1-6-25 roundup: Pro football, soccer and basketball, High school basketball and football, College football and basketball
By Richard Walker
The Carolina Panthers know their upcoming first round draft position as well as their 2025-26 opponents following the end of the 2024-25 regular season Sunday.
The Panthers, who won 2 of their last 3 games to finish 5-12 overall, with pick No. 8 overall in the first round. Carolina also will have the Los Angeles Rams’ 2nd round pick, their own 3rd and 4th round selections, the Dallas Cowboys’ 4th round pick, their own 5th round selection and picks from the New York Giants (5th round), Baltimore Ravens (5th round) and Arizona Cardinals (7th round).
The 2025 NFL Draft is April 24 through 26 at Green Bay’s historic Lambeau Field.
As for who the Panthers play in the 2025-26 season, they will play home-and-home against NFC South Division rivals Atlanta, New Orleans and Tampa Bay, they also host the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys and they will visit the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Green Bay Packers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The 2024-25 NFL schedule was announced on May 15.
High school football
HighSchoolOT.com recently did what it called “a way-too-early statewide Top 25” for the 2025 football season in North Carolina.
No. 1 is West Charlotte, which is coming off a surprising 3A state title led by a roster dominated by sophomores and juniors.
Defending 4A champion Greensboro Grimsley is No. 2 since national No. 1 overall recruit Faizon Brandon will be a senior quarterback next season.
West Charlotte will be an 8A team in North Carolina’s new 8-classification system with Grimsley 7A.
Teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties are No. 11 Crest (5A), No. 18 Shelby (3A), No. 19 Ashbrook (6A).
Others considered from the area include East Lincoln (5A), Kings Mountain (6A) and North Lincoln (5A).
Here’s the complete poll (with last year’s record in parentheses):
1. West Charlotte (13-2)
2. Grimsley (16-0)
3. Weddington (13-1)
4. Providence Day (9-3)
5. Hough (12-2)
6. Cardinal Gibbons (12-2)
7. Mooresville (11-2)
8. Rolesville (14-2)
9. Richmond (10-3)
10. Reagan (6-5)
11. Crest (10-3)
12. Millbrook (11-2)
13. Reidsville (11-1)
14. Clayton (10-2)
15. Independence (10-2)
16. West Forsyth (8-4)
17. Hoggard (12-2)
18. Shelby (11-3)
19. Ashbrook (10-3)
20. Clyde Erwin (10-2)
21. Leesville Road (10-2)
22. Tarboro (14-1)
23. Myers Park (4-6)
24. Terry Sanford (9-3)
25. Kinston (9-5)
The Next 25 Considered
(In alphabetical order)
Charlotte Catholic (9-3)
Cleveland (13-1)
Dudley (13-1)
East Forsyth (13-1)
East Lincoln (7-4)
Garner (8-4)
Havelock (12-2)
Hickory (14-1)
J.H. Rose (5-9)
Jacksonville (12-2)
Jay M. Robinson (12-1)
Kings Mountain (9-3)
Lake Norman (7-4)
Laney (6-5)
Mallard Creek (10-3)
Monroe (15-0)
New Bern (9-3)
North Lincoln (12-2)
Northeastern (15-1)
Northern Nash (10-1)
Northwest Guilford (9-3)
Page (3-8)
Seventy-First (15-1)
Southeast Raleigh (7-4)
Southern Durham (10-3)
Pro football
The 2024-25 NFL playoff schedule:
(Wild Card weekend – Jan. 11-13)
-AFC
No. 1 Kansas City – bye
(Saturday, Jan. 11)
No. 5 L.A. Chargers at No. 4 Houston, 4:30 p.m.
No. 6 Pittsburgh at No. 3 Baltimore, 8 p.m.
(Sunday, Jan. 12)
No. 7 Denver at No. 2 Buffalo, 1 p.m.
-NFC
No. 1 Detroit – bye
(Sunday, Jan. 12)
No. 7 Green Bay at No. 2 Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m.
No. 6 Washington at No. 3 Tampa Bay, 8 p.m.
(Monday, Jan. 13)
No. 5 Minnesota at No. 4 L.A. Rams, 8 p.m.
