By Richard Walker East Gaston set school history Friday night by celebrating the school’s homecoming game with a 58-3 home victory over Thomas Jefferson. The victory improved the Warriors to 6-0 for the first time in school history; The best previous start came in 1978 when East Gaston went 5-0 on its way to its […]
By Richard Walker In area high school football history, East Gaston and West Lincoln have struggled more than most. Entering the 2023 season, the programs ranked Nos. 13 and No. 12 in Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties, respectively, in all time wins. But as has been the case in recent seasons, nothing lasts forever as […]
By Richard Walker It’s been a busy year on and off the field for former South Point High standout Garrett Davila. In a baseball season in which he made his Class AAA debut, he also welcomed his first child and set a career-highs in innings pitched and strikeouts. “It’s been awesome and tiring,” said Davila, […]
By Richard Walker When Charlotte 49ers coach Biff Poggi attended the school’s first American Athletic Conference Media Day in July, he gained national attention for his terse response to receiving a small amount from questions from reporters in Frisco, Tex. “That’s it? Three questions?” Poggi said from the podium. “Maybe that’s because you have us […]
By Richard Walker N.C. State University will soon be immortalizing arguably the greatest basketball player in area and ACC history. The school announced on Monday that it will pay tribute to 3-time 1st team All-American David Thompson with a statue to be placed outside Reynolds Coliseum on the N.C. State campus. A 1971 Crest High […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers set dubious history in Sunday’s 37-27 loss at the Seattle Seahawks as the loss dropped them to 0-3 for only the 5th time in the team’s 29-year history. It’s the first time since 2010 when Carolina finished 2-14 in John Fox’s final season of a 9-year tenure. The other […]
By Richard Walker Every week this season, www.CarolinasSportsHub.com will look back at the Carolina Panthers’ historic 2003 season that ended with the franchise’s first trip to the Super Bowl. Week 3: The Carolina Panthers enjoy an early-season off week and remain the only unbeaten team in the NFC South at 2-0. The Week 3 bye […]
By Richard Walker Huss rallied from a 24-10 deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime and knock off South Point 31-24 for the Huskies’ first home win in the long series since 1995. Huss had lost 11 straight home games to the Red Raiders, who lead the all time series that began in 1965 […]
By Richard Walker The 9th-oldest rivalry in Gaston County resumes tonight when East Gaston opens its Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Conference schedule at Cherryville. It’s a rivalry that features four schools and once was highlighted by one of the most amazing individual performances in N.C. high school football history. East Gaston, which opened in 1972 as […]
By Richard Walker When Dax Hollifield was a star linebacker at Shelby High and Virginia Tech, many predicted he would have a future professional future. Hollifield is doing that – just in an unconventional manner with NASCAR. Just last weekend, Hollifield was working at legendary Bristol Motor Speedway just a few years after his last […]
By Richard Walker Three days after a disappointing 41-25 home loss to Georgia State, Charlotte 49ers head coach Biff Poggi is eager to finish the first phase of his 2023 season – the 4-game non-league schedule – and vows to push his team with positivity. “Tough week last week and a tough loss for the […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers’ offense struggled again and it cost the team a 20-17 home loss to the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. The loss also dropped Carolina to 0-2 to start the season for the 12th time in the team’s 29-year history. Only in […]
By Richard Walker Every week this season, www.CarolinasSportsHub.com will look back at the Carolina Panthers’ historic 2003 season that ended with the franchise’s first trip to the Super Bowl. Week 2: One of the most improbable wins in team history hands the 2002 Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers a 12-9 overtime loss on their […]
By Richard Walker After one week, the four unbeaten teams in the Big South 3A Conference are conference favorites Crest, Kings Mountain and South Point in addition to upstart North Gaston. How surprising is North Gaston? The Wildcats won their second Big South Conference game in their 47 league contests when they knocked off Forestview […]
By Richard Walker Hickory ended East Lincoln’s 19-game winning streak on Friday in a 49-28 victory at Frank Barger Field. The Mustangs, defending N.C. 3A champions, have the four of the five longest winning streaks in Lincoln County history – 30 from 2014 to 2015, the one that ended on Friday, 16 from 2012 to […]
