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 […]
By Richard Walker There will be a first-time American Legion World Series winner crowned on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. when Lincoln (Neb.) Post 3 meets League City (Tex.) Post 554 at Shelby’s Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium. Lincoln need only one hit – Garrett Springer’s 2-run single in the bottom of the 6th inning […]
By Richard Walker Several area products have been honored as members of the www.CarolinaGridiron.com 2023 preseason North Carolina all-state football team. Here’s the full time with notes on each player: Quarterback – Jadyn Davis, Providence Day Leading the charge is Jadyn Davis of Providence Day. With a rocket arm and a mind as sharp as […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers’ opening act of the 2023 season came up flat as they dropped their preseason opener by a 27-0 score to the New York Jets on a hot and humid Saturday afternoon at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. The game, which came in Frank Reich’s debut as Carolina head coach, […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers open their 2023 preseason schedule at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium against the New York Jets on Saturday at 4 p.m. Here is a preview of the contest: Preseason Game 1: New York Jets at Carolina Panthers, 4 p.m. TV: WJZY locally (Taylor Zarzour play-by-play, Steve Smith Sr. color […]
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 Shelby’s Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium will begins hosting duties for the American Legion World Series for the 13th time on Thursday. Shelby gained the ALWS for the first time in 2008. Then after the national American Legion office pursued a permanent host, Shelby was granted the right to host the event […]
By Richard Walker The Mount Holly Sports Hall of Fame will have its 16th induction ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Mount Holly Citizens Center with its 2023 induction class. This year’s class is comprised of 5 individuals and 2 teams and tickets are $25 apiece and can be purchased by […]
By Richard Walker The 8th and final team for the 8-team field for this week’s American Legion World Series in Shelby punched its ticket on Monday morning. Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Post 671 rallied past longtime power Midland (Mich.) Post 165 by a 2-1 score when the teams resumed a game that was suspended with Midland […]
American Legion World Series pairings: (at Shelby NC) Stars Division – Northeast (Ellsworth, Maine), Mid-South (Troy, Ala.), Northwest (Cheyenne, Wyo.), Western (League City, Tex.) Stripes Division – Mid-Atlantic (Brooklawn, N.J.), Southeast (Florence, S.C.), Great Lakes (Midland, Mich. OR Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Central Plains (Lincoln, Neb.) August 10 Game 1 – Northwest vs. Western, 10 a.m. […]
By Richard Walker Seven of the eight-team field for this week’s American Legion World Series in Shelby was determined on Sunday and the final spot will be claimed after a suspended game is resumed at 8:30 a.m. Monday morning. Defending champion Troy, Ala. leads the field that includes all-time ALWS participant Brooklawn, N.J.; Post will […]
By Richard Walker The 64-team American Legion baseball regionals begin on Wednesday at eight locations all across the country, including the Southeast Regional at Asheboro’s McCrary Park. Defending American Legion World Series champion Troy, Ala., will play in the Mid-South Regional at Pelham, Ala., and three other teams from last year’s ALWS in Shelby also […]
By Richard Walker The field for the 2023 Southeast American Legion baseball regional in Asheboro, N.C., has been set. Asheboro’s McCrary Park will host a regional for the 11th straight year as state champions from Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia and host Randolph County Post 45 will open the 8-team, […]
