3-25-22 roundup: Pro basketball and soccer, College basketball and softball, High school baseball, softball and track, College football
By Richard Walker
To call the current NFL offseason a rollercoaster would be an understatement.
For the Carolina Panthers, that’s been unmistakably true as head coach Matt Rhule and general manager Scott Fitterer have tried to reshape a roster that ended last season 5-12 to complete a franchise-worst fourth straight losing season.
This offseason, Carolina has been linked to many transactions – most notably embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson – before making several moves to reshape its roster in a NFC South Division that’s seen a multitude of moves.
On Friday, Fitterer met with the media to discuss what the team has done so far this offseason.
“Our whole focus is to get the whole team right,” Fitterer said. “Last year, we came in and kind of reset that defense and rebuilt that defense, and we added some pieces this year. We’ve rebuilt this offense, we have a much better offensive line. We’ve got the running backs, the skill positions, the receivers. Eventually it’s going to get to the point where you drop a quarterback in, and guys just take off. That’s what we’re building towards, and I think we’re a lot closer this year than we have been the last year or two.”
Given the current nature of the NFL where the quarterback position is any team’s most important position, the Panthers’ decision to get rid of Cam Newton after nine seasons in 2019, Teddy Bridgewater after one season in 2020 and so publicly pursue Watson after Sam Darnold’s first season with the Panthers in 2021 raised a lot of questions.
Predictably, Fitterer sidestepped most questions about the team’s failed pursuit of Watson – the Houston Texans eventually traded him to the Cleveland Browns – but did say he did not discuss the team’s pursuit of Watson with Darnold.
It means that, for now, the 24-year-old Darnold – he turns 25 in June – will enter the 2022 season as the projected starter.
Here’s what Fitterer said of his team’s quarterback situation: “Ideally you have a young guy that you can drop in there. That’s the most cost-efficient way to do it – and surround him with better talent.”
With a 17-32 record as a starting quarterback for the New York Jets (2018-20) and the Panthers (2021), Darnold will have a lot of pressure on him to keep the starting spot.
Fitterer even said Rhule had discussed the possibility of Newton – who was signed in the middle of last season when Darnold got injured – could return in 2022.
Fitterer also thinks the Panthers – despite four straight losing records (7-9, 5-11, 5-11 and 5-12) since the 11-5 playoff team of 2017 – have enhanced their reputation among NFL players.
“Some players are attracted when you go after it,” Fitterer said. “One thing I’ve learned through this process (from) talking to a lot of agents (is) they like the aggressiveness we have. They like that we’re going for it. They like the fact we have an owner (David Tepper) that’s aggressive. They like that this is a great place to live and a place that should be very desirable, and a place you want to be. That’s some of the feedback that I’ve gotten.
“I’m excited about where this is at.”
Next up for the Panthers will be the April 28-30, 2022 NFL Draft in Paradise, Nev.; Carolina currently has six picks – No. 6 overall in the first round, No. 108 in fourth round, No. 144 and 159 in the fifth round, No. 199 in the sixth round and No. 247 in the seventh round.
After that, the NFL will release its 2022 schedule on May 11.
Carolina has nine home games and eight road games for the 2022 season; Carolina will host Atlanta, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Arizona, San Francisco, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Denver and play on the road at Atlanta, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle, Baltimore, Cincinnati and New York Giants.
High school baseball
(Friday’s results)
Forestview 10, Ashbrook 8
Crest 17, Cramer 1 (5 innings): Starter Colby Humphries got the with Tyler Smart finishing in relief and Vari Green (3 doubles) and Zack Rayfield (two hits) led the offense for Crest.
South Point 8, Huss 0
Kings Mountain 4, North Gaston 2
Burns 11, Bessemer City 0 (5 innings)
Cherryville 17, Thomas Jefferson 0 (5 innings): Starting pitcher Eli Newsome got the victory for Cherryville.
Shelby 4, East Gaston 3
North Lincoln 7, Foard 3
St. Stephens 6, East Lincoln 5: Isaac Armstrong (12 strikeouts in 5 1-3 innings), Garrett Michel (2-3, home run, 2 RBIs), Gavin Houser (1-4, home run, 2 RBIs), Evan Matile (2-3, 1 RBI) and Aiden Perkins (1-1) led East Lincoln. And Michel’s home run was his 10th of the season and set a new East Lincoln High School record; Scott Garrett was the previous record-holder with nine in 1992.
Maiden 13, Lincolnton 9
Lincoln Charter 10, Mountain Island Charter 0 (5 innings)
Gaston Christian 10, Gaston Day 2
(Saturday’s game)
Surry Central at Shelby
High school softball
(Friday’s results)
Cramer 18, Ashbrook 0 (3 innings)
Forestview 15, Huss 0 (3 innings)
Crest 10, North Gaston 4: Aidan Ledbetter (11 strikeouts), Jaylen Ledbetter (4 hits, 2 home runs), Alexis Shope (2 hits), Mackenzie Clark (2 hits) and Mackenzi Luckenbaugh (3 walks) led Crest.
