12-3-22 roundup: Pro basketball and football, High school football and basketball, College football and basketball, Middle school soccer, volleyball and wrestling
By Richard Walker
To some, Gaylord Perry will always be remembered for throwing a spitball.
For folks in this area, he’ll also be remembered for one of the state’s best three-sport high school athletes, starting up the baseball program at an area college and coaching American Legion baseball at one of the state’s top programs.
Perry died on Thursday at 84 of natural causes at his home in Gaffney, S.C.
A Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher after an extraordinary 22-year career, Perry was active in retirement following his final major league game in 1983, whether it was working on his farm in Spruce Pine in Mitchell County, coaching baseball or even being a pitch man for the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet.
He initially retired to live in his hometown of Williamston in Martin County growing tobacco and peanuts but filed for bankruptcy in 1986.
In November 1986, Perry was named the first baseball coach in Limestone University and guided the Saints to a 38-37 overall record in two seasons (1988-89) highlighted by a 21-16 record in 1989 for the school’s first-ever winning record. Among the players he recruited to Limestone were 1987 Crest High graduate Brad Keller and 1987 North Gaston High graduate Tracy Sanders. Perry (1998) and Sanders (2008) were future Limestone Athletics Hall of Fame inductees.
Also in 1987, Perry coached the Shelby American Legion Post 82 baseball team to an 11-9 record that just missed advanced to the N.C. Area IV playoffs.
At Williamston High School, the 6-foot-4, 205-pounder was an All-State end in football in 1955 and 1956, a high-scoring basketball player who once held the state’s single-game scoring (42 points in the 1957 1A state tournament) and a state championship-winning baseball player who was one of the country’s most highly sought-after players in the spring of 1958.
Perry and his older brother Jim (also a longtime major league pitcher) led Williamston to the 1955 N.C. 1A state baseball title before Perry finished with a 33-5 all-time high school pitching record in 1958 and signing for $90,000 on June 3, 1958 with the San Francisco Giants. One of Perry’s Williamston High baseball coaches was Gastonia native Gaither Cline (in 1956), who left Williamston to coach at his high school alma mater of Gastonia Ashley and later at Ashbrook High.
When Perry signed for $90,000 it was one of the highest signing bonuses in major league history at the time – the major league draft didn’t begin until 1965 – and had Perry on the fast track to the majors.
After a brief call-up in 1962, Perry was was recalled by the Giants in 1963 and stayed in the major leagues until he retired after the 1983 season.
A right-handed pitcher, Perry had a 314-265 pitching record with 3,534 strikeouts, one no-hitter, five All-Star appearances and two Cy Young Awards over a career in which he pitched for eight teams – the Giants, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners and Kansas City Royals.
He is the first major league pitcher to win the Cy Young in both leagues, winning the American League honor in 1972 for Cleveland and the 1978 National League honor in 1978 for San Diego.
Considered one of baseball’s most notorious spitball pitchers – he named his 1974 autobiography “Me and the Spitter” – Perry was not ejected for applying an illegal substance to a baseball until Aug. 23, 1982 in his 21st major league season.
“Gaylord Perry was a consistent workhorse and a memorable figure in his Hall of Fame career, highlighted by his 314 wins and 3,534 strikeouts in 22 years,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement released by major league baseball on Thursday. “He will be remembered among the most accomplished San Francisco Giants ever, and through his time in Cleveland and San Diego, he became the first pitcher ever to win the Cy Young Award in both the American and National Leagues. The five-time 20-game winner pitched for eight different clubs overall and remained a popular teammate and friend throughout his life. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Gaylord’s family, friends and fans across our great game.”
Perry was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.
College football
Gardner-Webb’s historic season came to an end on Saturday in a 54-14 loss at William & Mary.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs, who finished 7-6, were making their first Football Championship Series (FCS) appearance and last weeek had recorded the school’s first FCS playoff victory and first playoff win of any kind on the road.
In Saturday’s game, the Tribe scored the game’s first 34 points before Caleb Borders (2021 Crest High graduate) accounted for Gardner-Webb’s first points on a 17-yard touchdown reception early in the third quarter.
Borders would finish with five catches for 69 yards.
Gardner-Webb running back Narii Gaither surpassed 1,000 yards for the season in the game to finish the year with 1,019 yards.
