Mallard Creek

Kirk Morgan, Mallard Creek

Brandon Wilkerson, Mallard Creek

Nick Daddio, Hough

Jared Sobo, Hough

Michael Russell, Hopewell

Cam Underwood, Hopewell

Hunter Conley, Hopewell

Anthony Dimino, North Meck

Paul Leonard, North Meck

Softball

North Mecklenburg's Sarah Mooney, an All-American catcher, was named I-Meck player of the year, while Mooresville's Margaret Whitestone claimed the conference's top pitcher honors.

Hopewell's Cherly Burwell earned coach of the year honors.

Here is the all-conference softball team:

Kayla Pine, Lake Norman

Kayla McGuffey, Lake Norman

Stacey Houser, Lake Norman

Dominique Wilson, Lake Norman

Hannah Littlefield, Lake Norman

Arin Hall, Lake Norman

Shelby Bailey, Lake Norman

Sarah Mooney, North Mecklenburg

Morgan Lashley, North Mecklenburg

Chelsea Parton, North Mecklenburg

Hannah Foret, North Mecklenburg

Lindsey Russell, Hopewell

Tayla Berry, Hopewell

Breanna Blakely, Hopewell

Margaret Whitestone, Mooresville

Hope Smith, Mooresville

Kelsey Clark, Mooresville

Jasmyn Lindsey, Hough

Katelyn Shifflert, Hough

Melissa Race, Mallard Creek

Girls' soccer

Hough goalkeeper Emily Rusk was named I-Meck player of the year, while Lake Norman coach Jon Mertes earned conference coach of the year honors.

Here is a list of all-conference girls' soccer players:

Katelyn Faucette, Hopewell

Brooke Arey, Hopewell

Audrey Boyle, Hopewell

Emily Rusk, Hough

Hannah Robinson, Hough

Allison Stearns, Hough

Alison Vest, Hough

Lindsey Byrne, Hough

Brandi Arey, Hough

Kendall Fischlein, Lake Norman

Allye Mertes, Lake Norman

Taylor Waters, Lake Norman

Jenna Weston, Lake Norman

Megan Curan, Lake Norman

Kelsey Palmer, Lake Norman

Sam Condron, Lake Norman

Courtney Reilly, Lake Norman

Allie Gartland, Mallard Creek

Kelsey Manning, Mallard Creek

Sarah Webber, Mallard Creek

Ashley Warren, Mallard Creek

Ashley Cress, Mooresville

Erin Settle, Mooresville

Megan Sullivan, North Mecklenburg

Erin McAnulty, North Mecklenburg

I-Meck honors top boys' tennis players

The I-Meck 4A Conference announced its 2011 boys' tennis awards today.

Hough freshman Ryan Wydra claimed I-Meck boys' tennis Player of the Year honors after the Huskies No. 1 player went undefeated in conference play and won the I-Meck tournament singles title.

Hopewell coach Craig Smith, who's led his Titans to the state quarterfinals, was named conference coach of the year.

Here is the I-Meck all-conference team:

• Brian Andersen (Hopewell)
• John Armato (Hopewell)
• John David Curlis (Hopewell)
• Tyler Roberts (Hopewell)
• Matt Crisp (Lake Norman)
• Hamitt Coody (Lake Norman)
• Shravan Rajan (Lake Norman)
• Collin Black (Hough)
• Jake Combs (Mooresville)
• Michael Telford (Mooresville)
• Garrett Mrzlak (North Mecklenburg)
• Marquis Duncan (Vance)

Wills breaks N.C. single-season goals record

Davidson Day girls' soccer player Brianna Wills kicked her way into the history books Tuesday night.

A senior committed to Appalachian State, Wills scored five goals in a 12-0 win against Burlington Christian Academy in the N.C. Independent Schools 1A state quarterfinals. That gave Wills 77 goals for the season and broke the N.C. state record of 76. This season, Wills leads the nation in scoring.

Wills and Davidson Day play against Community Christian School in the state semifinals in Wilson Friday at 2 p.m. Davidson Day is 17-5-1.

Read Langston Wertz's story on Wills from earlier this month.

