By Richard Walker Former Burns High state champion Scottie Montgomery has a new NFL coaching job. Montgomery, a 1996 Burns High graduate, has been hired as Detroit Lions assistant head coach and running backs coach. A 1994 Burns state championship player who earned All-ACC honors at Duke before playing in the NFL, Montgomery had been […]
By Richard Walker There’s been shift in the fortunes on three programs that have usually struggled in area high school basketball. East Gaston, Gaston Christian and South Point are enjoying historic seasons – and all three have either won or have a chance to win rare league titles. Gaston Christian clinched the first conference regular […]
By Richard Walker Gaston County’s all-time winningest basketball coach announced on Friday that he would be retiring from coaching at the end of this season. Cherryville High School coach Scott Harrill announced during the Ironmen’s 63-48 win over Highland Tech during “Senior Night” in their final game of the 2022-23 season at Nixon Gym. Harrill, […]
By Richard Walker Two of the winningest basketball programs in the Carolinas reside 40 miles apart in the North Carolina Piedmont. Unbeaten Conference Carolinas leader Belmont Abbey has a 15-game winning streak and is ahead by two games in the loss column with three weeks to go in its regular season starting with Saturday’s 2 […]
By Richard Walker Cleveland County’s winningest high school football coach is a member of the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association 2023 Hall of Fame induction class. Jim Taylor led Shelby High to a 201-54-2 record as head coach from 1977 to 1997. During his tenure, the Golden Lions won 11 conference championships, three state titles […]
By Richard Walker During the recent Carolina Panthers head coaching search, reports indicated team owner David Tepper was interested in an offensive-minded coach. At Tuesday’s news conference to officially introduce Frank Reich, Tepper confirmed them. “Every year we get in these NFL (owners) meetings and every year they put some new rule in to benefit […]
By Richard Walker Less than a week after winning its first N.C. High School Athletic Association dual team wrestling match, Lincolnton High School will host the Western N.C. 2A regional on Wednesday night. And the Wolves will be hosting familiar opponents as all four Western N.C. 2A wrestling semifinalists are members of the Catawba Valley […]
By Richard Walker Three local high school basketball players are closing in school scoring records. Piedmont Community Charter’s Grace East surpassed 1,000 points last week and now has 1,019 points in 75 career games for the Patriots. She’s the third 1,000-point scorer in school history and has passed 2018 graduate Courtney Williams’ 1,017 career points. […]
By Richard Walker History was made and extended on Saturday during the opening two rounds of the N.C. High School Athletic Association dual team wrestling playoffs. Lincolnton won its first dual match in history and followed it up with a second straight win to advance into Wednesday’s Class 2A regional finals. The Wolves, who are […]
By Richard Walker The oldest Gaston County high school basketball rivalry resumed Friday night at Bessemer City. And Cherryville led much of the second half, was tied in regulation before taking an 83-78 overtime win over their longtime rivals. Numerius Good had 26 points, Carson Kelly 18 and Landon Hahn 14 to lead Cherryville and […]
By Richard Walker The winningest coach in Kings Mountain High School football history has resigned. Greg Lloyd had a 133-71 record in 16 years as the Mountaineers’ head coach, a tenure highlighted by four conference titles and four trips to the regional finals. “First off, I would like to thank and congratulate Coach Greg Lloyd […]
By Richard Walker East Lincoln High School’s girls basketball team improved to 19-0 following Tuesday’s 65-23 home win over Statesville. Coach Jason Otey’s Mustangs improved to 9-0 in the Western Foothills 3A Conference and are one win away from becoming the school’s 10th 20-game winner since 1972. East Lincoln’s all-time best team – its unbeaten […]
By Richard Walker The Big South 3A boys and girls races and the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A boys races head into the final three weeks of the regular season with multiple teams currently tied at the top of the standings. Meanwhile, in the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A girls race and the Western Foothills 3A and Catawba Valley […]
By Richard Walker Only once in Gaston County’s basketball conference championship history has the same school won both the boys and girls titles. It was the Southwest Roadrunners in 2009 as the boys edged Grier 42-38 and the girls rolled past Belmont 40-12 to complete 11-1 seasons. If the preseason coaches’ polls are correct, Holbrook […]
By Richard Walker Belmont Abbey and Gardner-Webb recorded conference sweeps on Saturday to highlight the area’s college basketball. Belmont Abbey swept visiting North Greenville in a Conference Carolinas home doubleheader on Saturday afternoon with the men winning 91-72 and the women recording its 12th straight victory by an 80-44 margin. Gardner-Webb swept nearby rival Winthrop […]
