9-28-25 roundup: Pro baseball, football, soccer and basketball, College football and basketball, High school football, basketball and baseball, boys soccer, volleyball, tennis and basketball, Middle school football, softball and golf, Auto racing
By Richard Walker
The Carolina Panthers fell back into a disappointing recent pattern after their initial wins of the season on Sunday in a 42-13 blowout loss at New England.
After routing Atlanta 30-0 at home last week, Panthers players, coaches (and fans) were excited about the prospect of playing at the 1-2 Patriots and the upcoming schedule.
Instead – and after an impressive 7-play, 72-yard drive on the game’s opening drive gave Carolina an early 6-0 lead – New England and 2nd-year quarterback Drake Maye pounded the Panthers in all 3 phases of the game.
Notably, a special teams unit that shined in last week’s victory came undone on Sunday. It allowed 2 long punt returns – 1 for the Patriots’ 1st touchdown – and missed a field goal and an extra point.
The loss was the worst in the last 4 seasons after the Panthers picked up their initial victory after a slow start.
In 2022, Carolina started 0-2, won its 1st game, then lost 34-24 to Cincinnati to start a 3-game losing streak in a year that finished with a 7-10 record.
In 2023, the Panthers started 0-6, won their 1st game, then lost 27-13 to Indianapolis to start a 6-game losing streak in a 2-15 season.
And last season, Carolina started 0-2, won its 1st game, then lost 26-16 to Arizona to start a 5-game losing streak in a year the concluded at 5-12.
Another disturbing trend for the Panthers in their inability to win on the road; Carolina’s road loss Sunday marked its 19th true road defeat in the last 20 road games.
The only win was last year’s 36-22 victory at Las Vegas; The Panthers were the “home” team in last year’s 20-17 victory over the New York Giants in Munich, Germany.
Maye, a 2021 Myers Park High graduate, led New England’s 307-yard offense with 14 of 17 passes for 203 yards and 2 TDS and also ran for another TD.
The Carolina Panthers’ 2025 schedule:
-Preseason
Friday, Aug. 8 Cleveland Browns (L 10-30)
Saturday, Aug. 16 at Houston Texans (L 3-20)
Thursday, Aug. 21 Pittsburgh Steelers (L 10-19)
-Regular season
Sunday, Sept. 7 at Jacksonville Jaguars (L 10-26)
Sunday, Sept. 14 at Arizona Cardinals (L 22-27)
Sunday, Sept. 21 Atlanta Falcons (W 30-0)
Sunday, Sept. 28 at New England Patriots (L 13-42)
Sunday, Oct. 5 Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 12 Dallas Cowboys, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 19 at New York Jets, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 26 Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 2 at Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 9 New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 16 at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 24 at San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 30 Los Angeles Rams, 1 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 7 BYE WEEK
Sunday, Dec. 14 at New Orleans Saints, 4:25 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 21 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m.
Week 17 TBA, Dec. 25-29 Seattle Seahawks, TBA
Week 18 TBA, Jan. 3-4 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, TBA
High school football
Here are the results/upcoming schedule for Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties:
(Friday, Sept. 26)
Ashbrook 44, North Gaston 0
Forestview at Crest, suspended to Monday at 6:30 p.m. with Crest leading 7-0 in 1st quarter
South Point 53, Huss 6
East Gaston 42, Bessemer City 12
Shelby 51, Cramer 29
Lincolnton 56, Highland Tech 0
Burns 47, West Lincoln 19
East Lincoln 57, Bunker Hill 0
Hickory 49, North Lincoln 6
