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8-18-21 roundup: Youth softball, Legion baseball, High school football, boys soccer and volleyball, Pro football and baseball, College cycling

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 […]

Legion baseball update (final 2021 with full ALWS results)

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, […]

8-17-21 roundup: Legion baseball, High school football and boys soccer, Pro basketball and football

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 […]

Legion baseball update (through Aug. 16)

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, […]

8-16-21 roundup: Bessemer City Hall of Fame, Legion baseball, Pro football, High school football and boys soccer

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 […]

8-15-21 roundup: Pro football, basketball and baseball, High school football, Legion baseball, College athletics

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 […]

8-14-21 roundup: High school football and volleyball, Pro basketball, football and baseball, Legion baseball, College athletics

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 […]

8-13-21 roundup: Pro basketball, football and baseball, Legion baseball, College athletics

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 […]

8-12-21 roundup: Pro basketball, football, Legion baseball, College athletics

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 […]

8-11-21 roundup: Middle school football, Legion baseball, Pro basketball, football and baseball, College athletics

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 […]

8-10-21 roundup: Pro basketball and baseball, Legion baseball, High school football, College athletics

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 […]

8-9-21 roundup: Legion baseball, Pro basketball and baseball, College athletics

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 […]

Cherryille Post 100 overcame adversity to win area, state and regional before advancing to American Legion World Series title game

By Richard Walker Ever since Cherryville Post 100 began its American Legion baseball program in 1937, success has often followed. Cherryville has set Area IV records for championships (18) and regular season titles (22) in addition to building one of North Carolina’s top programs with seven state titles, five state runner-up finishes and 11 state […]

Friday’s roundup: Legion baseball, Prep baseball, Pro hockey, College baseball

By Richard Walker When the American Legion World Series makes its return to Shelby after being cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Veterans Field and Keeter Stadium will be allowed full capacity. This comes after N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper’s May 14 announcement that most restrictions put in place to control the spread of COVID-19 […]

Monday’s roundup: Legion baseball, High school football, golf, baseball, soccer and softball, College football, baseball and soccer, Middle school sports

By Richard Walker American Legion National Commander James W. “Bill” Oxford announced Monday that The American Legion World Series will be played in Shelby this year. The eight-team championship tournament will be played Aug. 12-17 at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium and is returning after being cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. “As […]

Cherryville dominated local area American Legion baseball in 1997 and 1998, advanced to Post 100’s first-ever ALWS title game

By Richard Walker Every summer, most American Legion fans expect Cherryville Post 100 to annually compete for top honors in the area, the state and possibly the nation. It wasn’t always that way. Before the 1997 season, Post 100 had won two state titles, five N.C. Area IV championships and eight regular season titles. In […]

How big is American Legion baseball in our area? Cleveland and Gaston counties have hosted 33 Legion national tournaments

By Richard Walker As anyone who lives in the area knows, American Legion baseball has made its World Series home in Shelby. But even before Shelby became the permanent host to Legion’s signature event, this region has been a frequent host to national tournaments – and that started 90 years ago in Gastonia. Gastonia became […]

N.C. Legion state tournament will be coming to Cleveland County in 2021

By Richard Walker Kings Mountain High School’s Lancaster Field is set to become a first-time host of the North Carolina American Legion championship tournament The facility was granted the 2020 tournament before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled all Legion tournaments locally, regionally and nationally. And the 2021 event is based on COVID-19 conditions and has to […]

Remembering when Sims Legion Park was the hottest ticket in town as Gastonia Post 23 nearly won a second ALWS

By Richard Walker Ten teams have won more than one American Legion World Series. Gastonia was painfully close to making it 11 in 1954 in what has proved to be the last year Post 23 won a state title. It came during a summer when fans packed Gastonia’s Sims Legion Park night after night – […]

Cherryville has become one of the state’s top American Legion baseball programs. The foundation for that success was built in 1953

By Richard Walker With seven state titles in history, many think Cherryville Post 100 has always been an American Legion baseball power. It just seems that way, but it all started with the magical summer of 1953. That season, a first-year coach more known for his time at Gardner-Webb took over a program that had […]

American Legion baseball started locally in 1929 and has produced wins, championships and fans ever since

By Richard Walker Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties have never ranked ranked near the top of the North Carolina population. But they do have arguably the most interest in American Legion baseball as 12 local posts have sponsored teams over the years and won more than 100 championships including two American Legion World Series titles. […]

Shelby is now permanent home to ALWS but Legion baseball took hold first time in summer of 1942

By Richard Walker Whenever you visit Cleveland County these days, you are greeted by signs proclaiming it as the home of the American Legion World Series at Shelby’s Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium. The permanent host of the ALWS since 2011, while Legion baseball started in Shelby in 1931, the community’s embrace of Legion baseball […]