By Richard Walker Gardner-Webb basketball pioneer Laurence “Sonny” Johnson will be honored by his hometown in August. Johnson, the first African-American basketball player in Gardner-Webb history during the 1966-67 season, is part of the 2023 induction class of the Real Harlem Basketball Hall of Fame with 14 others on Aug. 12 at Salem United Methodist […]
By Richard Walker East Lincoln High’s boys and girls swimming teams won the Western Foothills 3A Conference titles and its all-conference teams. Here are the league championship results and all-conference selections and top honors: (Boys) Final Team Standings: 1. East Lincoln 373 2. St. Stephens 365 3. North Lincoln 262 4. Hickory 139 5. Statesville […]
By Richard Walker Regular season champion Gaston Christian and fourth-place finisher Gaston Day comprised five of the 16 players honored by the Metrolina Athletic Conference boys high school basketball all-league team. Gaston Christian, which went 12-2 in league play, was represented by Corey Gaines, Makoi Mabor Marier and Cameron Newman. And Gaston Day, which went […]
By Richard Walker Lincoln Charter repeated as girls Class 1A/2A N.C. High School Athletic Association champion on Friday. Also, Burns’ Jacob Jensen won top honors as the Most Outstanding Performer in the meet. He set a new 1A/2A State Meet Record in the 50 Freestyle with a 20.33-second clocking to win the event. He also […]
By Richard Walker N.C. High School Basketball Association regular seasons ended on Friday all across the state and conference tournaments are slated to begin on Monday. Once the league tournaments are completed the NCHSAA will announce state playoff pairings on Feb. 18 and begin play in that tournament on Feb. 21. Here’s the final regular […]
By Richard Walker The Big South Conference and the Ohio Valley Conference announced on Tuesday its inaugural football conference schedule for the 2023 season and reigning Big South champion Gardner-Webb announced its full 2023 schedule. The 10 combined teams in 2023 – six from the OVC and four from the Big South – will play […]
By Richard Walker Fresh off its N.C. Class 3A state title, East Lincoln has dominated the now-released top Western Foothills 3A Conference honors for the 2022 season. The Mustangs’ Ben Cutter (player of the year), Tyler Mizzell (offensive player of the year), Marcel Johnson (defensive player of the year) and Ben Lubowicz (coach of the […]
By Richard Walker What looked to be a lost season for the Carolina Panthers is now a potential division-winning season after Sunday’s 30-24 win at Seattle. Not only was it the Panthers’ first road win since Nov. 14, 2021, but the victory coupled with Tampa Bay’s loss means Carolina now controls its fate in the […]
By Richard Walker East Lincoln High School won its third football state championship on Saturday night with a 30-15 victory over Northern Nash at N.C. State’s Carter-Finley Stadium. It improves the Mustangs record to 3-1 in state title games and gives them championships in 2012, 2014 and 2022. It also gave East Lincoln a 16-0 […]
By Richard Walker East Lincoln head coach Dave Lubowicz knows that some see their unbeaten run to a state title game as unexpected. He’s certainly not among that group. “I’m not surprised at all,” Lubowicz said. “We’ve got a lot of four-year lettermen so we’ve got a lot of talented experience playing out there for […]
By Richard Walker East Lincoln High’s fourth state football championship game on Saturday will follow a similar script to the Mustangs’ three previous matchups. Each time East Lincoln has advanced this far, it has faced an unbeaten Eastern champion. And each time, the Mustangs have entered with an equally impressive record. Given the Mustangs’ early […]
By Richard Walker Shelby High’s father-son Hollifield duo received top awards at Monday’s Charlotte Touchdown Club/Bronko Nagurski Awards ceremony in Charlotte. Longtime Shelby High football assistant coach Aubrey Hollifield was presented North Carolina’s Frank Broyles Award as the top assistant coach. A 1987 Kings Mountain High graduate who played for the N.C. Shrine Bowl team […]
By Richard Walker West Lincoln’s Mason Avery and East Lincoln’s Keandre Walker were named to the North Carolina team for the 2022 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas on Tuesday. Avery, a running back and linebacker, last week was honored as Catawba Valley 2A Conference co-offensive player of the year and defensive player of the year. […]
By Richard Walker Shelby avenged its only loss of the season on Wednesday in a 28-0 win over visiting R-S Central in the Tri-County Conference middle school football championship game at Shelby High School. The Blue Devils, who had lost 26-20 at R-S Central on Sept. 14 in the regular season, won their last six […]
By Richard Walker Former Piedmont Community Charter and Kings Mountain High standout Adrian Delph was selected last weekend as the No. 22 overall pick in the G League Draft. Delph, who played collegiately at Appalachian State, was selected by the College Park Skyhawks; College Park is the G League affiliate of the Atlanta Hawks’ organization. […]