(This weekend’s NCAA Division I Carolinas schedule:)
-Saturday
ACC championship – Clemson 39, North Carolina 10
-FCS playoffs
(Dec. 3 second round games)
Holy Cross 35, New Hampshire 19
Incarnate Word 41, Furman 38
William & Mary 54, Gardner-Webb 14
Samford 48, Southeastern Louisiana 42
South Dakota State 42, Delaware 6
Montana State 33, Weber State 25
North Dakota State 49, Montana 26
Sacramento State 38, Richmond 31
-NCAA Division II
West Florida 45, Wingate 14
Shrine Bowl football
Another local player has been added to the North Carolina roster for the upcoming Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas on Dec. 17 at Spartanburg, S.C., High’s Vikings Stadium.
Shelby High kicked Jack Berkowitz will join five other area players on the N.C. roster – Cahari Haynes of Burns and Ja’Keith Hamilton of Shelby from Cleveland County, Ben Cutter of East Lincoln and Bryson Esser of North Lincoln from Lincoln County and Sullivan Absher of South Point from Gaston County. Also, Shelby assistant Aubrey Hollifield is one of the N.C. assistant coaches.
Berkowitz, also a soccer standout for the Golden Lions, had 45 extra points and two field goals this season for Shelby and has 149 extra points and nine field goals in his three-year career.
High school football
Here are Friday’s statewide regional finals results:
(1A)
Tarboro 35, Rosewood 7
Mount Airy 35, Draughn 6
(2A)
East Duplin 28, Wallace-Rose Hill 26
Reidsville 32, Burns 14
(3A)
Northern Nash 23, 71st 22
East Lincoln 14, South Point 7
(4A)
New Bern 35, Millbrook 27
Grimsley 28, Weddington 27
Here are this week’s state finals pairings:
-Friday
(4A)
New Bern (15-0) vs. Grimsley (15-0) at UNC, 7 p.m.
-Saturday
(2A)
East Duplin (14-1) vs. Reidsville (14-1) at UNC, 11 a.m.
(1A)
Tarboro (13-1) vs. Mount Airy (14=1) at N.C. State, 3 p.m.
(3A)
Northern Nash (15-0) vs. East Lincoln (15-0) at N.C. State, 7 p.m.
High school basketball
(Saturday’s games)
-BOYS
East Lincoln 58, Lincolnton 48: Palmer Crichton had 23 points, Jackson Fannon 14 and Mason Simmons 10 to lead East Lincoln and Andrew Phelps had 15 points and Will Blackburn 13 to lead Lincolnton.
Avery County 62, West Lincoln 57
Gaston Day 67, Augusta Christian 58: Evan Montanari had 30 points, Callum Richard 14 and Colin Fayed 13 for Gaston Day.
-GIRLS
East Lincoln 77, Lincolnton 20
Avery County 77, West Lincoln 62
Pro basketball
On a night in which many top players – Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball (left ankle) and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (left knee) among them – were sidelined due to injury, the Hornets lost 105-96 to Milwaukee.
Terry Rozier (26 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists), Jalen McDaniels (21 points, 5 rebounds) and Kelly Oubre (20 points) led Charlotte, which fell to 7-16 overall.
Here’s the 2022-23 Charlotte Hornets schedule:
(6-16 record)
October
19 at San Antonio (W 129-102)
21 New Orleans (L 112-124)
23 at Atlanta (W 126-109)
26 at New York (L 131-134, OT)
28 at Orlando (L 93-113)
29 Golden State (W 120-113, OT)
31 Sacramento (L 108-115)
November
2 at Chicago (L 88-106)
4 at Memphis (L 99-130)
5 Brooklyn (L 94-98)
7 Washington (L 100-108)
9 Portland (L 95-105)
10 at Miami (L 112-117, OT)
12 at Miami (L 115-132)
14 at Orlando (W 112-105)
16 Indiana (L 113-125)
18 at Cleveland (L 122-132, 2 OT)
20 at Washington (L 102-106)
23 Philadelphia (W 107-101)
25 Minnesota (W 110-108)
28 at Boston (L 105-140)
December
2 Washington (W 117-116)
3 Milwaukee (L 96-105)
5 L.A. Clippers, 7 p.m.
7 at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m.
9 New York, 7 p.m.
11 at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.
14 Detroit, 7 p.m.
16 Atlanta, 7 p.m.
18 at Denver, 8 p.m.
19 at Sacramento, 10 p.m.
21 at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.
23 at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.
26 at Portland, 10 p.m.
27 at Golden State, 10 p.m.
29 Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.
31 Brooklyn, 7 p.m.
January
2 L.A. Lakers, 7 p.m.
4 Memphis, 7 p.m.
6 at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
8 at Indiana, 5 p.m.