Corvian Community 52, Lincoln Charter 6
Mountain Island Charter 14, Albemarle 0
Idle – Cherryville, Kings Mountain
(Monday, Sept. 29)
Forestview at Crest, 6:30 p.m. (Crest leads 7-0 in 1st quarter when game resumes)
(Friday, Oct. 3)
Forestview at Huss
North Gaston at Kings Mountain
South Point at Crest
Bessemer City at Lincolnton
Burns at Cramer
East Gaston at Highland Tech
West Lincoln at Cherryville
East Lincoln at West Iredell
North Lincoln at Newton-Conover
Lincoln Charter at Langtree Charter
Mountain Island Charter at Thomas Jefferson
Idle – Ashbrook, Shelby
(Friday, Oct. 10)
Crest at Huss
Kings Mountain at Ashbrook
South Point at North Gaston
Cramer at West Lincoln
East Gaston at Cherryville
Highland Tech at Bessemer City
Shelby at Lincolnton
Bandys at North Lincoln
Foard at East Lincoln
Lincoln Charter at Community School of Davidson
Union Academy at Mountain Island Charter
Idle – Burns, Forestview
(Friday, Oct. 17)
Ashbrook at Forestview
Kings Mountain at South Point
North Gaston at Crest
Cherryville at Burns
Lincolnton at Cramer
Shelby at East Gaston
Highland Tech at West Lincoln
Hickory at East Lincoln
Cone Leadership at Mountain Island Charter
Idle – Bessemer City, Huss, Lincoln Charter, North Lincoln
(Friday, Oct. 24)
Crest at Ashbrook
Forestview at South Point
Huss at Kings Mountain
Bessemer City at Shelby
Cramer at Cherryville
Burns at Highland Tech
West Lincoln at East Gaston
East Lincoln at Maiden
North Lincoln at Bunker Hill
Lincoln Charter at Pine Lake Prep
Mountain Island Charter at South Stanly
Idle – Lincolnton, North Gaston
(Thursday, Oct. 30)
North Rowan at Mountain Island Charter
(Friday, Oct. 31)
Ashbrook at Huss
Crest at Kings Mountain
North Gaston at Forestview
Burns at Shelby
Cherryville at Bessemer City
Cramer at East Gaston
Lincolnton at West Lincoln
Foard at North Lincoln
Lake Norman Charter at Lincoln Charter
South Point at Ambassador Christian
Idle – East Lincoln, Highland Tech
Middle school football
Gaston County Conference standings thru Sept. 24:
-Division I Div. All PF-PA
Belmont 3-0 5-0 175-32
Holbrook 3-1 5-1 164-67
Grier 1-2 3-2 108-64
Southwest 1-2 2-3 70-36
Cramerton 0-3 0-5 36-142
-Division II Div. All PF-PA
Stanley 4-0 6-0 172-36
York Chester 3-1 4-2 190-60
Mount Holly 3-1 3-2 107-95
Chavis 1-3 1-5 38-226
Bessemer City 0-4 0-5 14-180
W.C. Friday 1-3 1-5 58-194
(Wednesday, October 1)
Stanley at Mount Holly, Belmont at Southwest, Grier at Cramerton, York Chester at Bessemer City, W.C. Friday at Chavis,
BYE – Holbrook
(Wednesday, October 8)
County Championship: Stanley, York Chester or Mount Holly at Belmont
Tri-County Conference standings thru Sept. 24:
-East Div. All PF-PA
Burns 4-0 5-0 158-44
Kings Mountain 4-0 5-0 138-12
Lincolnton 2-2 2-2 82-105
East Lincoln 1-3 2-3 66-86
West Lincoln 1-3 2-3 62-84
North Lincoln 0-4 1-4 41-110
-West Div. All PF-PA
Crest 3-0 4-1 131-74
Shelby 3-0 4-1 145-40
East Rutherford 2-2 2-3 102-107
Chase 0-3 1-3 44-140
R-S Central 0-3 0-4 14-130
(Tuesday, September 30)
Chase at R-S Central
(Wednesday, October 1)
Burns at Kings Mountain, North Lincoln at East Lincoln, West Lincoln at Lincolnton, Shelby at Crest, BYE – East Rutherford
(Wednesday, October 8)
Semifinals- West-2 at East-1, East-2 at West-1
(Wednesday, October 15)
Championship game at West
Middle school softball
Gaston County Conference standings thru Sept. 25:
Chavis 8-0
Belmont 6-2
Stanley 6-2
Mount Holly 5-3
Bessemer City 4-4
Cramerton 3-5
W.C. Friday 3-5
Holbrook 1-7
Southwest 0-8
(Monday, September 29)
Semifinals: No. 4 (Mount Holly) at No. 1 (Chavis), No. 3 (Stanley) at No. 2 (Belmont)
(Thursday, October 2)
Finals: Semifinals winner at highest remaining seed
Middle school golf
Gaston County Conference standings through Sept. 25:
Cramerton 7-0
W.C. Friday 7-1