Quick hits: May 16

I-Meck teams struggle early in baseball playoffs

Three of the five I-Meck Conference teams went through to the second round in the 4A baseball playoffs. Hopewell, Mallard Creek and Mooresville were the only conference teams moving on. The Titans (14-13) will play the Mavericks (21-6), while the Blue Devils (20-7) will travel to T.C. Roberson Tuesday.

Here are the first round scores:

Lake Norman 2 - Alexander Central 7

Mallard Creek 7 - Sun Valley 2

Hopewell 11 - West Meck 1

Mooresville 5 - South Caldwell 4

North Meck 0 - Porter Ridge 5

Knights, Mustangs also move on

Other local teams - Lake Norman Charter and East Lincoln - also won their first-round playoff games.

The Knights defeated Mooresboro Thomas Jefferson 6-1 Friday, while the Mustangs beat North Surry 6-1 Friday. Lake Norman Charter (17-4) will travel to Murphy, while East Lincoln (16-6) will face West Davidson for second-round play.

Hopewell boys finish second in state track and field meet

Behind sprinter Anthony Bynum's success, Hopewell finished as 4A track and field state runner-ups.

Bynum won the 200 meters, while finishing second in the 100 meters for the Titans. Hopewell's Brandon Dunford, who was second in the 800-meter race, and Tyriq Jackson, who finished seventh in the 110-meter hurdles, also made key contributions.

The Titans finished the meet Saturday with 38 points - 28 points behind state champions Knightdale.

Vance finished sixth and Mallard Creek was 34th. Mooresville (47th) and Lake Norman (57th) also had athletes place at the championships.

On the girls' side, Mallard Creek finished 18th and Hopewell was 37th. Vance (40th) and North Mecklenburg (49) also had representation at the meet.

Softball brackets released

Six I-Meck softball teams made the NCHSAA 4A playoffs.

Hough at Porter Ridge

Mallard Creek at Lake Norman

Mooresville at Alexander Central

Hopewell at East Gaston

North Meck at Sun Valley

Here are the 4A West brackets.

Another local team, East Lincoln will host Forest Hills in the 2A playoffs. Here is the 2A West brackets.

Cannon named No. 1 seed in NCISAA softball playoffs

After a 15-2 year, the Cannon softball team claimed the private school 3A softball championships' top seed. Here are the brackets for the tournament, which kicks off today:

No. 1 Cannon School vs. No. 8 Charlotte Country Day

No. 5 Charlotte Latin vs. No. 4 Providence Day

No. 3 High Point Christian vs. No. 6 Wesleyan Christian

No. 7 Cary Academy vs. No. 2 Hickory Grove

NCISAA brackets unveiled

The NCISAA announced brackets for most of its spring sports - baseball, boys' lacrosse, girls' soccer and boys' tennis - Wednesday.

First round of play for all sports must be completed by Saturday. For exact playing times, contact your local school.

Here are the brackets (with local teams in bold):

Baseball

NCISAA 1A

No. 16 Epiphany School at No. 1 Lawrence Academy
No. 9 Wayne Country Day at No. 8 Wayne Christian
No. 12 Pungo Christian Academy at No. 5 Davidson Day
No. 13 Crossroads Christian at No. 4 Durham Trinity
No. 14 Hobgood Academy at No. 3 Greenfield School
No. 11 Community Christian at No. 6 Cape Fear Christian
No. 10 Waccamaw Academy at No. 7 Northeast Academy
No. 15-Ridgecroft School at No. 2 Faith Christian School

NCISAA 2A

No. 16 Calvary Baptist at No. 1 Kerr-Vance Academy
No. 9 Asheville Christian at No. 8 First Assembly
No. 12 Gaston Christian at No. 5 Caldwell Academy
No. 13 Fayetteville Christian at No. 13 Harrells Christian
No. 14 Fayetteville Academy at No. 3 Westchester Country Day
No. 11 Arendell-Parrott Academy at No. 6 Village Christian Academy
No. 10 Metrolina Christian at No. 7 St. David's
No. 15 Salem Baptist Christian at No. 2 SouthLake Christian