(Conference semifinals – Jan. 18-19)
-AFC
Lowest remaining seed at No. 1 Kansas City
Other 2 Jan. 11-12 winners
-NFC
Lowest remaining seed at No. 1 Detroit/Minnesota winner
Other 2 Jan. 12-13 winners
(Conference finals – Jan. 26)
(Super Bowl – Feb. 9 at New Orleans)
AFC champion vs. NFC champion
High school basketball
Here are area results and schedule:
(Friday, Jan. 3)
-BOYS
Bessemer City 86, East Gaston 61
Burns 70, Cherryville 33
Thomas Jefferson 51, Highland Tech 35
East Lincoln 99, Statesville 74
Hickory 80, North Lincoln 78
Shelby 58, Kings Mountain 53
South Point 79, Cox Mill 76
Piedmont CC 81, Sugar Creek 74
-GIRLS
Bessemer City 68, East Gaston 28
Burns 75, Cherryville 25
Thomas Jefferson 62, Highland Tech 11
East Lincoln 59, Statesville 13
North Lincoln 73, Hickory 55
Shelby 53, Kings Mountain 15
South Point 55, Cox Mill 44
Piedmont Community Charter 66, Sugar Creek 18: Bree Phillips had 19 points, Allasha Houser 13 and Aniya Jones 10 for Piedmont.
(Saturday, Jan. 4)
-BOYS
Crest 72, Asheville 58
-Phenom Hoops Ambassador Classic at Ambassador Christian
Gaston Day 57, Carolina International 52: Dylan Bradley (16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists), Braylen Todd (15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals) and Griffen Simpson (11 points, 6 rebounds) led Gaston Day.
Gaston Christian 57, Zebulon Heritage Christian 51: Cameron Newman (38 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals) led Gaston Christian.
-GIRLS
Asheville 51, Crest 35
Team Australia at Shelby
(Tuesday, Jan. 7)
Cramer at North Gaston
Crest at Huss
Kings Mountain at Ashbrook
South Point at Forestview
Cherryville at East Gaston
Shelby at Bessemer City
Thomas Jefferson at Burns
North Lincoln at North Iredell
West Iredell at East Lincoln
Bandys at Lincolnton
Bunker Hill at West Lincoln
Lincoln Charter at Langtree Charter
Pine Lake Prep at Mountain Island Charter
Piedmont CC at Valor Prep
Concord Academy at Gaston Christian
(Wednesday, Jan. 8)
Langtree Charter at Highland Tech
South Point at Catawba Ridge, S.C.
(Friday, Jan. 10)
Cramer at South Point
Crest at Ashbrook
Huss at Kings Mountain
North Gaston at Forestview
Bessemer City at Cherryville
East Gaston at Thomas Jefferson
Highland Tech at Shelby
East Lincoln at Foard
North Lincoln at St. Stephens
Polk County at Burns
Lincolnton at West Caldwell
Newton-Conover at West Lincoln
Mountain Island Charter at Langtree Charter
Pine Lake Prep at Lincolnton Charter
Piedmont CC at Carolina International
Gaston Christian at Westminster Catawba
Gaston Day at SouthLake Christian
(Saturday, Jan. 11)
Lincoln Charter at Combine Academy
(Monday, Jan. 13)
Gaston Day at Gaston Christian
(Tuesday, Jan. 14)
Ashbrook at Forestview
Crest at Cramer
Huss at South Point
North Gaston at Kings Mountain
Burns at Bessemer City
Cherryville at Highland Tech
Shelby at East Gaston
East Lincoln at St. Stephens
Foard at North Lincoln
East Burke at Lincolnton
West Caldwell at West Lincoln
Lincoln Charter at Bradford Prep
Mountain Island Charter at Corvian Community
Piedmont CC at Jackson Day
Westminster Catawba at Gaston Day
(Wednesday, Jan. 15)
Shelby at Crest
(Friday, Jan. 17)
Cramer at Huss
Forestview at Kings Mountain