By Richard Walker Conference action starts up for most area teams on Friday. And the importance of winning a league opener is most prominent in the Big South 3A Conference. In the school histories of that 8-team league, only twice has a team lost its conference opener and still managed to win a league championship. […]
By Richard Walker Former East Lincoln High standout Chazz Surratt is one of four former local standouts on NFL rosters this year. Surratt also played a key role in one of the most prominent plays in the NFL’s opening weekend as his block near midfield helped spring Xavier Gipson’s game-winning 65-yard punt return that capped […]
By Richard Walker Charlotte 49ers first-year head coach Biff Poggi said at Tuesday’s weekly news conference that he felt he made a mistake during his team’s 38-20 loss at Maryland. Poggi said when his team held a 14-3 lead in the second quarter and faced a fourth-and-8 play near midfield, he thought about going for […]
By Richard Walker When Wayne Bolick got into coaching, he used the coaching strategies and theories of one of the best Gaston County coaches in history. Those Delmer Wiles coaching methods helped make Bolick the winningest junior high/middle school football and baseball coach in Gaston County history. A 2011 Mount Holly Sports Hall of Fame […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers struggles in Atlanta and head coach Frank Reich’s struggles in season openers continued on Sunday as rookie Bryce Young’s regular season debut was ruined by 2 pass interceptions that led to 10 Falcons’ points in Sunday’s 24-10 Atlanta victory. The Panthers fell to 8-21 all time in Atlanta and […]
By Richard Walker Every week this season, www.CarolinasSportsHub.com will look back at the Carolina Panthers’ historic 2003 season that ended with the franchise’s first trip to the Super Bowl. Week 1: Offseason free agent signee Jake Delhomme replaced 2002 starter Rodney Peete at quarterback in the second half with the Panthers trailing the Jacksonville Jaguars […]
By Richard Walker In Shelby’s long history as the state’s winningest football program, the Golden Lions have gone 0-4 to start a football season only once. Entering Friday’s home game against Class 4A Charlotte Olympic, the Golden Lions were 0-3 and desperate to avoid the second 0-4 start in school history. And Shelby did so […]
By Richard Walker When Cherryville visits North Gaston Friday night in a non-conference high school football game, it’ll resume the 6th-oldest rivalry in Gaston County history – and the oldest rivalry in each school’s history in the sport. Cherryville’s 9-6 home win over old Dallas High on Oct. 8, 1926 is the 1st game in […]
By Richard Walker Four local products open their NFL seasons this weekend with one playing in the season-opening Monday Night Football contest. On Sunday, Jonathan Bullard (Crest 2012 graduate) and Nick Muse (South Point 2017) and the Minnesota Vikings host Tampa Bay at 1 p.m. Bullard is beginning his 8th year as a defensive lineman […]
By Richard Walker When Maryland and the Charlotte 49ers agreed to a two-game series in March 2016, the 49ers were four head coaches away from a homecoming trip for current Charlotte head coach Biff Poggi and many of his players. Back then, the 49ers had just completed their second season under inaugural head coach Brad […]
By Richard Walker When Mack Brown was the featured speaker in May for the 2023 Gaston County Sports Hall of Fame ceremony at the Gastonia Conference Center, he called former Ashbrook High standout British Brooks one of the “hardest-working players” he’s ever coached and said Brooks was in “our Hall of Fame” due to overcoming […]
By Richard Walker With a win and an impressive losing performance, Saturday’s opening games have to be considered a success for the Charlotte 49ers and Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs. Despite falling behind 3-0 in front of a sellout crowd of 15,622 at Jerry Richardson Stadium in the much-anticipated head coaching debut of Biff Poggi, the 49ers […]
By Richard Walker After stopping a 6-year losing streak to rival Cramer, East Gaston is off to only its 4th 3-0 start in the school’s 52-year history. And if the Warriors can defy history this Friday at home against Ashbrook, they’ll have a chance at the school’s best-ever seasonal start. East Gaston’s previous 3-0 starts […]
By Richard Walker Crest fell behind early but its offense erupted for a 53-38 win at longtime rival Shelby on Friday to improve to 3-0 on the season. The Chargers, who will be off next week, got 6 touchdown passes and 1 TD run from quarterback Ny’Tavious Huskey. Huskey threw TD passes to Malachi Addison […]
By Richard Walker A pair of city-county rivalries with striking similarities headline Week 3 of the area’s high school football schedule. County school Crest in Cleveland County first played against Shelby in 1968 and didn’t win in the rivalry until 1980. In Lincoln County, East Lincoln faced the same type of struggles against Lincolnton as […]
By Richard Walker All 4 area NFL players survived cut week even as 1 of those players was released by 1 team and signed by another. Tanner Muse, a 2015 South Point High graduate, was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday but was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Chargers. A linebacker, Muse […]
