By Richard Walker Baseball players from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties were honored this week when the N.C. Baseball Coaches Association announced its 2022 all-state teams. Six Cleveland County, three Gaston County and two Lincoln County players were honored by the NCBCA. In Class 3A, Crest’s Colby Humphries, Kings Mountain’s Charlie Melton and Zane Brockman […]
By Richard Walker Two former local baseball players got top honors this season after helping Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute to a third-place national finish in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III World Series earlier this month. Seth Willis, a 2019 West Lincoln High graduate, was named second team All-American and first […]
By Richard Walker Unbeaten Big South 3A Conference championship-winning softball team Crest High took two of the three top honors in all-league done by conference coaches. The Chargers’ Aidan Ledbetter was named pitcher of the year and Greg Earl was named coach of the year after Crest went 14-0 in league play. Kings Mountain’s Austyn […]
By Richard Walker An East Gaston High player and a pitcher and coach that helped Burns to the league title top the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Conference’s top softball honors in voting by league coaches for the 2022 season. East Gaston’s Maddison York was named player of the year and league champion Burns was selected for […]
By Richard Walker It’s “Back to the Future” for Kings Mountain High baseball fans as the star of that school’s 1989 state championship team, Paul Brannon, has had his state home run record tied during the 2022 state playoffs. The person who tied his record? His son Brooks Brannon, a senior catcher at Randleman who […]
By Richard Walker Rivals North Lincoln and East Lincoln gained top honors in All-Western Foothills 3A baseball, softball and girls soccer selections in voting by league coaches and released recently. In baseball, North Lincoln has seven selections led by pitcher of the year Landon Reeves; Matt Heavner, Reece Moody, Maddux Walker, Timmy Schafer, Kellen Karr […]
By Richard Walker Winning five Gaston County Conference Middle School titles were enough to lift Belmont to a comfortable victory in the 2021-22 school year Winner’s Cup all-sports trophy. The Wildcats, who won titles in wrestling, boys basketball, baseball, girls soccer and boys track, racked up 114 1-2 all-sports points to outdistance second-place Cramerton by […]
By Richard Walker Kings Mountain High’s first conference title in 13 years led to the team getting top honors in the 2022 Big South Conference all-league selection, highlighted by player of the year Zane Brockman and coach of the year Brad Melton. Kings Mountain had three other all-league picks in Charlie Melton, Caleb Broome and […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers’ 2022 schedule was released Thursday night and the team hosts four of its first five games, will play one nationally-televised game and closes the season on the road for six of the last 11 games. Carolina opens the 2022 season at home against the Cleveland Browns in a 1 […]
By Richard Walker Four local players were repeat selections for the HighSchoolOT.com’s all-state girls basketball teams for the 2021-22 season that were announced on Monday. Shelby’s Maraja Pass was named to the first team, Shelby’s Kate Hollifield and Kings Mountain’s Saniya Wilson to the second team and Bessemer City’s Janiya Adams to honorable mention. All […]
By Richard Walker The Gaston County Conference middle school track meet was held for the first time since 2019 on Tuesday – and Belmont’s boys and Holbrook’s girls came away as team championship at the Ashbrook High School track. Belmont won its first county title since 1992 and it marked the first time a Division […]
By Richard Walker Sixteen high school baseball teams and 16 high school softball teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties are among the state’s state championship tournament that was announced on Saturday by the N.C. High School Athletic Association. Kings Mountain (Big South 3A), North Lincoln (Western Foothills 3A), Lincoln Charter (Catawba Shores 1A/2A) and […]
By Richard Walker After the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the last two Gaston County Conference baseball and girls soccer championship playoffs, they return in 2022 with Belmont the unbeaten top-seeded team in both brackets. In baseball, Belmont (10-0) will host Mount Holly (7-3) in one semifinal and Stanley (9-1) will host Chavis (8-2). Stanley won the […]
By Richard Walker Mountain Island Charter swept to both Catawba Shores 1A/2A Conference track championships on Thursday. In a meet held at the Mountain Island Charter track, the Raptors girls team had 228 team points to outdistance second place Pine Lake Prep by 100 points. And Mountain Island Charter’s boys team had 217 points to […]
By Richard Walker The N.C. High School Athletic Association will unveil the 2022 baseball and softball playoff pairings on Monday and many local teams will be in the field. First round games are slated for Tuesday with future playoff rounds played on May 13, 17, May 20, May 24 through 28 and June 3 and […]