NCISAA 3A

No. 9 Cary Academy at No. 8 Charlotte Latin
No. 1 Forsyth Country Day (bye)
No. 12 Durham Academy at No. 5 High Point Christian
No. 4 Charlotte Christian (bye)
No. 11 Hickory Grove at No. 6 Providence Day
No. 3 Wesleyan Christian (bye)
No. 10 Covenant Day at No. 7 Rabun Gap
No. 2 Charlotte Country Day (bye)

Boys' lacrosse

NCISAA 1A/2A/3A

No. 9 Greensboro Day at No. 8 Cannon School
No. 1 Christ School (bye)
No. 12 Cary Christian at No. 5 Durham Academy
No. 4 Providence Day (bye)
No. 11 Cary Academy at No. 6 Ravenscroft
No. 3 Charlotte Latin (bye)
No. 10 Forsyth Country Day at No. 7 Cape Fear Academy
No. 2 Charlotte Country Day (bye)

Boys' tennis

NCISAA 3A dual team

No. 9 Cannon School at No. 8 North Raleigh Christian Academy
No. 1 Providence Day School (bye)
No. 12 Wesleyan Christian Academy at No. 5 Cary Academy
No. 4 Durham Academy (bye)
No. 11 Greensboro Day at No. 6 Charlotte Latin
No. 3 Ravenscroft (bye)
No. 10 Forsyth Country Day at No. 7 Christ School
No. 2-Charlotte Country Day (bye)

Girls' soccer

NCISAA 1A

No. 16 Ridgecroft School at No. 1 Davidson Day
No. 9 Burlington Christian Academy at No. 8 Faith Christian
No. 12 Trinity Academy at No. 5 Community Christian School
No. 13 United Faith at No. 4 Statesville Christian School
No. 14 Cape Fear Christian Academy at No. 3 Shannon Forest Christian
No. 11 Epiphany School at No. 6 Trinity School of Durham
No. 10 Elon School at No. 7 Wayne Country Day School
No. 15 Oakwood School at No. 2 Greenfield School

NCISAA 2A

No. 16 First Assembly at No. 1 Caldwell Academy
No. 9 Carolina Friends at No. 8 Westminster Catawba
No. 12 Village Christian at No. 5 Calvary Baptist
No. 13 O'Neal School at No. 4 Cape Fear Academy
No. 14 Arendell-Parrott Academy at No. 3 St. David's
No. 11 Metrolina Christian at No. 6 Asheville Christian
No. 10 Fayetteville Academy at No. 7 SouthLake Christian
No. 15 Rocky Mount Academy at No. 2 Cary Christian

NCISAA 3A

No. 9 Cannon School at No. 8 Greensboro Day School
No. 1 Ravenscroft (bye)
No. 12 Providence Day at No. 5 Cary Academy
No. 4 Wesleyan Christian (bye)
No. 11 St. Mary's at No. 6 Forsyth Country Day
No. 3 Charlotte Latin (bye)
No. 10 Covenant Day at No. 7 Durham Academy
No. 2 Charlotte Country Day (bye)

Baseball playoff brackets set

The NCHSAA announced its high school baseball playoff brackets today.

Five I-Meck Conference teams made it to the 4A playoffs - Lake Norman, Mallard Creek, Hopewell, Mooresville and North Mecklenburg. The Wildcats (19-7) are the conference's top seed.

On the 2A bracket, East Lincoln earned a No. 2 seed after a 19-6 regular season.

Playoff play begins Friday.

For complete brackets, go to:

4A West
2A West

Quick hits: May 11

Titans advances to state quarterfinals

The Hopewell boys' tennis team (18-3) defeated Greensboro Grimsley 5-1 Tuesday to reach the regional semifinal round of the 4A dual playoffs. This is the farthest a Titan team has ever advanced in the dual state playoffs. Hopewell will host Ardrey Kell May 17.