By Richard Walker When the Charlotte 49ers open their 2023 football season on Saturday at 6 p.m. against South Carolina State at Jerry Richardson Stadium, former Huss standout Prince Bemah will be one of 8 team captains in Biff Poggi’s college head coaching debut. “Prince is a great kid,” Poggi said of Bemah, a 2019 […]
By Richard Walker Fifteen products from Cleveland and Gaston counties are on the Gardner-Webb roster as the Runnin’ Bulldogs enter this season seeking to a defend a league title for the first time in 20 years. Gardner-Webb is in its first season as a Big South-Ohio Valley Conference member after winning the Big South championship […]
By Richard Walker Belmont Abbey College will induct 3 individuals and 1 team into the Dr. Michael P. Reidy Athletics Hall of Fame this fall. The ceremony, to be held on Sept. 23, will honor Frank Zinke (Class of 1969), Theresa Nolan Breslin (Class of 2009), William Collins (Class of 1966) and the 1989 men’s […]
By Richard Walker Two weeks into the area high school football success, the biggest story would seem more about struggles than successes as eight teams remain winless. Those struggling teams are Cramer (0-2), Forestview (0-2), Bessemer City (0-2), Cherryville (0-2), Highland Tech (0-2), Shelby (0-2), Lincolnton (0-2) and Ashbrook (0-1). While eight teams also are […]
By Richard Walker Crest avenged back-to-back losses to Burns with a convincing 49-29 road victory on Friday that leaves the Chargers 2-0 entering next week’s game at rival Shelby. Crest quarterback Ny’Tavious Huskey threw four touchdown passes – one to Malachi Addison, one to A.J. Adams and two to Javarius Green. The second TD throw […]
By Richard Walker One of the oldest Gaston County rivalries will resume this Friday when Bessemer City visits North Gaston in Week 2. It’s a rivalry that began in 1930 when it was Bessemer City against Dallas and Friday’s meeting will mark the 49th meeting between the schools. North Gaston holds a 24-21-3 alltime advantage […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday unveiled a new Classic Edition uniform that will be worn during the 2023-24 season in celebration of the 35th Anniversary of the franchise’s inaugural 1988-89 season. With a teal silhouette featuring multi-colored double pinstripes, the 2023-24 Hornets Classic Edition uniform echoes the second-generation Hornets uniforms that were […]
By Richard Walker With the first change in Gaston County Conference Middle School divisional alignment in 26 years, the 2023 football season opens with a newness that breeds some uncertainty. Defending county champion and two-time defending Division II champion Belmont is being switched to Division I with Mount Holly switching from Division to Division II. […]
By Richard Walker Gaston County Conference middle school sports will begin action this week as the football season gets underway on Wednesday and the softball season starts on Thursday. www.CarolinasSportsHub.com will preview the football season in Tuesday’s roundup and here’s the 2023 softball schedule for all league teams. Belmont went 11-0 last season to win […]
By Richard Walker (Special from Jacob Conley) Former Gardner-Webb wide receiver T.J. Luther has been beating the odds his whole life. Now he wants to do it again, this time by making a NFL roster. According to a 2020 report published by the NFL, of the 73,712 college football players in the United States, only […]
By Richard Walker Following Crest’s 44-38 home victory over Gaffney, S.C., on Friday night, Chargers’ players stormed the bank underneath the scoreboard at Sid Bryson Stadium to celebrate the win. Why the celebration over a team Crest hadn’t played in 25 seasons? Certainly the 20-mile distance between the schools played a role as Crest fans […]
By Richard Walker New Kings Mountain High coach Strait Herron certainly knows how to make a good first impression. Herron’s debut as Mountaineers coach – and at Gamble Stadium – resulted in a 34-17 win over rival Shelby. It gives Kings Mountain its third win in four years over the Golden Lions, which is the […]
By Richard Walker The most played rivalry in North Carolina high schools is the headliner for the opening night of the area’s 2023 schedule. Kings Mountain will host Shelby in the 102nd meeting between the two schools since they first met in 1923. Among N.C. rivalries, only a pair of Western N.C. rivalries are older […]
By Richard Walker Gastonia’s Charles “Dean” Huffstickler, a longtime amateur boxer and boxing coach and two-time Hall of Fame inductee, has died at 84. Huffstickler, who was inducted into the Carolinas Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022 and into the Rutherford County Sports Hall of Fame in April, first gained notereity in the sport during […]
By Richard Walker League City (Tex.) Post 554 made a first inning run stand up for a 1-0 victory over Lincoln (Neb.) Post 3 Tuesday night in the 2023 American Legion World Series championship game at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium in Shelby, N.C. The result gives the Lone Star state its first champion in […]
