4-28-22 roundup: Pro football, baseball, basketball and soccer, High school baseball and softball, College athletics, Middle school baseball and girls soccer
By Richard Walker
The Carolina Panthers stayed at No. 6 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft and chose a local player.
Carolina selected N.C. State offensive tackle Ikem Okwunu, who played high school football at Providence Day. Ekwonu is the first N.C. State player drafted by the Panthers in their history.
Carolina has five more selections barring trades in the next two days.
Carolina Panthers 2022 NFL Draft
Round 1 (6th selection) Ikem Okwunu – N.C. State
Round 4 (137th selection)
Round 5 (144th selection)
Round 5 (149th selection)
Round 6 (199th selection)
Round 7 (242nd selection)
2022 schedule (Official schedule release date May 12)
Home games (9): Atlanta, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Arizona, San Francisco, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Denver
Road games (8): Atlanta, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, L.A. Rams, Seattle, Baltimore, Cincinnati, N.Y. Giants
Another local former prep standout was selected in the first round when the Philadelphia Eagles selected defensive tackle Jordan Davis with the No. 13 overall selection; Davis played for national champion Georgia last fall and is a 2018 Mallard Creek HIgh graduate.
College athletics
Gardner-Webb launched a new logo following six months of research and interviews with more than 500 Gardner-Webb stakeholders. Working with VPCo in Charlotte, N.C., the University’s revitalized athletic brand is drawn from historical graphics dating back to before the 1960s and updated with a fresh, custom look.
“Distinctive, Fresh, Bold, and Confident…those were among the qualities that we prioritized when we set out to take our Runnin’ Bulldog to the next level,” Gardner-Webb President William Downs said in a school news release. “Watching VPCo work to design something special for our student-athletes and for our fans has been pure fun. I love the new look! It’s big, it’s authentic, it’s fierce, and it’s got swagger. I can’t wait to see our sports venues transformed, our uniforms enlivened, and our new Dawg recognized everywhere we compete.”
The University Marketing Council recommended this rebrand work to Downs in July 2021, because the last GWU athletic brand update was more than 35 years ago. Additionally, the current bulldog logo has become less distinctive over the years and has been adapted into numerous “clip art” illustrations across the internet. However, loyal fans of the logo will be assured that the present graphic is not going away, but it is being retired and will be used for “retro” and “throwback” promotions.
HS baseball
(Thursday’s games)
Crest 10, Huss 0: Winning pitcher Colby Humphries, Dalton Cooper (3-3, home run, 5 RBIs), Brayden Blaylock (2-2, home run), Cole Drewery (1 hit) and Clayton Brown (1 hit) led Crest.
Piedmont CC 2, Bradford Prep 1
Charlotte Latin 11, Gaston Day 1 (5 innings)
East Gaston 13, Lincolnton 3
East Gaston 3, North Gaston 1 (Wednesday): Dylan Howell (winning pitcher), Elijah Sutherland (save), Aiden Cloninger (2 hits) and Jaxon Cloninger (2 hits) led East Gaston. East Gaston junior varsity also defeated North Gaston 10-6 behind winning pitcher Dylan Wright to finish with an 11-4 record.
(Friday’s games)
Ashbrook at Kings Mountain
Forestview at South Point
North Gaston at Cramer
Bessemer City at Cherryville
Burns at Shelby
Highland Tech at Thomas Jefferson
North Iredell at East Lincoln
West Iredell at North Lincoln
West Lincoln at Lincolnton
Gaston Day at Northside Christian
Hickory Grove Christian at Gaston Christian
Lincoln Charter at Christ the King
Langtree Charter at Mountain Island Charter
High school softball
(Thursday’s games)
Cramer 7, Kings Mountain 6
Piedmont CC 10, Bradford Prep 0 (4 innings): Grace East (3 hits, triple, home run, 2 RBIs), Ashton Kenna (1 hit, home run, 4 RBIs) and Julianna East (1-hitter, 8 strikeouts, 1 hit, 1 RBI) led Piedmont Community Charter.