Belmont 6-2
Stanley 5-2
Chavis 4-4
Mount Holly 3-5
Bessemer City 1-6-1
Holbrook 0-7-1
Southwest 0-6
(Tuesday, September 30)
County championship at Cherryville CC
Pro soccer
The Charlotte FC MLS team’s 2025 schedule:
(17-13-2 record)
Saturday, Feb. 22 at Seattle (T 2-2)
Saturday, March 1 Atlanta (W 2-0)
Sunday, March 9 at Miami (L 0-1)
Saturday, March 15 Cincinnati (W 2-0)
Saturday, March 22 San Jose (W 4-1)
Saturday, March 29 at Colorado (L 0-2)
Saturday, April 5 Nashville (W 2-1)
Saturday, April 12 at Montreal (W 1-0)
Saturday, April 19 San Diego (W 3-0)
Saturday, April 26 New England (L 0-1)
Saturday, May 3 at Columbus (L 2-4)
Saturday, May 10 at Nashville (L 1-2)
Wednesday, May 14 at Orlando (L 1-3)
Saturday, May 17 Chicago (L 1-4)
Saturday, May 24 Columbus (W 3-2)
Wednesday, May 28 at NY Red Bulls (L 2-4)
Saturday, May 31 at Toronto (W 2-0)
Saturday, June 14 at Philadelphia (L 1-2)
Wednesday, June 25 at Kansas City (L 1-2)
Saturday, June 28 at Chicago (L 2-3)
Saturday, July 5 Orlando (T 2-2)
Saturday, July 12 New York (W 2-0)
Wednesday, July 16 DC (W 2-1)
Saturday, July 19 at Atlanta (W 3-2)
Saturday, July 26 Toronto (W 2-0)
Sunday, Aug. 10 at Cincinnati (W 1-0)
Saturday, Aug. 16 Real Salt Lake (W 1-0)
Sunday, Aug. 24 NY Red Bulls (W 1-0)
Saturday, Aug. 30 at New England (W 2-1)
Saturday, Sept. 13 Miami (W 3-0)
Saturday, Sept. 20 at New York (L 0-2)
Saturday, Sept. 27 Montreal (L 1-4)
Saturday, October 4 at DC 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 18 Philadelphia 6 p.m.
(U.S. Open Cup 2025)
Tuesday, May 6 North Carolina FC (W 4-1)
Wednesday, May 21 at D.C. United (L 3-3, 1-2 penalty kicks)
(Leagues Cup 2025)
Thursday, July 31 FC Juárez (L 1-4)
Sunday, Aug. 3 C.D. Guadalajara (L 2-2, 2-4 penalty kicks)
Thursday, Aug. 7 C.F. Monterrey (W 2-0)
College football
Here are the Carolinas’ NCAA Division I football results/schedule:
(Thursday, Sept. 25)
East Carolina 28, Army 6
(Saturday, Sept. 27)
Duke 38, Syracuse 3
Georgia Tech 30, Wake Forest 29 (OT)
Presbyterian 41, Morehead State 0
Elon 41, Hampton 20
Furman 31, Samford 13
Maine 37, North Carolina A&T 30
Western Carolina 42, Campbell 35
The Citadel 28, Chattanooga 10
Charleston Southern 31, S.C. State 24
N.C. Central 50, East Texas A&M 42
Virginia Tech 23, N.C. State 21
Boise State 47, Appalachian State 14
South Carolina 35, Kentucky 13
(Friday, Oct. 3)
Charlotte at South Florida, 7 p.m.
(Saturday, Oct. 4)
Clemson at North Carolina, noon
Davidson at Stetson, 1 p.m.
Charleston Southern at Gardner-Webb, 1:30 p.m.
Wake Forest at Virginia Tech, 1 p.m.
Savannah State at S.C. State, 1:30 p.m.
Western Carolina at Wofford, 1:30 p.m.
Campbell at N.C. State, 2 p.m.
North Carolina A&T at William & Mary, 3:30 p.m.
Elon at Towson, 4 p.m.
Coastal Carolina at Old Dominion, 6 p.m.
Duke at California, 10:30 p.m.
(Thursday, Oct. 9)
East Carolina at Tulane, 7:30 p.m.
(Saturday, Oct. 11)
Charlotte at Army, noon
Presbyterian at Butler, 1 p.m.
St. Thomas-Minnesota at Davidson, 1 p.m.
S.C. State at North Carolina A&T, 1 p.m.
Norfolk State at Wofford, 1:30 p.m.
Campbell at Hampton, 2 p.m.
Valdosta State at The Citadel, 2 p.m.
Villanova at Elon, 2 p.m.
Furman at Western Carolina, 2:30 p.m.
Gardner-Webb at Eastern Illinois, 3 p.m.
N.C. State at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.
Wake Forest at Oregon State, 3:30 p.m.
Tennessee Tech at Charleston Southern, 4 p.m.
Appalachian State at Georgia State, TBD
Clemson at Boston College, TBD
N.C. Central at Florida A&M, TBD
UL Monroe at Coastal Carolina, TBD
South Carolina at LSU, TBD
(Thursday Oct. 16)
Tulsa at East Carolina, 7:30 p.m.
(Friday, Oct. 17)
North Carolina at California, 10:30 p.m.
(Saturday, Oct. 18)
Furman at Wofford, noon
Davidson at Drake, 1 p.m.
Stetson at Presbyterian, 1 p.m.