By Richard Walker Six teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties began competing in the N.C. High School Athletic Association boys tennis dual team playoffs last month – and three remain alive. South Point (13-0) in Class 3A and Burns (11-4) and Lincoln Charter (10-1) in Class 2A will pursue bids in regional finals when […]
Here are the full 2022 schedules for the high schools of Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties: Game times at 7:30 p.m. unless noted ALL CAPS indicate conference games Ashbrook Aug. 19 at Concord Aug. 26 Roberson Sept. 2 at West Meck Sept. 9 OFF Sept. 16 at CREST Sept. 23 FORESTVIEW Sept. 30 at NORTH […]
By Richard Walker Belmont Abbey is the No. 3 seed as the Conference Carolinas baseball tournament continues Thursday with six teams competing for the league title. The Crusaders (34-15, 21-8) set a school record for league victories in a season where head coach Chris Anderson became the Abbey’s all-time winningest baseball coach. Belmont Abbey has […]
By Richard Walker Former East Gaston High standout Robert Washington has been invited to Philadelphia Eagles rookie mini-camp that will be held this weekend. A 2016 East Gaston High graduate, Washington played collegiately at Charlotte (2016-17), Old Dominion (2019) and Valparaiso (2021) where he picked up 1,758 yards rushing in 17 games is ninth in […]
By Richard Walker Ten former N.C. high school standouts were drafted in last weekend’s NFL Draft and six others signed free agent contract after going undrafted. That includes six players from the Charlotte metro area, among them top N.C. pick Ikem Ekwonu of Charlotte Providence Day (1st round by Carolina Panthers) and former South Point […]
By Richard Walker The high school baseball and softball seasons are winding to a close as the regular season has ended for four of the six conferences with teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties. Championships have already been won by Burns (Southern Piedmont 1A/2A baseball and softball), Lincoln Charter (Catawba Shores 1A/2A baseball) and […]
By Richard Walker Two league victories may not sound like much but for York Chester Middle School’s baseball program, it marks the best season in nearly 30 years. The Cougars, coached by Jason Huffstetler, improved to 2-6 on the season with Thursday’s 11-5 victory over Southwest. Shortstop Brandon Rice (2 hits), catcher Landon lafar (2 […]
By Richard Walker The Cleveland County Sports Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, will hold its first awards banquet since before the coronavirus pandemic when it inducts six new members on May 23 at the Shelby City Park. The 55th annual banquet is slated for 6:30 p.m. and will feature a […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers stayed at No. 6 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft and chose a local player. Carolina selected N.C. State offensive tackle Ikem Okwunu, who played high school football at Providence Day. Ekwonu is the first N.C. State player drafted by the Panthers in their history. Carolina has five more […]
By Richard Walker Four local products have helped Wingate to a No. 1 NCAA Division II national baseball ranking, a top seed in the upcoming South Atlantic Conference tournament and a 40-win season – 2017 Crest High graduate Logan McNeely, 2018 North Gaston High graduate Austin Mitchell, 2020 Cherryville High graduate Brent Walls and 2021 […]
By Richard Walker HighSchoolOT.com named its second all-state boys basketball team and five players from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties were honored. Here’s the full team with statistics and upcoming college destinations if available: Players are listed with their averages in the following format: points/rebounds/assists. And if a player notched more than 1.5 steals or […]
By Richard Walker Six teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties will be competing in the N.C. High School Athletic Association boys tennis dual team playoffs that begin on Wednesday. Here are the first round pairings: Class 3A No. 4 South Point (11-0) hosts No. 13 Rockingham County (9-2) Class 3A No. 11 Crest (10-1) […]
By Richard Walker Two Gaston County high school prospects and the Carolina Panthers are preparing for this week’s NFL Draft in Paradise, Nev. Former East Gaston High standout Robert Washington and former South Point High standout Nick Muse are considered draft prospects or possibilities to sign free agent contracts for the draft that begins on […]
By Richard Walker Parker Agosta’s 1-hitter with 11 strikeouts in East Gaston’s 7-0 win over North Gaston in the 2022 Gaston County Baseball Championship finals on Thursday at Gastonia’s Sims Legion Park to earn him most valuable player honors. He was joined on the all-tournament team by East Gaston teammates Logan Agosta, Dylan Howell and […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte Hornets will have a new head basketball coach after the team fired James Borrego after four years in that position. Borrego was named the 11th head coach in team history on May 10, 2018 and had guided the franchise to a 138-163 record in four seasons. “I want to thank […]