By Richard Walker One of the longest conference winning streaks in area history came to an end on Friday night when Huss won 77-70 in a Big South 3A Conference game. Crest’s league regular season winning streak lasted a school-record 35 games and dated to February 2020. Including the 2022 league tournament, Crest also won […]
By Richard Walker A date and site has been chosen for the North Carolina American Legion Hall of Fame class of 2022 inductions that include two Gaston County inductees and one from Lincoln County. Cherryville Baptist Church will host the event on May 6 at 6 p.m. and tickets are $20 each for a ceremony […]
By Richard Walker Gardner-Webb’s Jhessyka Williams continues having a record-setting season for the Bulldogs’ Big South Conference-leading women’s basketball team. Williams, a 5-foot-10 graduate student from Augusta, Ga., was on Monday named Big South Conference women’s player of the week for the fifth time this season. The league record for most player of the week […]
By Richard Walker Sixteen players from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties were named to the third annual HighSchoolOT all-state football team, including four on the first team. First team selections were South Point offensive lineman Sullivan Absher, Kings Mountain defensive lineman A.J. Richardson, East Lincoln linebacker Ben Cutter and East Lincoln defensive back Keandre Walker. […]
By Richard Walker Rivalry week is upon the local high school basketball scene as the first half of the conference schedules come to a close. The boys rivalry matchups in the Big South 3A (Kings Mountain at Crest) and the Western Foothills 3A (North Lincoln at East Lincoln) have some high stakes; The Kings Mountain-Crest […]
By Richard Walker Earlier this week, the twitter site “Friday Nights in Carolina” named its N.C. all-state high school football teams and 34 players from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties were honored. Burns (4), Crest (3), Kings Mountain (4) and Shelby (2) of Cleveland County had selections, with Ashbrook (2), Mountain Island Charter (5) and […]
By Richard Walker Three former local standouts will be playing this weekend for NFL playoff teams and another local standout has been signed for next season. The Minnesota Vikings (13-4) with Jonathan Bullard (Crest 2012 graduate) and Nick Muse (South Point 2017) won the NFC North Division title and will host the New York Giants […]
By Richard Walker As we drop the curtain on the 2022-23 college football bowl season, there’s lots to unpack following Georgia’s 15-0 unbeaten season that ended with the school’s eighth national title – and second straight. Georgia’s 65-7 victory over TCU was the largest margin of victory in the modern national title era. CarolinaSportsHub.com has […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers just completed their 28th NFL season with the 18th losing record in franchise history. This past season began and ended with optimism. In between, there was much sorrow. Many Panthers fans hoped head coach Matt Rhule would follow the path he’d followed in his two previous stops as a […]
By Richard Walker Now that the Carolina Panthers season is over, the franchise is set to go through an interview process to hire a new coach or possibly retain its own interim head coach. One day after Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer said a pair of former coaches with Carolinas ties – Frank Reich and […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers’ first walk off field goal since 2018 gave them a 10-7 win at New Orleans on Sunday to close out their 2022-23 season. Carolina finishes 7-10 overall and tied for second place in the NFC South behind division-winning Tampa Bay (8-9). The Panthers yielded an opening touchdown drive but […]
By Richard Walker Crest needed overtime but the Chargers extended their school record conference winning streak on Friday night with a 79-68 overtime with at South Point. The Chargers improved to 11-2 overall and 4-0 in the Big South 3A with their 32nd straight league win; Crest hasn’t lost a conference game since a 76-63 […]
By Richard Walker Calvin Camp, a 2017 Shelby High graduate, finished his college football career with a flourish under an interim coach for the Charlotte 49ers. Camp had gotten one rushing attempt in the first eight games under former head coach Will Healy but interim head coach Pete Rossomando featured Camp’s talents in each of […]
By Richard Walker High school holiday basketball tournaments are now over and all area teams return to conference play as soon as Tuesday. In the Big South, which doesn’t resume league games until Friday, a huge matchup will be a part of their opening schedule as two-time unbeaten league champion Crest travels to face South […]
By Richard Walker For the Carolina Panthers, the path to a NFC South title is simple: Win the last two games. It’s also happened before as the Panthers closed their 2014 season with four straight victories to win the NFC South title with a 7-8-1 record. A key to that postseason run were blowout road […]