Maiden 3, Lincoln Charter 2
(Friday’s games)
North Gaston at Huss
South Point at Ashbrook
East Gaston at Forestview
Bessemer City at Cherryville
Burns at Shelby
Thomas Jefferson at Highland Tech
North Iredell at East Lincoln
West Iredell at North Lincoln
West Lincoln at Lincolnton
Gaston Christian at Hickory Grove Christian
Langtree Charter at Mountain Island Charter
Lincoln Charter at Myers Park
High school tennis
Six teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties will be competing in the N.C. High School Athletic Association boys tennis dual team playoffs that begin on Wednesday.
Here are the April 27 first round results:
Class 3A No. 4 South Point (11-0) hosts No. 13 Rockingham County (9-2) – South Point 9-0
Class 3A No. 11 Crest (10-1) at No. 6 West Henderson (12-1) – Crest 7-1
Class 2A No. 1 Lincolnton (7-0) hosts No. 16 East Surry (11-6) – East Surry 5-4
Class 2A No. 6 Lincoln Charter (8-1) hosts No. 11 West Stanly (8-6) – Lincoln Charter 6-0
Class 2A No. 8 Burns (9-4) hosts No. 9 Swannanoa Owen (8-5) – Burns 7-2
Class 1A No. 13 Cherryville (4-9) at No. 4 Kernersville Bishop McGuinness (12-3) – Bishop McGuinness 9-0
Here are the May 3 second round pairings:
Class 3A No. 4 South Point (12-0) hosts No. 5 Winston-Salem Atkins (11-0)
Class 3A No. 11 Crest (11-1) at No. 3 Hickory (11-0)
Class 2A No. 8 Burns (10-4) hosts No. 16 East Surry (12-6)
Class 2A No. 6 Lincoln Charter (9-1) visits No. 3 West Stokes (12-0)
Winners of second round matchups advance to third round on May 9. The regional finals are on May 11 and state championships are on May 14 at the Burlington Tennis Center.
Middle school baseball
(Thursday’s game)
W.C. Friday 7, Cramerton 4: Blake Mitchell (6 1-3 innings, winning pitcher, 2 hits, 2 runs), Andrew Hardy (2-3 innings, save), Elijah Cunningham (4 hits, 2 RBIs), Camden Kannupp (2 hits) and Jordan Cunningham (2 hits, 2 RBIs) led W.C. Friday.
Holbrook 11, Bessemer City 5: Winning pitcher Michael Bradbury (4 hits), Aiden Smith (2 hits), Hayden Wilson (2 hits), David Proulx (2 hits), Rylan Barber (2 hits), Gavin Robinson (1 hit), A.J. McClain (1 hit) and Keola Ondayog (1 hit) led Holbrook.
(Monday, May 2)
Bessemer City at W.C. Friday
Chavis at Cramerton
Grier at Belmont
Stanley at Mount Holly
York Chester at Holbrook
(Tuesday, May 3)
Cramerton at Southwest
(Thursday, May 5)
Chavis at Bessemer City
Cramerton at Belmont
Grier at Stanley
Holbrook at Southwest
W.C. Friday at York Chester
END REGULAR SEASON
Middle school girls soccer
(Thursday’s game)
Holbrook 3, Bessemer City 0: Shamiya McCoy (2 goals) led Holbrook.