Kings Mountain 17, South Point 1 (5 innings)
Burns 16, Bessemer City 0: Chloe Hull (no-hitter with five strikeouts), Maura Pendleton (3-4, double, 2 RBIs, 2 stolen bases), Meah Ivie (2-4, 2 RBIs) and Hunter Morgan (2-2, double, 4 RBIs) led Burns.
Cherryville 18, Thomas Jefferson 2
East Lincoln 6, St. Stephens 0: Leah Correll (5-hit shutout), Taniyah Thomas (2 singles, 1 run, 2 RBIs, 2 stolen bases), Taliyah Thomas (2 singles, 2 runs, stolen base), Betsy Eatmon (single, double, 3 RBIs), Madison Currence (2 singles, 1 run, stolen base), Tatum Martin (2 singles, 1 run) and Jaelyn Freeston (single, 1 run) led East Lincoln.
West Lincoln 7, East Burke 5
Charlotte Christian 14, Gaston Christian 0 (5 innings)
College football
Cramer’s Amir Waddell has signed to play football at Methodist College.
High school track
Big South 3A Conference (Thursday): Kings Mountain’s girls won a four-team meet against Forestview, Crest and Huss with 108 1-2 points. Kings Mountain first-place finishers were:
4×400 Relay team of Divinity Ervin, Sindy Ulloa, Carly Evans and Thalia Kushman, Kushman in 800, 1600, Ervin in 3200, Nydria Watkins in discus and Kinley Putnam in pole vault.
College basketball
The full pairings of the 2022 NCAA tournament:
FIRST FOUR (at Dayton, Ohio)
(March 15)
MIDWEST: No. 16 Texas Southern 76, No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 67
EAST: No. 12 Indiana 66, No. 12 Wyoming 58
(March 16)
WEST: No. 11 Notre Dame 89, No. 11 Rutgers 87, 2 OT
SOUTH: No. 16 Wright State 93, No. 16 Bryant 82
FIRST ROUND
EAST REGION
(March 17 at Fort Worth, Tex.)
No. 1 Baylor 85, No. 16 Norfolk State 49
No. 8 North Carolina 95, No. 9 Marquette 63
(March 17 at Portland, Ore.)
No. 5 Saint Mary’s 82, No. 12 Indiana 53
No. 4 UCLA 57, No. 13 Akron 53
(March 18 at Milwaukee, Wisc.)
No. 6 Texas 81, No. 11 Virginia Tech 73
No. 3 Purdue 78, No. 14 Yale 56
(March 17 at Indianapolis, Ind.)
No. 7 Murray State 92, No. 10 San Francisco 87, OT
No. 15 Saint Peter’s 85, No. 2 Kentucky 79, OT
(March 19)
No. 8 North Carolina 93, No. 1 Baylor 86, OT
No. 4 UCLA 72, No. 5 St. Mary’s 56
No. 15 Saint Peter’s 70, No. 7 Murray State 60
(March 20)
No. 3 Purdue 81, No. 6 Texas 71
(March 25 at Philadelphia, Pa.)
No. 8 North Carolina 73, No. 4 UCLA 66
No. 15 Saint Peter’s 67, No. 3 Purdue 64
(March 27)
No. 8 North Carolina vs. No. 15 Saint Peter’s, 5:05 p.m. CBS
SOUTH REGION
(March 18 at San Diego, Cal.)
No. 1 Arizona 87, No. 16 Wright State 70
No. 9 TCU 69, No. 8 Seton Hall 42
(March 18 at Pittsburgh, Pa.)
No. 5 Houston 82, No. 12 UAB 68
No. 4 Illinois 54, No. 13 Chattanooga 53
(March 17 at Indianapolis, Ind.)
No. 11 Michigan 75, No. 6 Colorado State 63
No. 3 Tennessee 88, No. 14 Longwood 56
(March 18)
No. 7 Ohio State 54, No. 10 Loyola, Chicago 41
No. 2 Villanova 80, No. 15 Delaware 60
(March 19)
No. 11 Michigan 76, No. 3 Tennessee 68
(March 20)
No. 1 Arizona 85, No. 9 TCU 80, OT
No. 5 Houston 68, No. 4 Illinois 53
No. 2 Villanova 71, No. 7 Ohio State 61
(March 24 at San Antonio, Tex.)
No. 5 Houston 72, No. 1 Arizona 60
No. 2 Villanova 63, No. 11 Michigan 55
(March 26)
No. 2 Villanova vs. No. 5 Houston, 6:09 TBS
MIDWEST REGION
(March 17 at Fort Worth, Tex.)