American Legion regional tournament pairings: Northeast (Region 1 at Shrewsbury MA) (Wednesday, Aug. 2) Game 1 – Maine (Ellsworth) vs. New Hampshire (Nashua Coffey), 9:30 a.m. Game 2 – Vermont (Essex) vs. New York (Greece), after 9:30 a.m. game Game 3 – Connecticut (West Hartford) vs. Massachusetts No. 1 (Franklin), 4:30 p.m. Game 4 – […]
N.C. Area IV 2023 (FINAL standings) Eastern Division Division Overall/Playoffs Queen City 8-2 12-6/0-3 Mint Hill Post 555 7-3 8-4/2-3 Gaston Post 144-266 6-4 9-6/1-3 Matthews Post 235 6-4 8-10/3-3 Lincoln County Post 455 3-7 4-9/0-3 Gastonia Post 23 0-10 2-14/0-3 Western Division Division Overall/Playoffs Cleveland County Post 82-155 9-3 17-7/7-2/0-2 State Cherryville Post 100 […]
N.C. Area IV 2023 (FINAL standings) Eastern Division Division Overall/Playoffs Queen City 8-2 12-6/0-3 Mint Hill Post 555 7-3 8-4/2-3 Gaston Post 144-266 6-4 9-6/1-3 Matthews Post 235 6-4 8-10/3-3 Lincoln County Post 455 3-7 4-9/0-3 Gastonia Post 23 0-10 2-14/0-3 Western Division Division Overall/Playoffs Cleveland County Post 82-155 9-3 17-7/7-2/0-2 State Cherryville Post 100 […]
N.C. Area IV 2023 (Standings through July 14) Eastern Division Division Overall/Playoffs Queen City 8-2 12-6/0-3 Mint Hill Post 555 7-3 8-4/2-3 Gaston Post 144-266 6-4 9-6/1-3 Matthews Post 235 6-4 8-10/3-3 Lincoln County Post 455 3-7 4-9/0-3 Gastonia Post 23 0-10 2-14/0-3 Western Division Division Overall/Playoffs Cleveland County Post 82-155 9-3 17-7/6-0 Cherryville Post […]
N.C. Area IV 2023 (Standings through July 13) Eastern Division Division Overall/Playoffs Queen City 8-2 12-6/0-3 Mint Hill Post 555 7-3 8-4/2-3 Gaston Post 144-266 6-4 9-6/1-3 Matthews Post 235 6-4 8-10/3-3 Lincoln County Post 455 3-7 4-9/0-3 Gastonia Post 23 0-10 2-14/0-3 Western Division Division Overall/Playoffs Cleveland County Post 82-155 9-3 17-7/4-0 Cherryville Post […]
By Richard Walker North Carolina Area IV American Legion recently met to discuss the upcoming season and its membership for the 2023 season. Area IV will be divided again into two divisions – the East and West. The Eastern Division will include teams from Gaston, Lincoln and Mecklenburg counties – Gastonia Post 23 and the […]
By Richard Walker The Cherryville American Legion Post 100 baseball family has had a rough couple of weeks following the death of longtime scoreboard operator Darise Hartman. Hartman died on Sept. 15 at 89 with one of the greatest attendance streaks in Legion baseball history; Hartman attended the American Legion World Series for 34 straight […]
American Legion 2022 (FINAL) Area IV standings Eastern Division Division Overall/Playoffs Queen City 11-1 14-2/7-5/3-2 State Gaston Post 144-266 10-2 12-3/8-5 Gastonia Post 23 8-4 8-7/2-3 Matthews Post 235 6-6 7-11/3-4 Mint Hill Post 555 5-7 5-7/0-3 Statesville Post 113 2-10 2-12/DNP Lincoln County Post 455 0-12 1-13/DNP (Includes ALL forfeit losses for Lincoln County, […]
By Richard Walker Troy, Ala., made its third straight rally from a large deficit to win its first American Legion World Series title – and take the first title for Alabama in 55 years – on Tuesday with a 6-5 win over two-time defending champion Idaho Falls, Id. Idaho Falls was pursuing an unprecedented third […]
By Richard Walker Troy, Ala., and Idaho Falls, Id. won Monday semifinal games at the American Legion World Series to advance to Tuesday’s 7 p.m. championship game. Troy, playing in its first-ever ALWS, rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to beat Midland, Mich., 5-3. Troy seeks to become the second Alabama champion; Tuscaloosa, Ala., won […]
By Richard Walker When Chandler Redmond played baseball for Gardner-Webb University, he set single-season and career records for home runs. Last Wednesday night, he matched one of the rarest home run records in professional baseball history with a home run cycle. A 32nd-round pick in 2019 by the St. Louis Cardinals organization, Redmond hit a […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers played four quarterbacks – starting recent trade acquisition Baker Mayfield – and survived a Washington Commanders’ rally directed by former University of North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell before winning 23-21 Saturday afternoon in their 2022 preseason opener. Mayfield, acquired from the Cleveland Browns in July, started for coach Matt […]