By Richard Walker East Gaston became the third Gaston County team to win six Gaston County Baseball Championship titles with a 7-0 win over North Gaston on Thursday night at Sims Legion Park. East Gaston improved to 6-7 all-time in GCB championship games with its first title since 2016. Additionally, Warriors coach Randy Sellers became […]
By Richard Walker Crest and Kings Mountain are currently at the top of the Big South 3A Conference baseball standings. On Thursday, they’ll meet for the Cleveland County Easter tournament title for the third time in the event’s history. Crest advanced with a 7-0 victory over Shelby and Kings Mountain advanced with a 9-2 win […]
By Richard Walker A “Back to the Future” championship game will be held on Thursday when the Gaston County Baseball Championship game is played at Gastonia’s Sims Legion Park. It’s because East Gaston will face North Gaston in the 2022 championship game; Those two schools will be meeting for the title for the first time […]
By Richard Walker Some high school tournaments dodged Monday’s raindrops and others were postponed. At Gastonia’s Sims Legion Park, the Gaston County Baseball Championship made its return to action after two years off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. East Gaston, Forestview, North Gaston and Cramer were Monday’s first round winners and advance into Tuesday’s semifinals […]
By Richard Walker When Alec Burleson was helping lead the East Lincoln High baseball program to four straight state playoff appearances as a standout pitcher and hitter, he dreamed of making the major leagues. Now in his third year as a professional in the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization, Burleson is one step away as a […]
By Richard Walker Gastonia’s Harold Varner III keeps knocking on the door of his first PGA tour victory. But for the second straight year, Varner finished frustratingly close to a win when he finished one shot off the lead and tied for third place in the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, S.C. Varner (67-73-63-70) finished […]
By Richard Walker Earlier this year, a win on the Asian Tour gave Gastonia’s Harold Varner III a spot in his first-ever Master’s. On Sunday, Varner will take a third-round lead into RBC Heritage at Hilton Head, S.C., as he pursues his first-ever PGA tour win. Varner, a 2008 Forestview High graduate who also first […]
By Richard Walker Former Gaston and Lincoln county star athlete Sage Surratt will be a part of pro football history on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. when he and the Birmingham Stallions play the New Jersey Generals in the official restart of the old United States Football League. Surratt was a sixth round pick of the […]
By Richard Walker For the second straight season, the Charlotte Hornets saw their season end on the short end of a road NBA play-in tournament loss. A year after getting routed 144-117 at the Indiana Pacers in the league’s inaugural playoff tournament, the Hornets were blasted again on Wednesday in a 132-103 loss at the […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte Hornets begin what they hope is a two-game winning streak that’ll land them into the NBA playoffs for the 11th time in franchise history when they visit the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Both teams finished 43-39 in the regular season but the Hawks earned the right to […]
By Richard Walker John Drew, one of Gardner-Webb’s greatest basketball players in history, died on Sunday at 67 in Houston, Tex., of bone cancer. Drew is one of four eventual NBA players for the Runnin’ Bulldogs – Artis Gilmore, George Adams and Eddie Lee Wilkins are the others – and his No. 22 jersey is […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte Hornets continued their strong finish to the season with a 124-108 home win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday afternoon. And the Hornets (43-39) will need to continue that momentum next week in the NBA play-in tournament to advance to the eight-team Eastern Conference playoffs. Charlotte finished as the No. […]
By Richard Walker Gastonia’s Harold Varner III struggled in Saturday’s unseasonable weather at The Master’s on Saturday. A 2008 Forestview High graduate, Varner shot a eight-over-par 80 to fall from a tie for sixth to a tie for 36th in arguably the PGA’s most prestigious annual event. Varner, who tees off at 11:10 a.m. for […]
By Richard Walker Gastonia’s Harold Varner III not only made the cut in his first appearance at The Masters, but he will enter the weekend in title contention. A 2008 Forestview High graduate, Varner shot a second straight one-under-par 71 to finish his second round with a two-under-par score of 142 that leaves him tied […]
By Richard Walker Gastonia’s Harold Varner III is tied for 11th after shooting a one-under-par 71 in the opening round of The Masters on Thursday. It is Varner’s first appearance in the prestigious tournament and the 2008 Forestview High graduate eagled one hole (No. 13) and birdied four others (Nos. 2, 8, 14 and 16) […]