WWW.CAROLINASSPORTSHUB.COM High School Football Previews This is the schedule for 2023 preview story and team capsules: Aug. 13 – Catawba Valley 2A, Western Foothills 3A conferences Aug. 14 – Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Conference, Mountain Island Charter Aug. 15 – Big South 3A Conference By Richard Walker Another highly competitive race is expected in the […]
By Richard Walker The North Carolina High School Athletic Association earlier this week released its final 2022-23 Wells Fargo all-sports trophy standings for each of the four classifications and from all of the state’s conferences. Among area schools, Mountain Island Charter finished 4th in the overall 1A standings, 3 area schools were in the top […]
By Richard Walker Former Crest High standout Riley Cheek earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-America honors while also helping Queens in its first season of NCAA Division I baseball. Also named the Atlantic Sun Conference Baseball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Cheek was a third team honoree after maintaining a 4.0 grade point average. A 2018 […]
By Richard Walker After months of intrigue and speculation, the Charlotte Hornets used the No. 2 overall selection to draft a player most experts thought they’d chose and later added another first-rounder that was one of the country’s top high school prospects just a year ago. With reports swirling that the Hornets would consider trading […]
By Richard Walker Just one day after winning its first softball state championship in school and Lincoln County history, East Lincoln leads the 2023 All-Western Foothills 3A Conference team in voting done by the league’s coaches. The Mustangs, who finished with a 25-3 overall record, eight all-conference selections led by Western Foothills pitcher of the […]
By Richard Walker Burns High’s baseball team and East Lincoln High’s softball team completed historic state championship runs on Saturday. Burns won its first baseball state title by completed a 2-0 series win over South Granville with a 9-5 victory at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs. After winning 6-1 on sophomore right-hander Colby Putnam’s 4-hitter […]
By Richard Walker A big fourth inning moved Burns within a single victory of the school’s first high school baseball state title on Friday at Ting Stadium in Holly Springs. Trailing 1-0 after 3 1/2 innings, Burns scored six runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and Bulldogs’ starter and winner Colby Putnam made […]
By Richard Walker Three area high school teams in three different spring sports this weekend will be pursuing state championships – Burns in baseball, East Lincoln in softball and South Point in girls soccer. Here’s a look at each team: Burns baseball – Coach Alex Leonhardt’s team is 26-4 and on a 6-game winning streak […]
By Richard Walker Gaston College’s historic National Junior College Athletic Association baseball World Series run came to an end on Wednesday in a 15-0 loss to Blinn, Tex. The loss ends the Rhinos’ season with a 50-13 overall record and fifth-place finish in the school’s first-ever World Series appearance. The 50 wins makes the Gaston […]
By Richard Walker Burns High’s baseball team and East Lincoln’s softball team, who last week set history by advancing to their first-ever state championship appearances, got their best-of-3 finals series schedules from the N.C. High School Athletic Association on Tuesday. Burns meets South Granville in a series that begins on Friday at 8 p.m. at […]
By Richard Walker The state of North Carolina will be represented by a record eight schools in the NCAA baseball tournament after pairings were announced on Monday. Campbell of the Big South Conference, Charlotte of Conference USA, Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State and Wake Forest of the ACC, East Carolina of the American Athletic Conference […]
By Richard Walker Gastonia’s Harold Varner III on Sunday won his first professional golf tournament on United States soil. A 2008 Forestview High graduate, the 32-year-old Varner shot 12-under-par in the three-round event held at Trump National Course in Sterling, Va., to claim the $4 million title prize. The win was capped by a birdie […]
By Richard Walker A pair of former local standouts helped Campbell win its second straight Big South Conference baseball championship on Saturday and earn an automatic berth in next week’s NCAA tournament. Former Crest High standout Lawson Harrill and former Gaston College standout Chandler Riley were named to the all-tournament team after the Camels beat […]
By Richard Walker East Lincoln High School’s softball team set history on Friday night as it defeated Rockingham County 2-1 to win the best-of-3 Western N.C. 3A championship series 2 games to 1. It advances the Mustangs (23-2) to the state finals for the first time in the school’s 56-year history. Here is the area’s […]