By Richard Walker The Burns High School community is in mourning after the death of the coach credited with building the school into a championship football program. Ron Greene died at 71 on Thursday. The winningest coach in school history and the man for whom the school’s stadium is named guided the Bulldogs to a […]
By Richard Walker The 2022 American Legion World Series got underway at Shelby’s Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium on Thursday. Here’s the schedule and results: Stars Division – Mid-South (Troy AL), Northeast (Shrewsbury MA), Southeast (Camden SC), Western (League City TX) Stripes Division – Great Lakes (Midland MI), Mid-Atlantic (Chesapeake VA), Central Plains (Omaha Prep […]
By Richard Walker Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams was the featured speaker on Wednesday at LeGrand Center in Shelby, N.C., during the “Host City Welcome” festivities that kicked off the 2022 American Legion World Series. Williams applauded each of the eight regional champions that begin play in the ALWS on Thursday. “I […]
By Richard Walker The 2022 Gaston County Conference and Tri-County Conference middle school football seasons begin in the next month. Here’s the composite schedules of both conferences: (Gaston County Conference) Aug. 24 – Belmont at Southwest, Bessemer City at Holbrook, W.C. Friday at Cramerton, Stanley at Grier, York Chester at Mount Holly Aug. 31 – […]
By Richard Walker As the Carolina Panthers prepare for Friday’s first preseason game during training camp in Spartanburg, S.C., coach Matt Rhule still hasn’t named a starting quarterback. However, Rhule admitted that day was coming closer as 2021 starter Sam Darnold and offseason trade acquisition Baker Mayfield continue sharing practice repetitions with projected starters and […]
American Legion 2022 (through Games of Aug. 7) Area IV standings Eastern Division Division Overall/Playoffs Queen City 11-1 14-2/7-5/3-2 State Gaston Post 144-266 10-2 12-3/8-5 Gastonia Post 23 8-4 8-7/2-3 Matthews Post 235 6-6 7-11/3-4 Mint Hill Post 555 5-7 5-7/0-3 Statesville Post 113 2-10 2-12/DNP Lincoln County Post 455 0-12 1-13/DNP (Includes ALL forfeit […]
By Richard Walker The field has been set for this week’s American Legion World at Shelby’s Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium – and it includes two-time defending champion Idaho Falls, Id. Here’s the schedule of games that begin on Thursday: Stars Division – Mid-South (Troy AL), Northeast (Shrewsbury MA), Southeast (Camden SC), Western (League City […]
American Legion 2022 (through Games of Aug. 6) Area IV standings Eastern Division Division Overall/Playoffs Queen City 11-1 14-2/7-5/3-2 State Gaston Post 144-266 10-2 12-3/8-5 Gastonia Post 23 8-4 8-7/2-3 Matthews Post 235 6-6 7-11/3-4 Mint Hill Post 555 5-7 5-7/0-3 Statesville Post 113 2-10 2-12/DNP Lincoln County Post 455 0-12 1-13/DNP (Includes ALL forfeit […]
American Legion 2022 (through Games of Aug. 4) Area IV standings Eastern Division Division Overall/Playoffs Queen City 11-1 14-2/7-5/3-2 State Gaston Post 144-266 10-2 12-3/8-5 Gastonia Post 23 8-4 8-7/2-3 Matthews Post 235 6-6 7-11/3-4 Mint Hill Post 555 5-7 5-7/0-3 Statesville Post 113 2-10 2-12/DNP Lincoln County Post 455 0-12 1-13/DNP (Includes ALL forfeit […]
By Richard Walker Here’s a look at pro baseball players from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties: Former Gardner-Webb and Belmont Abbey baseball standout Emilio Pagan is 3-5 with nine saves and a 4.97 ERA in 40 appearances for the Minnesota Twins. Jeffrey Springs (South Point 2011 graduate) is 4-3 with a 2.50 ERA in 22 […]
American Legion 2022 (through Games of Aug. 4) Area IV standings Eastern Division Division Overall/Playoffs Queen City 11-1 14-2/7-5/3-2 State Gaston Post 144-266 10-2 12-3/8-5 Gastonia Post 23 8-4 8-7/2-3 Matthews Post 235 6-6 7-11/3-4 Mint Hill Post 555 5-7 5-7/0-3 Statesville Post 113 2-10 2-12/DNP Lincoln County Post 455 0-12 1-13/DNP (Includes ALL forfeit […]