No. 1 Kansas 83, No. 16 Texas Southern 56
No. 9 Creighton 72, No. 8 San Diego 69, OT
(March 17 at Buffalo, N.Y.)
No. 12 Richmond 67, No. 5 Iowa 63
No. 4 Providence 66, No. 5 South Dakota State 57
(March 18 at Milwaukee, Wisc.)
No. 11 Iowa State 59, No. 6 LSU 54
No. 3 Wisconsin 67, No. 14 Colgate 60
(March 18 at Greenville, S.C.)
No. 10 Miami, Fla. 68, No. 7 USC 66
No. 2 Auburn 80, No. 15 Jacksonville State 61
(March 19)
No. 1 Kansas 79, No. 9 Creighton 72
No. 4 Providence 79, No. 12 Richmond 51
(March 20)
No. 11 Iowa State 54, No. 3 Wisconsin 49
No. 10 Miami, Fla. 79, No. 2 Auburn 61
(March 25 at Chicago, Ill.)
No. 1 Kansas 66, No. 4 Providence 61
No. 10 Miami, Fla. 70, No. 11 Iowa State 56
(March 27)
No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 10 Miami, Fla., 2 p.m. CBS
WEST REGION
(March 17 at Portland, Ore.)
No. 1 Gonzaga 93, No. 16 Georgia State 72
No. 9 Memphis 64, No. 8 Boise State 53
(March 17 at Buffalo, N.Y.)
No. 12 New Mexico State 70, No. 5 UConn 63
No. 4 Arkansas 75, No. 13 Vermont 71
(March 18 at San Diego, Cal.)
No. 11 Notre Dame 78, No. 6 Alabama 64
No. 3 Texas Tech 97, No. 14 Montana State 62
(March 18 at Greenville, S.C.)
No. 7 Michigan State 74, No. 10 Davidson 73
No. 2 Duke 78, No. 15 Cal State Fullerton 61
(March 19)
No. 1 Gonzaga 82, No. 9 Memphis 78
No. 4 Arkansas 53, No. 12 New Mexico State 48
(March 20)
No. 3 Texas Tech 59, No. 11 Notre Dame 53
No. 2 Duke 85, No. 7 Michigan State 76
(March 24 at San Francisco, Cal.)
No. 4 Arkansas 74, No. 1 Gonzaga 68
No. 2 Duke 78, No. 3 Texas Tech 73
(March 26)
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 4 Arkansas, 8:49 TBS
College softball
Gaston College 9-14, Wake Tech 5-5: Serena Yelich had the program’s first five-hit game in a 9-5 victory in the opener and finished with a team-high seven hits in the first doubleheader sweep in Rhinos’ history. Other standouts for the Rhinos in the sweep were Raynee Redington (two pitching wins, three hits), Emma Sattison (four hits, six RBIs, two home runs, two doubles), Emily Matthews (five hits, four RBIs, home run, double), Gracie Frazeur (three hits), Kayleigh Dockery (two hits), McKenzie Plaskin (two hits, home run) and McKenzie Gates (two hits).
Pro basketball
The Charlotte Hornets continued strengthening their postseason playoff position with a 107-101 win over the Utah Jazz to complete a five-game homestand with a 4-1 record.
The Hornets (38-36), who have won six of their last seven games, have a magic number of three to wrap up a berth in the NBA play-in tournament and are currently seeded ninth in the Eastern Conference.
In Friday’s win, Miles Bridges (26 points, 11 rebounds), Terry Rozier (25 points), LaMelo Ball (21 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists) and Mason Plumlee (11 rebounds) led Charlotte.