By Richard Walker Maryland edged N.C. State 16-12 in Friday’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium in a throwback defensive-minded game played in front of a crowd of 37,228. The result left both teams with an 8-5 overall record. Maryland, making its first appearance in the Charlotte bowl game, tallied the game’s […]
By Richard Walker The 21st Duke’s Mayo Bowl will be played Friday at noon at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. Longtime rivals Maryland and N.C. State will meet for the first time since 2013 in the 2022 renewal of the postseason game. The ACC takes a 10-10 record into the contest – and hasn’t won […]
By Richard Walker A year ago, Jaylen Bates set Gaston College history as the school’s first All-Region 10 selection since the school restarted its athletic program after 50 years. On Thursday, now a starting forward at Florida A&M University, Bates will be on the biggest stage in college basketball when he the Rattlers visit No. […]
By Richard Walker Longtime North Gaston High School football coach and teacher Bob Patton died on Saturday at CaroMont Regional Medical Center in Gastonia. Born on Feb. 16, 1936 in Thompsontown, Pa., Robert William “Bob” Patton, 86, was the son of the late Parke Clarence Patton and Violet Delp Patton. At 8, Bob went to […]
By Richard Walker Entering this week’s holiday tournaments, high school basketball teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties have begun league play and have competed in two or three conference contests. Here are area high school basketball standings with conference record followed by overall record through Dec. 23: (Big South 3A boys) Crest 3-0, 6-1 […]
By Richard Walker A banner year for high school football in Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties wrapped up earlier this month with the 46th state title claimed by a team from the area. East Lincoln’s 30-15 victory over Northern Nash at N.C. State’s Carter-Finley Stadium for the N.C. 3A championship not only ended a perfect […]
By Richard Walker Playing the coldest home game in franchise history, the Carolina Panthers resorted to “old school” football on Sunday against the Detroit Lions as they moved closer to an improbable NFC South Division title. The Panthers rushed for a team-record 320 yards and amassed a team-record 570 total yards in a 37-23 victory […]
By Richard Walker Based on their history, the Carolina Panthers’ biggest obstacle on Saturday in their 2022 home finale may not be the Detroit Lions. It may be Mother Nature. With a forecasted high temperature of 32, the Panthers will have to defy their history to pull off a victory as they’ve recorded a victory […]
By Richard Walker High school basketball holiday tournaments have become commonplace in the area since the 1970s. Local teams are playing in tournaments in two states and multiple counties beginning on Monday. Here’s the full schedule of 2022 holiday tournaments for teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties: -BOYS Bud Black/Dennis Tate Holiday Classic (at […]
By Richard Walker Charlotte FC and Major League Soccer announced the 2023 league schedule on Tuesday. Charlotte FC’s 34-game regular season schedule opens at home at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Feb. 25. Tickets will be on sale with upper and lower bowl starting on Tuesday. Lower bowl will be limited. Additionally, presale for […]
By Richard Walker Some may call it “boring” football but interim Carolina Panthers head coach Steve Wilks is following a strategy to run the football as much as the two more successful coaches in franchise history. And that strategy has gotten his team into postseason contention. Wilks’ 4-4 record as interim coach has improved the […]
By Richard Walker North Carolina American Legion baseball officials recently named sites for the 2023 state tournaments in both Senior and Junior Legion baseball. The 2023 Senior Legion tournament will return to Campbell University’s Barker-Lane Stadium at Campbell University from July 25-29. It’s the second straight year Campbell has been the host of the tournament […]
By Richard Walker Fourteen football players from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties were named to the NCHS Recruiting BlueSheet All-state academic team – 10 from the current senior class and four other underclassmen. Seniors honored include four players from 2022 N.C. Class 3A state champion East Lincoln – defensive back Keandre Walker, linebacker Ben Cutter, […]
By Richard Walker The Big South Conference and the Ohio Valley Conference announced on Tuesday its inaugural football conference schedule for the 2023 season and reigning Big South champion Gardner-Webb announced its full 2023 schedule. The 10 combined teams in 2023 – six from the OVC and four from the Big South – will play […]
By Richard Walker East Lincoln head coach Dave Lubowicz knows that some see their unbeaten run to a state title game as unexpected. He’s certainly not among that group. “I’m not surprised at all,” Lubowicz said. “We’ve got a lot of four-year lettermen so we’ve got a lot of talented experience playing out there for […]