Hopewell 5, Greensboro Grimsley 1:

1S Mitchell Lewis (G) d. John David Curlis 6-3, 6-4
2S Tyler Roberts (H) d. Ben Stein 3-6, 6-4, (10-8)
3S Brian Andersen (H) d. Gray Overbey 6-3, 7-6 (5)
4S John Armato (H) d. Carrie Carpenter 6-0, 7-5
5S Danny Wintermeier (H) d. Gray Johnston 6-0, 6-2
6S Chris Hourihan (H) d. David Kimbrough 6-2, 6-4

Knights finish fourth at 1A golf championship

Lake Norman Charter shot a 36-hole team score of 674 to finish in fourth place at the 1A boys' golf state tournament, which wrapped up Tuesday. The Knights narrowly missed third place by five strokes. Lake Norman Charter finished 76 shots behind 1A state champion Kernersville Bishop McGuinness.

The Knights were led by junior captain Sean Murphy, who had a two-day score of 158. Murphy shot a four-over-par 76 Tuesday and claimed 13th place individually. Lake Norman Charter sophomore Ben Cattoni shot a 169 for the tournament to finish 27th.

LNCS Scores:
Sean Murphy - 158
Ben Cattoni - 169
Jake Blum - 175
David Shaw - 175
TEAM Total - 674 (4th Place)

Sargent finishes 23rd at states

Hough's David Sargent shot a two-day score of 149 at the 4A boys' golf state championship. The junior shot a 73 Tuesday, improving by three strokes from his previous day's score. Sargent was the only Lake Norman-area golfer to make states at the 4A level.

Lake Norman Charter claims PAC baseball title

The Knights (15-6) defeated Queen's Grant Tuesday night 3-2, which secured Lake Norman Charter the Piedmont Athletic 1A Conference championship. The Knights' Justin Moore was the winning pitcher, while teammates Zech Wiggs (1-3, RBI), Sean Kane (1-3, RBI), James Creel (2-3) and Michael Dorsainvil (1-2, RBI) also made key contributions.

Lake Norman golfers struggle at states

Local qualifiers to the boys' golf state championships didn't have the day they wanted to kick off the tournaments Monday.

Hough's David Sargent shot a five-over 76, finishing the first day of play tied for 28th place, at the 4A boys' golf championship. The junior was the lone Lake Norman-area qualifier at the 4A level.

At the 1A tournament, Lake Norman Charter was fifth in team play after the first 18 holes. The Knights' score of 348 was 49 shots behind first-place Kernersville Bishop McGuinness. Lake Norman Charter was led by Sean Murphy's 10-over-par 82.

Ben Cantonni (87), Jake Blum (89) and Ross Goldbrum (90) also scored for the Knights in the first day of play.

Today is the final day of the NCHSAA boys' golf tournaments.

I-Meck softball tournament begins today

The I-Meck 4A softball tournament begins today. Higher seeds will host first round play, while the semifinals and finals will be held at Hough High.

Lake Norman (21-1, 13-1 in the I-Meck) and North Mecklenburg (19-3, 12-2) will be the top two conference seeds.

Here are the final regular season standings:

1. Lake Norman 13-1, 21-1

2. N. Mecklenburg 12-2, 19-3

3. Hopewell 10-4, 17-4

4. Mooresville 8-6, 10-6

5. Hough 7-7, 7-12

6. Mallard Creek 4-10, 8-11

7. Vance 2-12, 2-15

8. West Charlotte 0-14, 0-20

I-Meck softball tournament schedule

Today:

No. 8 WC at No. 1 LN - 5:15 p.m.

No. 5 Hough at No. 4 MHS - 5:30 p.m.

No. 6 MC at No. 3 Hopewel l- 5:30 p.m.

No. 7 Vance at No. 2 NM- 5:15 p.m.

Wednesday (at Hough High):

Semifinal 1 - MC/Hopewell winner vs. Vance/NM winner - 5:30 p.m.

Semifinal 2 - WC/LN winner vs. Hough/MHS winner - 7 p.m.

Thursday (at Hough High):

Finals - Semifinal 1 winner vs. semifinal 2 winner - 6 p.m.

Girls' soccer brackets announced

The N.C. High School Athletic Association unveiled the girls' soccer brackets this morning.

The I-Meck's No. 1 seed, Lake Norman, will host McDowell. Hough plays Sun Valley, while Hopewell will face Olympic.

East Lincoln also made the 2A playoffs, getting a first-round bye.

