By Richard Walker How important is winning your conference football opener? In the Big South Conference, it’s imperative if you want to win the league championship. How so? With Friday featuring six teams opening their league slate – Crest beat North Gaston 42-16 last week – none of the previous league champions or co-champions have […]
By Richard Walker Holbrook and Southwest stayed unbeaten in Gaston County Conference middle school football action after wins on Wednesday. Holbrook defeated Mount Holly 36-6 to improve to 4-0 and Southwest edged Southwest 6-0 to improve to 5-0. Grier (3-0) also is unbeaten in the Gaston County Conference. Here are Wednesday’s Gaston County Conference results: […]
By Richard Walker Charlotte is off to its fourth 2-0 start in the school’s nine-year football history. Coach Will Healy said during his weekly news conference that 2-0 won’t mean anything if the team doesn’t finish strong – and that starts with this week’s 7 p.m. game at Georgia State. “Every week I say this […]
By Richard Walker Former South Point High baseball standout Dawson Gause will be playing on one of the biggest stages in all of college baseball this spring when he pitches for six-time national champion LSU. A 2018 South Point High graduate, Gause will be a 6-foot-4, 215-pound redshirt sophomore for the Tigers after transferring from […]
By Richard Walker They may have started slow – and drew a few boos in the process – but the Carolina Panthers reversed a recent opening-game trend on Sunday with a 19-14 win over the New York Jets on Sunday. Sam Darnold completed 24 ot 34 passes for 279 yards and one touchdown in his […]
By Richard Walker There was no letdown for the Charlotte 49ers as they rolled to a 38-10 win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday night at Richardson Stadium. One week after Charlotte’s first-ever home game and victory over a power five major college football conference – the 49ers beat Duke 31-28 – Charlotte never trailed as it […]
By Richard Walker A shootout at Shelby’s Blanton Memorial Stadium between two of the Carolinas winningest programs ended with South Pointe of Rock Hill, S.C., holding off Shelby 51-37 on Friday night. South Pointe scored 34 straight points in the first half to take a 37-7 halftime lead before the host Golden Lions outscored the […]
By Richard Walker On Saturday, a former Crest High quarterback will make his head coaching debut against the ACC when Dawson “Tyrone” Odums leads his Norfolk State team into its first game at Wake Forest at noon. Odums, a 1992 Crest High graduate, played quarterback in high school and defensive line at North Carolina Central […]
By Richard Walker Former South Point High standout Tanner Muse has a new NFL home. Muse, a 2015 South Point High graduate, signed to play on the Seattle Seahawks practice squad on Wednesday. It comes two days after the Las Vegas Raiders released Muse from their roster. Muse had made eight tackles with half a […]
By Richard Walker Former Forestview and Gaston Day standout Nate Hinton has a new NBA team. Hinton signed a contract with the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. Indiana’s new head coach is Hinton’s former Dallas Mavericks’ coach Rick Carlisle. A 2018 Gaston Day graduate who was an undrafted free agent signee out of the University of […]
By Richard Walker Quarterbacks at Charlotte and Gardner-Webb, a Gardner-Webb receiver and Gaston County’s all-time leading high school football rusher were among those honored with top conference awards for their play in the opening week of the 2021 college football season. Charlotte’s Chris Reynolds was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week after he […]
By Richard Walker Former North Gaston High standout Blake Brown was promoted by the Philadelphia Phillies to its Class AA affiliate on Sunday. A 2016 North Gaston High graduate, Brown went 2-1 with eight saves with a 3.15 ERA in 33 appearances for the Class A Jersey Shore Blue Claws before being promoted to the […]
By Richard Walker Gardner-Webb put a scare into traditional power Georgia Southern in the 2021 college football opener for both teams. The visiting Bulldogs scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns and drove to the Georgia Southern 29 in the closing seconds before losing 30-25 at Paulson Stadium. Gardner-Webb quarterback Bailey Fisher completed 27 of 45 passes for […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte 49ers set history Friday night. The 49ers scored late and survived a Duke rally for a 31-28 victory in front of 14,125 fans at Richardson Stadium. It marks Charlotte’s first win over an ACC school in the 49ers first home game against an ACC opponent. In a game with six […]
By Richard Walker High school football’s third week continued Thursday with non-conference games that include rivalry matchups like Burns-Kings Mountain, Cramer-East Gaston and East Lincoln-Lincolnton. There’s also been four game cancellations – Blacksburg, S.C., at Cherryville, Central Cabarrus at Huss, Foard at West Lincoln and South Point at R-S Central – with South Point picking […]
By Richard Walker After the COVID-19 pandemic completely disrupted high school football in the 2020-21 school year, it continues having an impact on the 2021 fall schedule. On Wednesday, the Crest at Shelby game that was scheduled for Friday will be postponed with school officials saying they are “working to reschedule.” It is the fourth […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers roster is at 53 after a flurry of moves on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the team waived linebacker Josh Bynes, wide receiver Omar Bayless, running back Spencer Brown, quarterback Will Grier, defensive lineman Frank Herron, offensive lineman Mike Horton, cornerback Jalen Julius, wide receiver Keith Kirkwood, outside linebacker Christian Miller, […]
By Richard Walker Four local high school products are currently on NFL rosters following the 2021 preseason – former Crest standout Jonathan Bullard, former South Point standout Tanner Muse, former East Lincoln standout Chazz Surratt and former East Lincoln and Lincolnton standout Sage Surratt. Here is a look at how each player is doing: Bullard: […]
By Richard Walker High school football teams into the third playing date of the season this week. One game, South Point at R-S Central, has been cancelled due to COVID issues at R-S Central but South Point is trying to find another opponent. Here is Friday’s current schedule for schools from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln […]