By Richard Walker One of the oldest axioms in the National Football League is that NFL says that any team can win on “Any Given Sunday.” After a second straight turbulent week on and off the field, the Carolina Panthers proved that Sunday with an unexpected 21-3 blowout loss of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and […]
By Richard Walker Tom Brady makes his sixth and possibly final appearance at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Sunday as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers make their annual trip to the city. Brady is 3-2 all time at Carolina entering the 1 p.m. game against the struggling Panthers and is 6-3 all time in nine […]
By Richard Walker Cleveland County rivalries will determine the champions of two leagues in next Friday’s regular season finales after all four of the county’s teams took big wins on Friday night. Unbeaten Kings Mountain will travel to Crest in the Big South 3A Conference while defending state champion Shelby travels to in the Southern […]
By Richard Walker East Lincoln and Kings Mountain have historically enjoyed high school football success. They’ve also finished with unbeaten regular seasons. Both are 8-0 overall entering Friday’s games, which makes them two wins shy of accomplishing a feat that has led to great success in each program’s history. East Lincoln has had three unbeaten […]
By Richard Walker After a turbulent offseason, an 0-5 preseason and the injury to All-Star guard LaMelo Ball, expectations were mighty low for the Charlotte Hornets entering Wednesday’s 2022-23 regular season opener at San Antonio. The Hornets responded with a fast start that they maintained for a 129-102 victory over the Spurs. It improved Charlotte […]
By Richard Walker Alec Burleson’s magical year continued recently when he was named Memphis Redbirds’ 2022 player of the year. Burleson, who in September became the first major leaguer in East Lincoln history, was selected by the Cardinal Nation website that is dedicated to supporting the St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball team. A 2017 East Lincoln […]
By Richard Walker Belmont Middle School set a school record for the best overall mark in school history at 8-0 after a dramatic 27-26 win over Holbrook on Monday at South Point High’s Lineberger Stadium, a new champion will be crowned. It was Belmont’s sixth county title and first since 2016. Holbrook, in its first […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers had a fast start in the Steve Wilks era. Unfortunately, a halftime lead wasn’t enough for the visitors as the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams rallied for a 24-10 victory over the Panthers on Sunday. And a sideline issue between wide receiver Robbie Anderson and wide receivers […]
By Richard Walker As a player, Steve Wilks quarterbacked West Charlotte to the 1986 N.C. 4A state title game, helped Appalachian State into 1989 and 1991 NCAA Division I-AA playoffs as a defensive back and played for one of the city’s first professional teams – the Charlotte Rage of the Arena Football League. As a […]
By Richard Walker Kings Mountain and East Lincoln improved to 8-0 on the season with large wins on Friday night. Kings Mountain won 63-24 at Cramer as Teddy Jeffries tied a school record with five touchdowns. Jeffries tied the five touchdowns scored by Kenny Bell (1977 against Burns), Joe Chambers (2008 against East Gaston), Da’Shon […]
By Richard Walker Cherryville American Legion Post 100 has had a tough last couple of weeks. Just this past week, a former star baseball player and a former player and longtime baseball official have died. It comes a month after longtime Fraley Field scoreboard operator Darise Hartman died at 89 on Sept. 15 Former star […]
By Richard Walker When South Point visits Ashbrook on Friday, it’ll renew the third-oldest rivalry in Gaston County. Originally started in 1924 as the Belmont-Gastonia rivalry, Friday’s renewal also gives us a chance to recall the first Ashbrook-South Point contest – and the buildup it received. Entering that 1975 meeting on Oct. 3, Ashbrook was […]
By Richard Walker When Belmont and Holbrook meet for the Gaston County Conference football championship at 6 p.m. at South Point High’s Lineberger Stadium, a new champion will be crowned. Belmont is seeking its sixth title and first since 2016, while Holbrook is seeking its fifth title and first since 1995. Coached by Carey Galbreath, […]
By Richard Walker Shelby High’s Aubrey Hollifield will set local high school football history when he’s an assistant coach for the North Carolina team in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas on Dec. 17 at Spartanburg, S.C., High’s Vikings Stadium. Hollifield, who played in the 1986 Shrine Bowl game as a Kings Mountain senior, will […]
