Lake Norman Prep Sports

Lions outlast Vikings in I-Meck 4A match-up

2012-01-24T23:36:00.000-05:00

By Corey Inscoe

cinscoe@charlotteobserver.com

The North Mecklenburg Vikings boys’ basketball team had a 33-31 lead over the West Charlotte Lions at halftime Tuesday. Viking guard Shivaughn Wiggins kept driving to the basket and getting easy layups, scoring 16 points in the first half.

Coming out of the locker room, the Lions were determined to put a stop to it.

With tough defense and two third quarter runs, the Lions (15-5, 7-2) beat the Sweet 16 No. 2 Vikings 70-64 in front of a large home crowd and moved into a tie for first place in the I-Meck conference.

With two wins over the Vikings (16-3, 7-2) on the season, the Lions hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

“We wanted to step up our defensive pressure in the second half and stop them from driving the ball into the lane,” said West Charlotte’s Michael Brown. The Lions paid particular attention to Wiggins. “That’s what we were focused on.”

West Charlotte, ranked No. 5 in the Observer Sweet 16, held Wiggins to just two points in the third quarter.

North Meck pushed the tempo from the opening tip, when Rashaan Brown scored on a one-handed dunk in the first 10 seconds of the game. The Vikings used pressure defense and transition offense to get turnovers and easy baskets in the first quarter, but couldn’t pull away from West Charlotte. The Lions led 16-15 after the first quarter.

When North Meck tried to extend the lead in the second quarter, West Charlotte’s Mark Blackmon (18 points) hit three 3-pointers in a row to tie the game at 27.

The Lions started the third quarter on an 8-0 run and had a 12-2 run to end the period and take a 51-40 lead into the final quarter.

Brown, a senior, took over in the second half, scoring 14 points after halftime. He finished with a team-high 24 points and eight rebounds.

“I was pumped for this game, I was ready,” said Brown. “I just wanted to come out and play hard.”

Kennedy Meeks added 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Lions.

Wiggins led all scorers with 28.

The win was West Charlotte’s fourth straight after an upset loss to Lake Norman. Now the Lions are in position to win the regular season conference championship with just five games left in the season.

“It was very important for us to come out and get the win because we don’t want to go into the playoffs with the No. 2 seed,” said Brown.

Inscoe: 704-358-5923

Lake Norman football playoff update - week 2

2011-11-14T11:17:00.001-05:00

Patriots wins state championship
Davidson Day's football team won the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Division III title Friday in a 41-26 rout of Trinity Christian. The Patriots, in their first year as a varsity program, were led by quarterback Will Grier, who threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns. The sophomore was also key on defense, recovering a fumble for a touchdown while also picking off a pass and recording six tackles. The Patriots went 11-1 for the year and are slated to return all but two of its players next year.

SouthLake eliminated in quarterfinals
SouthLake Christian came just short of reaching the NCISAA Division II championship game, losing to Asheville School 21-17 Friday. The Eagles, the No. 1-ranked team in their bracket, had a 17-14 lead with four minutes left in the game after a field goal, but allowed Asheville to return the ensuing kickoff for the winning touchdown. SouthLake made a long drive, which included a couple of fourth-down conversions, afterwards but a turnover with a minute left allowed Asheville School to drain the clock and upset the Eagles. SouthLake finished the year with a 10-2 record.

NCHSAA playoff update
Bandys, South Iredell and Mooresville are the only Lake Norman area teams left in the N.C. High School Athletic Association football playoffs. The Trojans (2AA), the Vikings(2AA) and the Blue Devils (4A) will play in their respective sectional finals Friday. Here are last week's scores (local teams in bold):

2AA
South Iredell def. Forest Hills 51-21
Bandys def. Smoky Mountain 26-0

4ASun Valley def. Hopewell 35-28
Mooresville def. Watauga 38-7

Friday's games:
Bandys at Shelby
South Iredell at West Stokes
Sun Valley at Mooresville

Lake Norman Charter girls win state cross country title

2011-11-07T11:33:00.000-05:00

Lake Norman Charter's girls' cross country team won the N.C. High School School Athletic Association 1A championship. The Knights were led by Sarah Hardin, who finished in second place with a time of 19:44.31, and Stephanie Zaino, who was fifth with a 20:11.36. Danielle Clark finished 14th, while Lauren Swift was 24th.

The Knight boys finished state runners-up behind N.C. School of Math and Science. They were led by Michael Westbay's sixth-place finish. Participating without No. 2 runner Jordan Wallace, who was injured, Chris Hack (11th), Matt Panza (21st), Bryan Hooker (23rd) and Sean Kenney (26th) also had strong races.

In the 2A championship, North Lincoln's boys were crowned state champions behind Chris Boyle's third-place finish. Three other Knights finished in the top 10. East Lincoln was sixth as a team. Justin Wilkes, who finished sixth in the race, led the Mustangs. North Lincoln's girls finished second behind Allie Castro and Savannah Fornshell, who were seventh and eighth in the race respectively. Alley Whitley's 26th-place finish led the East Lincoln girls to finish eighth as a team.

Lake Norman's Michael Rupinski was the best local finisher at the 4A boys' race, finishing 17th. Teammate Patrick Sheehan was 37th.

Three teams remain in boys' soccer playoffs

2011-11-07T11:17:00.000-05:00

Three Lake Norman-area boys' soccer teams are still alive in the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs. Here are Saturday's scores (local teams in bold):

Lake Norman Charter def. North Moore 3-0

East Lincoln def. Polk County 2-0

Cuthbertson def. South Iredell 3-1

Lake Norman def. Olympic 4-4 (4-2 penalty kicks)

Third-round games (must be played by Wednesday):

Hendersonville at Lake Norman Charter

Lincolnton at East Lincoln

Mallard Creek at Lake Norman

Lake Norman football playoff update - week 1

2011-11-07T10:37:00.000-05:00

NCHSAA football
First-round playoff play for the N.C. High School Athletic Association got under way Friday. Hopewell pulled a big upset, defeating T.C. Roberson, the No. 1 seed in the 4A West bracket, 14-9 to move on to the second round.

Mooresville (4A) and South Iredell (2AA) were the only other Lake Norman-area public schools to get out of the first round. Here are full results and second-round match ups (local teams in bold):

1AA
South Stokes def. Lake Norman Charter 35-26

2A
Starmount def. East Lincoln 21-13

2AA
South Iredell def. East Davidson 47-6

4A
Hopewell def. T.C. Roberson 14-9
Mooresville def. East Gaston 35-15

4AA
South Caldwell def. Lake Norman 35-0

Friday's games:
Forest Hills at South Iredell
Hopewell at Sun Valley
Watauga at Mooresville

NCISAA football
Davidson Day will play for a state championship in its first season as a varsity program after defeating Fayetteville Christian Friday 35-21 at Hopewell Friday. The Patriots (10-1) will play Trinity Christian (4-5) for the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II title. Davidson Day defeated Trinity Christian 61-34 in August.

In Division II play, No. 1 seed SouthLake Christian (10-1) moved on to the second round of play, defeating Forsyth Country Day for a second week in a row. The 35-21 win secured the Eagles a spot in the state semifinal game Friday. They will face Asheville School (8-2). It will be the team's second meeting this season. SouthLake won the first game 27-14 in late September.

11/3 playoff update

2011-11-03T14:42:00.000-04:00

NCHSAA boys' soccer

The Observer's Sweet16's No. 1 team, Hough, was eliminated in the first round of the N.C. HighSchool Athletic Association 4A boys' soccer playoffs as Ardrey Kell outlasted them 2-1 Wednesday.

The Huskies were oneof six local teams that fell in the first round of their respective brackets.Only Lake Norman Charter, which had a bye in the 1A bracket, 2A's East Lincolnand South Iredell and 4A's Lake Norman will play in thenext round.

Here are scores fromfirst-round play (local teams in bold):

Thomas Jefferson def. Pine Lake Prep 5-1

LakeNorman Charter BYE

Shelby def. North Lincoln 3-0

East Lincoln def. Maiden 6-2

South Iredell def.Starmount 3-1

Surry Central def. Bandys 6-1

Lake Norman def. Sun Valley 1-0

Watauga def. Mooresville 2-1

Porter Ridge def. Hopewell 4-1

Ardrey Kell def. Hough 2-1

Second-round game must be played by Saturday.

North Moore at LakeNorman Charter

Polk County at East Lincoln

South Iredell at Cuthbertsom

Lake Norman at Olympic

NCHSAA girls' tennis

Lake Norman's girls' tennis team was eliminated from the NCHSAA dual team playoffs Monday, losing to Myers Park 5-1. The Mustangs lost Wednesday in the state semis to Greensboro Grimsley.

Mustang golfer finishes 21st at states

2011-11-02T10:23:00.000-04:00

East Lincoln's Brittany Smith led Lake Norman-area golfers at the N.C. High School Athletic Association's 1A/2A girls' golf championships, which were held Monday and Tuesday at Longleaf Golf and Country Club in Southern Pines.

Smith finished 21st overall with a 188, while Lake Norman Charter's Meagan Ports (195) and Kaelyn Pack (197) were 28th and 31st respectively. The Knights finished 10th as a team, while North Lincoln finished 13th.

For full results visit the NCHSAA website.

Forward caps off freshman year being named all-state

2011-11-01T10:18:00.003-04:00

Davidson Day freshman C.J. Bradley, who led his Patriots and the area with 25 goals in the regular season, was named to the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 2A boys' soccer all-state team.

Bradley, who was the Southern Piedmont Athletic Association Player of the Year, led Davidson Day to a 13-4-2 record. The team's 13 wins was a school record. The Patriots finished their year in the first-round of the NCISAA 2A playoffs, losing 4-1 to Caldwell Academy.

For more on Bradley, check out last week's Lake Norman News feature story on the freshman.

For full all-state soccer honors, visit the NCISAA website.

SouthLake volleyball players get all-state nod

2011-11-01T09:18:00.002-04:00

After leading SouthLake Christian to the state 3A finals, KatieSchoenrock and Kayla Summer were named to the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association all-state team.

The Eagles finished their first season at the 3A class with a school-record 27 wins, losing its lone game of the year to eight-time consecutive champ Charlotte Latin in the state title game.

This is the second year that Schoenrock and Summer have earned all-state honors. Last season the duo earned the recognition after leading SouthLake to the 2A state championship.

Davidson Day's JessiHarris was named to the 2A all-state team.

For full volleyball all-state teams, visit the NCISAA website.

Patriot cross country runners named all-state

2011-11-01T08:13:00.000-04:00

Davidson Day sophomores Melissa Zammittiand Rachel Bringewatt earned N.C. Independent School AthleticAssociation all-state cross country honors after finishing in the top 10 atlast weekend's 2A championships.

Zammitti finishedfourth in the race with a time of 20:01.72, while Bringewatt was ninth with a 20:28.36.

Visit the NCISAA website for a complete list of all-state runners.

NCHSAA soccer playoffs released

2011-10-31T12:46:00.000-04:00

The N.C. High School Athletic Association released its boys' soccer playoffs Monday morning.

In the 1A bracket, Pine Lake Prep and Lake Norman Charter made the tournament. The Knights earned a first-round bye and will play the winner of the South Stanly at North Moore game.

North Lincoln and East Lincoln made the 2A tournament from the Southern Piedmont Conference, while South Iredell and Bandys are the local teams representing the Catawba Vally Conference.

The I-Meck had six selections to the playoffs, including Lake Norman, Mooresville, Hopewell and Hough.

First-round games have to be played by Wednesday. Here are the match-ups (local teams in bold):

1A
Pine Lake Prep at Thomas Jefferson
Lake Norman Charter BYE

2A
North Lincoln at Shelby
Maiden at East Lincoln
Starmount at South Iredell
Bandys at Surry Central

4A
Sun Valley at Lake Norman
Mooresville at Watauga
Hopewell at Porter Ridge
Ardrey Kell at Hough

For full brackets, visit the NCHSAA website.

10/31 playoff update

2011-10-31T10:57:00.001-04:00

Football

Brackets for boththe N.C. High School Athletic Association and N.C. Independent Schools AthleticAssociation football playoffs were released during the weekend. Here arethe match-ups for Lake Norman-area teams (local teams in bold):

NCHSAA
1AA
No. 5 Lake Norman Charter at No. 4 South Stokes

2A
No. 8 East Lincoln at No. 1 Starmount

2AA

No. 7 East Davidsonat No. 2 South Iredell

No. 6 Ashe County at No.3 Bandys

4A

No. 8 Hopewell at No. 1 TC Roberson

No. 7 East Gaston at No.2 Mooresville

4AA

No. 7 Lake Norman at No. 2 South Caldwell

NCISAA

Div. II

No. 8 ForsythCountry Day at No. 1 SouthLakeChristian

Div. III

No. 4 FayettevilleChristian at No. 1 Davidson Day (to be played at HopewellHigh)

Volleyball

In the NCHSAAplayoffs, Bandys and Hough both lost in the fourth round of their respectivebrackets.

2A

North Surry def. Bandys 3-2

4A

Watauga def. Hough 3-0

NCISAA

SouthLake Christianwrapped up its season Saturday, losing its first match of the year in the 3Astate championship game against Charlotte Latin, which won its eighthconsecutive state title. The Eagles finished the year with a 27-1 record.

SouthLake Christian def. Charlotte Latin 3-0

Cross country

The NCHSAAregionals were held Saturday. Lake Norman Charter and North Lincoln had a goodweekend, winning both the girls' and boys' West regional titles in the 1A and2A classes, respectively.

The Knight boys were led by Michael Westbayand Jordan Wallace, who finished third and fourth respectively in therace. On the girls' side, Sarah Hardin won the regional title with a time of20:18, while Stephanie Zaino finished second in the race.

North Lincoln's boys were led by regionalchampion Chris Boyle and Andrew Fea, who finished second., while SavannahFornshell's second-place finish led the girls. East Lincoln finished second inthe boys' side and fourth in the girls' standings.