North Gaston at Ashbrook
South Point at Crest
Bessemer City at Highland Tech
Burns at East Gaston
Thomas Jefferson at Shelby
North Iredell at East Lincoln
West Iredell at North Lincoln
Piedmont CC at Cherryville
East Burke at West Lincoln
Maiden at Lincolnton
Christ the King at Lincoln Charter
Mountain Island Charter at Bradford Prep
Gaston Christian at Concord Academy
Gaston Day at Hickory Grove Christian
Pro basketball
Here is the Charlotte Hornets full 2024-25 results and schedule:
-Regular season
(*-Emirates Cup games)
OCTOBER
Wed. 23 at Houston (W 110-105)
Fri. 25 at Atlanta (L 120-125)
Sat. 26 MIAMI (L 106-114)
Wed. 30 TORONTO (W 138-133)
NOVEMBER
Fri. 1 BOSTON (L 109-124)
Sat. 2 BOSTON (L 103-113)
Mon. 4 at Minnesota (L 93-114)
Wed. 6 DETROIT (W 108-107)
Fri. 8 INDIANA (W 103-83)
Sun. 10 at Philadelphia (L 105-107 in OT)
Tue. 12 at Orlando* (L 89-114)
Sat. 16 MILWAUKEE (W 115-114)
Sun. 17 at Cleveland (L 114-128)
Tue. 19 at Brooklyn* (L 115-116)
Thu. 21 DETROIT (W 123-121 in OT)
Sat. 23 at Milwaukee (L 119-125)
Mon. 25 ORLANDO (L 84-95)
Wed. 27 MIAMI (L 94-98)
Fri. 29 NEW YORK* (L 98-99)
Sat. 30 ATLANTA 6:00 (L 104-107)
DECEMBER
Tue. 3 PHILADELPHIA* (L 104-110)
Thu. 5 at New York (L 101-125)
Sat. 7 CLEVELAND (L 102-116)
Sun. 8 at Indiana (W 113-109)
Fri. 13 at Chicago (L 95-109)
Mon. 16 Philadelphia (L 108-121)
Thu. 19 at Washington (L 114-123)
Fri. 20 at Philadelphia (L 98-108)
Mon. 23 HOUSTON (L 101-114)
Thu. 26 at Washington (L 110-113)
Sat. 28 OKLAHOMA CITY (L 94-106)
Mon. 30 CHICAGO (L 108-115 in OT)
JANUARY
Fri. 3 at Detroit (L 94-98 )
Sun. 5 at Cleveland (W 105-115)
Tue. 7 PHOENIX 7:00
Thu. 9 at L.A. Lakers 10:30
Sat. 11 at LA Clippers 10:30
Sun. 12 at Phoenix 9:00
Wed. 15 at Utah 9:00
Fri. 17 at Chicago 9:30
Mon. 20 DALLAS 12:00
Wed. 22 at Memphis 8:00
Fri. 24 PORTLAND 7:00
Sat. 25 NEW ORLEANS 7:00
Mon. 27 L.A. LAKERS 7:00
Wed. 29 BROOKLYN 7:00
Fri. 31 LA CLIPPERS 7:00
FEBRUARY
Sat. 1 DENVER 7:00
Mon. 3 WASHINGTON 7:00
Wed. 5 MILWAUKEE 7:00
Fri. 7 SAN ANTONIO 7:00
Sun. 9 at Detroit 1:00
Mon. 10 at Brooklyn 7:30
Wed. 12 at Orlando 7:00
Thu. 20 at Denver 9:00
Sat. 22 at Portland 10:00
Mon. 24 at Sacramento 10:00
Tue. 25 at Golden State 10:00
Thu. 27 at Dallas 8:30
MARCH
Sat. 1 WASHINGTON 6:00
Mon. 3 GOLDEN STATE 7:00
Wed. 5 MINNESOTA 7:00
Fri. 7 CLEVELAND 7:00
Sat. 8 BROOKLYN 6:00
Mon. 10 at Miami 7:30
Wed. 12 at Atlanta 7:30
Fri. 14 at San Antonio 8:00
Tue. 18 ATLANTA 7:00
Thu. 20 NEW YORK 7:00
Fri. 21 at Oklahoma City 8:00
Sun. 23 at Miami 6:00
Tue. 25 ORLANDO 7:00
Fri. 28 at Toronto 7:30
Sun. 30 at New Orleans 7:00
Mon. 31 UTAH 7:00
APRIL
Wed. 2 at Indiana 7:00
Fri. 4 SACRAMENTO 7:00
Sun. 6 CHICAGO 1:00
Tue. 8 MEMPHIS 7:00
Wed. 9 at Toronto 7:30
Fri. 11 at Boston 7:30
Sun. 13 at Boston 1:00
College basketball
Here are the area men’s results and schedule:
(Monday, Jan. 6)
J.C. Smith at Bluefield State, ppd., no date
(Tuesday, Jan. 7)
Cleveland CC at Catawba Valley CC
Gaston College at Converse JV
(Wednesday, Jan. 8)
Belmont Abbey at Converse
Florida Atlantic at Charlotte
Winthrop at Gardner-Webb
(Thursday, Jan. 9)
J.C. Smith at Elizabeth City State
Queens at Lipscomb
(Saturday, Jan. 11)
Charlotte at Tulsa
Cleveland CC at Bryant & Stratton, Va.
