9-20-22 roundup: Pro baseball, football and soccer, High school football, College football and athletics, Middle school football and softball, Auto racing

By Richard Walker

The Gastonia Honey Hunters routed the High Point Rockers 12-1 on Monday night in the first game of the best-of-five Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Southern Division championship series at Gastonia’s CaroMont Health Park.

Gastonia, which went 88-44 in the regular and won the first- and second-half divisional titles, snapped a 1-all tie with a six-run fifth inning.

Herlis Rodriguez sparked the rally with a grand slam home run and finished with four hits and four RBIs. Jack Reinheimer (3 hits), Jake Skole (2 hits, 2 RBIs) and Luis Castro (2 hits, 1 RBI) also were big contributors to 15-hit Honey Hunters’ offensive attack.

Starter and winner John Anderson (5 innings) and four relievers combined on a 5-hitter for Gastonia, which hosts the second game of the series on Wednesday at 6:15 p.m.

—ALPB playoffs
(Southern Division championship vs. High Point: Best-of-5)
Sept. 20 Game 1 – Gastonia 12, High Point 1
Sept. 21 Game 2 – home at 6:15 p.m.
Sept. 23 Game 3 – away at 6:35 p.m.
Sept. 24 Game 4 (if necessary) – away at 6:35 p.m.
Sept. 25 Game 5 (if necessary) – away at 6:35 p.m.

(League championship vs. Southern Maryland-Lancaster winner: Best-of-5)
Sept. 27 Game 1
Sept. 28 Game 2
Sept. 30 Game 3
Oct. 1 Game 4 (if necessary)
Oct. 2 Game 5 (if necessary)

 

 

 

 

 

 

College football

Charlotte 49ers head coach Will Healy called a sack and caused fumble by former Huss standout Prince Bemah that resulted in Markees Watts’ 52-yard fumble return was the biggest play in his team’s 42-41 victory at Georgia State on Saturday.

The win gave Charlotte its first win of the season after an 0-3 start.

“I thought that was the bibgest play of the game,” Healy said during his school’s weekly news conference on Tuesday. “It was the first time of the year something happened really good for the defense and it changed the momentum of the game.”

Bemah, a 2019 Huss graduate, had seven total tackles in the victory and has 22 for the season that ranks him second on the Charlotte defense.

Here are some updates on other area college players:

Charleston Southern: Isaiah Bess (Shelby 2020) had 57 yards passing and T.J. Ruff (Crest 2021) 77 total yards in last week’s 40-17 loss to Eastern Kentucky. For the season, Bess has completed six of 16 passes for 60 yards in two games and Ruff has 101 yards rushing and 137 yards and one touchdown receiving for the Buccaneers (0-3).

Davidson: Mari Adams (Crest 2022) rushed for 33 yards and one touchdown in last week’s 56-6 win over St. Andrews for the Wildcats (2-1).

East Carolina: Devon King (South Point 2020) made three tackles in last week’s 49-10 win over Campbell and has five tackles in three games for the Pirates (2-1).

Gardner-Webb: Tyler Arrington (Shelby 2021) made three tackles in last week’s 30-24 loss to Elon and has 10 tackles in three games for the Bulldogs (1-2).

North Carolina: Former Kings Mountain standout Kobe Paysour had caught TD passes in the last two games and has 14 catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns in three games for the Tar Heels (3-0).

North Carolina A&T: Zach Leslie (Burns 2016) had three catches for 43 yards in last week’s 49-20 loss to Duke and has 10 catches for 140 yards for the Aggies (0-3).

This week’s NCAA Division I Carolinas schedule:

(Thursday’s games)
Coastal Carolina at Georgia State, 7:30 p.m.

(Saturday’s games)
Clemson at Wake Forest, noon
Duke at Kansas, noon
Furman at Charleston Southern, noon
Western Carolina at Samford, 3 p.m.
Notre Dame at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m.
James Madison at Appalachian State, 3:30 p.m.
Elon at William & Mary, 3:30 p.m.
Virginia Lynchburg at N.C. Central, 4 p.m.
Mercer at Gardner-Webb, 6 p.m.
Navy at East Carolina, 6 p.m.
Wofford at Kennesaw State, 6 p.m.
Davidson at Presbyterian, 7 p.m.
S.C. State at North Carolina A&T, 7 p.m.
Connecticut at N.C. State, 7:30 p.m.
Charlotte at South Carolina, 7:30 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

College athletics

The Atlantic Coast Conference Board of Directors, representing all 15 member institutions, on Tuesday announced the league office will relocate its headquarters to Charlotte in 2023. League offices had been in Greensboro since the league’s formation in 1953.