At the 4A regional races, Lake Norman andMooresville finished sixth and seventh in the boys' standings, while Houghfinished 10th, Hopewell 17th and North Mecklenburg 18th.The Wildcats' girls ledlocal teams, finishing sixth, while Hough was ninth. North Meck was 14th,Mooresville 15th and Hopewell 16th.

For complete results, N.C. Runners has them compiled.

The state championships take place Saturday.

NCISAA

The NCISAA statechampionships were held this weekend. Davidson Day's girls had the bestoutcome, finishing secon at the event. They were ledby Melissa Zammitti, who was fourth in the race,and Rachel Bringewatt, who was eighth. The Patriot boys finished sixth at the event. SouthLake was 14th in the girls' side and 16thin the boys' standings at the 2A races.

For complete results, check out the NCISAA's website.

10/28 playoff update

2011-10-28T15:03:00.000-04:00

NCHSAA volleyball

Hough and Bandys are the lone Lake Norman-area teams that survived the third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association volleyball playoffs, as Lake Norman Charter (26-1) and Lake Norman (22-6) were eliminated in their respective brackets.

Lake Norman Charter's loss, to Randleman, in the 1A bracket was the team's first of the season.

Here are Thursday's results (with local teams in bold):

Hendersonville def. Lake Norman Charter 3-2

Bandys def. Randleman 3-0

Watauga def. Lake Norman 3-0

Hough def. McDowell 3-1

Fourth-round games, the sectional championships, will take place Saturday. Hough (26-3) will travel to Boone to face Watauga (21-7), while Bandys (19-3) will play at North Surry (29-2) in Mount Airy for a trip to the state semifinals.

10/26 playoff update

2011-10-26T16:43:00.000-04:00

NCHSAAgirls' tennis

Lake Norman Charter lostin the second round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association girls' tennisdual playoffs, while Lake Norman High moved on to the third round.

East Wilkes def. LakeNorman Charter 5-1

Lake Norman def. Northwest Guildford 6-0

Third round (Monday 4p.m.)

Myers Park at LakeNorman

NCHSAA volleyball

Four Lake Norman-areateams moved on to the district round of the NCHSAA playoffs.

Still-undefeated LakeNorman Charter (25-0) swept Avery 3-0, while I-Meck teams Lake Norman and Houghdefeated conference foes North Meck and Hopewell, respectively, to move on tothe third round of the playoffs.

Here are how local teamsfared Tuesday (local teams in bold):

Lake Norman Charter def. Avery 3-0

MountainHeritage def. North Lincoln 3-2

NewtonConover def. East Lincoln 3-0

Bandys def. Piedmont 3-0

Lake Norman def. North Meck 3-1

Hough def. Hopewell 3-0

Thirdround (Thursday 7 p.m.)

Hendersonvilleat Lake Norman Charter

Randlemanat Bandys

Wataugaat Lake Norman

Hough at McDowell

NCISAA volleyball

Davidson Day was upsetin its first-round game by Halifax Academy the N.C. Independent SchoolsAthletic Association 2A volleyball playoffs. The Patriots lost 3-2.

Undefeated SouthLake Christian(25-0) had a first-round bye and will play Forsyth Country Day in the 3Aquarterfinals at Cary Academy's SEA Gym Friday at 1 p.m.

Patriots, Eagles earn volleyball playoff berths

2011-10-24T13:13:00.001-04:00

Davidson Day and SouthLake Christian earned spots in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association volleyball playoffs.

Davidson Day is the 2A tournament's No. 6 seed after going 13-3 this season. The Patriots will host No. 11 seed Halifax Academy, which comes into the tournament with a 13-7 record.

SouthLake has a first-round bye after earning the No. 2 seed in the 3A tournament. The undefeated Eagles (25-0) will host the winner of the game between No. 7 Covenant Day (17-8) and No. 10 Forsyth Country Day (12-6).

For full brackets, visit the NCISAA's volleyball website.

10/24 playoff update

2011-10-24T09:04:00.000-04:00

NCHSAA volleyball
Lake Norman-area volleyball teams had a pretty good weekend. Of the nine local teams that made the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs, seven moved on to the second round of play. Here are the scores from Saturday's first-round matches:

1A
Lake Norman Charter def. Mitchell 3-0
Albemarle def. Lincoln Charter 3-0

2A
North Lincoln def. East Burke 3-1
East Lincoln def. Trinity 3-0

4A
North Meck def. East Gaston 3-0
Lake Norman def. Sun Vally 3-0
Hopewell def. Porter Ridge 3-2
Hough def. South Meck 3-0
McDowell def. Mooresville 3-0

Second round matches (Tuesday 7 p.m.):
Avery at Lake Norman Charter
Mountain Heritage at North Lincoln
East Lincoln at Newton-Conover
Hopewell at Hough
North Meck at Lake Norman

NCISAA boys' soccer
The lone Lake Norman-area soccer team in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association boys' soccer playoffs, Davidson Day, fell in the first round of play in the 2A bracket. The Patriots, the SPAA conference champions and theh tournament's No. 10 seed, lost to No. 7 Caldwell Academy 4-1 Friday.

Girls' tennis playoff update - first round

2011-10-21T13:04:00.002-04:00

Lake Norman-area girls' tennis squads had mixed results in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association dual team playoffs, as only two of the six local teams moved on to the second round.

Lake Norman and Lake Norman Charter were the lone two teams who won their first-round matchups.

The Wildcats will travel to Northwest Guilford, while the Knights will host East Wilkes. Both teams will play Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Here are the scores of Tuesday's matches.

1A
Lake Norman Charter defeated Pine Lake Prep 5-1

2A
Brevard defeated Bandys 6-2
West Davidson defeated North Lincoln 5-4

4A

Lake Norman defeated Davie 5-1

Grimsley defeated Hough 5-1

For full brackets, visit the NCHSAA website.

Volleyball playoffs begin Saturday

2011-10-21T12:51:00.000-04:00

The N.C. High School Athletic Association released its volleyball playoff brackets Thursday. First round of play begins Saturday.

Several Lake Norman-area squads made the postseason.

Lake Norman Charter, which was undefeated in its first season in the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A, claimed a No. 1 seed in the 1A playoffs, while Hough claimed a top seed in the 4A brackets after outlasting I-Meck co-champions Lake Norman in five sets 25-14, 21-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-10.

Here are the draws for local teams, which are highlighted:

No. 3 Mitchell (2-18) at No. 1 Lake Norman Charter (23-0)

WC Lincoln Charter(13-4) at No. 1 Albermarle (21-6)

No. 5 East Burke (12-9) at No. 1 North Lincoln (14-10)

No. 3 Trinity (8-12) at No.2 East Lincoln (9-9)

No. 3 North Meck(18-8) at No. 1 East Gaston (13-10)

No. 2 Sun Valley (3-16) at No. 2 Lake Norman (20-5)

No. 5 Hopewell (5-18) at No. 1 Porter Ridge(11-11)

No. 4 South Meck (11-8) at No. 1 Hough (23-3)

No. 4 Mooresville (16-7)at No. 1 McDowell (17-4)

For links to the full brackets, visit the NCHSAA website.

Mustangs win SPC girls' golf title

2011-10-18T10:21:00.000-04:00

Behind Brittany Smith's 18-hole score of 83, the East Lincoln girls' golf team was crowned Southern Piedmont 1A/2A champions Monday. Tori Morgan, who shot a 102, and Taylor Johnson, who shot a 111, also scored for the Mustangs.

East Lincoln's final score of 296 was only one stroke better than runners-up Lake Norman Charter. The Knights were led by Maegan Ports, who shot an 88, as well as Kaelyn Pack and Brittany Buckstad.

North Lincoln, which finished the tournament with a score of 305, finished third.

East Lincoln
Brittany Smith - 83
Tori Morgan - 102
Taylor Johnson - 111
TOTAL - 296

Lake Norman Charter
Maegan Ports - 88
Kaelyn Pack - 99
Brittany Buckstad - 110
TOTAL - 297

North Lincoln
KC Krisler - 98
Hanna Nixon - 103
Brooke Bennes - 104
TOTAL - 305

Girls' tennis dual team brackets released

2011-10-17T10:20:00.000-04:00

The N.C. High School Athletic Association released its girls' tennis dual team brackets Monday morning.

Six Lake Norman-area teams - Lake Norman Charter (1A), Pine Lake Prep (1A), North Lincoln (2A), Bandys (2A), Hough (4A) and Lake Norman (4A) - made their respective postseason tournaments.

First round of play is slated for tomorrow.

Here are the full brackets. Local teams are bolded.

1A brackets

BYE No. 1 N.C. School of Science and Math

WC NH-East (4-6) at No. 1 Gates (8-7)

BYE No. 1 Riverside (9-3)

WC Franklin Academy (8-8) at No. 1 Dixon (5-2)

BYE No. 1 Spring Creek (9-1)

WC Lejeune (10-1) at No. 1 Pender (3-3)

BYE No. 1 East Columbus (9-5)

No. 2 Raleigh Charter (10-8) at No. 2 Rosewood (6-4)

BYE No. 1 Thomas Jefferson (8-2)

WC North Stokes (11-5) at No. 1 East Montgomery (19-0)

No. 1 Pine Lake Prep (2-8) at No. 1 Lake Norman Charter(10-2)

No. 2 Bishop McGuinness (14-2) at No. 2 East Wilkes (14-3)

BYE No. 1 Union Academy (3-4)

WC Chatham Central (13-6) at No. 2 Gray Stone (12-3)

BYE No. 1 Mt. Airy (22-1)

WC Hendersonville (10-4) at No. 1 Elkin (16-2)

2A brackets

No. 2 Tarboro (17-2) at No. 1 First Flight (13-0)

No. 2 Swansboro (13-3) at No. 1 Roan Rapids (13-3)

No. 2 Reidsville (12-5) at No. 1 Cedar Ridge (17-2)

WC Croatan (13-3) at No. 1 Fairmong (13-0)

No. 2 Warren (10-2) at No. 1 Topsai (14-4)

No. 2 Holmes (13-5) at No. 1 Greene Central (17-7)

No. 2 Carrboro (13-4) at No. 1 Whiteville (13-2)

WC East Duplin (12-4) at No. 1 Jordan Matthews (14-3)

No. 2 Bandys (14-3)at No. 1 Brevard (14-0)

No. 1 Salisbury (15-1) at No. 1 Surry Central (8-7)

WC Bunker Hill (15-5) at No. 1 Polk County (14-1)

No. 2 Trinity (6-10) at No. 1 Cuthbertson (10-1)

No. 1 Maiden (18-2) at No. 1 Wilkes Central (12-4)

No. 2 Central Davidson (14-3) at No. 1 Shelby (15-0)

WC West Davidson (13-6) at No. 1 North Lincoln (8-2)

No. 2 North Stanly (8-3) at No. 1 Wheatmore (17-2)

3A brackets

No. 1 Nash Central (15-0) at No. 1 Aycock (22-1)

No. 2 Jacksonville (12-3) at No. 1 South Brunswick (12-4)

No. 2 Eastern Wayne (13-4) at No. 1 Currituck (6-8)

No. 2 Rocky Mount (10-6) at No. 1 West Carteret (13-0)

No. 2 Chapel Hill (9-3) at No. 1 Walter Williams (15-1)

No. 2 Ledford (14-7) at No. 1 Union Pines (16-0)

No. 2 Northern Guilford (14-2) at No. 1 Asheboro (15-3)

No. 2 Western Harnett (11-4) at No. 1 Cardinal Gibbons(20-5)

No. 2 Mount Pleasant(15-2) at No. 1 East Rowan (14-0)

WC Northwest Cabarrus (11-6) at No. 1 Weddington (12-1)

No. 1 Charlotte Catholic (16-2) at No. 1 Cox Mill (14-2)

WC Marvin Ridge (11-3) at No. 1 Forestview (11-1)

No. 2 Jesse Carson (14-3) at No. 1 Hickory (15-2)

WC Harding (7-1) at No. 1 Patton (11-2)

No. 2 South Point (6-2) at No. 1 Asheville (15-3)

WC Hibriten (10-5) at No. 1 Franklin (12-2)

4A brackets

No. 2 Person (16-3) at No. 1 Hoggard (7-4)

No. 2 Panther Creek (15-2) at No. 1 Clayton (19-1)

WC Smithfield Selma (15-5) at No. 1 Terry Sanford (16-0)

No. 2 Millbrook (15-5) at No. 1 Pinecrest (11-2)

No. 2 Scotland County (9-4) at No. 1 East Chapel Hill (17-3)

No. 2 New Hanover (14-3) at No. 1 Broughton (18-0)

No. 2 Garner (12-4) at No. 2 Jack Britt (11-3)

WC Enloe (10-4) at No. 1 Green Hope (19-1)

No. 2 Hough (11-2)at No. 1 Grimsley (12-3)

No. 2 Southwest Guilford (7-10) at No. 1 Porter Ridge (10-5)

WC Southeast Guilford (13-3) at No. 1West Forsyth (10-0)

No.1 Providence (10-2) at No. 1 Olympic (9-4)

No. 2 Page (14-2) at No. 1 Northwest Guilford (12-2-1)

No. 2 Davie (8-5) at No.1 Lake Norman (15-2)

WC Reagan (11-4) at No. 1 AC Reynolds (11-2)

No. 2 Myers Park (11-3) at No. 1 Watauga (13-4)

Davidson Day senior commits to VMI

2011-10-05T21:04:00.000-04:00

Photo courtesy of Paul Cotter

Davidson Day guard/forward Dorian Albritton committed to play basketball at Virginia Military Institute, the school announced Wednesday.

The 6-foot-4 senior averaged 11 points and five rebounds per game last season for the 22-10 Patriots.

“It’s a great feeling to know that the hard work I’ve invested provided me with a number of college options,” said Albritton in a statement. “It was a challenging process, but I felt that VMI sets me up for success beyond graduation. Also, I was very impressed with the coaching staff. I really like their style of play.”