10 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
12 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
14 Boston, 7 p.m.
16 Boston, 1 p.m.
18 at Houston, 8 p.m.
21 at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.
23 at Utah, 9 p.m.
24 at Phoenix, 9 p.m.
26 Chicago, 7:30 p.m.
29 Miami, 1 p.m.
31 at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.
February
2 at Chicago, 8 p.m.
3 at Detroit, 7 p.m.
5 Orlando, 1 p.m.
8 at Washington, 7 p.m.
10 at Boston, 7:30 p.m.
11 Denver, 7 p.m.
13 Atlanta, 7 p.m.
15 San Antonio, 7 p.m.
24 at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
25 Miami, 7 p.m.
27 Detroit, 7 p.m.
March
1 Phoenix, 7 p.m.
3 Orlando, 7 p.m.
5 at Brooklyn, 6 p.m.
7 at New York, 7:30 p.m.
9 at Detroit, 7 p.m.
11 Utah, 7 p.m.
12 Cleveland, 5 p.m.
14 Cleveland, 7 p.m.
17 Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
20 Indiana, 7 p.m.
23 at New Orleans, 8 p.m.
24 at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
26 Dallas, 1 p.m.
28 at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.
31 Chicago, 7 p.m.
April
2 Toronto, 1 p.m.
4 Toronto, 7 p.m.
7 Houston, 7 p.m.
9 at Cleveland, 1 p.m.
College basketball
(Saturday’s games)
Chattanooga 82, Gardner-Webb 71: D.Q. Nicholas and Julien Soumaoro had 14 points each in Gardner-Webb’e first home game of the season after seven straight games on the road or at neutral sites.
Delaware 69, Davidson 67: Sam Mennenga’s 20 points weren’t enough for Davidson (6-3).
Queens 89, Paine 60: Four players reached double figures as Royals improved to 7-2.
Francis Marion 86, Belmont Abbey 80: Charles Solomon had 24 points as the Abbey (3-5, 2-1) suffered its first Conference Carolinas loss.
Pro football
Here’s the full Carolina Panthers schedule for the 2022 season:
Week 1, Sept. 11, Cleveland (L 24-26)
Week 2, Sept. 18, at N.Y. Giants (L 16-19)
Week 3, Sept. 25, New Orleans (W 22-14)
Week 4, Oct. 2, Arizona (L 16-26)
Week 5, Oct. 9, San Francisco (L 15-37)
Week 6, Oct. 16, at L.A. Rams (L 10-24)
Week 7, Oct. 23, Tampa Bay (W 21-3)
Week 8, Oct. 30, at Atlanta (L 34-37, OT)
Week 9, Nov. 6, at Cincinnati (L 21-42)
Week 10, Nov. 10, Atlanta (W 25-15)
Week 11, Nov. 20, at Baltimore (L 3-13)
Week 12, Nov. 27, Denver (W 23-10)
Week 13, Dec. 4, BYE
Week 14, Dec. 11, at Seattle, 4:25 p.m.
Week 15, Dec. 18, Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.
Week 16, Dec. 24, Detroit, 1 p.m.
Week 17, Jan. 1, at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Week 18, Jan. 7 or 8, at New Orleans, TBD
Middle school boys soccer
GASTON COUNTY CONFERENCE
(Playoffs)
-Monday, Dec. 5 semifinals
Stanley at Cramerton
Holbrook at Belmont
-Thursday, Dec. 8 championship
At highest seeded team
Middle School volleyball
GASTON COUNTY CONFERENCE
(Playoffs)
-Monday, Dec. 5 semifinals
Stanley at Mount Holly
Belmont at Cramerton
-Wednesday, Dec. 7 championship
At highest seeded team
Middle School wrestling
GASTON COUNTY CONFERENCE
Standings through Dec. 2:
Belmont 8-1
Cramerton 8-1
Stanley 8-1
W.C. Friday 6-3
Chavis 5-4
Grier 4-5
Holbrook 4-5
York Chester 4-5
Mount Holly 2-7
Southwest 1-9
Bessemer City 0-9
(Friday’s matches)
Belmont def. Mount Holly 90-18
Chavis def. Grier 79-18
Cramerton def. W.C. Friday 72-30
York Chester def. Southwest 60-54
(Dec. 6 matches)
Cramerton at Chavis, W.C. Friday at Bessemer City, Grier at Belmont, Holbrook at York Chester, Mount Holly at Stanley
END REGULAR SEASON