The new headquarters will be located in Uptown Charlotte as part of Legacy Union’s Bank of America Tower. The development includes the world headquarters of Honeywell and major corporate offices for Bank of America, Deloitte, JLL, Robinson Bradshaw and Parker Poe.

“The Board of Directors is pleased that the conference headquarters will be joining the Charlotte community and is quite excited about the long-term opportunities that will afford,” ACC Board of Directors Chair and Duke University President Vincent E. Price said in a news release. “The Board also recognizes and expresses our thanks for what has been a truly wonderful relationship with Greensboro over the last 70 years, and we appreciate the support shown by the state of North Carolina to have the league office remain in the state. We are grateful to the city of Charlotte and look forward to a flourishing partnership.”

Added ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips: “Today is a transformational day for the ACC and for our 15 world class institutions. We truly appreciate the state of North Carolina for its dedication to keeping the conference headquarters in the state, and the Charlotte leadership for their commitment and ongoing partnership. After a comprehensive, inclusive and deliberate process, the Board decided that Charlotte – an amazing and vibrant community – not only meets, but exceeds, the needs of the ACC. Our new home will provide both known and unknown benefits to our student-athletes, member schools and conference office staff. The decision to relocate from Greensboro was a difficult one, and the entire city and its first-class representatives will always hold an incredibly special place in the history and legacy of the ACC.”

The ACC and Charlotte have enjoyed a long partnership that includes the Queen City hosting a significant number of ACC events and championships.

The NFL Carolina Panthers’ Bank of America Stadium has hosted 11 ACC football championship games and is under contract to keep the game through 2030. The ACC men’s basketball tournament has been played in Charlotte 13 times, including 2008 and 2019 at the Spectrum Center. The ACC baseball tournament was held at the Class AAA Charlotte Knights’ Truist Field in 2021 and 2022 and is in discussions to host future tournaments. And the league has participated in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl since it began in 2002 at BoA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

High school football

(Friday’s games)
Bessemer City at Highland Tech
Cherryville at East Gaston
Community School of Davidson at Mountain Island Charter
Crest at Cramer
East Lincoln at Statesville
Forestview at Ashbrook
Huss at South Point
Kings Mountain at North Gaston
Newton-Conover at Lincolnton
North Lincoln at Hickory
Thomas Jefferson at Shelby
West Lincoln at Maiden
Off – Burns

(Other area games:)
Foard at West Iredell
St. Stephens at North Iredell
Bandys at East Burke
Bunker Hill at West Caldwell
Hough at Chambers
Hopewell at Mallard Creek
West Charlotte at West Meck
Palisades at Kell
Berry Academy at South Meck
Myers Park at Harding
Butler at Providence
Charlotte Catholic at Independence
Garinger at East Meck
Charlotte Country Day at Lake Norman Charter
East Rutherford at Chase
R-S Central at Brevard
Boiling Springs, S.C. at Clover, S.C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Middle school football

GASTON COUNTY CONFERENCE
Standings through Sept. 14 with division records followed by overall records:

(Division I)
Southwest 2-0, 3-1
Cramerton 1-1, 3-1

Grier 1-1, 2-2

Holbrook 0-1, 2-1

Mount Holly 0-1, 2-1

(Division II)
Belmont 2-0, 4-0
W.C. Friday 2-0, 2-2
Stanley 1-1, 1-2
York Chester 1-1, 1-3
Chavis 0-2, 0-3
Bessemer City 0-2, 0-4

(Wednesday’s games)
Bessemer City at Belmont
Cramerton at Southwest
W.C. Friday at Stanley
Holbrook at Mount Holly
York Chester at Chavis

TRI-COUNTY CONFERENCE
Standings through Sept. 15 with division records followed by overall records:

(West)
East Lincoln 1-0, 2-0
Lincolnton 1-0, 2-0
Kings Mountain 1-0, 1-1
North Lincoln 0-1, 1-1
West Lincoln 0-1, 1-1
Burns 0-1, 0-2

(East)
Crest 1-0, 2-0
R-S Central 1-0, 1-1
Thomas Jefferson 1-0, 1-1
Chase 0-1, 0-2
Shelby 0-1, 1-1
East Rutherford 0-1, 0-2

(Wednesday’s games)
Chase at East Rutherford
Kings Mountain at North Lincoln
Lincolnton at East Lincoln
R-S Central at Crest
Thomas Jefferson at Shelby
West Lincoln at Burns

 

 

 

 

 

 

Middle school softball

Standings through Sept. 15:

Belmont 6-0
Stanley 6-1
Mount Holly 5-1
Chavis 4-2
W.C. Friday 3-3
Holbrook 3-4
Bessemer City 2-4
Cramerton 2-4
Grier 1-5
Southwest 0-8

(Thursday’s games)
Grier at W.C. Friday
Holbrook at Cramerton
Mount Holly at Chavis
Southwest at Bessemer City
Stanley at Belmont

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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, 1 p.m.
Week 4, Oct. 2, Arizona, 4:05 p.m.
Week 5, Oct. 9, San Francisco, 4:05 p.m.
Week 6, Oct. 16, at L.A. Rams, 4:05 p.m.
Week 7, Oct. 23, Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Week 8, Oct. 30, at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Week 9, Nov. 6, at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Week 10, Nov. 9, Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Week 11, Nov. 20, at Baltimore, 1 p.m.
Week 12, Nov. 27, Denver, 1 p.m.
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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro soccer

Here’s the full Charlotte FC MLS schedule for the 2022 season (with results):

(12-17-2 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 (L 1-2)
May 7, Miami (W 1-0)
May 14, Montreal (L 0-2)
May 22, Vancouver (W 2-1)
May 29, at Seattle (L 1-2)
June 11, New York (W 2-0)
June 18, at Columbus (T 1-1)
June 25, at Montreal (L 1-2)
June 30, Austin (L 0-1)
July 3, at Houston (W 2-1)
July 9, Nashville (W 4-1)
July 16, at Miami (L 2-3)
July 23, at Toronto (L 0-4)
July 30, Columbus (suspended at 0-0 in 16th minute to Oct. 5)
August 3, D.C. (W 3-0)
August 6, Chicago (L 2-3)
August 13, at LAFC (L 0-5)
August 17, at New York City (W 3-1)
August 21, Orlando (L 1-2)
August 27, Toronto (L 0-2)
September 3, at Cincinnati (L 0-2)
September 10, New York City (W 1-0)
September 17, at Chicago (W 3-2)
October 1, Philadelphia, 5:30 p.m.
October 5, Columbus, 7 p.m.
October 9, at New York, 1 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auto racing

The 2022 NASCAR cup schedule (with winners):

Feb. 6 Busch Light Clash (Joey Logano)
Feb. 17 Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 (Brad Keselowski)
Feb. 17 Bluegreen Vacations Duel 2 (Chris Buescher)
Feb. 20 Daytona 500 (Austin Cindric)
Feb. 27 Wise Power 400 (Kyle Larson)
Mar. 6 Pennzoil 400 (Alex Bowman)
Mar. 13 Ruoff Mortgage (Chase Briscoe)
Mar. 20 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 (William Byron)
Mar. 27 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix (Ross Chastain)
Apr. 3 Toyota Owners (Denny Hamlin)
Apr. 9 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 (William Byron-2)
Apr. 17 Food City Dirt Race (Kyle Busch)
Apr. 24 Geico 500 (Ross Chastain-2)
May 2 DuraMAX Drydene 400 (Chase Elliott)
May 8 Goodyear 400 (Joey Logano)
May 15 AdventHealth 400 (Kurt Busch)
May 22 NASCAR All-Star Open (Daniel Suarez)
May 22 NASCAR All-Star (Ryan Blaney)
May 29 Coca-Cola 600 (Denny Hamlin-2)
June 5 Enjoy Illinois 300 (Joey Logano-2)
June 12 Toyota/Save Mart 350 (Daniel Suarez)
June 26 Ally 400 (Chase Elliott-2)
July 3 Kwik Trip 250 (Tyler Reddick)
July 10 Quaker State 400 (Chase Elliott-3)
July 17 Ambetter 301 (Christopher Bell)
July 24 NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono (Chase Elliott-4)
July 31 Verizon 200 at the Brickyard (Tyler Reddick-2)
Aug. 7 FireKeepers Casino 400 (Kevin Harvick)
Aug. 14 Federated Auto Parts 400 (Kevin Harvick-2)
Aug. 21 Go Bowling at The Glen (Kyle Larson-2)
Aug. 27-28 Coke Zero Sugar 400 (Austin Dillon)
Sept. 4 Cook Out Southern 500 (Erik Jones)
Sept. 11 Hollywood Casino 400 (Bubba Wallace)
Sept. 17 Bass Pro Shops Night Race (Chris Buescher)
Sept. 24 AutoTraderEchoPark Automotive 500
Oct. 2 YellaWood 500
Oct. 9 Bank of America ROVAL 400
Oct. 16 South Point 400
Oct. 23 Dixie Vodka 400
Oct. 30 Xfinity 500
Nov. 6 NASCAR Cup Series Championship