2-1-23 roundup: Pro basketball, football, baseball and soccer, High school basketball and wrestling, Middle school basketball, College football and basketball

By Richard Walker

Cherryville High School added two more trophies last weekend when its cheerleading team won its 24th and 25th state championships.

The Ironmen cheerleaders won the North Carolina Cheerleading Coaches Association on Saturday at North Raleigh Christian Academy. Cherryville took titles in the Varsity D2 Game Day Division and the Small Varsity D2 Traditional Division.

Members of the 2023-23 Cherryville cheerleading squad are seniors Sarah Eaker, Kylie Reynolds, Lani Philbeck, Anna Leigh Jones, Kendall Chupp and Payton Godfrey, sophomores Ava Miller, Avery Beam, Chloee Stroupe, Landyn McBride and Camryn Cash and freshmen Abi Canipe, Faith McNeill and Bailey Owens.

The Ironmen coaches are Wendy Holt, Heather Porter, Tammy Wilson and Sierra Alexander.

Cherryville has won 10 previous N.C. High School Athletic Association state titles (in 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 spring gameday, 2021 fall gameday, 2021 fall traditional and 2022) and 15 NCCCA state titles (in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 game day, 2021 traditional, 2022, 2023 game day and 2023 traditional).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro baseball

Former Charlotte Knights player Justin Jirschele was officially introduced as Charlotte Knights manager for the upcoming 2023 season.

Jirschele, 32, played for the Knights in 2014 and 2015, and will become the 24th manager in franchise history and the third former Knights player to manage the team.

Skinner, the all-time winningest manager in franchise history, played for the Knights in 1994 and managed the club for four seasons from 2012-2015 and Capra played for the Knights in 1995 and managed the team for three seasons (2002-2004).

Joining Jirschele in Charlotte for the 2023 season will be returnee Matt Zaleski (Knights pitching coach & White Sox assistant pitching coordinator) and newcomers Cam Seitzer (hitting coach), Hyeon Kim (trainer) and George Timke (performance coach). Former Knights pitcher Donnie Veal will serve as an assistant pitching coordinator in the entire White Sox system.

Zaleski and Jirschele were teammates on the Knights’ first season at Truist Field in Uptown Charlotte in 2014. The two also served together as manager (Jirschele) and hitting coach (Zaleski) with Class A Kannapolis in 2017 and Class A Winston-Salem in 2019.

Jirschele is a native of Clintonville, Wisc., who enters his seventh season in the Chicago White Sox organization.

He made his managerial debut in 2021 with the Class AA Birmingham Barons and guided the club to a 62-56 record, falling just a half game shy of clinching a postseason berth. In two seasons with the Barons, Jirschele posted 123 wins. Prior to his time with Birmingham, Jirschele led Kannapolis to playoff appearances in both seasons as manager (2017-18). He made his coaching debut in 2016 as the hitting coach at Kannapolis.

 

 

 

 

 

College football

The ACC announced its 2022 All-ACC Academic team on Tuesday.

It’s led by Jim Tatum Award winner Dillan Gibbons of Florida State and 14 ACC Football member institutions were represented on the team. Clemson led all schools with 29 selections, followed by Duke (25), Virginia (24), Virginia Tech (24) and Pitt (22).

It also includes three local products – 2020 North Lincoln High graduate Sam Brady of Virginia (Applied Statistics major) and 2018 Shelby High graduate Dax Hollifield (Human Nutrition major) and 2021 Shelby High graduate Jack Hollifield of Virginia Tech (Sport Media Analytics major).

Dax Hollifield is one of seven three-time honorees in the ACC on this year’s team.

Academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic team are a 3.0-grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. Additionally, players must compete in at least 50 percent of their team’s contests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

High school basketball

(Wednesday’s games)
-BOYS
Kings Mountain 67, Forestview 60 (Tuesday): Bradley Floyd had 18 points and Tucker Robinette 17 for Kings Mountain and Nate Aguilar and Nico Aguilar had 16 points apiece for Forestview.

-GIRLS
Huss 48, Highland Tech 31

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

High school wrestling

(Wednesday’s matches)
-Western N.C. 2A regionals at Lincolnton HS
Semifinals
No. 1 seed Newton-Conover defeated No. 12 seed Lincolnton 31-27
No. 11 seed Bandys defeated No. 10 seed West Lincoln 35-29
Final
Newton-Conover defeated Bandys 36-33 (advances to Saturday’s 4 p.m. state championship at the Greensboro Coliseum Field House)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro basketball

Here’s the 2022-23 Charlotte Hornets schedule:

(15-37 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 (L 117-119)
7 at Brooklyn (L 116-122)
9 New York (L 102-121)
11 at Philadelphia (L 113-131)
14 Detroit (L 134-141, OT)
16 Atlanta (L 106-125)
18 at Denver (L 115-119)
19 at Sacramento (W 125-119)
21 at L.A. Clippers (L 105-126)
23 at L.A. Lakers (W 134-130)
26 at Portland (L 113-124)
27 at Golden State (L 105-110)
29 Oklahoma City (W 121-113)
31 Brooklyn (L 106-123)
January
2 L.A. Lakers (L 115-121)
4 Memphis (L 107-131)
6 at Milwaukee (W 138-109)
8 at Indiana (L 111-116)
10 at Toronto (L 120-132)
12 at Toronto (L 114-124)
14 Boston (L 106-122)
16 Boston (L 118-130)
18 at Houston (W 122-117)
21 at Atlanta (W 122-118)
23 at Utah (L 102-120)
24 at Phoenix (L 97-128)
26 Chicago (W 111-96)
29 Miami (W 122-117)
31 at Milwaukee (L 115-124)
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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Middle school basketball

Gaston County Conference standings through Jan. 30:

-BOYS
Belmont 3-0
Southwest 3-0
Mount Holly 2-0
York Chester 2-1
Grier 1-1
Holbrook 1-1
Chavis 1-2
Cramerton 1-2
Stanley 1-2
Bessemer City 0-3
W.C. Friday 0-3

-GIRLS
Belmont 3-0
Holbrook 2-0
Mount Holly 2-0
Southwest 2-1
Stanley 2-1
Chavis 1-2
Cramerton 1-2
W.C. Friday 1-2
York Chester 1-2
Grier 0-2
Bessemer City 0-3

(Thursday’s games)
Belmont at Southwest, Bessemer City at Mount Holly, Chavis at Holbrook, Cramerton at Grier, York Chester at Stanley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

College basketball

(Wednesday’s games)
Gardner-Webb 67, Charleston Southern 59: Kareem Reid and Anthony Selden had 15 points apiece as the Runnin’ Bulldogs (12-11, 7-4) won their fourth straight Big South Conference game.

Belmont Abbey 75, Erskine 61: Mason Taylor had 20 points as the Crusaders (14-8, 10-4) picked up the Conference Carolinas road victory.

Spartanburg Methodist 72, Gaston College 62: DaMarco Watson and Jordan Guthrie had 15 points apiece for the Rhinos (12-5, 2-2) in the road Region 10 loss.

(Thursday’s games)
Florida International at Charlotte
Queens at Lipscomb

(Saturday’s games)
Davidson at Massachusetts
Florida Atlantic at Charlotte
Francis Marion at Belmont Abbey
Gaston College at Caldwell Tech
Presbyterian at Gardner-Webb
Queens at Austin Peay

 

 

 

 

College baseball

Belmont Abbey 7, Lenoir-Rhyne 2: The Crusaders opened their season with a road win at No. 16 Lenoir-Rhyne as Ben Ferguson had three hits, including a home run in the top of the first inning. Belmont Abbey next plays a three-game series at Coker that starts on Friday at 4 pm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro football

Here’s the 2022-23 NFL playoff schedule:

-Wild Card weekend
Jan. 14-16
(AFC)
No. 1 Kansas City – bye
No. 5 L.A. Chargers at Jacksonville – Jacksonville 31-30
No. 7 Miami at No. 2 Buffalo – Buffalo 34-31
No. 6 Baltimore at No. 3 Cincinnati – Cincinnati 24-17

(NFC)
No. 1 Philadelphia – bye
No. 7 Seattle at No. 2 San Francisco – San Francisco 41-23
No. 6 N.Y. Giants at No. 3 Minnesota – N.Y. Giants 31-24
No. 5 Dallas at No. 4 Tampa Bay – Dallas 31-14

-Confererence semifinals
Jan. 21-22
(AFC)
No. 4 Jacksonville at No. 1 Kansas City – Kansas City 27-20
No. 3 Cincinnati at No. 2 Buffalo – Cincinnati 27-10

(NFC)
No. 6 N.Y. Giants at No. 1 Philadelphia – Philadelphia 38-7
No. 5 Dallas at No. 2 San Francisco – San Francisco 19-12

-Conference championship games
Jan. 29
NFC – No. 2 San Francisco at No. 1 Philadelphia – Philadelphia 31-7
AFC – No. 3 Cincinnati at No. 1 Kansas City – Kansas City 23-20

-Super Bowl
Feb. 12
At Glendale, Ariz. – Philadelphia vs. Kansas City, 6:30 p.m. (FOX)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro soccer

Charlotte FC 3, DC United 2: CLTFC won its first match of the Coachella Valley Invitational as Kerwin Vargas, McKinze Gaines, and Karol Swiderski all scored goals.