By Richard Walker Former Gardner-Webb and Belmont Abbey baseball standout Emilio Pagan has a new major league home as the 2022 major league and minor league season gets underway. Pagan was acquired in trade by the Minnesota Twins from the San Diego Padres. Entering his sixth season in the major leagues, Pagan has been in […]
By Richard Walker Former Belmont Abbey College assistant coach Jonas Hayes was named the 16th head men’s basketball coach in Georgia State history on Wednesday. Hayes, who coached at Belmont Abbey from 2007 to 2012, last Thursday guided Xavier to the NIT championship as an interim head coach. Hayes was named interim head coach at […]
By Richard Walker Gastonia’s Harold Varner III will tee off at 1:08 p.m. on Thursday in his first career appearance at the prestigious Master’s golf tournament in Augusta, Ga. A 2008 Forestview High graduate, Varner qualified through his high world golf ranking (currently No. 40) and he is paired with Sergio Garcia and Thomas Pieters. […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte Knights begin their 2022 season with a six-game road trip to Norfolk that begins Tuesday night at 6:35 p.m. The team held its annual media day and Gastonia’s Wes Helms, entering his second season as manager, is thrilled to have a traditional schedule and protocol after the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled […]
By Richard Walker Two local baseball programs had a good weekend as Gaston College recorded a three-game sweep to reach 30 victories and Belmont Abbey won two of three games at perennial power Mount Olive. Gaston College won 7-4 and 4-3 in extra innings on Saturday then won 9-8 on Sunday to improve to 30-2 […]
By Richard Walker For the 27th time, an ACC team will play for the NCAA championship following Saturday’s 81-77 North Carolina victory over Duke in the Final Four in New Orleans. Duke has advanced to the title game to most (11 times) and won five NCAA tournament titles with six runner-up finishes. North Carolina has […]
By Richard Walker American Legion baseball is six weeks away from starting and North Carolina Area IV will have 19 teams competing for its title when the regular season begins on May 15. In the 10-team Eastern Division, Gaston Braves Post 144-266 and Gastonia Post 23 and Lincoln County Cardinals Post 455 will be joined […]
By Richard Walker Former Belmont Abbey assistant coach Jonas Hayes guided Xavier to Thursday’s NIT championship as an interim head coach. Named interim head coach on March 16 when Xavier fired head coach Travis Steele, Hayes was an assistant coach at Belmont Abbey for five seasons (2007-08 to 2011-12) and has also been an assistant […]
By Richard Walker Back-to-back nail-biting wins over South Point this week have extended Crest’s conference winning streak to 35 games as well put the Chargers in first place of the Big South 3A Conference standings. As rain wiped away all area games on Thursday, the Chargers (9-3, 6-0) are idle until hosting North Gaston on […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte 49ers and Gardner-Webb announced their 2022 college football schedules on Wednesday. Charlotte plays a schedule with eight Conference USA games and seven 2021 bowl teams and includes a first-ever home game against a Big Ten opponent (Maryland) and first-ever road game at South Carolina of the SEC. Fourth-year 49ers head […]
By Richard Walker North Gaston High School has a new football coach. Dan Rothwell, a Michigan native who spent 10 years coaching in his home state, was named North Gaston’s 10th head football coach on Tuesday. Rothwell has coached in Gaston and Mecklenburg counties the past six years, most recently as defensive line coach and […]
By Richard Walker The rebirth of the United States Football League could see the rebirth of one of the most accomplished athletes in North Carolina high school history. Sage Surratt, a star football and basketball player at East Lincoln and Lincolnton high schools, was selected with the 41st pick of the sixth round of the […]
By Richard Walker Nine NCAA schools have advanced to the Final Four 10 times or more – and three of them have advanced to this year’s Final Four as Duke, Kansas, North Carolina and Villanova make up the field that will play next weekend in New Orleans. North Carolina is making its record 21st Final […]
By Richard Walker On a Saturday in which Gaston College officially re-opened Sims Legion Park, its mascot “Mo the Rhino” was introduced and president Dr. John Hauser threw out the ceremonial first pitch, the baseball team set its own history. Right-handed pitcher Gus Hughes did the lion’s share of those honors with the first no-hit […]
By Richard Walker To call the current NFL offseason a rollercoaster would be an understatement. For the Carolina Panthers, that’s been unmistakably true as head coach Matt Rhule and general manager Scott Fitterer have tried to reshape a roster that ended last season 5-12 to complete a franchise-worst fourth straight losing season. This offseason, Carolina […]