Emmanuel at Belmont Abbey
Fordham at Davidson
Gardner-Webb at High Point
Pitt CC at Gaston College
Queens at Austin Peay
(Sunday, Jan. 12)
Pitt CC at Cleveland CC
(Monday, Jan. 13)
J.C. Smith at Fayetteville State
(Tuesday, Jan. 14)
Charlotte at Wichita State
(Wednesday, Jan. 15)
Davidson at LaSalle
Gardner-Webb at Radford
Gaston College at Denmark Tech
Lees-McRae at Belmont Abbey
Southwest Virginia at Cleveland CC
(Thursday, Jan. 16)
Queens at Stetson
(Saturday, Jan. 18)
Belmont Abbey at UNC Pembroke
Cape Fear CC at Gaston College
Davidson at Rhode Island
Queens at Florida Gulf Coast
Sandhills CC at Cleveland CC
USC Upstate at Gardner-Webb
(Sunday, Jan. 19)
Memphis at Charlotte
(Monday, Jan. 20)
Belmont Abbey at Southern Wesleyan
(Tuesday, Jan. 21)
Livingstone at J.C. Smith
Saint Joseph’s at Davidson
(Wednesday, Jan. 22)
Cleveland CC at Guilford Tech
King at Belmont Abbey
Queens at North Florida
South Florida at Charlotte
UNC Asheville at Gardner-Webb
USC Salkehatchie at Gaston College
(Saturday, Jan. 25)
Belmont Abbey at Chowan
Davidson at Richmond
Fayetteville Tech at Cleveland CC
Gaston College at Richard Bland
Jacksonville at Queens
(Tuesday, Jan. 28)
Belmont Abbey at Erskine
J.C. Smith at Shaw
(Wednesday, Jan. 29)
Charlotte at Temple
Denmark Tech at Gaston College
Franklin Prep at Cleveland CC
Longwood at Gardner-Webb
North Alabama at Queens
(Thursday, Jan. 30)
Winston-Salem State at J.C. Smith
(Saturday, Feb. 1)
Central Carolina CC at Gaston College
Charlotte at UAB
Cleveland CC at Fayetteville Tech
Francis Marion at Belmont Abbey
Gardner-Webb at Winthrop
George Mason at Davidson
West Georgia at Queens
(Sunday, Feb. 2)
Cleveland CC at Johnston CC
College football
2024-25 College football Division I playoff/bowl schedule:
-College Football Playoff
(Friday, Dec. 20)
No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame – ND 27-17
(Saturday Dec. 21)
No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State – PS 38-10
No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas – Texas 38-24
No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State – OS 42-17
(Tuesday, Dec. 31)
-CFP Quarterfinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 3 Boise State – PS 31-14
(Wednesday, Jan. 1)
-CFP Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl
No. 5 Texas vs. No. 4 Arizona State – Texas 39-31 (2 OT)
-CFP Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game
No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 1 Oregon – OS 41-21
(Thursday, Jan. 2)
-CFP Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl
No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Georgia – ND 23-10
(postponed from Jan. 1 due to terrorist attack)
(Thursday, Jan. 9)
-CFP Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl
No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
(Friday, Jan. 10)
-CFP Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic
No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
(Monday, Jan. 20)
-CFP National Championship Presented at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
7:30 p.m., ESPN
-Bowl schedule
(Saturday, Dec. 14)
-Cricket Celebration Bowl at Atlanta
Jackson State vs. South Carolina State – JS 28-7
-IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl at Montgomery, Ala.
South Alabama vs. Western Michigan – SA 30-23
(Tuesday, Dec. 17)
-Scooter’s Coffee Frisco (Tex.) Bowl
Memphis vs. West Virginia – Memphis 42-37
(Wednesday, Dec. 18)
-Boca Raton (Fla.) Bowl
Western Kentucky vs. James Madison – JM 27-17
-Art of Sport LA Bowl at Inglewood, Cal.
Cal vs. UNLV – UNLV 24-13
(Thursday Dec. 19)
-R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston – SH 31-26
(Friday, Dec. 20)
-StaffDNA Cure Bowl at Orlando, Fla.