Albritton, who also considered Boston University, Yale, Colgate, Winthrop and New Hampshire, will sign his national letter of intent next month.

“I am very proud and excited for Dorian,” said Davidson Day boys' basketball coach Ron Johnson in a statement. “He's worked incredibly hard to earn this opportunity.”

East Lincoln forfeits game

2011-09-30T11:54:00.000-04:00

East Lincoln's football team was forced to forfeit its Sept. 16 win against Bessemer City after having an ineligible player dress out, the Gaston Gazette reports. The Mustangs' record is now 3-3 (1-1 in the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A).

The Mustangs travels to Lincolnton for their annual rivalry game tonight. Instead of being tied with the Wolves (5-1, 2-0) on top of the SPC standings, East Lincoln is now a game behind after the forfeit.

For more info: http://bit.ly/q4VgL5.

Wildcat teams honored for academics

2011-09-28T09:11:00.002-04:00

The N.C. High School Athletics Association recognized two Lake Norman High teams for their work in the classroom Tuesday, as the school's boys' track and boys' lacrosse squads were named the recipients of the AAA NCHSAA Scholar-Athlete Team Award.

The honor is given to the team with the best grade point average in the state for the semester in which its sport competes.

Lake Norman's boy's track team had a GPA of 3.527, while the Wildcats' boys' lacrosse team earned a 3.360 this spring.

AAA NCHSAA Scholar-Athlete Team Awards - Spring 2011

SPORT	SCHOOL	GPA
Softball	Hayesville	3.891
Baseball	Western Alamance	3.649
Men's Tennis	Walter Williams	3.880
Women's Soccer	Western Alamance	3.747
Men's Track	Lake Norman	3.527
Women's Track	Tuscola	3.683
Men’s Golf	Walter Williams	3.840
Women's Lacrosse	Mount Tabor	3.510
Men's Lacrosse	Lake Norman	3.360

Mustang running back continues to put up big numbers

2011-09-27T10:47:00.001-04:00

East Lincoln's Marcus "Bubba" McDowell had a big game Friday night against Southern Piedmont 1A/2A rivals North Lincoln.

The senior running back rushed for 237 yards and five touchdowns on 15 carries in the Mustangs' 47-7 win.

McDowell is averaging 9.78 yards per carry this season, already surpassing the 1,000-yard mark and scoring 19 touchdowns on the ground. He's also caught nine passes for 316 yards - an average of 35 yards per catch - and five touchdowns.

The explosive, speedy McDowell and East Lincoln (4-2, 2-0) will travel to archival Lincolnton (5-1, 2-0) Friday with first place in the SPC at stake.

Sophomore golfer picked to play in junior tournament

2011-09-20T10:29:00.003-04:00

COURTESY OF DAVIDSON DAY

Davidson Day sophomore golfer Kyle Fuller has been selected to play in the Dormie Cup, Oct. 15-16, in West End, N.C.

The competition pairs some of the top 24 junior golfers in the country in a two-day, Ryder Cup-style event. Fuller, the son of Micah and Sandra Fuller of Huntersville, is trying to raise $1,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project as part of his participation in the tournament. For details, click here.

Recently, Fuller shot a 1-under 71 in the American Junior Golf Association's Webb Simpson Tournament in Winston-Salem. He placed fourth out of 85, earning him an AJGA tour exemption in 2012.

His new playing partner and instructor is Nationwide tour player Corey Nagy, a four-time All-American and Atlantic-10 Player of the Year at UNC Charlotte.

Fuller led Davidson Day to its first Southern Piedmont Athletic Association championship and a fifth-place finish in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association's 1A tournament last year. He finished third in the state and earned all-state honors.

Blue Devil guard commits to Charlotte

2011-08-31T12:19:00.004-04:00

Shawn Lester, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Mooresville High, has committed to Charlotte. Lester chose the 49ers over Clemson and South Carolina.

Lester, a senior, averaged 18.5 points, five assists and five steals for the Blue Devils (19-11 last year), who lost to Western 4A regional qualifier Olympic in the first round of the playoffs.

"I thought that was right for me," Lester said. "It'll help me get my degree and help me be a better player and I hope to help them win."

Lester said the Charlotte staff told him he'd play shooting guard.

"I'm comfortable with the shooting guard position," he said. "I'm glad I can get this (college choice) done early and focus on my academics and focus on getting ready for my senior season."

- Langston Wertz Jr.

Mooney named high school catcher of the year

2011-08-05T15:03:00.008-04:00

North Mecklenburg's Sarah "Boomer" Mooney continues to garner more honors.

After being named All-I-Meck conference, all-state and even All-American, today she was named the 2011 national high school catcher of the year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and Diamond Sports. This is the second year Mooney has earned the honor.

The award is presented annually to the top catcher from an NFCA member institution in each of the following divisions: NCAA (Divisions I, II and III), NAIA, NJCAA (Divisions I, II and III), Cal JC, NWAACC and high school.

Mooney, a James Madison commit, had a .779 batting average this spring, hitting 19 home runs along the way to lead her Vikings to a 24-4 record. Behind the plate, Mooney did not allow a single error in 272 chances and allowed only two passed balls while also throwing out 12 base runners.

Hopewell shortstop gets all-state honors

2011-08-04T16:49:00.004-04:00

The N.C. Baseball Coaches Association named Hopewell's Michael Russell to its 4A all-state team.

The shortstop had a dominant season for the Titans, recording a team-best .506 batting average to go along with 38 runs and 23 RBIs.

That performance earned the graduating senior, who will play college ball at North Carolina next year, I-Meck baseball Player of the Year honors.

Here is the complete NCBCA 4A all-state team:

Dillon Maples, Pinecrest
Alex Raburn, Durham Jordan
Matt Orth, SW Guilford
Michael Russell, Hopewell
Jordan Ramsey, North Davidson
Travis Cook, South Caldwell
Lou Adams, South View
Jonathon Kelly, Ashley
Josh Tobias, Southeast Guilford
Will Butler, Wakefield
Brien Taylor, Harnett Central
Logan Ratledge, Ardrey Kell
A J. Larson, Butler
Alex Ledford, T.C. Roberson
Carson Bryant, T.C. Robeson
Alex Jensen, Charlotte Catholic
Jordan Newsome, Weddington
Brett Austin, Providence
Curt Britt, Scotland County
Chris McCue, Ardrey Kell
Coley Thompkins, Hoggard
Jake Fincher, Providence
Jason Creasey, Clayton
Justin Manning, Holly Springs
Matt Soiter, New Bern
Charlie Herring, J.H. Rose
Luke Dunlap, East Forsyth
Dillon Frye, Lee County
Carlos Rodon, Holly Springs - Player of the Year

Mustang baseball player named all-state

2011-08-04T12:10:00.005-04:00

The N.C. Baseball Coaches Association named East Lincolns Parker Hills to its 2A all-state team.

Hill, who graduated in June, was a standout pitcher/catcher for East Lincoln. He batted .416 while also earning six wins for the Mustangs.

Here is a complete list of the NCBCA 2A all-state baseball team:

J.D. Chaplain, Owen

Derek Deaton, East Rutherford
Eddie Hawkins, South Lenoir
Gary Ferguson, West Davidson
Dylan Richardson, Randleman
Jeremy Null, Bunker Hill
Clay Lockaman, Roanoke Rapids
Wes Sowers, Greene Central
Peter Hendel, Cuthbertson
Zach Cooper, South Granville
Tucker Coward, Eastern Randolph
Caleb Brawley, Forbush
Justin Leatherwood, Pisgah
Kevin Van Asch, West Stanly
Josh Cochran, West Stanly
Matt Ashorn, Farmville Central
Steven Linkous, North Brunswick
Gus Fesperman, North Stanly
Chip Helton, East Rutherford
Lucas Owens, East Rutherford
Brad Elwood, Piedmont
Joel Booker, Polk County
Roberto Taft, Polk County
Evan Dixon, Northwood
Jacob Shepherd, Bunker Hill
Saquan Johnson, East Bladen
Parker Hills, East Lincoln
Wiley Jackson, East Duplin
Curtis Linthicum, Randleman

Mertes to come back as Wildcats' boys' soccer coach

2011-07-07T14:01:00.007-04:00

After deciding to step down as Lake Norman's boys' soccer coach in May, Jon Mertes has changed his mind.

Mertes, who had renounced his coaching duties because he didn't feel he could give the team adequate time, said he reconsidered after he was persuaded by Lake Norman athletic director Steve Rankin as well as many of his players.

"The boys were so excited about the upcoming season and that had a big influence on me coming back," said Mertes, who is also the Wildcats' girls' soccer coach. "These kids deserve to have the best coaching they can get."

Mertes will be in his fifth season as the head coach of the boys' team, and 11th overall with the program. The Wildcats, who were 17-3-4 last year, return seven starters for the 2011 season.

- Freelance writer Jay Edwards contributed.

David Johnson is new Hopewell football coach

2011-07-05T11:08:00.003-04:00

Hopewell announced the hiring of David Johnson as its new head football coach. Johnson comes to Hopewell from Phillip O. Berry Academy, where he has served as the offensive coordinator for the past three years. Johnson graduated from the State University of New York at Brockport, where he played college football. He has experience working as an assistant coach in New York for the Central New York Express of the New York Amateur Football League, where in 2004 Johnson was part of the coaching staff that won the Harvest Bowl National Championship.

Johnson replaces Chris Rust, who retired this past winter, at the helm of the Titan program.

Mooney named 4A West Region softball Player of the Year

2011-06-29T12:23:00.007-04:00

The North Carolina Softball Coaches Association named North Mecklenburg catcher Sarah Mooney as the 4A West Region Player of the Year.

Mooney, a senior who will play at James Madison next year, was also named all-region and all-state. She had plenty of company from the Lake Norman area.

Here is a list of local all-state honorees:

East Lincoln (2A)

- Brittany Miller (Junior, pitcher)

- Haley Meza (Sophomore, center fielder)

Hough

- Jasmyn Lindsay (Junior, catcher)

Lake Norman
- Dominique Wilson (Sophomore, first base)
- Kayla McGuffy (Sophomore, catcher)
- Kayla Pine (Junior, pitcher/outfielder/infielder)
- Stacy Houser (Junior, pitcher/shortstop)

Mooresville

- Hope Smith (Senior, catcher)

- Kelsey Clark (Sophomore, first base)

North Meck

- Morgan Lashley (Senior, pitcher)

- Sarah Mooney (Senior, catcher)

UPDATE: Mooney was named a Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association first-team All-American for the second year in a row.

Mooney leaves her mark on NCHSAA record book

2011-06-24T13:43:00.006-04:00

Sarah "Boomer" Mooney of North Mecklenburg High School will find her name over a dozen times in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Record Book after her stellar four-year softball career and a spectacular senior season.

Mooney compiled the highest single-season batting average ever recorded in the NCHSAA book with a sizzling .779 this season, going 60 for 77. She also tied the single-season home run mark with 19, which she shares now with Dallas Heaton of Eastern Randolph, and set a new career home run standard with 37.

Mooney hit one home run as a freshman, seven in her sophomore season, 10 as a junior and 19 as a senior. She also twice tied the record of three home runs in a game and two in a single inning.

She batted .566 for her career, which is fourth all-time in NCHSAA play, while also earning performance listings in runs batted in for a season (55, second on the list) and for a career (140, third all-time). Her 60 hits in a season is the fourth-best total and her 171 career hits is good for fifth place.

Mooney was a four-time all-conference selection and twice was the I-Meck Player of the Year, while she earned the Most Valuable Player award for the North Mecklenburg team three times. She has committed to continue her career at James Madison University.

-NCHSAA

Hopewell boys' tennis coach steps down

2011-06-21T09:38:00.005-04:00

Hopewell's Craig Smith stepped down as the school's boys' tennis coach, as well as from his dean of students post at the high school, to accept an assistant principal position at Ashbrook High in Gastonia Monday.

His hiring was approved last night by the Gaston County School Board. Smith will start at his new job late July or early August.

Smith, the Lake Norman boys' tennis coach of the year after leading Hopewell to its second consecutive I-Meck title, had been at the helm of the Titan boys' tennis program for the last six seasons. Although he won't be coaching at Ashbrook, he said he hopes to stay involved in high school tennis through camps, private lessons and opportunities through the USTA and the Lake Norman Tennis Association.

Wildcats earn I-Meck's Wachovia Conference Cup

2011-06-13T08:26:00.003-04:00

After winning titles in baseball, girls' track, girls' soccer and softball, Lake Norman claimed the Wachovia Conference Cup for the I-Meck 4A this year. Mallard Creek secured second place after winning the I-Meck's boys' track and field title.

The Wachovia Conference Cup is awarded to schools with the best overall interscholastic athletic performance in their conference. According to the N.C. High School Athletic Association, points are awarded based on participation and standings in conference play. Each conference determines its own method of awarding points.

Here are the complete I-Meck Wachovia Conference Cup standings:

1. Lake Norman -124

2. Mallard Creek - 103

3. Mooresville - 94

4. Hopewell - 92.5

5. Hough 91.5

6. North Mecklenburg - 85.5

7. Vance - 51

8. West Charlotte - 34.5

Mustangs claims SPC 1A/2A cup

East Lincoln beat out North Lincoln by two points to claim the Southern Piedmont 1A/2a Wachovia Conference Cup after winning the conference's baseball, girls' soccer and softball championships this spring.