To view a complete 4A West girls' soccer bracket, click here. For the 2A bracket, click here.

Knights head to state 1A boys' golf championship

The Lake Norman Charter boys' golf team poses with their 1A West Region runner-up throphy Tuesday. Photo courtesy of Greg Murphy.

After wrapping up a 11-1 regular season campaign, the Lake Norman Charter boys' golf team earned a trip to the 1A state championship Tuesday.

At the 1A West Regional, which was held at Hendersonville Country Club, the Knights shot a 324 to tie host school Hendersonville High for first place. Lake Norman Charter lost the tie breaker - comparing the each team's fifth golfers' scores - and was awarded the West Region 1A runner-up trophy for a second consecutive year.

The Knights' Ben Catonni's 78 led the team, while Jake Blum (80) and Sean Murphy (81) also helped the team. Ross Goldbrum (85) and Gib Baker (86) also scored for their Lake Norman Charter team.

The Huntersville team will travel to the state championships for a second consecutive seson. Last year, the Knights finished fifth. The tournament will be held May 9-10 at the Keith Hills Golf Course at Campbell University in Buies Creek, N.C.

Spring playoffs have begun

The NCHSAA lacrosse and boys' tennis playoffs are already under way.

Area teams got off to a bad start in the boys' lacrosse playoffs, as formerly undefeated Lake Norman as well as Lake Norman Charter dropped their first-round games to end their seasons. The Wildcats were upset 13-12 by Weddington, a team they had defeated 17-5 earlier in the year, while the Knights lost 10-7 after being matched up against defending state champions Myers Park in the opening round.

On the girls' bracket, Lake Norman is the only team left alive. Hough, who made the tournament as a wildcard in its first season, fell to Providence in the first round. The Lady Wildcats, who defeated Greensboro Grimsley 12-4, will host Kernersville's Bishop McGuinness tonight at 7 p.m.

In the boys' tennis 4A dual bracket, Hough, Lake Norman and Hopewell will begin post-season play today. All matches are scheduled for 4 p.m.

Here are the 4A tennis pairings:

• Providence at Northwest Guilford
• R.J. Reynolds at East Gaston
• Hough at Myers Park
• Lake Norman at Greensboro Page
• Greensboro Grimsley at Porter Ridge
• Southwest Guilford at Hopewell
• Ardrey Kell at T.C. Robeson (Wednesday)
• Davie at Watauga

Husky junior qualifies to state golf championship

Hough's David Sargent (right) was the lone area qualifier to next week's boys' golf 4A state championship. The junior hit a 3-over-par 74 at Monday's 4A West Regional.

Myers Park (293), which won the event, Ardrey Kell (297) and Alexander Central (299) qualified as teams by finishing in the top three. Hough was the area's top finished with a 308 to finish fifth. Mooresville (326) was seventh, while Lake Norman (330) finished ninth.

Here is a list of how Lake Norman-area golfers performed:

David Sargent (Hough) - 74 (+3)

Ian Harper (Mooresville) - 76 (+5)

Conner Lewis (Hough) - 77 (+6)

Connor Noone (Lake Norman) - 77 (+6)

Seth Priester (North Mecklenburg) - 77 (+6)

Luke Robbins (Mooresville) - 78 (+7)

Mace Timberlake (Hough) - 78 (+7)

Peyton White (Hough) - 79 (+8)

Clay Brown (Hough) - 80 (+9)

Brandon Holst (Hopewell) - 81 (+10)

Jay Aichelman (Hough) - 82 (+11)

Danny Pizetoski (North Mecklenburg) - 82 (+11)

Austin Peticca (Lake Norman) - 84 (+13)

Andrew Johnson (Lake Norman) - 84 (+13)

David Groover (Lake Norman) - 85 (+14)

Connor Rodgers (Lake Norman) - 85 (+14)

Nolan Watts (Mooresville) - 85 (+14)

Michael Peterson (Mooresville) - 89 (+18)

Zach McRorie (Lake Norman) - 91 (+20)

Andrew Fleming (North Mecklenburg) - 93 (+22)

Tyler Popple (Mooresville) - 97 (+26)