Ohio U. vs. Jacksonville State – Ohio 30-27
-Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl at Tampa, Fla.
Tulane vs. Florida – Florida 33-8
(Monday, Dec. 23)
-Myrtle Beach Bowl at Conway, S.C.
Coastal Carolina vs. UTSA – UTSA 44-15
-Famous Idaho Potato Bowl at Boise, Id.
Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State – NI 28-20 (2 OT)
(Tuesday, Dec. 24)
-Hawai’i Bowl at Honolulu
South Florida vs. San José State – SF 41-39 (5 OT)
(Thursday, Dec. 26)
-GameAbove Sports Bowl at Detroit
Pittsburgh vs. Toledo – Toledo 48-46 (6 OT)
-Rate Bowl at Phoenix
Rutgers vs. Kansas State – KS 44-41
-68 Ventures Bowl at Mobile, Ala.
Arkansas State vs. Bowling Green – AS 38-31
(Friday, Dec. 27)
-Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl at Fort Worth, Tex.
Oklahoma vs. Navy – Navy 21-20
-Birmingham (Ala.) Bowl
Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt – Vanderbilt 35-27
-AutoZone Liberty Bowl at Memphis, Tenn.
Texas Tech vs. Arkansas – Arkansas 39-26
-DirecTV Holiday Bowl at San Diego
Syracuse vs. Washington State – Syracuse 52-35
-SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl
Texas A&M vs. USC – USC 35-31
(Saturday, Dec. 28)
-Wasabi Fenway Bowl at Boston
North Carolina vs. UConn – UConn 27-14
-Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Bronx, N.Y.
Boston College vs. Nebraska – Nebraska 20-15
-Isleta New Mexico Bowl at Albuquerque, N.M.
Louisiana vs. TCU – TCU 34-3
-Pop-Tarts Bowl at Orlando, Fla.
Iowa State vs. Miami – Iowa State 42-41
-Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl at Tucson, Ariz.
Miami, Ohio vs. Colorado State – Miami 43-17
-Go Bowling Military Bowl at Annapolis, Md.
East Carolina vs. N.C. State – EC 26-21
-Valero Alamo Bowl at San Antonio
BYU vs. Colorado – BYU 36-14
-Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl at Shreveport, La.
Louisiana Tech vs. Army – Army 27-6
(Marshall opts out Dec. 14 due to transfer portal departures)
(Monday, Dec. 30)
-TransPerfect Music City Bowl at Nashville, Tenn.
Iowa vs. Missouri – Missouri 27-24
(Tuesday, Dec. 31)
ReliaQuest Bowl at Tampa, Fla.
Alabama vs. Michigan – Michigan 19-13
-Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl at El Paso, Tex.
Louisville vs. Washington – Louisville 35-34
-Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at Orlando, Fla.
South Carolina vs. Illinois – Illinois 21-17
-Kinder’s Texas Bowl at Houston
Baylor vs. LSU – LSU 44-31
(Thursday, Jan. 2)
-TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at Jacksonville, Fla.
Duke vs. Ole Miss – Ole Miss 52-20
(Friday, Jan. 3)
-SERVPRO First Responder Bowl at Dallas
North Texas vs. Texas State – TS 30-28
-Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Charlotte
Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech – Minnesota 24-10
(Saturday, Jan. 4)
-Bahamas Bowl at Nassau, Bahamas
Buffalo vs. Liberty – Buffalo 26-7
Pro soccer
The Charlotte FC MLS team’s 2025 schedule:
Saturday, Feb. 22 at Seattle 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 1 Atlanta 2 p.m.
Sunday, March 9 at Miami 5 p.m.
Saturday, March 15 Cincinnati 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 22 San Jose 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 29 at Colorado 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 5 Nashville 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 12 at Montreal 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 19 San Diego 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 26 New England 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 3 at Columbus 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 10 at Nashville 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 14 at Orlando 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 17 Chicago 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 24 Columbus 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 28 at NY Red Bulls 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 31 at Toronto 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 14 at Philadelphia 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 25 at Kansas City 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 28 at Chicago 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 5 Orlando 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 12 New York 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 16 DC 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 19 at Atlanta 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 10 at Cincinnati 6 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 16 Real Salt Lake 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 24 NY Red Bulls 7 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 30 at New England 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 13 Miami 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 19 at New York 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 27 Montreal 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 4 at DC 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 18 Philadelphia 6 p.m.