By Richard Walker East Lincoln High’s fourth state football championship game on Saturday will follow a similar script to the Mustangs’ three previous matchups. Each time East Lincoln has advanced this far, it has faced an unbeaten Eastern champion. And each time, the Mustangs have entered with an equally impressive record. Given the Mustangs’ early […]
By Richard Walker Shelby High’s father-son Hollifield duo received top awards at Monday’s Charlotte Touchdown Club/Bronko Nagurski Awards ceremony in Charlotte. Longtime Shelby High football assistant coach Aubrey Hollifield was presented North Carolina’s Frank Broyles Award as the top assistant coach. A 1987 Kings Mountain High graduate who played for the N.C. Shrine Bowl team […]
By Richard Walker Local players dominated the 2022 Big South 3A Conference and 2022 Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Conference football teams that were released on Monday following selections made by the respective coaches in both leagues. In the Big South 3A Conference, Crest junior Ny’Tavious Huskey was named Offensive Player of the Year, Kings Mountain senior […]
By Richard Walker East Lincoln High School is headed to its fourth state championship football game after outlasting South Point 14-7 on Friday night in the Western N.C. 3A championship game at East Lincoln. The unbeaten Mustangs (15-0) got touchdown down runs from Christopher Daley and Ben Cutter and survived a late rally by South […]
By Richard Walker Conference champion Forestview received the most selections on the Big South 3A all-conference soccer team with six. Top individual honors went to North Gaston’s Braydon Johnson (offensive player of the year), Joan Bonilla (goalie of the year) and Jonathan Reed (coach of the year) and South Point’s Graham Williams (defensive player of […]
By Richard Walker New Charlotte 49ers head football coach Francis “Biff” Poggi was officially introduced to fans and the media on Monday. And Poggi talked about the 49ers and College Football Playoff. “The American Athletic Conference is an unbelieveable league,” Poggi said. “It’s the best ‘Group of 5’ conference in the country. As the College […]
By Richard Walker Boys basketball teams from Crest and Bessemer City and girls basketball teams from Ashbrook and Bessemer City are the choices of their rival coaches to win the Big South 3A and Southern Piedmont 1A/2A conference titles this year. Crest’s boys enter the season after back-to-back unbeaten first-place seasons in the Big South […]
By Richard Walker Former Huss standout Cress Worthy is a preseason All-CIAA selection at Fayetteville State. A senior guard, Worthy was named first team All-CIAA in the 2021-22 season when he averaged 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 30 games (28 starts) for the Broncos. The 2017 Huss graduate is one of several […]
By Richard Walker Seventeen players from Cleveland and Gaston counties are on the roster of the West team for the 2022 Queen City Senior Bowl. The game will be played on Dec. 17 at noon at Charlotte’s Olympic High School and pits Charlotte-area players divided by East and West against one another. The local players […]
By Richard Walker After a home win and heartbreaking defeat in the previous two weeks, there were lots of reasons for Carolina Panthers’ fans to harbor hopes of another good effort from their team on Sunday. Instead, the Panthers had one of their worst efforts in franchise history in a 42-21 loss at the defending […]
By Richard Walker Shelby High set a state record on Friday in its 30-13 opening round Class 2A state playoff victory at Forest Hills. The Golden Lions have now won 28 straight first round state playoff games to snap a tie they had shared with Thomasville (1982-2012) and Crest (1993-2019). Shelby has won opening round […]
By Richard Walker As the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs begin on Friday, it marks the 13th time in history – and fourth year in a row – that all four Cleveland County teams are in the state football playoffs. The previous 12 years came in 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2016, […]
By Richard Walker Former Shelby High star Dax Hollifield was named Defender of the Nation on Monday by the Charlotte Touchdown Club. Hollifield, a sixth-year senior at Virginia Tech, won an award that goes to players from the nation’s service academies and senior military colleges that include Air Force, Army West Point, The Citadel, Coast […]
By Richard Walker A week ago, it appeared the Charlotte 49ers’ football program was in disarray. Not only had the 49ers’ head coach Will Healy been fired, but the team’s statistical rankings were all at the bottom of the conference and nation. And they had a 1-7 overall record and 0-4 Conference USA record after […]
By Richard Walker Two days after an overtime victory over the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, the Charlotte Hornets appeared in great position to win a second straight contest that would give them a winning record for the first month of the season. Instead, a 15-point halftime lead wasn’t enough for Charlotte to hold […]