By Richard Walker Shelby honored the greatest football player the city has ever produced on Saturday with “Bobby Bell Day.” Bell, a 1959 graduate of the old Cleveland Training School, went on to become an Outland Trophy winner at the University of Minnesota, a Super Bowl winner for the Kansas City Chiefs and was inducted […]
By Richard Walker High school football moves into its second week highlighted by three of the oldest rivalries in the area when Crest visits Burns, South Point plays at East Gaston and West Lincoln visits Cherryville. Here’s a look at each of the matchups in Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties: Alexander Central at North Gaston […]
By Richard Walker Wednesday’s inclement weather played havoc on the first Gaston County Conference middle school football games in two years. Only two games were played long enough to be completed as Cramerton won 24-8 at W.C. Friday and Grier defeated visiting Stanley 8-0. In Cramerton’s win, Tristan Holt had three touchdowns and L.J. Watson […]
By Richard Walker After a year or disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, middle school football returns to the area with conventional schedules for both area leagues. In the Gaston County Conference, action begins on Wednesday in its 11-school league with five games. Gaston County didn’t play any football in the 2020-21 school year. And […]
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 Cramerton lost one of its all-time sports legends when Arnold “Ted” Reece died at 93 on Monday at Robin Johnson Hospice in Dallas, N.C. A lifelong Cramerton resident, Reece played on back-to-back state championship basketball teams at old Cramerton High School in 1944 and 1945 and also played at Belmont Abbey College […]
By Richard Walker West Lincoln High School won its first state title in girls golf behind balance as the Rebels beat Pine Lake Prep by a 10-shot margin in the Class 1A/2A state championships played at Pinehurst No. 8 on Tuesday. Other state champions were Freedom in Class 3A and Pfafftown Reagan in 4A. Leah […]
By Richard Walker Three Mecklenburg County high schools and hometown Pinecrest took the championships in the 2021 N.C. High School Athletic Association golf championships on Monday. Community School of Davidson won Class 1A, Lake Norman Charter Class 2A, Charlotte Catholic Class 3A and Pinecrest Class 4A in a one-day event played at Foxfire Village, Pinehurst […]
By Richard Walker Crest High School’s first girls soccer championship team since 2011 took three of the top honors on the 2021 All-Big South 3A Conference team this spring. The Chargers, who won the league with a 11-1 record, took offensive player of the year (Madison Setzer), defensive player of the year (Olivia-Claire Wall) and […]
By Richard Walker Belmont Abbey College’s historic men’s volleyball season came to an end Monday as the Crusaders fell three sets to none decision to two-time NCAA champion Penn State in the opening round of the NCAA championships in Columbus, Ohio. The Abbey, which won its first Conference Carolinas championship to advance, ends its season […]
By Richard Walker The 2021 baseball and girls soccer season begins on Monday. Here’s a look at the teams: Baseball previews Belmont Head coach: Sam Pruitt (11th year) Assistant coaches: Doug Waters, Ron Ensley Returning players: Gavin Gibson, Patrick Blee, Landon King, Carsten Green, Ty Detweiler, Zeke Pruitt, Brody Crawford, Walker Spargo, Aydan Bradley, […]
By Richard Walker South Point won at Shelby 28-16 to shake up the Southwestern 2A Conference high school football standings and keep its state playoff hopes alive. The Red Raiders (4-2, 3-2) took a 14-0 first half lead and held off a second half Shelby (4-2, 4-1) rally. Tyson Riley scored two touchdowns and Will […]
By Richard Walker Charlotte 49ers head coach Will Healy can’t wait to get back on the field with his team as a 15-session spring practice will begin on Thursday. But Healy has learned through nine game postponements or cancellations last fall and some recent contact tracing issues that nothing is guaranteed. “We’re excited about getting […]
By Richard Walker Sunday and Monday a trio of local athletes were honored and/or showcased for their talents on the football field. Robert Washington, a 2016 East Gaston High graduate and a former Charlotte 49ers standout, continues to shine at Valparaiso College and on Sunday was named Pioneer Football League offensive player of the week […]
By Richard Walker Home sweet home. Well, sort of for Ashbrook High’s football team in this unprecedented winter and spring season caused by the COVID pandemic. The Green Wave of first-year coach Darius James rallied late to win for the second time this season on Cramer’s turf field. This time, Ashbrook beat Cramer 35-27 in […]
By Richard Walker Lincoln Charter’s boys basketball team will be undergoing major changes following its run to the 2021 N.C. 1A state championship. Last week, head coach Bradley Gabriel resigned after nine seasons as Eagles head coach. And on Wednesday, top 2021 scorer Sam Cogan announced he would be transferring to the prestigious Moravian Prep […]
By Richard Walker Kings Mountain improved to 4-0 on the high school football season with a 50-0 win over North Gaston on Tuesday night in a makeup game from a previously postponed game. The Mountaineers have outscored their first four opponents by a 169-7 margin. In Tuesday’s win, Rashaard Brooks and Jaylen Mims scored two […]
By Richard Walker Boys soccer preview capsules Belmont Head coach: Sam Pruitt (15th year) Assistant coaches: Doug Waters, Jenn DelCastillo Returning players: Luke Wesolowski, Patrick Blee, Isaac Contreras, Dominic Fedunic, Aiden Crill, Justin Koehler, Brandon Cunningham, Landon King, Garrett Tidd, Zeke Pruitt, Brody Crawford Chavis Head coach: Michelle Cuomo (1st year) Returning players: Javier Moran, […]
By Richard Walker The Gastonia Honey Hunters have added another Gaston County product to their roster as they prepare for their inaugural 2021 season in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. The Honey Hunters announced on Tuesday they had signed former Forestview High standout Reilly Hovis. A 2012 Forestview High graduate, Hovis was an ACC […]