Here is the Charlotte Hornets’ full regular season schedule (with results):
OCTOBER
Wed. 20 INDIANA (W 123-122)
Fri. 22 at Cleveland (W 123-112)
Sun. 24 at Brooklyn (W 111-95)
Mon. 25 BOSTON (L 129-140, OT)
Wed. 27 at Orlando (W 120-111)
Fri. 29 at Miami (L 99-114)
Sun. 31 PORTLAND (W 125-113)
NOVEMBER
Mon. 1 CLEVELAND (L 110-113)
Wed. 3 at Golden State (L 92-114)
Fri. 5 at Sacramento (L 110-140)
Sun. 7 at LA Clippers (L 106-120)
Mon. 8 at L.A. Lakers (L 123-126, OT)
Wed. 10 at Memphis (W 118-108)
Fri. 12 NEW YORK (W 104-96)
Sun. 14 GOLDEN STATE (W 106-102)
Wed. 17 WASHINGTON (W 97-87)
Fri. 19 INDIANA (W 121-118)
Sat. 20 at Atlanta (L 105-115)
Mon. 22 at Washington (W 109-103)
Wed. 24 at Orlando (W 108-99)
Fri. 26 MINNESOTA (W 133-115)
Sat. 27 at Houston (L 143-146, OT)
Mon. 29 at Chicago (L 119-133)
DECEMBER
Wed. 1 at Milwaukee (L 125-127)
Sun. 5 at Atlanta (W 130-127)
Mon. 6 PHILADELPHIA (L 124-127, OT)
Wed. 8 PHILADELPHIA (L 106-110)
Fri. 10 SACRAMENTO (W 124-123)
Mon. 13 at Dallas (L 96-120)
Wed. 15 at San Antonio (W 131-115)
Fri. 17 at Portland (L 116-125)
Sun. 19 at Phoenix (L 106-137)
Mon. 20 at Utah (L 102-112)
Thu. 23 at Denver (W 115-107)
Mon. 27 HOUSTON (W 123-99)
Wed. 29 at Indiana (W 116-108)
JANUARY
Sun. 2 PHOENIX (L 99-133)
Mon. 3 at Washington (L 121-124)
Wed. 5 DETROIT (W 140-111)
Sat. 8 MILWAUKEE (W 114-106)
Mon. 10 MILWAUKEE (W 103-99)
Wed. 12 at Philadelphia (W 109-98)
Fri. 14 ORLANDO (L 109-116)
Mon. 17 at New York (W 97-87)
Wed. 19 at Boston (W 111-102)
Fri. 21 OKLAHOMA CITY (W 121-98)
Sun. 23 ATLANTA (L 91-113)
Tue. 25 at Toronto (L 113-125)
Wed. 26 at Indiana (W 158-126)
Fri. 28 L.A. LAKERS (W 117-114)
Sun. 30 LA CLIPPERS (L 90-115)
FEBRUARY
Wed. 2 at Boston (L 107-113)
Fri. 4 CLEVELAND (L 101-102)
Sat. 5 MIAMI (L 86-104)
Mon. 7 TORONTO (L 101-116)
Wed. 9 CHICAGO (L 109-121)
Fri. 11 at Detroit (W 141-119)
Sat. 12 MEMPHIS (L 118-125)
Tue. 15 at Minnesota (L 120-126, OT)
Thu. 17 MIAMI (L 107-111, 2 OT)
Fri. 25 TORONTO (W 125-93)
Sun. 27 DETROIT (L 126-127, OT)
Mon. 28 at Milwaukee (L 106-130)
MARCH
Wed. 2 at Cleveland (W 119-98)
Sat. 5 SAN ANTONIO (W 123-117)
Tue. 8 BROOKLYN (L 121-132)
Wed. 9 BOSTON (L 101-115)
Fri. 11 at New Orleans (W 142-120)
Mon. 14 at Oklahoma City (W 134-116)
Wed. 16 ATLANTA (W 116-106)
Sat. 19 DALLAS (W 129-108)
Mon. 21 NEW ORLEANS (W 106-103)
Wed. 23 NEW YORK (L 106-121)
Fri. 25 UTAH (W 107-101)
Sun. 27 at Brooklyn 7:30
Mon. 28 DENVER 7:00
Wed. 30 at New York 7:30
APRIL
Sat. 2 at Philadelphia 12:30
Tue. 5 at Miami 7:30
Thu. 7 ORLANDO 7:00
Fri. 8 at Chicago 8:00
Sun. 10 WASHINGTON TBD
Pro soccer
Here’s the full Charlotte FC schedule for the 2022 season (with results):
Feb. 26 at D.C. (L 0-3)
March 5, L.A. (L 0-1)
March 13, at Atlanta (L 1-2)
March 19, New England (W 3-1)
March 26, Cincinnati, 6 p.m.
April 4, at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
April 10, Atlanta, 1:30 p.m.
April 16, at New England, 7:30 p.m.
April 23, at Colorado, 9 p.m.
April 30, at Orlando, 7:30 p.m.
May 7, Miami, 3:30 p.m.
May 14, Montreal, 7 p.m.
May 22, Vancouver, 5 p.m.
May 29, at Seattle, 9:30 p.m.
June 11, New York, 3 p.m.
June 18, at Columbus, 7:30 p.m.
June 25, at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
June 30, Austin, 7 p.m.
July 3, at Houston, 8:30 p.m.
July 9, Nashville, 7 p.m.
July 16, at Miami, 8 p.m.
July 23, at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
July 30, Columbus, 7 p.m.
August 3, D.C., 7 p.m.
August 6, Chicago, 7 p.m.
August 13, at LAFC, 10:30 p.m.
August 17, at New York City, TBD
August 21, Orlando, 7 p.m.
August 27, Toronto, 7 p.m.
September 3, at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
September 10, New York City, 7 p.m.
September 17, at Chicago, 8 p.m.
October 1, Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
October 9, at New York, TBD