(Monday, May 2)
Bessemer City at W.C. Friday
Chavis at Cramerton
Grier at Belmont
Stanley at Mount Holly
York Chester at Holbrook
(Tuesday, May 3)
Cramerton at Southwest
(Thursday, May 5)
Chavis at Bessemer City
Cramerton at Belmont
Grier at Stanley
Holbrook at Southwest
W.C. Friday at York Chester
END REGULAR SEASON
Pro basketball
Here’s the schedule for the NBA playoffs:
(Eastern Conference)
FIRST ROUND
1-Miami vs. 8-Atlanta
Game 1 at Miami: April 17 (Miami 115-91)
Game 2 at Miami: April 19 (Miami 115-105)
Game 3 at Atlanta: April 22 (Atlanta 111-110)
Game 4 at Atlanta: April 24 (Miami 110-86)
Game 5 at Miami: April 26 (Miami 97-94, Miami wins series 4-1)
4-Philadelphia vs. 5-Toronto
Game 1 at Philadelphia: April 16 (Philadelphia 131-111)
Game 2 at Philadelphia: April 18 (Philadelphia 112-97)
Game 3 at Toronto: April 20 (Philadelphia 104-101)
Game 4 at Toronto: April 23 (Toronto 110-102)
Game 5 at Philadelphia: April 25 (Toronto 103-88)
Game 6 at Toronto: April 28 (Philadelphia 132-97, Philadelphia wins series 4-2)
2-Boston vs. 7-Brooklyn
Game 1 at Boston: April 17 (Boston 115-114)
Game 2 at Boston: April 20 (Boston 114-107)
Game 3 at Brooklyn: April 23 (Boston 109-103)
Game 4 at Brooklyn: April 25 (Boston 116-112, Boston wins series 4-0)
3-Milwaukee vs. 6-Chicago
Game 1 at Milwaukee: April 17 (Milwaukee 93-86)
Game 2 at Milwaukee: April 20 (Chicago 114-110)
Game 3 at Chicago: April 22 (Milwaukee 111-81)
Game 4 at Chicago: April 24 (Milwaukee 119-95)
Game 5 at Milwaukee: April 27 (Milwaukee 116-100, Milwaukee wins series 4-1)
SEMIFINALS
1-Miami vs. 4-Philadelphia
Game 1 at Miami: May 2
Game 2 at Miami: May 4
Game 3 at Philadelphia: May 6
Game 4 at Philadelphia: May 8
Game 5 at Miami (if necessary): May 10
Game 6 at Philadelphia (if necessary): May 12
Game 7 at Miami (if necessary): May 15
2-Milwaukee vs. 3-Boston
Game 1 at Milwaukee: May 1
Game 2 at Milwaukee: May 3
Game 3 at Boston: May 7
Game 4 at Boston: May 9
Game 5 (if necessary) at Milwaukee: May 11
Game 6 (if necessary) at Boston: May 13
Game 7 (if necessary) at Milwaukee: May 15
(Western Conference)
FIRST ROUND
1-Phoenix vs. 8-New Orleans
Game 1 at Phoenix: April 17 (Phoenix 110-99)
Game 2 at Phoenix: April 19 (New Orleans 125-114)
Game 3 at New Orleans: April 22 (Phoenix 114-111)
Game 4 at New Orleans: April 24 (New Orleans 118-103)
Game 5 at Phoenix: April 26 (Phoenix 112-97)
Game 6 at New Orleans: April 28 (Phoenix 115-109, Phoenix wins series 4-2)
4-Dallas vs. 5-Utah
Game 1 at Dallas: April 16 (Utah 99-93)
Game 2 at Dallas: April 18 (Dallas 110-104)
Game 3 at Utah: April 21 (Dallas 126-118)
Game 4 at Utah: April 23 (Utah 100-99)
Game 5 at Dallas: April 25 (Dallas 102-77)
Game 6 at Utah: April 28 (Dallas 98-96, Dallas wins series 4-2)
2-Memphis vs. 7-Minnesota
Game 1 at Memphis: April 16 (Minnesota 130-117)
Game 2 at Memphis: April 19 (Memphis 124-96)
Game 3 at Minnesota: April 21 (Memphis 104-95)
Game 4 at Minnesota: April 23 (Minnesota 119-118)
Game 5 at Memphis: April 26 (Memphis 111-109)
Game 6 at Minnesota: April 29
Game 7 (if necessary) at Memphis: May 1
3-Golden State vs. 6-Denver
Game 1 at Golden State: April 16 (Golden State 123-107)
Game 2 at Golden State: April 18 (Golden State 126-106)
Game 3 at Denver: April 21 (Golden State 118-113)
Game 4 at Denver: April 24 (Denver 126-121)
Game 5 at Golden State: April 27 (Golden State 102-98, Golden State wins 4-1)
SEMIFINALS
1-Phoenix vs. 4-Dallas
Game 1 at Phoenix: May 2
Game 2 at Phoenix: TBD
Game 3 at Dallas: TBD
Game 4 at Dallas: TBD
Game 5 at Phoenix (if necessary): TBD
Game 6 at Dallas (if necessary): TBD
Game 7 at Phoenix (if necessary): TBD
2-Memphis/7-Minnesota vs. 3-Golden State
Game 1 at TBD: May 1 or May 3
Game 2 at TBD: TBD
Game 3 at TBD: TBD
Game 4 at TBD: TBD
Game 5 at TBD (if necessary): TBD
Game 6 at TBD (if necessary): TBD
Game 7 at TBD (if necessary): TBD
Pro soccer
Here’s the full Charlotte FC schedule for the 2022 season (with results):
(3-5-1 record)
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 (W 2-0)
April 2, at Philadelphia (L 0-2)
April 10, Atlanta (W 1-0)
April 16, at New England (L 1-2)
April 23, at Colorado (T 0-0)
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
Pro baseball
The Gastonia Honey Hunters won their sixth straight game in a 6-4 victory over the Wild Health Genomes of Kentucky.