These are the SPC Wachovia Conference Cup standings:

1. East Lincoln - 171

2. North Lincoln - 169

3. Lincolnton - 152

4. West Lincoln - 146

5. Highland Tech - 125

6. Cherryville - 115

7. Challenger 78

8 Bessemer City - 70

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

2011-05-31T09:36:00.006-04:00

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

2011-05-19T09:24:00.004-04:00

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

2011-05-18T09:51:00.004-04:00

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

2011-05-16T12:41:00.005-04:00

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

2011-05-12T08:30:00.000-04:00

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

2011-05-11T11:26:00.004-04:00

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

2011-05-11T10:10:00.005-04:00

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

2011-05-10T11:32:00.002-04:00

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

2011-05-10T08:52:00.003-04:00

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

2011-05-09T10:37:00.004-04:00

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

2011-05-04T09:56:00.003-04:00

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

2011-05-03T15:19:00.005-04:00

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

2011-05-03T09:37:00.006-04:00

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)

Davidson Day athletic director to step down

2011-04-26T12:15:00.009-04:00

Davidson Day announced that athletic director Tim Weir will be stepping down at the end of the school year for family reasons.

Weir along with his wife, Christina, who works as a second-grade teacher at Davidson Day, and their two children plan to move to New England to be closer to family.

"It's been a wonderful opportunity to work with such great people - the students, faculty, staff and parents," said Weir, who also serves as the Patriots' track and field coach, in a school release. "I know Davidson Day will be successful as it continues to grow and move forward in its athletics program."

Weir was hired at Davidson Day last May after a stint as associate dean of students at Leysin American School in Leysin, Switzerland. Weir served as an assistant track coach at UNC Charlotte in the 1990s.

Davidson Day also announced that it will undertake a national search for a new athletic director. Michael Smith, the head of Davidson Day's upper school, will serve as interim athletic director. He served in an AD position at Winston-Salem's Summit School for eight years. Catherine Fulton, a physical education teacher and the Patriots' volleyball coach, will serve as interim assistant athletic director.

Bynum, Gulley win I-Meck track MVP honors

2011-04-19T09:58:00.007-04:00

Hopewell's Cheyenne Hutchinson (center) won the girls'
100-meter hurdles at Friday's I-Meck track and field championships
held at Mallard Creek High. Deidra Laird - dlaird@charlotteobserver.com

The I-Meck track and field championships were held Friday. Here are a few highlights:

Girls

Lake Norman's Jenny Galligher won the 1,600-meter race. She also finished second in the 800- and 3,200-meter races.

Mallard Creek's Lauren Gulley was named girls' MVP after winning the 400 meters and finishing second in the 200. She also helped her team to a first-place finish in the 4x100 relay.
Kaitlyn Shetler, a Mallard Creek junior, won the 800- and 3,200-meter races while also finishing third in the 1,600.
Hopewell's Cheyenne Hutchinson won the 100-meter hurdles.

Boys

West Charlotte's Mark Blackmon won the 800- and 1600-meter races.
Mallard Creek's Getisso Dentamo and Lake Norman's Michael Mashburn finished second and third respectively in the mile.
Hopewell sprinter Anthony Bynum was named boys MVP. He won the 100- and 200- meters, while leading the Titans to a 4x400 relay victory.
Tyriq Jackson, Hopewell, won the 110-meter hurdles. His teammate, Michael Bankhead, finished second.

For more, check out freelance writer Herb White's article from Saturday's Observer and a picture slideshow.

Local teams play in spring break baseball tourney

2011-04-18T15:11:00.002-04:00

With Mecklenburg County Schools on spring break this week, several area teams will participate in East Mecklenburg's Spring Break Classic, which starts today.

Here is the schedule:

Monday, April 18

11 a.m. - Marvin Ridge vs. North Mecklenburg
1:45 p.m. - Hough vs. Independence
4:30 p.m. - Butler vs. Hopewell
7:15 p.m. - East Mecklenburg vs. Weddington

Tuesday, April 19

11 a.m. - Butler vs. Hough
1:45 p.m. - Independence vs. Weddington
4:30 p.m. - East Meck vs. North Meck
7:15 p.m. - Hopewell vs. Marvin Ridge

Wednesday, April 20

11 a.m. - Independence vs. North Meck
1:45 p.m. - Hopewell vs. Weddington
4:30 p.m. - Butler vs. Marvin Ridge
7:15 p.m. - East Meck vs. Hough

Titan senior reaches 100th win

2011-04-14T08:08:00.010-04:00

Hopewell tennis player John David Curlis reached his 100th career win Wednesday at the I-Meck Conference tournament. Curlis, who's playing doubles in the tournament, is a four-year varsity starter and state qualifier for the Titans. The senior's record is 100-44.

Curlis, Hopewell's No. 1 player, led his team to an undefeated 7-0 I-Meck season and another conference regular season title. The Titans are ranked 10th in this week's N.C. High School Tennis Coaches Association 4A poll.

Curlis and doubles partner Brian Andersen will play teammates Tyler Roberts and John Armato in the I-Meck tournament finals today.

On the singles bracket, Hough freshman Ryan Wydra will face Mooresville junior Jake Combs for the title.

Lake Norman has up-and-down night

2011-04-13T10:04:00.003-04:00

Lake Norman High had a big win and a couple of upset losses Tuesday night.

The baseball team earned a share of the top spot in the I-Meck Conference standings with a key 3-0 win against Hopewell. For my story from this morning, click here.

The Wildcats' softball team, which was undefeated going into yesterday and was No. 1 in the Observer's Sweet 16 poll, had its first loss of the season, a 3-1 Hopewell upset. The Titans' Lindsey Russell struck out four and hit two-for-three, while Bre Blakley hit two-for-two with a home run.

On the soccer field, previously unbeaten Lake Norman suffered another upset, losing 4-3 to Hopewell. The Titans were led by Katelyn Faucette's three scores. Brooke Arey scored the other goal. The Wildcats were ranked No. 3 in N.C. 4A girls' soccer coaches' poll.

Husky wins I-Meck Conference golf title

2011-04-12T11:08:00.009-04:00

Hough's David Sargent shot an 18-hole 74 to claim the I-Meck Conference boys' golf title Monday at Northstone Country Club in Huntersville.

Sargent as well as Conner Lewis, Mace Timberlake and Peyton White, who all shot 75s, led the Huskies to the I-Meck tournament championship. Hough finished the day with a tournament-low 299. Mallard Creek (324), North Mecklenburg (330), Mooresville (333) and Lake Norman (341) rounded out the top five. Hopewell finished sixth with a 383.

Other individuals who stood out, included Mallard Creek's Mac White (77), Mooresville's Luke Robbins (78) as well as North Meck's Danny Pizetoski and Phillip Parrish, who both shot 79s.

With the regular season coming to an end, Hough, Mooresville, Lake Norman and Mallard Creek qualified as teams to May 2's regionals. Pizetoski, Brandon Holst (Hopewell) and Seth Priester (North Meck) qualified as indivials. North Meck's Danny Flemming and David Barkley were tied for the last individual-qualifying spot and a tie-breaker will be determined to decide who will play at regionals.

The all-conference team was also announced Monday. Here is a list of the golfers who were honored:

Brandon Holst (Hopewell)
David Sargent (Hough)
Conner Lewis (Hough)
Mace Timberlake (Hough)
Peyton White (Hough)
Clay Brown (Hough)
Austin Peticca (Lake Norman)
Andrew Johnson (Lake Norman)
Mac White (Mallard Creek)
Luke Robbins (Mooresville)
Ian Harper (Mooresville)
Danny Pizetoski (North Meck)

Skeen returns to North Meck Saturday

2011-04-11T12:40:00.016-04:00

Former North Mecklenburg star Jamie Skeen in 2005. JEFF SINER - jsiner@charlotteobserver.com

North Mecklenburg students, staff and PTSA members will celebrate the accomplishments of former Vikings' star Jamie Skeen Saturday at a special clean up at the Huntersville school. Skeen is coming off leading Virginia Commonwealth on a trip to the NCAA Final Four. The senior averaged 15.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for the Rams.

During the event, the group will spruce up the school's grounds and plant flowers while also celebrating Skeen's accomplishments. The clean up begins at 8 and Skeen is expected to attend at 11 a.m.

Titans hold event to raise money for breast cancer research

2011-04-06T17:06:00.006-04:00

Hopewell High will host its spring Hope for a Cure night Friday. The school's booster club will raise money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a non-profit that funds breast cancer research, by holding auctions, selling pink ribbons, taking up donations and by giving portion of their concessions and ticket sales to the foundation.

The Titans, which hosted similar events during the fall and winter seasons, will take on Hough High in softball, baseball as well as boys' and girls' lacrosse Friday. Only one ticket is required for all games.

Here is a schedule of the games.

J.V. baseball - 4:30
Softball - 5:30 p.m.
Girls' lacrosse - 5:30 p.m.
Boys' lacrosse - 7 p.m.
Varsity baseball - 7 p.m.

Hopewell: Power forward to sign letter of intent next week

2011-04-06T12:52:00.004-04:00

Hopewell senior power forward Elliott Pope will sign his national letter of intent to play collegiate basketball at Carson Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn. The signing ceremony will take place in the Hopewell media center April 14 at 2 p.m.

Pope has been a three year varsity letterman, serving as the Titans' captain for his senior season. He was named first-team I-MECK all-conference and first-team All-Lake Norman News. This season, Pope received an all-tournament team selection at the Prep All-Star Holiday Classic. He was selected to play in the 20th annual Charlotte Pro Am All-Star game last week and led the West team in scoring while being named Scholar Athlete for the highest overall grade point average. Pope is a member of the National Honor Society and DECA.

Check out the story we wrote on Pope in February here.

We're back!

2011-04-06T12:19:00.005-04:00

Sorry for the long period of inactivity! I will be again posting news and links about Lake Norman area sports that I come across on here. I get a lot of information that we can't fit in our papers, so expect regular updates.

Since we last posted, we started a Mooresville News publication, so it made sense for us to compile what we find in one place. Expect sports news from Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Denver and Mooresville on our blog.

If you have any information or tips, let me know. Just e-mail me at stovar@newsoflakenorman.com. Look forward to hearing from you!

I-Meck boys' tennis all-conference team

2010-05-12T14:38:00.001-04:00

All-Conference Team

Matt Alexander (Hopewell)

Brian Andersen(Hopewell)

Jeremy Anderson (Hopewell)

Collin Black (North Meck)

Jake Combs (Mooresville)

Erik Conley (Mooresville)

Matt Crisp (Lake Norman)

John David Curlis (Hopewell)

Kenny DeHart (North Meck)

Jeremy Dennis (Vance)

Drew Harmon (Lake Norman)

Kyle Richardville (North Meck)

I Meck 4A - Coach of the Year

William Connelly (North Meck)

NCHSAA votes to shorten football, basketball seasons

2010-05-05T21:42:00.001-04:00

From The Charlotte Observer's Prep Insiders:

CHAPEL HILL-- The North Carolina High School Athletic Association Board of Directors concluded its two-day spring meeting on Wednesday.
A number of items were discussed by the Board that had been recommended by a sub-committee which has studied travel, length of seasons and cost containment issues. Those items included the following:
--To play 11 regular-season football games in 11 weeks (including the Endowment game, which is optional), rather than the current 11 games in 12-week format. The Endowment game would be dropped for seeding purposes, starting with 2011-2012 academic year
--Reducing length of winter sport season by one week for competition, but still starting winter sports season practice on November 1, starting with 2010-11 academic year
-- To add to the football seeding process the "pod" format, which means schools would be grouped into four different sections (East, Mideast, Midwest, West), effective with 2010-11 academic year, to help reduce some of the longest trips that occur under the current format

--To allow an "opt-out" declaration for schools who wish not to enter NCHSAA playoffs, with a form that would be signed by athletic director, principal and superintendent and must be submitted by an established deadline prior to the release of the brackets in that sport, effective with 2010-11 academic year

Other actions of the Board included:

--Approved wrestling state championships for a three-day event, with one specific classification to wrestle on Thursday night
--Approved additional weekly combination for scheduling of one tri match and one tournament in wrestling
--Approved holding 2010-13 NCHSAA state cross country championships in Kernersville at Beeson Park
-- Recommend approval if school does not pay outstanding fine by two days before the reporting deadline for a sport, it cannot play in playoffs in that sport, to go in effect academic year 2010-11; if a school has any unpaid fines by June 30 following the academic year, its teams will not be able to participate in playoffs in any sport in the next academic year until fine is unpaid
--Eliminate mandatory use of NCHSAA-assigned clock operators for all second round and subsequent rounds of football playoffs; it is still optional for schools to use if they wish
--"Flagrant contact" will be added as a separate category to ejection policy, with the ejection penalty
--Approved move to six-man crews in NCHSAA football championships in 2010 as pilot program, all eight games

--Approved job title changes since the old job titles from the University are not necessarily applicable anymore and the new titles more accurately reflect the work being done, effective June 1, 2010
--Increase the mileage allotment, lodging and meal allowance for schools in championships in a number of different sports
--Adjust revenue shares to return more to schools; for sectional basketball share for NCHSAA, reduce to 15% to parallel other sports and could help eliminate some deficit games; for volleyball championships: 60% to NCHSAA, 40% to schools, makes volleyball consistent with other sports
--Approved new employee policy and procedures manual for NCHSAA with some editorial changes
--Approved of executive director's contract from June 7, 2010 to June of 2013

-- NCHSAA

Hopewell, North Meck make tennis dual state playoffs

2010-05-03T15:01:00.007-04:00

Two I-Meck teams, Hopewell (15-2)and North Meck (6-4), made the state's dual team tennis playoffs. Both teams will start playing tomorrow.