Tennessee-Martin at Gardner-Webb, 1:30 p.m.
Western Carolina at The Citadel, 2 p.m.
Elon at William & Mary, 3:30 p.m.
New Hampshire at Campbell, 3:30 p.m.
Charleston Southern at Western Illinois, 4 p.m.
Coastal Carolina at Appalachian State, TBD
Georgia Tech at Duke, TBD
Oklahoma at South Carolina, TBD
SMU at Clemson, TBD
Temple at Charlotte, TBD
Pro baseball
-Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Playoffs
SOUTH DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP (Best-of-5)
Sept. 20 at Gastonia – Gastonia 6-4
Sept. 21 at Gastonia – High Point 8-5
Sept. 23 at High Point – High Point 6-2
Sept. 24 at High Point – Gastonia 4-2
Sept. 25 at High Point – High Point 8-1 (High Point wins series 3-2)
NORTH DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP (Best-of-5): Lancaster vs. York
Sept. 20 at York – York 6-2
Sept. 21 at York – York 4-3
Sept. 23 at Lancaster – York 6-3 (York wins series 3-0)
LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (Best-of-5): Gastonia-High Point winner vs. York
Sept. 27 at York – York 2-0
Sept. 28 at York, 6:30 p.m.
Sept. 30 at High Point, 7 p.m.
Oct. 1 (if necessary) at High Point, 7 p.m.
Oct. 2 (if necessary) at High Point, 7 p.m.
Auto racing
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Playoff Field was set on Aug. 23 and is comprised of the following: Denny Hamlin (4 wins)
Shane van Gisbergen (4 wins), Kyle Larson (3 wins), Christopher Bell (3 wins), William Byron (2 wins), Ryan Blaney (2 wins),
Chase Elliott (2 wins), Chase Briscoe (1 win), Bubba Wallace (1 win), Joey Logano (1 win), Ross Chastain (1 win), Austin Cindric (1 win), Josh Berry (1 win), Austin Dillon (1 win), Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman.
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule with * indicating the in-season tournament and # including the playoffs:
Date Race / Track Broadcast partner Winner
Feb. 2 Clash at Bowman Gray FOX Sports (Chase Elliott)
Feb. 16 Daytona 500 FOX Sports (William Byron)
Feb. 23 Atlanta FOX Sports (Christopher Bell)
March 2 Circuit of The Americas FOX Sports (Bell-2)
March 9 Phoenix FOX Sports (Bell-3)
March 16 Las Vegas FOX Sports (Josh Berry)
March 23 Homestead-Miami FOX Sports (Kyle Larson)
March 30 Martinsville FOX Sports (Denny Hamlin)
April 6 Darlington FOX Sports (Hamlin-2)
April 13 Bristol FOX Sports (Larson-2)
April 20 Off
April 27 Talladega FOX Sports (Austin Cindric)
May 4 Texas FOX Sports (Joey Logano)
May 11 Kansas FOX Sports (Larson-3)
May 18 North Wilkesboro (ASR) FOX Sports (Bell-4)
May 25 Charlotte Prime Video (Ross Chastain)
June 1 Nashville Prime Video (Ryan Blaney)
June 8 Michigan Prime Video (Hamlin-2)
June 15 Mexico City Prime Video (Shane van Gisbergen)
June 22 Pocono Prime Video (Chase Briscoe)
June 28 (Sat.) Atlanta * TNT Sports (Elliott-2)
July 6 Chicago * TNT Sports (van Gisbergen-2)
July 13 Sonoma * TNT Sports (van Gisbergen-3)
July 20 Dover * TNT Sports (Hamlin-3)
July 27 Indianapolis * TNT Sports (Bubba Wallace)
Aug. 3 Iowa NBC Sports (Byron-2)
Aug. 10 Watkins Glen NBC Sports (van Gisbergen-4)
Aug. 16 (Sat.) Richmond NBC Sports (Austin Dillon)
Aug. 23 (Sat.) Daytona NBC Sports (Blaney-2)
Aug. 31 Darlington # NBC Sports (Briscoe-2)
Sept. 7 World Wide Tech Raceway # NBC Sports (Hamlin-4)
Sept. 13 (Sat.) Bristol # NBC Sports (Bell-5)
Sept. 21 New Hampshire # NBC Sports (Blaney-3)
Sept. 28 Kansas # NBC Sports (Elliott-3)
Oct. 5 Charlotte Roval # NBC Sports
Oct. 12 Las Vegas # NBC Sports
Oct. 19 Talladega # NBC Sports
Oct. 26 Martinsville # NBC Sports
Nov. 2 Phoenix Championship # NBC Sports