By Richard Walker A former Crest High standout Lannden Zanders announced on twitter that his Clemson University college football career was over while Burns High senior Cahari Haynes announced his college commitment on twitter to play at Appalachian State University. A 2019 Crest High graduate, Zanders is a 6-foot-1, 210-pound safety who had made 57 […]
By Richard Walker Six players from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties were honored earlier this week by HighSchoolOT.com with selection to their all-state high school baseball team. East Lincoln’s Garrett Michel was named first team infielder, North Lincoln’s Matt Heavner was named second team infielder, Cherryville’s Landon Hahn was named third team infielder and East […]
By Richard Walker Three perennial state powers and three first-time state champions highlight the eight-team American Legion Southeast Regional field at Asheboro’s McCrary Park that will begin a five-day event to determine a qualifier for the World Series in Shelby. N.C.’s all-time leader in state championships, Wilmington with 13, is joined by a pair of […]
By Richard Walker Cleveland Community College didn’t have to look far to find coaches to startup their new men’s and women’s basketball and women’s volleyball programs as well as a new head baseball coach. It simply found three local successful high school coaches and promoted a local product from assistant coach to head coach, as […]
American Legion 2022 (through Games of July 30) Area IV standings Eastern Division Division Overall/Playoffs Queen City 11-1 14-2/7-5/3-2 State Gaston Post 144-266 10-2 12-3/8-5 Gastonia Post 23 8-4 8-7/2-3 Matthews Post 235 6-6 7-11/3-4 Mint Hill Post 555 5-7 5-7/0-3 Statesville Post 113 2-10 2-12/DNP Lincoln County Post 455 0-12 1-13/DNP (Includes ALL forfeit […]
By Richard Walker Shelby Post 82 becomes the first four-time N.C. American Legion softball state tournament participant when it hosts the 2022 event at Marion’s Big League Camp starting on Monday. Guided by head coach Thomas Pruett and assistant coaches Todd Beheler and Gary Spangler, Post 82 will take a 15-6 overall record and Area […]
American Legion 2022 (through Games of July 29) Area IV standings Eastern Division Division Overall/Playoffs Queen City 11-1 14-2/7-5/3-1 State Gaston Post 144-266 10-2 12-3/8-5 Gastonia Post 23 8-4 8-7/2-3 Matthews Post 235 6-6 7-11/3-4 Mint Hill Post 555 5-7 5-7/0-3 Statesville Post 113 2-10 2-12/DNP Lincoln County Post 455 0-12 1-13/DNP (Includes ALL forfeit […]
American Legion 2022 (through Games of July 28) Area IV standings Eastern Division Division Overall/Playoffs Queen City 11-1 14-2/7-5/2-1 State Gaston Post 144-266 10-2 12-3/8-5 Gastonia Post 23 8-4 8-7/2-3 Matthews Post 235 6-6 7-11/3-4 Mint Hill Post 555 5-7 5-7/0-3 Statesville Post 113 2-10 2-12/DNP Lincoln County Post 455 0-12 1-13/DNP (Includes ALL forfeit […]
American Legion 2022 (through Games of July 27) Area IV standings Eastern Division Division Overall/Playoffs Queen City 11-1 14-2/7-5/1-1 State Gaston Post 144-266 10-2 12-3/8-5 Gastonia Post 23 8-4 8-7/2-3 Matthews Post 235 6-6 7-11/3-4 Mint Hill Post 555 5-7 5-7/0-3 Statesville Post 113 2-10 2-12/DNP Lincoln County Post 455 0-12 1-13/DNP (Includes ALL forfeit […]
American Legion 2022 (through Games of July 26) Area IV standings Eastern Division Division Overall/Playoffs Queen City 11-1 14-2/7-5/0-1 State Gaston Post 144-266 10-2 12-3/8-5 Gastonia Post 23 8-4 8-7/2-3 Matthews Post 235 6-6 7-11/3-4 Mint Hill Post 555 5-7 5-7/0-3 Statesville Post 113 2-10 2-12/DNP Lincoln County Post 455 0-12 1-13/DNP (Includes ALL forfeit […]
American Legion 2022 (through Games of July 22) Area IV standings Eastern Division Division Overall/Playoffs Queen City 11-1 14-2/7-5 Gaston Post 144-266 10-2 12-3/8-5 Gastonia Post 23 8-4 8-7/2-3 Matthews Post 235 6-6 7-11/3-4 Mint Hill Post 555 5-7 5-7/0-3 Statesville Post 113 2-10 2-12/DNP Lincoln County Post 455 0-12 1-13/DNP (Includes ALL forfeit losses […]