From The Charlotte Observer's Prep Insiders:

Prep tennis rankings and state pairings
DUAL TEAM TENNIS PAIRINGS
4A
First Round Tuesday, May 4th
South View (12-2) at Wilmington Hoggard (14-2)
Southeast Raleigh (11-5) at Pinecrest (14-4)
Scotland (9-2) at Terry Sanford (12-2)
Wilmington New Hanover (14-7) at Clayton (16-0)
Cary (11-6) at East Chapel Hill (16-4)
Raleigh Millbrook (17-2) at Green Hope (17-0)
Jack Britt (12-4) at Raleigh Broughton (20-1)
Apex (15-2) at Durham Jordan (11-3)
Western Guilford (8-5) at Sun Valley (6-6)
Mount Tabor (11-2) at Southwest Guilford (13-1)
Ardrey Kell (9-3) at Winston-Salem R.J. Reynolds (14-2)
Ragsdale (14-4) at Greensboro Grimsley (9-3)
South Mecklenburg (11-4) at Charlotte Myers Park (13-0)
North Mecklenburg (6-4) at Charlotte Olympic (7-6)
Watauga (14-2) at T.C. Roberson (8-6)
Charlotte Providence (8-2) at Hopewell (15-2)
3A
D.H. Conley (12-4) at Currituck County (7-5)
Southern Nash(15-2) at South Brunswick (13-3)
Eastern Wayne (13-2) at Rocky Mount (12-2)
Union Pines (15-1) at South Central (15-3)
Chapel Hill (11-6) at Charles B. Aycock (15-0)
Northern Guilford (14-2) at Ledford (16-3)
Asheboro (13-4) at Western Alamance (14-2)
Southern Lee (9-2) at Cardinal Gibbons (18-4)
Statesville (10-2) at J.M. Robinson (15-0)
North Iredell (8-5) at Charlotte Catholic (9-3)
Hickory Ridge (12-2) at Marvin Ridge (12-2)
Concord (12-7) at West Rowan (14-1)
Freedom (8-5) at Forestview (11-1)
Patton (12-4) at Hickory (12-4)
Crest (9-7) at Asheville (15-1)
North Buncombe (16-2) at Franklin (13-4)
2A
Tarboro (14-5) at First Flight (10-1)
Whiteville (7-5) at Topsail (13-3)
Croatan (11-3) at West Bladen (12-6)
Edenton Holmes (11-5) at Greene Central (13-5)
Durham School of the Arts (9-8) at North Johnston (9-1)
Reidsville (11-1) at Fairmont (13-1)
Northeastern (9-5) at Jordan-Matthews (11-2)
Roanoke Rapids (12-4) at Northwood (11-6)
Cuthbertson (7-2) at Salisbury (15-2)
North Stanly (10-6) at Wheatmore (8-4)
North Lincoln (8-2) at Shelby (13-2)
West Davidson (9-4) at West Stanly (10-4)
Trinity (9-4) at Newton-Conover (21-0)
Owen (10-6) at Wilkes Central (13-2)
Polk County (13-4) at Brevard (14-0)
Maiden (16-3) at West Stokes (11-4)
1A
Williamston (5-5)- BYE
Gates County (7-3)-BYE
Dixon (7-3)-BYE
Bear Grass (6-3) -BYE
Ayden-Grifton (11-3) at North Carolina School of Science and Math (15-0)
West Columbus (1-15) at Pender County (4-6)
Goldsboro (2-4) at South Robeson (2-6)
Raleigh Charter (12-3) at Rosewood (10-1)
East Montgomery (16-0)-BYE
Albemarle (6-4) at Monroe Central Academy (10-6)
Challenger (6-5) at North Moore (7-3)
Monroe (1-8) at Highland Tech (10-4)
Hendersonville (13-0) - BYE
East Wilkes (14-4) at Bishop McGuinness (9-5)
Elkin (15-0)-BYE
Mount Airy (12-2)- BYE
4A COACHES POLL
Rank School Points
1 RJ Reynolds 91
2 Raleigh Millbrook 90
3 Raleigh Broughton 89
4 Myers Park 66
5 Green Hope 58
6 Wilmington Hoggard 55
7 East Chapel Hill 32
8 Wilmington New Hanover 30
9 Charlotte Providence 15
10 Ardrey Kell 11
Also receiving votes: Apex (9), Hopewell (2), Watauga (2)
3A POLL
Rank School Points
1 Cardinal Gibbons 77
2 Charlotte Catholic 68
3 Chapel Hill 66
4 Western Alamance 46
5 Southern Nash 44
6 Asheville 40
7 C.B. Aycock 24
8 Marvin Ridge 22
9 North Buncombe 17
10-T Rocky Mount 13
10-T Union Pines 13
2A POLL
Rank School Points
1 Newton Conover 60
2 Salisbury 50
3 Greene Central 43
4 First Flight 36
5 Topsail 33
6 Maiden 29
7 Shelby 17
8 Edenton Holmes 14
9 Reidsville 13
10 Tarboro 9
1A POLL
Rank School Points
1 Mount Airy 49
2 NC Science and Math 45
3 Hendersonville 40
4 Highland School of Technology 33
5 Elkin 32
6 Raleigh Charter 23
7 East Montogomery 22
8 Bishop McGuinness 15
9 East Wilkes 9
10 Albemarle 3
Other Receiving Votes: Ayden-Grifton (2), Rosewood (1), North Moore (1)
Also receiving votes: Wilkes Central (7), Roanoke Rapids (6), DSA (5), Northwood (4), West Stokes (3), Brevard (1)
Also receiving votes: Northern Guilford (4), Eastern Wayne (3), Patton (2), Hickory (2), South Central (1)

Big baseball games moved to tonight

2010-04-28T11:45:00.003-04:00

From The Charlotte Observer's Prep insiders:

Tuesday's driving rain and thunderstorms postponed two huge Meck County baseball games. They will be played tonight.

At Hopewell, the Titans (13-6, 6-2) and Mooresville (10-6, 6-2) lead Mallard Creek (14-7, 6-3) and North Meck (11-6, 5-3). Mooresville plays at Hopewell for first place tonight. North Meck is at Mallard Creek.

North Meck's boys, Hopewell's girls make inaugural N.C. lacrosse playoffs

2010-04-26T13:56:00.004-04:00

From The Charlotte Observer's Prep insiders:

NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

2010 Lacrosse Championships

Boys First Round Matchups – Friday, April 30 (games must be played by Friday. Unless listed, call home school for date/time)

Kill Devil Hill First Flight Flight (4-8) at Wilmington Hoggard (12-4)

Carrboro (10-5) at Holly Springs (13-2)

Durham Riverside (8-6) at Wilmington Ashley (11-6)

Raleigh Enloe (7-7) at Apex (11-3)

Cary Green Hope (11-4) at Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons (17-0)

Chapel Hill (9-5) at Raleigh Broughton (11-4)

Hillsborough Cedar Ridge (7-7) at Durham CE Jordan (12-3)

Apex Middle Creek (8-7) at East Chapel Hill (16-0)

Kernersville Bishop McGuinness (7-5) at Greensboro Page (11-3)

Western Alamance (9-5) at Northwest Guilford (14-0)

Greensboro Grimsley (9-4) at Winston-Salem RJ Reynolds (14-1)

Charlotte Ardrey Kell (8-6) at Hickory (5-6)

Winston-Salem Mount Tabor (7-7) at Lake Norman (14-2)

Southeast Guilford (8-5) at Charlotte Myers Park (14-1)

Pfafftown Ronald Reagan (7-5) at Charlotte Catholic (13-3)

Charlotte Providence (11-3) at North Mecklenburg (8-2)

Women’s First Round Matchups – Friday, April 30

Wilmington Hoggard (14-1), bye

Raleigh Broughton (8-6) at Apex (13-1)

Cary Green Hope (14-1), bye

Wilmington New Hanover (7-6) at Wilmington Ashley (14-2)

Raleigh Wakefield (10-4), bye

Raleigh Athens Drive (9-5) at Wilmington Laney (10-4)

East Chapel Hill (12-1), bye

Chapel Hill (7-6) at Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons (9-6)

Western Guilford (14-0), bye

Huntersville Hopewell (8-4) at Waxhaw Marvin Ridge (9-4)

Watauga (8-5), bye

Northern Guilford (7-6) at Greensboro Page (10-4)

Charlotte Myers Park (12-2), bye

West Forsyth (6-4) at Northwest Guilford (11-3)

Charlotte Catholic (14-2), bye

Charlotte Providence (7-7) at Lake Norman (9-2)

Hopewell, North Meck golf teams roll into regionals

2010-04-14T13:01:00.002-04:00

The North Meck boys' golf team won the I-Meck golf tournament Tuesday afternoon by 11 strokes over Hopewell. The Titans and Vikings will both advance to regionals.

Hopewell's Logan Harrell and North Meck's Danny Pizetoski were named co-most valuable players of the conference.

The following players also made the all-conference team, automatically advancing to regionals.

All-Conference: Danny Pizetoski (NM), Logan Harrell (H), Conner Lewis (NM), David Sargent (H), Norm Krise (Lake Norman), Luke Robbins (Mooresville), Dillan Schaffer (H), Ryan Abbott (NM).

Lake Norman's Andrew Johnson also qualified for regionals as an indvidual.

Mooresville upsets Lake Norman in softball

2010-04-14T12:56:00.002-04:00

After 14 straight wins to begin the year, the Lake Norman (14-1) softball finally lost a game to archrival Mooresville.

Margaret Whitehouse led the Blue Devils (6-2) getting the win on the mound with six strikeouts while collecting two hits including the go-ahead run.

Lake Norman softball team still perfect

2010-04-13T13:09:00.002-04:00

The Lake Norman girls softball team is still perfect at 14-0, 5-0 in the I-Meck standings going into the second half of the season. The Wildcats, No. 7 in the state according to the N.C. Softball Coaches' Association, are hitting over .400 as a team at the plate.

Seven different batters are hitting above or around .400 including, Chloe Archer (.442), Shelby Bailey (.462), Stacey Houser (.467), Mariah McGuffey (.463), Kayla Pine (.486), Dominique Wilson (.488) and Arin Hall (.388).

Magic softball hits eight scholarships

2010-04-06T15:42:00.003-04:00

The Magic softball organization, an all-star travel team based out of (North) Charlotte, now has helped eight of its nine regular players on the U18 team sign national letters of intent to play collegiate softball next season.

The Magic, founded by current Jay M. Robinson softball coach Jim Allen in 1996, currently has three teams from U16 to U18. The U18 has mostly been together since they were eight years old.

The following players have signed at their respective future colleges including:

P-1B Sara Allen (North Meck HS) - Winthrop University
C-P Lauren Beaver (North Davidson HS) - Winthrop University
1B-3B Shelby Holland (West Meck HS) - Newberry College
OF Megan Mabes (Robert B. Glenn HS) - Surry Community College
OF Andreya O'Brien (Ashbrook HS) - Lees McRae
SS-OF Chelsea Varner (Starmount HS) - Mars Hill
(3B Camry Wagner (Robinson HS) - UNC Wilmington
OF Katie Zavodny (Robinson HS) - Liberty

Hopewell's DeMon Brooks commits to Davidson

2010-04-06T15:02:00.002-04:00

Hopewell senior forward DeMon Brooks has committed to Davidson and will sign next week.

The 6-foot-8 forward, also the I-Meck conference player of the year, will join Titan teammate Jordan Downing as a Wildcat.

Brooks, who originally committed to Howard, was released from his commitment when the Bison's coach Gil Jackson was fired last month.

Hopewell senior forward Bryce Hawkins committed to Lenoir-Rhyne while Titan point guard Earl McLaurin was accepted to the Naval Prep Academy prep school.

--Langston Wertz, Jr.

Davidson Day hires football coach

2010-04-05T14:22:00.002-04:00

The football era at Davidson Day School has officially begun as Chad Grier has been named the first head football coach in school history. The former East Carolina University football standout comes to Davidson Day following a two-year stint as offensive coordinator at Southlake Christian Academy.

“We conducted a national search for this highly important position, only to find that the ideal candidate was right in our back yard,” Davidson Day Headmaster Bonnie Cotter said. “Chad is an exceptional mentor of children, a man of high integrity, and is extremely passionate about football. He’s a perfect fit.”

Grier brings a wealth of experience to Davidson Day, on both the high school and college landscape, as a player and a coach. Prior to arriving at Southlake, Grier was an Offensive Assistant Coach at Charlotte Latin (2004) where he also starred as an all-state quarterback under local coaching legend, Larry McNulty (1986).

"I am very excited and honored to be part of such a great school,” said Grier. “Davidson Day is a first class school; from the headmaster, to the faculty, and to the students. And my immediate goal is to bring the school a first class football program."

A local native of Charlotte, N.C., Grier’s collegiate career began at the University of Richmond where he started at quarterback as a freshman. Grier later transferred to East Carolina University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. While at East Carolina, he played under nationally known coaching figures, Kevin Gilbride and Mark Richt. Gilbride is currently the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants and Richt is currently the head football coach at the University of Georgia. Grier makes it clear that he plans to use the qualities that he learned from these coaching legends and implement them to the DDS football program.

“I have been blessed with the opportunity to learn the game from some of the most knowledgeable and inspirational men I have ever met, none more so than (Charlotte Latin coach) Larry McNulty, whom has been like family to me for 25 years. We will model our program in the image of what he has built at Charlotte Latin, and our immediate term goal is to work hard every day to earn that type of consistent success for our students and our entire community.”

Grier is married to his wife Nila, and has three sons: Will 15; Nash 12; and Hayes 9.

--Davidson Day press release.

MVP Performers

2010-03-30T15:46:00.000-04:00

Two of the North Neighbors best basketball players showed they were amongst Charlotte’s best at the Charlotte Pro-Am All-Star Classic last weekend (March 27). Hopewell’s DeMon Brooks had 24 points to lead the East squad to an 84-82 victory. Brooks, a 6-foot-8 senior, was named MVP for his performance.

North Meck’s Lauren Lewis had a similar day for the East girls’ team, who won 80-72 in overtime. Lewis was named MVP for her team after scoring 15 points, including back-to-back three-pointers to open the overtime period.

North Meck track quartet sets record

2010-03-30T15:30:00.002-04:00

The North Meck 1600-meter relay team set a 29-year old record last weekend (March 27) at the Queen City Relays at Myers Park High School. The relay squad, which included Briana Brazile, Lindsey Lang, Alexis Jordan and Trikeria Johnson broke the record set in 1981 (by Menchville HS (Va.), with a time of 3:59.16. The same quartet also won the 800-meter relay run.