By Richard Walker Two Cleveland County and Lincoln County players and one from Gaston County were named to the roster of the North Carolina team for the 2022 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas team on Sunday. The event, which has been cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, will return this year on […]
By Richard Walker When Kings Mountain hosts South Point on Friday, it’ll renew a rivalry that is one of the oldest in each school’s history. A series that began in 1924 will have some high stakes as the winner will take sole possession of first place in the league with three games to play. Belmont/South […]
By Richard Walker The 2022 Gaston County Conference middle school football championship game has been set after an upset in Division I. Unbeaten Belmont (7-0) will host Holbrook (5-1) next Wednesday at 6 p.m. with gates opening at South Point’s Lineberger Stadium at 5:15 p.m. Belmont recorded its fifth straight shutout to finish 5-0 in […]
By Richard Walker Cramerton won its fifth Gaston County Conference middle school golf championship in six seasons on Tuesday at Green Meadows Golf Course in Mount Holly. Belmont’s Will Monteith was the individual medalist for the second straight year with a 37 that was one shot ahead of five other golfers in the field. Cramerton […]
By Richard Walker Former Burns High and Cherryville American Legion Post 100 standout Christopher Proctor was a part of a professional baseball championship team. Proctor and the Lancaster Barnstormers won the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball title following series wins over Southern Maryland and High Point. A 2015 Burns High graduate, Proctor hit .243 […]
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 […]
By Richard Walker Kings Mountain and South Point set up the area’s biggest game of the regular season for next week with impressive Thursday night victories in Big South 3A Conference play. With games moved up from Friday to Thursday due to Hurricane Ian’s projected Friday rainfall in the area, Kings Mountain routed Forestview 48-7 […]
By Richard Walker When Crest visits South Point on Friday, it’ll again be a game with huge Big South 3A Conference title implications. It also reminds us of one of the first huge football meetings between the two schools that came on a day when another sport shined just as brightly. When Crest played and […]
By Richard Walker Local standouts continue having impressive college football seasons last Saturday, including one that set a league record. Former Shelby High record-setting quarterback Isaiah Bess completed the longest touchdown pass in Big South Conference history for Charleston Southern in last Saturday’s 24-19 home loss to Furman. Bess, who set the Shelby High and […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte Hornets are back – and so is former head coach Steve Clifford. Clifford, hired for a second tenure as the team’s head coach earlier this summer, begins training camp on Tuesday morning with its first practice as the team prepares for a 5-game preseason slate that begins Sunday at 1 […]
By Richard Walker Two long losing streaks are over the Carolina Panthers. A league-worst nine-game losing streak? Done. A seven-game home winning streak that dated to Sept. 19, 2021 and made it the second-longest in franchise history? Also ended. Carolina wiped those streaks away with a defensive-minded 22-14 victory over the New Orleans Saints at […]
By Richard Walker Four teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties entered Friday’s sixth week of the high school football season with unbeaten records. After Friday’s results, three remain unbeaten as East Lincoln, Kings Mountain and South Point won comfortably to each improve to 4-0 while West Lincoln couldn’t hold a late lead before losing […]
By Richard Walker Lincolnton High faces its third-oldest existing rivalry when the Wolves host Newton-Conover on Friday. Lincolnton first met “Newton” in 1929 – or 12 years before “Newton-Conover” was formed. And the Wolves hold a 32-26-3 all-time lead in the series that includes a 20-0 win in that inaugural matchup at Love Field in […]
By Richard Walker After blitzing Atlantic League of Professional Baseball opponents all season long, the Gastonia Honey Hunters will need to win twice this weekend to advance to the league championship series. The High Point Rockers evened the best-of-five Southern Division playoff series at one game apiece following Wednesday’s 11-4 victory at CaroMont Health Park […]
By Richard Walker The Gastonia Honey Hunters routed the High Point Rockers 12-1 on Monday night in the first game of the best-of-five Atlantic League of Professional Baseball Southern Division championship series at Gastonia’s CaroMont Health Park. Gastonia, which went 88-44 in the regular and won the first- and second-half divisional titles, snapped a 1-all […]
By Richard Walker The Gastonia Honey Hunters just completed one of the best seasons in the city’s long professional baseball history. On Tuesday at 6:15 p.m., the Honey Hunters open their bid for Gastonia’s seventh pro baseball league championship when they begin a best-of-five Atlantic League of Professional Baseball semifinal series against the High Point […]