By Richard Walker Cherryville’s Dixie Angels All-Star softball recently won both the North Carolina state and the Dixie World Series tournament titles. In the N.C. state tournament held in Cherryville from July 9-13, Cherryville routed three opponents by a 33-0 cumulative score and yielded only one hit. In the Dixie World Series (Angels Division) held […]
Here are all results from the 2021 American Legion World Series: Pool play 4-team divisions (with records) Stars – Central Plains (Fargo, N.D. 0-3), Mid-Atlantic (Ridge St. Mary’s, Md. 2-1), Southeast (Tupelo, Miss. 2-1), Western (Honolulu Team Central, Hi. 2-1) Stripes – Great Lakes (Midland Berryhill, Mich. 1-2), Mid-South (Dubuque County, Ia. 2-1), Northeast (Beverly, […]
By Richard Walker Inclement weather wreaked havoc on the 2021 American Legion World Series for the third straight night Tuesday as the championship game matching defending champion Idaho Falls, Id., against Honolulu, Hi., will be played on Wednesday at a time to be determined. Here is the full schedule of games for the 2021 American […]
American Legion World Series (at Shelby) Pool play 4-team divisions (with records) Stars – Central Plains (Fargo, N.D. 0-3), Mid-Atlantic (Ridge St. Mary’s, Md. 2-1), Southeast (Tupelo, Miss. 2-1), Western (Honolulu Team Central, Hi. 2-1) Stripes – Great Lakes (Midland Berryhill, Mich. 1-2), Mid-South (Dubuque County, Ia. 2-1), Northeast (Beverly, Mass. 1-2), Northwest (Idaho Falls, […]
By Richard Walker On Saturday night, Bessemer City inducted its inaugural Sports Hall of Fame class. In a ceremony held at First Baptist Church of Bessemer City, a class of four individuals and one team were officially inducted – Mike Mahaffey, Kevin Millwood, Jackson “Ace” Parker and Shameka Smith and the 1959 Bessemer City High […]
By Richard Walker The Indianapolis Colts scored 11 points in the final 7:43 on Sunday afternoon to ruin the Carolina Panthers preseason opener. The Colts, who got six of those points on a 1-yard touchdown run by former Charlotte 49ers running back Benny LeMay, won the contest on Eddy Pinero’s 30-yard field with seven seconds […]
By Richard Walker Area high school football teams have completed preseason practices and scrimmages. And on Friday, the 2021 regular season will begin. Here’s the schedule for opening games for teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties: Bessemer City at Community School of Davidson Burns at Forestview Cherryville at Avery County Cramer at Bunker Hill […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte Hornets announced a four-game preseason schedule that features two home games at Spectrum Center. Charlotte opens its 2021-22 preseason at the Oklahoma City Thunder on Oct. 4 at 8 p.m. before returning home to play the Mamphis Grizzlies on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. After visiting the Miami Heat on […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte Hornets fell to 0-3 in the Las Vegas Summer League after losing a 106-105 shootout to the San Antonio Spurs. Tre Jones scored 34 points to lead the Spurs to the win. Charlotte was led by James Bouknight (23 points, 8 assists), Vernon Carey, Jr. (19 points, 8 rebounds), Grant […]
By Richard Walker After the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the Gaston County Conference football schedule and altered the Tri-County Conference football schedule, both leagues will run full slates for the 2021 season. In Gaston County, it’ll mark the first action since the 2019 season. And in Cleveland and Lincoln counties, the teams will play a full […]
By Richard Walker During Tuesday’s offseason media session, Charlotte Hornets president and general manager Mitch Kupchak said his team had finished its offseason roster decisions, had high hopes for the upcoming season and felt the contract extension the team gave head coach James Borrego indicated he would be able to meet those expectations. Charlotte added […]
By Richard Walker The schedule has been set for the 2021 American Legion World Series that returns for the 10th straight time and 11th time overall to Shelby’s Keeter Stadium at Veterans Field. Defending champion Idaho Falls, Id., and runner-up Fargo, N.D., are two of the six teams who will comprise the eight-team field. Midland […]