The full Gastonia Honey Hunters’ 2022 schedule (Games times 6:15 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 4:15 on Sunday):
April (6-1)
21 Lancaster, Pa. (L 2-5)
22 Lancaster, Pa. (W 4-3)
23 Lancaster, Pa. (W 8-1)
24 Lancaster, Pa. (W 13-4)
26 Wild Health, Ky. (W 12-1)
27 Wild Health, Ky. (W 17-4)
28 Wild Health, Ky. (W 6-4)
29 Staten Island
30 Staten Island
May
1 Staten Island
3 at York, Pa.
4 at York, Pa.
5 at York, Pa.
6 at Staten Island
7 at Staten Island
8 at Staten Island
10 at So. Maryland
11 at So. Maryland
12 at So. Maryland
13 at Staten Island
14 at Staten Island
15 at Staten Island
17 So. Maryland
18 So. Maryland
19 So. Maryland
20 Charleston, W.Va.
21 Charleston, W.Va.
22 Charleston, W.Va.
24 at Lancaster, Pa.
25 at Lancaster, Pa.
26 at Lancaster, Pa.
27 at Long Island
28 at Long Island
29 at Long Island
30 at Long Island
31 Long Island
June
1 Long Island
2 Long Island
3 at High Point
4 at High Point
5 at High Point
7 at Charleston, W.Va.
8 at Charleston, W.Va.
9 at Charleston, W.Va.
10 High Point
11 High Point
12 High Point
14 Charleston, W.Va.
15 Charleston, W.Va.
16 Charleston, W.Va.
17 at Lexington, Ky.
18 at Lexington, Ky.
19 at Lexington, Ky.
21 Charleston, W.Va.
22 Charleston, W.Va.
23 Charleston, W.Va.
24 at So. Maryland
25 at So. Maryland
26 at So. Maryland
28 Wild Health, Ky.
29 Wild Health, Ky.
30 Wild Health, Ky.
July
1 at Lexington, Ky.
2 at Lexington, Ky.
3 at Lexington, Ky.
4 High Point
5 High Point
6 at High Point
7 at High Point
8 High Point
9 High Point
10 High Point
12 at Wild Health, Ky.
13 at Wild Health, Ky.
14 at Wild Health, Ky.
15 Lexington, Ky.
16 Lexington, Ky.
17 Lexington, Ky.
19 at York, Pa.
20 at York, Pa.
21 at York, Pa.
22 at High Point
23 at High Point
24 at High Point
26 Lexington, Ky.
27 Lexington, Ky.
28 Lexington, Ky.
29 York, Pa.
30 York, Pa.
31 York, Pa.
August
2 at Lexington, Ky.
3 at Lexington, Ky.
4 at Lexington, Ky.
5 High Point
6 High Point
7 High Point
9 Staten Island
10 Staten Island
11 Staten Island
12 at High Point
13 at High Point
14 at High Point
16 So. Maryland
17 So. Maryland
18 So. Maryland
19 High Point
20 High Point
21 High Point
23 at Charleston, W.Va.
24 at Charleston, W.Va.
25 at Charleston, W.Va.
26 at High Point
27 at High Point
28 at High Point
30 High Point
31 High Point
September
1 High Point
2 Wild Health, Ky.
3 Wild Health, Ky.
4 Wild Health, Ky.
6 at Wild Health, Ky.
7 at Wild Health, Ky.
8 at Wild Health, Ky.
9 Lexington, Ky.
10 Lexington, Ky.
11 Lexington, Ky.
13 at High Point
14 at High Point
15 at High Point
16 at Charleston, W.Va.
17 at Charleston, W.Va.
18 at Charleston, W.Va.