By Richard Walker When Cramer opened in 2013, since the school was so close to South Point, it seemed natural that the schools would soon become rivals. Well, as the ninth renewal of the series opens Big South 3A Conference play for both teams at Cramer on Friday night, the host Storm still seek its […]
By Richard Walker Gaston County Conference middle school football teams moved into their second week of divisional competition while the Tri-County Conference opened division play on Wednesday. Here are results from both leagues: GASTON COUNTY CONFERENCE Standings through Sept. 14 with division records followed by overall records: (Division I) Cramerton 1-0, 3-0 Southwest 1-0, 2-1 […]
By Richard Walker With the Charlotte 49ers enduring the school’s second-worst start in the program’s brief college football history, head coach Will Healy remains confident better days are ahead. “You’ve got to maintain positivity in the building,” Healy said during Tuesday’s weekly news conference. “I have to believe we’re making positive strides. What you have […]
By Richard Walker Former Grier Middle School and Ashbrook High standout Isaiah Whaley has been signed to a contract with the Charlotte Hornets, the team announced on Monday. Joining Whaley as Hornets signees to their upcoming training camp roster were Jalen Crutcher, Anthony Duruji and Charlotte’s Jaylen Sims. Whaley, who helped Ashbrook to the 2015 […]
By Richard Walker One of the area’s oldest rivalries highlights the lightest regular season playing date of the high school football season as most teams are off in preparation of starting league play next week. At Cherryville’s Rudisill Stadium, the Ironmen will host Chase in the 46th renewal of a rivalry that began in 1959. […]
By Richard Walker Local history was made on Wednesday when the first East Lincoln High product was called up to the major leagues. Alec Burleson, a 2017 East Lincoln graduate, was promoted to the St. Louis Cardinals major league roster after having the best season of his professional baseball career. Ranked the No.5 prospect in […]
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 Four boys teams and four girls teams advanced to the third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association basketball playoff with Thursday victories. In 3A boys, Crest and North Lincoln remained alive while Lincoln Charter won in 2A boys, Bessemer City in 1A boys, Ashbrook and East Lincoln in 3A girls […]
By Richard Walker Eight boys teams and four girls teams remain alive as the N.C. High School Athletic Association basketball playoffs continue with second round play on Thursday. Following the first round, trends are already emerging from postseason play. Unbeaten area conferences include Queen City 3A/4A boys (4-0), Western Foothills 3A boys (5-0), Mountain Foothills […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte Hornets dug too deep of a hole to get out of on Monday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers and fell 113-110 in front of 13,889 at Spectrum Center. Charlotte (5-3) trailed by 19 points twice in the first quarter and by 17 points in the middle of the fourth quarter […]
By Richard Walker After losing four straight games, Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule earlier this week said his team needed to follow a conservative game plan that featured running the football, limiting turnovers and relying on your defense. Despite a hiccup on the game’s first play, the Panthers did just that in a 19-13 win […]
By Richard Walker Crest and Shelby came out victorious in conference championship games on Friday and will be among the top seeds when the N.C. High School Athletic Association football playoffs are announced on Saturday. Crest won 42-20 at Kings Mountain as running back Mari Adams rushed for 241 yards and four touchdowns to finish […]
By Richard Walker The final day of regular season high school football is Friday and multiple local schools have either clinched playoff berths or can win on Friday to clinch a spot and/or improve the postseason chances. Crest and Kings Mountain have wrapped up Class 3A berths, Burns and Shelby have wrapped up Class 2A […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte Hornets matched their best five-game start in team history with a come-from-behind 120-111 victory at the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. The Hornets (4-1) matched franchise-record best starts in the 2000-01 and 2016-17 seasons. In Wednesday’s win, Charlotte also rallied to win after trailing by double digits as the Hornets […]
By Richard Walker Three Gaston Day teams will be hosting N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Class 2A state championships on Saturday. In boys soccer, the Spartans are in the title game for the fourth time in eight years after defeating Fayetteville Academy 5-1 on Tuesday. The Spartans (16-2) will host Fayetteville Trinity Academy (17-2-1). Gaston […]