Lake Norman softball off to perfect start

2010-03-30T15:27:00.001-04:00

The Lake Norman softball team is a perfect 11-0 (4-0 I-Meck) this season, and have dominated nearly every team in their path, outscoring their opponents 102-14. The Wildcats, led by head coach Bob Hall, have notched their two biggest victories in the last two weeks, beating I-Meck rivals North Meck and Hopewell. After beating the Vikings 1-0, Lake Norman scored five runs in the 7^th inning to for an improbable comeback win over the Titans to take sole possession of first-place in the I-Meck.

Eddie, Larsen, Wright named all-state

2010-03-25T08:19:00.002-04:00

Three Lake Norman/Cabarrus County area players were named to the Associated Press all-state basketball this week after helping their teams to standout seasons.

Lake Norman senior forward Paul Larsen, who helped lead the Wildcats to their first state title in school history, was an all-state selection. Larsen, who will continue his career at Mercer next season, was also MVP of the state championship game.

Cannon's Jarrell Eddie was also an all-state AP selection. Eddie, who will play basketball at Virginia Tech next season, averaged nearly 25 points this season and score well over 2,500 points in his Cougar career.

East Lincoln's Lindsy Wright was the only female from the area named to the all-state squad. Wright, a senior who will play at Wake Forest next season, averaged 21 points and nine rebounds per game for the Mustangs and led her team to a SPC tournament title.

Hough High to hold booster club meeting

2010-03-23T10:57:00.002-04:00

William A. Hough High School, which is scheduled to open in Cornelius next fall, will be having an athletic booster club meeting at Bailey Middle School in Cornelius on Tuesday, March 30 at 6:30 pm in the Media Center.

Davidson Day names new boys' soccer coach

2010-03-22T12:23:00.002-04:00

Davidson Day School has selected Josh Wagner as its new head boys soccer coach. The former collegiate soccer standout comes to Davidson Day following a stint as head coach for the North Mecklenburg boys' junior varsity soccer team (2008-2010), where the team finished last season with an impressive 21-8-1 record.

“There are few teachers and coaches who are more engaged in the Lake Norman youth athletic community than Josh Wagner,” Davidson Day Athletic Director Kevin Buechler said. “He is a rising star in scholastic soccer at the high school, middle school, and youth levels. So many of our elementary aged students know and love Mr. Wagner for his teaching. We are extremely excited to see him build a program based on integrity, diligence, and a passion for the game.”

When it comes to soccer, Wagner is a very popular figure in the Lake Norman area. In addition to his coaching duties at North Mecklenburg, he is also the head boys soccer coach at Bailey Middle School, where he started the program from the ground up (2006-present). He also is a recreation coordinator for the Town of Davidson Parks and Recreation, where he plays a key role in facilitating soccer camps throughout the year (2006-present)

"Words cannot explain how excited I am to join the Davidson Day family. To finally begin my dream of running a varsity program; with my philosophy of the game, and applying it at such a high level of play,” said Wagner. “I have been waiting for this position for two years now. The timing is perfect, and the potential of this soccer program has no boundaries."

With soccer being a clear passion for Wagner, it wasn’t the only factor that attracted him to Davidson Day. “What attracted me the most to Davidson Day was the philosophy of the school and the passion for not just athletics, but also academics. The opportunity to have full support from the administration is something I couldn’t ignore. I live in this community, and have a vested interest, so what better way to continue to impact this community in such a positive way and to mold future leaders than to be at Davidson Day School.”

A native of Rochester, NY, Wagner earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education from Baptist Bible College (Clarks Summit, PA) in 2003. While at Baptist Bible College, he was a four-year starter for the men’s soccer team. During his junior and senior year, he led the team to an East Regional Championship.

Davidson Day hires new girls' basketball coach

2010-03-15T16:10:00.003-04:00

Former Davidson Wildcats guard Jessica Mitchell was named the head girls basketball coach at Davidson Day Tuesday, March 9. The former Davidson basketball standout comes to Davidson Day following a stint as an assistant coach for the Wingate University Women’s Basketball program (2009-2010).

“Anyone who watched Davidson athletics in recent history knows what a fierce competitor Jessica Mitchell is and what an exceptional leader she is on and off the basketball court,” Davidson Day Athletic Director Kevin Buechler said. “She learned from some of the best coaches in the area in Wingate coach Barbara Nelson and Davidson College coach Annette Watts. We are thrilled to add such a talented young coach and exceptional role model to our Patriot coaching family.”

Mitchell brings a wealth of experience to Davidson Day, on both the Division I and Division II college landscape, as a player and a coach. Prior to arriving at Wingate University, Mitchell was a Graduate Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at Augusta State University in Augusta, GA (2008-2009).

"I am very excited to be taking my first head coaching job at Davidson Day School. I feel as though I have learned a lot over the last six years, both as a player and as a college coach, and I am ready to bring some of that experience to the program and DDS,” said Mitchell. “It's a tremendous opportunity."

In addition to having the chance to head a basketball program, another factor in Mitchell’s decision was the opportunity to come back home to Davidson.

“I really enjoyed my four years at Davidson College, athletically and academically," she said. "I found that after I left this area, I could really appreciate how incredibly special it was. The relationships that I established here have continued to be staples in my life, even after my college career was over. I feel blessed to be back to the place that I still identify as "home." There really is no other place like it.”

Davidson Women’s Basketball Coach Annette Watts had this to say on the hiring of Jessica Mitchell: "I think the young women of Davidson Day are in for a learning curve, great time and exciting basketball. Jessica was a fundamental player and I know she will be a fundamental coach. I cannot wait to watch the girls’ basketball program grow.”

A native of Wilkesboro, N.C., Mitchell earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Davidson College in 2007. While at Davidson, she was a three-year starter for the women’s basketball team. During her senior year, she was elected team captain and led the team to a 23-9 record; the best in school history.

--Davidson Day press release

Lake Norman wins state title

2010-03-14T10:26:00.003-04:00

By Langston Wertz Jr.

Charlotte Observer.

Lake Norman won its first state boys' basketball championship Saturday courtesy of a furious finish.

The Wildcats beat previously unbeaten Fayetteville Sanford 63-46 at Reynolds Coliseum. Sanford, which tied its lowest point total of the season, scored only 15 points in the second half. Sanford scored five points in the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs (31-1) led 39-34 with 1 minute, 39 seconds to go in the third quarter, but was outscored 29-7 the rest of the game.

Sanford shot only 27 percent in the second half and made just 5-of-13 free throws.

"I'm at a loss for words," said Lake Norman coach Brandon Jolly, whose team finished the season at 25-3. "It's something special. These guys have worked so hard. They deserve it and I'm so proud of them."

Jolly's team started the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run, running out to a 50-41 lead with 3:54 to play. Sanford managed only six shot attempts the rest of the way, making only two.

"We're all very disappointed," Sanford coach Bill Boyette said. "However, when I look at what these young men and our basketball team has done for Terry Sanford High School and what it's done for our community, I somehow ... smile. "

Sanford got 13 points and five rebounds from point guard Chris Wilson and 11 points and 7 rebounds from Robert Carpenter.

Lake Norman was led by 20 points and three rebounds from senior guard Reggie Price and 18 points and 8 rebounds from championship MVP Paul Larsen.

Price said the difference in the game was an adjustment his team made at halftime, going to a pressure defense they call "50 Plus."

"They really started getting fidgety," Price said, "and they started turning the ball over. As soon as they did, I thought we had them."

Sanford's Boyette said he was disappointed that his team missed five straight free throws late in the third quarter and early in the fourth as Lake Norman was pulling away.

"We missed on some critical possessions," he said, "and this was stunning to me, but we had three straight defensive possessions where I'm not so sure we knew who we were guarding. That never happens to us. I thought that was the difference in the game."

South Point wins East Lincoln girls' soccer tourney

2010-03-14T10:19:00.003-04:00

East Lincoln High School hosted the third annual Andy Kosmala Memorial Soccer Tournament last week, featuring teams from South Point, Salisbury, South Iredell and East Lincoln.

The tournament raised money for St. Judes Childrens Hospital in honor of Andy Kosmala, the bother of one of East Lincoln's senior varsity players Emily Kosmala, who passed away three years ago with brain cancer at just 12 years old.

Thanks to sponsors Little Ceasers of Denver, National Property Inspectors, A2Z Solutions and News at Norman, this year the tournament has raised approximately $1000 to be donated to St Judes.

South Point was crowned the champions after winning all three matches.

Scores:

South Point 2, Salisbury 1
East Lincoln 1, South Iredell 1

South Point 3, South Iredell 1
East Lincoln 0, Salisbury 3

South Point 2, East Lincoln 0
Salisbury 2, South Iredell 2

Offensive MVP: Madison Kennedy, Salisbury.
Deffensive MVP: Kaelee Scruggs, South Point.

All-Tournament Team:

Rebekka Glass, East Lincoln
Kasi Benskin, East Lincoln
Aaliyah Jackson, South Iredell
Ashlyn Pierce, South Iredell
Karen Presnell, Salisbury
Whittney Brown, Salisbury
Sierra Davis, Salisbury
Molly Fisher, South Point
Meredith Levy, South Point
Shannyn Holder, South Point
Rebecca Ludwig, South Point

Mustang soccer players sign letters of intent

2010-03-12T09:55:00.002-05:00

East Lincoln girls' soccer players Kasi Benskin and Rebekka Glass each signed letters of intent to play soccer in the fall at Erskin College and Pfieffer College, respectively, on Feb. 11.

Benskin is a four-year varsity starter at East Lincoln and is a senior captain of this year's team. She was an all-conference and all region player both her sophomore and junior years.

Benskin was a member of the gold medal West Team at the 2009 N.C. State Games. She has recieved a combination of athletic and academic scholarships totaling over $20,000 to play soccer for Erskin College next fall.

She is the only fall 2010 recruit for Erskin and is expected to make an immediate impact on her team. Last spring Benskin scored 20 goals and had eight assists for the Mustangs, helping lead them to the state quarterfinals and a No. 8 ranking in 2A. Benskin played her last year of club soccer for the Charlotte Soccer Academy's U-18 premier squad coached by Lee Horton.

Glass is a four-year varsity starter at East Lincoln and is in her second year as captain of the Lady Mustangs. She was an all-conference player her freshman, sophomore, and junior years, all-region her sophomore and junior year and all-state her junior year.

Glass played for the West Team in the N.C. State games in both 2008 and 2009. She has recieved a combination of athletic and academic scholarships totaling approximately $28,000 to play soccer for Pfieffer College next fall.

Glass was recruited by numerous colleges and is excited to have found a fit with Pfieffer. Last spring, she was named the conference player of the year with 13 goals and 18 assists. Rebekka played her last year of club soccer for the Charlotte Soccer Academy's U-18 Region 3 Premier squad coached by Brad Wild and Dan Dudley.

Hopewell, Lake Norman win I-Meck match

2010-03-09T13:51:00.003-05:00

Hopewell's Logan Harrell finished second overall and led his team to a tie for first-place with Lake Norman in the squad's first I-Meck match this season.

Harrell, the No. 1 golfer in the state and No. 38 golfer in the nation (his age group) according to golfweekly.com, shot a 36 for the Titans. Harrell is committed to play golf for South Carolina next season.

Meanwhile, Lake Norman's Zac Stevens had the top individual score with a 31 to help his team tie Hopewell at the top.

North Meck's Sean Priester led the Vikings with a 41.

Hopewell beat Lake Norman, wins HLC tennis tournament

2010-03-08T12:07:00.002-05:00

The Hopewell boys' tennis team breezed throught the Huntington Learning Center (HLC) Invitational Saturday and Sunday to take their first title in three-year history of the event.

The Titans blanked Crest (9-0) and then handled 3A defending state champion Lake Norman (7-2) to win the HLC title in dominant fashion. Hopewell got four wins each, including two singles and two doubles matches, from Brian Andersen, Tyler Roberts and CJ Rapp. The Titans' John David Curlis and Jeremy Anderson won three times in four matches.

Lake Norman had won the first two HLC titles beating Hopewell in the finals both times.

Lake Norman to play in state title game

2010-03-08T11:49:00.002-05:00

The Lake Norman boys basketball team has had its best season in school history.

Saturday night, they could make it even better as the Wildcats (25-3) take on undefeated Sanford High at 7:30 in Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh.

Lake Norman beat West Charlotte 82-73 in overtime last Saturday to move into the finals for the first time ever. The Wildcats were led by regional MVP Reggie Price, who scored 25 points, including 13 of his team's 16 points in the extra period.

Senior Paul Larsen added 20 point and 13 rebounds to power the Wildcats over the Lions.

Lake Norman, who is doing all of this in their first season in class 4A, went 25-2 last season before losing to Concord in the sectional finals.

Hopewell to host tennis invitational

2010-03-03T11:49:00.002-05:00

The Hopewell boys' tennis program will host the third annual Huntington Learning Center Invitational on March 5-6. The invitational will have a four-team dual-match format, with two matches being played on Friday. The winners of these matches will play Saturday morning at 10 am to determine the champion, with the other two teams playing for third place.

Hopewell will host Boiling Springs Crest in the first match. The second match will feature last season’s 3A state champion Lake Norman and Raleigh Athens Drive. Both of these matches will begin at 4 p.m. Friday. The winners/losers will play the following day at 10 a.m. to determine the overall tournament champion. Lake Norman is the two-time champion of the HLC Invitational.

For more information, log on to http://pages.cms.k12.nc.us/hopewellmenstennis/

Huntington Learning Center Invitational

Friday, March 5: Both Matches begin at 4:00 pm.

Match A: Hopewell versus Boiling Springs Crest

Match B: Lake Norman versus Raleigh Athens Drive

Saturday, March 6: Both Matches begin at 10:00 am.

First place: “Winner A” versus “Winner B”

Third place: “Loser A” versus “Loser B”

All matches will be played at Hopewell High School.

Belfield, Bremner and Sullivan invited to Carolina Challenge

2010-03-02T14:37:00.002-05:00

Cannon School junior Keith Belfield is among the 80 North Carolina high school basketball players hand-picked to participate in Dave Teleps Carolina Challenge, to be held Saturday, March 27 at Cary Academy in Cary, N.C.

North Mecklenburg juniors Carlin Bremner and Bernard Sullivan will also attend.

Now in its fourth year, the Carolina Challenge is the signature event for the state’s top players. Only the best freshmen, sophomores, and juniors have been chosen for this invitation-only, one-day academy that showcases the talent in the state and emphasizes what it means and takes to become a college basketball player.

Players will be divided into eight teams of 10 players each for scrimmages, and will also attend skill sessions conducted by Denny Kuiper, a former Michigan high school coach and academic advisor for the Marquette University basketball program.

Here is the full list of players:

JUNIORS (CLASS OF 2011)

1 Wykevin Bazemore Windsor NC Bertie

2 H. Keith Bellfield Concord NC Cannon School

3 Deuce Bello High Point NC Westchester Academy

4 Devince Boykins Forest City NC East Rutherford

5 Carlin Bremner Huntersville NC North Mecklenburg

6 Marcus Burton Charlotte NC Butler

7 John Cannon Burnsville NC Mountain Heritage

8 Bishop Daniels Raleigh NC Word of God

9 Jacoby Davis Charlotte NC West Charlotte

10 Chad Frazier Charlotte NC Metrolina Christian

11 Anthony Gill Charlotte NC Charlotte Christian

12 P.J. Hairston Greensboro NC Dudley

13 Tabarris Hamilton Winston Salem NC West Forsyth

14 Donta Harper Winterville NC South Central

15 Demarcus Harrison Arden NC Christ School

16 Tony Kimbro Arden NC Christ School

17 Jacob Lawson Oak Ridge NC Oak Ridge Military

18 Travion Leonard Durham NC Kestrel Heights

19 Tony Menton Charlotte NC Waddell

20 Quincy Miller Winston Salem NC Quality Education Acad.

21 James Milliken Siler City NC Jordan-Matthews

22 Jacquise Moore Concord NC Concord

23 Michael Neal Oak Ridge NC Oak Ridge Military

24 Ike Nwanu High Point NC Westchester Academy

25 Reggie Perkins Greensboro NC Western Guilford

26 Keynan Pittman Burgaw NC Pender

27 Marshall Plumlee Arden NC Christ School

28 Tyler Poole Hickory NC Hickory

29 Jervon Pressley Charlotte NC Waddell

30 Marquis Rankin Charlotte NC Vance

31 Jaleel Roberts Greensboro NC Greensboro Day

32 Tyquan Roberts Jamestown NC Ragsdale

33 Paris Roberts Charlotte NC United Faith

34 Jordan Robertson Greensboro NC Greensboro Day

35 Aaron Roundtree Wilson NC Beddingfield

36 Jerome Seagears Red Springs NC Flora McDonald

37 Jackson Simmons Smoky Mountain NC Smoky Mountain

38 Worth Smith Charlotte NC Charlotte Christian

39 Anthony Stitt Charlotte NC Butler

40 Bernard Sullivan Huntersville NC North Mecklenburg

41 Mike Thorne Fayetteville NC Trinity Christian

42 Mike Tyson Kinston NC Kinston

43 Dezmine Wells Raleigh NC Word of God

44 Terry Whisnant Cherryville NC Cherryville

45 Anthony Williams Whiteville NC Waccamaw Academy

46 Terrence Williams Charlotte NC West Mecklenburg

47 Chris Wilson Fayetteville NC Terry Sanford

Sophomores, Class of 2012

1 Montay Brandon High Point NC Wesleyan

2 Adam Coble Greensboro NC Northwest Guilford

3 Justin Cousin Graham NC Graham

4 Reggie Dillard Greensboro NC Dudley

5 Carlton Ford Fayetteville NC Westover

6 Torian Graham Durham NC Hillside

7 Rob Grey Forest City NC East Rutherford

8 Xavier Griffin Greenville NC Oakwood School

9 Montarius Hall Charlotte NC Victory Christian

10 Julius Hamilton Charlotte NC West Charlotte

11 Montrezl Harrell Tarboro NC North Edgecombe

12 Terry Henderson Raleigh NC Neuse Christian

13 Madison Jones Raleigh NC Ravenscroft

14 Shawn Lester Mooresville NC Mooresville

15 Tyler Lewis Lewisville NC Forsyth Country Day

16 John McBeth Greensboro NC Northern Guilford

17 Josh Newkirk Raleigh NC SE Raleigh

18 Braxton Ogbueze Charlotte NC Vance

19 Carlos Rankins Oak Ridge NC Oak Ridge Military

20 Joseph Uchebo Oak Ridge NC Oak Ridge Military

21 T.J. Warren Durham NC Riverside

22 Quayshad Williams Greensboro NC Greensboro Day

Freshmen, Class of 2013

1 Marcus Bryan Raleigh NC Ravenscroft

2 Tyrek Coger Raleigh NC Upper Room Christian

3 Alerick Freeman Charlotte NC United Faith

4 Anton Gill Raleigh NC Ravenscroft

5 Isaiah Hicks Oxford NC Oxford Webb

6 Greg McClinton Winston Salem NC W-S Prep

7 Kennedy Meeks Charlotte NC West Charlotte

8 Rodney Purvis Raleigh NC Upper Room Christian

9 Quinton Ray Apex NC Middle Creek

10 Donte Reynolds Kinston NC Kinston

11 Jaquel Richmond Greensboro NC Dudley

12 Deion Robinson Winston Salem NC Mount Tabor

13 Patrick Rooks Charlotte NC United Faith

Cannon star named to All-NCISAA team

2010-03-01T11:09:00.003-05:00

Cannon School senior Jarell Eddie was named to the All-NCISAA 3A team after Cannon made it to the quarterfinals of the state tournament.

Eddie was joined by teammate Keith Belfield, a junior, on the All-CISAA conference team.

The full teams:

GIRLS

ALL CISAA

Garland Austin—Latin
Nneka Awuruonye—PDS
Gigi Bailey—Christian
Christal Barnett—Christian
Cailan Howey—PDS
Tiffany Mitchell—PDS
Maryah Mayzak —Christian
Brittany Powell—CCDS
Janice Roberts—CCDS

2010 NCISAA 3A Girls All-State Basketball Team

Hannah Allgood - Senior - Forsyth Country Day School
NNeka Anuruonye - Senior - Providence Day School
GiGi Bailey - Freshman - Charlotte Christian School
Erin Bratcher - Senior - Ravenscroft School
Chelsea Douglas - Senior - Hickory Grove
Tiffany Mitchell - Sophomore - Providence Day School
Janice Roberts - Senior - Charlotte Country Day School
Erica Williams - Freshman - Rabun Gap School

BOYS

ALL CISAA

Keith Belfield Cannon
Richard Brown CLS
Jarell Eddie Cannon
Anthony Gill CCS
Wake Hamilton CCDS
Kevin Hickson PDS
Akil Mitchell CCS
Connor Sullivan PDS
Trent Walker CCS

2010 NCISAA 3A Boys All-State Basketball Team

Luke Davis - Senior - Ravenscroft School
Jarrell Eddie - Senior - Cannon School
Anthony Gill - Junior - Charlotte Christian School
Damarcus Harrison - Junior - Christ School
Tony Kimbro - Junior - Christ School
Tyler Lewis - Sophomore - Forsyth Country Day School
Akil Mitchell - Senior - Charlotte Christian School
Eric Smith - Senior - Christ School

Honeycutt, Thompson win individual state championships

2010-02-28T14:55:00.002-05:00

Lake Norman's Harrison Honeycutt and Mooresville's Santonio Thompson won individual 4A state wrestling championships Saturday in Greensboro.

Honeycutt, the defending state champ in the 189-lb. class, won the 215-lb. weight class for his 104th straight win including a 50-0 record this year.

Meanwhile, Thompson won 135-pound 4A title for the first time.

Cannon's Glen Taylor gets 300th win

2010-02-25T16:03:00.001-05:00

Cannon School’s first-round win in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) basketball tournament was especially sweet for head coach Glen Taylor. The Cougars (16-13) defeated Durham Academy 60-42 on Feb. 23, giving Coach Taylor his 300th career win.

Virginia Tech-bound Jarell Eddie led Cannon with 26 points while teammate Keith Belfield added 11. Coach Taylor will go for win number 301 when Cannon School faces third-seed Ravenscroft School (22-5) on Thursday, Feb. 25 at Greensboro Day School.

Taylor is in his first year as Cannon’s varsity coach. He came to Cannon from Christchurch School in Christchurch, Va., where he led its varsity basketball team to four consecutive Virginia Prep League championships during his five years as coach.

Prior to coaching at Christchurch School, Taylor spent six years as head varsity and junior varsity coach at Kerr Vance Academy in Henderson, N.C., during which he was a four-time Coastal Plains Independent Conference varsity basketball coach of the year. He began his coaching career at Lawrence Academy in Merry Hill, N.C., and received the Tarheel Independent Conference varsity coach of the year award twice during his four-year tenure.

Cannon School’s varsity basketball team was co-champion of the Charlotte Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA) during the 2008-09 season, its first in the highly-competitive conference. In the three years prior to joining the CISAA, Cannon won three consecutive Metrolina Athletics Conference titles and won the NCISAA 2A state championship in 2006.

--Cannon School press release

SouthLake finishes fifth at state swimming meet

2010-02-25T14:00:00.002-05:00

The SouthLake boys' and girls' swim teams both finished fifth at the NCISAA 1A/2A state swimming championships Monday.

Top SouthLake finishers include:

Third place, girls' 200-yard medley relay (Mattie Anderson, Taylor Wilson, Moriah Anderson and Taylor Harkey).

Second place, boys' 200-yard medley relay (Brian Davis, Michael Gonzalez, John Baker and Ryan Scott).

Taylor Wilson, third place girls' 200-yard IM, fourth place 100-yard breaststroke.

Brian Davis, fifth place boys' 200-yard IM.

John Baker, fifth place boys' 100-yard butterfly, fourth place 500-yard freestyle.

Fourth place, girls' 200-yard freestyle relay (Taylor Harkey, Moriah Anderson, Mattie Anderson, Taylor Wilson).

Fifth place, boys' 200-yard freestyle relay (Matt Belter, John Baker, Ryan Scott, Michael Gonzalez).

East Lincoln forfeits first round win

2010-02-25T13:27:00.002-05:00

The East Lincoln Mustangs boys' basketball team was forced to forfeit their first round win in the 2A NCHSAA tournament and ended their season early because of a ineligible player.

Coach Neil Hodges said in an e-mail that a player's physical had expired on Feb. 12. The team was not aware of this until Feb. 23 (the day after their first round game) and self-reported the case to the NCHSAA.

The Mustangs (19-8, 10-4 Southern Piedmont Conference) beat East Burke 76-60 on Monday and would have advanced to play Berry Academy in the second round.

Berry beat East Burke 72-29 last night.

Hopewell falls in the second round

2010-02-25T09:35:00.002-05:00

The Hopewell basketball team has fallen apart over the last three weeks. After looking like the team to beat in the state and earning No. 1 rankings in the Sweet 16 and the state for most of the season, the team lost three games and got knocked out of the second round of the state tournament.

The Titans lost 63-53 to a wild card Myers Park team that they beat twice earlier in the season. The upset once again prevented a third Hopewell v. Lake Norman matchup.

Vance gave Hopewell it's first loss toward the end of the regular season, then West Charlotte upset them in the semifinals of the I-Meck tournament, preventing a Hopewell v. Lake Norman final.

Read the full story about the game here.

Other results from around the area:

2A girls:

Salisbury 53, East Lincoln 36.

4A girls:

Lake Norman 53, Olympic 45.

Lake Norman will face Asheville Reynolds in the sectional finals Friday.

Hopewell 53, Porter Ridge 39.

Hopewell will host McDowell in the sectional finals Friday.

4A boys:

Lake Norman 96, West Mecklenburg 76.

Lake Norman will host Myers Park in the sectional final.

Myers Park 63, Hopewell 53.

Basketball first round results

2010-02-24T15:19:00.003-05:00

Public schools played their first round games Monday and private schools played yesterday in the first round of the state tournaments. Here's how local schools did.

Girls

NCHSAA 1A West:

East Wilkes 74, Lake Norman Charter 53.

NCHSAA 2A West:

East Lincoln 62, TW Andrews 45.
The Mustangs will play at undefeated Salisbury tonight.

NCHSAA 4A West:

Olympic 46, North Mecklenburg 43.

Lake Norman 65, Sun Valley 47.
Lake Norman will play at Olympic tonight.

Hopewell 63, Providence 40.
Hopewell will play Porter Ridge tonight.

NCISAA 2A:

Carolina Day School 64, SouthLake Christian 38.

Boys

NCHSAA 4A West:

Hopewell 66, East Mecklenburg 59.
Hopewell will host Myers Park tonight.

Lake Norman 69, McDowell 63.
Lake Norman will play at West Mecklenburg tonight.

NCISAA 1A:

Davidson Day 78, Lawrence Academy 34.
Davidson Day will play United Faith on Thursday.

NCISAA 3A:

Cannon School 60, Durham Academy 42.
Cannon will play Ravenscroft Thursday.

Jordan Handy of East Lincoln wins regional title

2010-02-22T14:16:00.002-05:00

East Lincoln's Jordan Handy won the 140-pound 2A Western Regional tournament this weekend. The team finished 14th at the regional with 45.5 points.

The top four wrestlers from each weight class will move on to compete at states.

103 Lbs:
1st: Ryan Lewis Owen 11 score: 10-8
2nd: Chad Stamey West Lincoln 11
3rd: Juan Vera North Henderson 9 score: 2-0
4th: Ian Canrobert Newton Conover 10
112 Lbs:
1st: Cody Roberts Madison 11 score: fall 1:34
2nd: German Ramirez North Henderson 11
3rd: Austin Edwards Owen 11 score: fall 2:08
4th: Ty Conant West Lincoln 11
119 Lbs:
1st: Nate Smith North Lincoln 11 score: fall 1:15
2nd: JJ Davis Madison 12
3rd: Jesse Poovey Maiden 12 score: fall 3:37
4th: Zackary Barber North Henderson 11
125 Lbs:
1st: BJ Tomlin East Burke 12 score: 12-4
2nd: Thomas Lunsford Bandys 11
3rd: David Sailors West Lincoln 10 score: 6-4
4th: Ben Reinhardt Newton Conover 12
130 Lbs:
1st: Jake Nelson North Lincoln 11 score: 2-0
2nd: Tyler Knopp Newton Conover 11
3rd: Brandon Hicks Bunker Hill 11 score: 5-3
4th: Emory Greer Lincolnton 12
135 Lbs:
1st: Enrique Vera North Henderson 12 score: 9-5
2nd: Ricky Shelton Madison 10
3rd: Matt Wooten West Caldwell 10 score: 2-0
4th: Austin Setzer Newton Conover 12
140 Lbs:
1st: Jordan Handy East Lincoln 12 score: 8-2
2nd: Seth Ratchford Bandys 11
3rd: John Luke Sapp Owen 10 score: 5-4
4th: JC Ray Madison 11
145 Lbs:
1st: Taylor Barber West Lincoln 12 score: 5-1
2nd: Felix Soto Shelby 12
3rd: Randy Ortega Newton Conover 12 score: fall 2:25
4th: Stephen Pressley Pisgah 12
152 Lbs:
1st: David Middleton Madison 12 score: Inj
2nd: Henry Bustle South Iredell 11
3rd: Jesus Figueroa Owen 12 score: 5-4
4th: Richard Kerekes Maiden 10
160 Lbs:
1st: Gene Goodson Lincolnton 12 score: fall 2:54
2nd: James Turner South Iredell 11
3rd: James Maxwell Polk County 11 score: 22-6
4th: Phillip Hicks Bunker Hill 11
171 Lbs:
1st: Glen Self West Lincoln 11 score: 5-1
2nd: Caleb Huffman East Burke 12
3rd: Travis Smalling Pisgah 11 score: 7-3
4th: Colt Kale West Caldwell 11
189 Lbs:
1st: Cody Wesson Bandys 12 score: 5-4
2nd: John Navey West Lincoln 12
3rd: Jacob Shepherd Bunker Hill 11 score: fall 1:58
4th: Gage Norris Pisgah 11
215 Lbs:
1st: Josh Metcalf Polk County 11 score: fall 1:09
2nd: Kris Haney Pisgah 10
3rd: Joseph Platt Newton Conover 11 score: 9-5
4th: Oliver Sanchez Chase 11
285 Lbs:
1st: Andrew Tremain Newton Conover 11 score: 3-2
2nd: Seth Stewart Owen 12
3rd: Bo Henson Pisgah 11 score: 2-1
4th: Tyler Philpott Polk County 11

Davidson Day hosts first playoff game

2010-02-22T14:06:00.002-05:00

After an impressive run this season, going 21-6 after winning just five games last year, the Davidson Day basketball team will make school history by hosting the athletic program's first home playoff game.

Davidson Day begins its quest for a state championship as they take on Lawrence Academy (Merry Hill, NC). The game will take place on Tuesday, February 23rd. Tipoff is at 7:00 pm.

The Patriots are seeded 7th in the 2010 NCISAA 1A boys' state tournament, while Lawrence Academy is seeded 10th with a current record of 16-7.

Hough High announces coaches

2010-02-22T13:37:00.005-05:00

Principal Terri Cockerham of Hough High School, which will open this fall in Huntersville, announced several of the coaches who will be leading the Huskies in their first year.

Two successful North Mecklenburg coaches, Tim Queen (swimming) and Sandi Skidmore (volleyball), will move to the new school. Also, Hopewell assistant basketball coach Justin Batts will be the Huskies' first basketball coach.

From Prep Insiders:

Former Providence Day assistant coach Bobby Collins will be the first football coach at Hough High, a new school opening this fall in northern Mecklenburg County. Hopewell assistant Justin Batts will be the school’s first boys basketball coach.

Hough principal Terri Cockerham announced the majority of the school’s coaching hires Monday. She continues to interview for other positions.

“I was very impressed with the quality of the candidates,” said Cockerham, who was principal at Providence from July 2005-June 2009. “The chemistry seemed good. They’re all good coaches and good teachers and have good ideas about building a new program. I’m very pleased with those who decided to join us and I look at them as teachers and coaches, and they know that.”

Other new coaches at Hough: Tim Queen, swimming (Queen comes from North Meck); Sandi Skidmore, volleyball (Skidmore comes from North Meck); David Smith, soccer (Smith comes from Vance); Sonja Tate, girls basketball (Tate comes from Ardrey Kell), Jimmy Cochran, baseball (currently Monroe Parkwood coach); Tripp Rogers, wrestling (former state champ at East Gaston and current assistant at Belmont Abbey).

Lake Norman wins 4A Western Regional Title

2010-02-20T19:44:00.002-05:00

The Lake Norman wrestling team has had a record breaking season. After winning a school record 33 matches, the I-Meck dual tournament and advancing to the state quarterfinals as a team, the Wildcats added another notch to their belt Saturday, earning the 4A Western Regional title.

"This is the best season we've ever had (at Lake Norman)," Lake Norman wrestling coach Morgan Fore said, in his first season as head coach at Lake Norman. "I think we accomplished a lot of things and winning a regional title is just another stepping stone on the way to a state championship (next year)."

Lake Norman got individual regional titles from Harrison Honeycutt, Josh Smith and Cody Karns, while Nick Rodrigues, Mike Hayes and Collin Foster were runners-up in their respective weight classes. Lake Norman's Ryan Renfroe and Mike Rubino also qualified for the 4A state individual meet next Friday and Saturday at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Honeycutt, the school's only defending state champion, won his 100th consecutive match, and is 46-0 this season after going 54-0 a year ago.

Mooresville finished in a tie for second with Alexander Central. The Blue Devils got regional championships from Hunter Hefner and Dalton Pierce, while Santonio Thompson and Tyler Bruton were runners-up in their weight classes. Mooresville's Matt Krider and Zach Brown also qualified for states.

Hopewell's Joseph Acquarulo and North Meck's Joe DiDonato also qualified for the state individual meet next weekend.

Mooresville wrestles their way to 4A Western Regional lead

2010-02-20T11:17:00.002-05:00

The Mooresville wrestling team has a one point lead over archrival Lake Norman going into the second and final day of the 4A Western Regional meet at Bojangles Arena.

The Blue Devils and Wildcats are 15 points ahead of the rest of the field as Alexander Central, T.C. Roberson and Olympic round out the top five.

The Blue Devils boast seven wrestlers in the individual semifinals to start the day including Matt Krider (112-lb.), Justin Yox (119-lb.), Hunter Hefner (130-lb.), Santonio Thompson (135-lb.), Dalton Pierce (145-lb.), Tyler Bruton (160-lb.), Zach Brown (215-lb.).

Thompson and Pierce are the No. 1 seeds in their weight classes.

The Wildcats have eight wrestlers in the semifinals, including Cody Karns (103-lb.), Ryan Renfroe (119-lb.), Nick Rodrigues (130-lb.), Mike Hayes (145-lb.), Josh Smith (152-lb.), Mike Rubino (160-lb.), Collin Foster (189-lb.) and Harrison Honeycutt (215-lb.).

Smith and Honeycutt are No. 1 seeds in their weight class. Honeycutt is a perfect 42-0 this season.

Hopewell's Joseph Acquarulo is also the No. 1 seed at the 119-lb. weight class and the only Titan in the semifinals. North Meck's Joe DiDonato advanced to the semifinals for the Vikings.

West Charlotte, Hopewell take I-Meck conferene tournament titles

2010-02-20T11:05:00.002-05:00

The West Charlotte boys' basketball team seemed like they would go as far as senior guard J.T. Terrell could take them. But in the second half of the I-Meck tournament championship game, Terrell played the decoy while his teammates led the way to a 75-70 win over host Lake Norman as the Lions earned the I-Meck tournament title.

Terrell had 20 points to lead West Charlotte, but got a lot of help from his friends, as Brandon Richardson (18 points), Jacoby Davis (14 points) and Anthony Estes (11 points) all had double figures to make a balanced attack.

"I really deferred to my teammates in the second half," Terrell said, who scored 16 points in the first half, but only four in the second 16 minutes. "I knew that I couldn't force anything, because we had a lead. My teammates did a great job of making plays."

Terrell made most of the plays over the three-game tournament as he had 44 points Tuesday night against Mallard Creek, 45 points against Hopewell Thursday night, totalling 109 points for the event (36 ppg). The Lions beat the top two seeds (Hopewell and Lake Norman), who are also No. 2 and No. 3 in the state, respectively, in consecutive nights.

The Lions (19-9) move into the No. 2 seed from the I-Meck with win, going into the playoffs, which could earn them up to two home games if they advance. Lake Norman slides to the No. 3 seed, which will force them to go on the road.

Hopewell remains the top seed because they won the regular season title.

On the girls side, Hopewell won the I-Meck tournament title 56-49 over Lake Norman. The Titans (21-4) earn the conference's No. 1 seed in the playoffs, breaking the three-way tie between Lake Norman, Hopewell and Mallard Creek (regular season standings)

The Titans got 20 points from Margaret Spaulding in the title game and 15 points apiece from Sharee Boyd and Hannah Early.

Lake Norman to face West Charlotte in title game tonight

2010-02-19T08:59:00.002-05:00

Lake Norman has beaten every team in their path this year, except Hopewell. Tonight, in the I-Meck tournament championship they will get West Charlotte instead off the Titans, after the Lions upset the conference's No. 1 seed 80-77 last night.

West Charlotte senior guard J.T. Terrell, who will play at Wake Forest next season, had 45 points against Hopewell, including eight three-pointers, on the heels off a 44-point explosion against Mallard Creek in the I-Meck quartefinal Tuesday night.

Lake Norman (20-2) has been just as impressive rolling past Mooresville (78-55) before taking out No. 9 (in the state) Vance for the third time this year last night. Senior Matt Eller led the way with 26 points, while Reggie Price and Kevin Canevari had 16 points, apiece.

The Wildcats swept West Charlotte in the regular season beating them 89-78 on the Lions' floor Jan. 8 before winning at home 71-66 Feb. 4.

Lake Norman will being making their second consecutive conference tournament final, after winning the North Piedmont Conference (NPC) conference tournament championship last year.

I-Meck Conference tournament pairings

2010-02-15T15:14:00.003-05:00

The I-Meck girls' tournament starts today and the boys' tournament starts tomorrow. Here arethe final conference rankings as well as the schedule for the tournament this week.

From Prep Insiders:

I-Meck girls
1. Hopewell 19-4, 10-2
2. Lake Norman 19-4, 10-2
3. Mallard Creek 15-6, 10-2
4. North Mecklenburg 14-9, 6-6
5. Mooresville 8-14, 4-8
6. Vance 3-19, 2-10
7. W. Charlotte 2-22, 1-11

Girls Monday at Vance

Hopewell, bye;

North Mecklenburg vs. Vance, 4:30;

Mallard Creek vs. Mooresville, 6;

Lake Norman vs. W. Charlotte, 7:30 p.m.

Girls Wednesday at Lake Norman

Mallard Creek/Mooresville winner vs. Lake Norman/W. Charlotte winner, 6;

Hopewell vs. North Meck/Vance winner, 7:30 pm.

Girls Friday at Lake Norman:

Semifinals winners in championship, 6:30 p.m.

I-Meck boys
1. Hopewell 21-1, 11-1
2. Lake Norman 19-2, 10-2
3. Vance 17-5, 9-3
4. W. Charlotte 14-9, 5-7
5. Mallard Creek 8-13, 3-9
6. North Meck 13-10, 2-10
7. Mooresville 7-15, 2-10

Boys Tuesday at Vance

Hopewell, bye;

W. Charlotte vs. Mallard Creek, 4:30 p.m.;

Vance vs. N. Meck, 6;

Lake Norman vs. Mooresville, 7:30 p.m.

Boys Thursday at Lake Norman

Lake Norman/Mooresville winner vs. Vance/North Meck winner, 6;

Hopewell vs. W. Charlotte/Mallard Creek winner, 7:30 p.m.

Boys Friday at Lake Norman

Semifinal winners in championship, 8 p.m.

Schedule and seedings for SPAA tournament

2010-02-15T14:44:00.002-05:00

The boys' and girls' Southern Piedmont Athletic Association tournament starts on Tuesday. Here's the full schedule of the tournament and the tournament seeding.

Tuesday Feb. 16 at Gaston Day School

6 p.m.: Girls: No. 5 Davidson Day School vs. No. 4 Gaston Day School
7:30 p.m.: Boys: No. 5 Statesville Christian School vs. No. 4 Gaston Day School

Thursday Feb. 18 at Victory Christian Center School

3:00 p.m.: Girls: Davidson Day/Gaston Day winner vs. No. 1 Victory Christian Center School
4:30 p.m.: Girls: No. 3 United Faith Christian Academy vs. No. 2 Statesville Christian School
6:00 p.m.: Boys: Statesville Christian/Gaston Day winner vs. No. 1 United Faith Christian Academy
7:30 p.m.: Boys: No. 3 Victory Christian Center School vs. No. 2 Davidson Day School

Friday 2-19 @ Victory Christian Center School

6:30 p.m.: Girls final (Semifinal winners)
8:00 p.m.: Boys final (Semifinal winners)