By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers overcame a historic level of mistakes before taking a 25-14 win at Philadelphia that gives the franchise a two-game lead in the loss column in the NFC South Division race. Penalized a record 13 times for a record 149 yards in the game – and franchise records of eight […]
By Richard Walker Here is a preview of Sunday’s Carolina Panthers’ 2026-27 Week 6 game: Game 5- Oct. 18: Carolina Panthers (2-2) at Philadelphia Eagles (2-3), 1 p.m. TV: CBS (Ian Eagle play-by-play, Ross Tucker color analyst, Evan Washburn sideline reporter) RADIO: WRFX-FM 99.7 in Charlotte is flagship station (Anish Shroff play-by-play, Luke Kuechly and […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte and Gardner-Webb men’s and women’s basketball teams recently got their preseason projections from their respective leagues. In the American Conference, Charlotte’s men under first-year head coach Wes Miller after picked fifth in the 13-team league with the women picked to finish 10th. No Charlotte men’s or women’s players were named […]
By Richard Walker Sixteen area teams will compete for the N.C. High School Athletic Association girls volleyball titles beginning on Saturday after pairings were released on Thursday. The pairings: (Saturday, Oct. 17) 1A 1st round- No. 22 South Davidson at No. 11 Thomas Jefferson 2A 1st round- No. 3 Mountain Island Charter (bye), No. 22 […]
By Richard Walker Following last week’s ACC Media Days at the uptown Charlotte Hilton, the league officially released its basketball preseason poll and selection for player of the year for the 2026-27 season. Duke was voted the preseason favorite after a vote of a select media panel. The top spot is the Blue Devils’ 3rd […]
By Richard Walker Unbeaten Kings Mountain hosts Crest in the Tri-County Conference middle school football championship game. The Patriots (7-0) are seeking their fifth Tri-County title game victory while Crest (5-1) seeks its seventh. Kings Mountain also is seeking its fourth 8-0 final record; The 2015, 2016 and 2025 teams previously had finished 7-0. Tri-County […]
By Richard Walker Area high school football standings through games of Oct. 12. (Big South 5A/6A) Crest 3-0, 6-1 196-112 Kings Mountain 3-0, 6-1 297-63 South Point 3-1, 7-1 300-137 Ashbrook 1-2, 3-4 231-163 Forestview 1-2, 1-6 104-262 Huss 1-3, 3-5 217-206 North Gaston 0-4, 0-8 14-447 (Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A) Shelby 5-0, 6-1 274-95 Burns […]
By Richard Walker Since West Lincoln High School began its boys soccer program in the fall 2006, the Rebels have known more struggle than success. But this year, West Lincoln is having its best season in history – and a senior has set a school record. The Rebels are 12-6 overall and 7-5 in the […]
By Richard Walker The N.C. High School Athletic Association recently honored several local individuals and teams for special awards during regional meetings held across the state over the past two weeks. The NCHSAA presented the Charlie Adams Distinguished Service Awards, the Special Person Awards, the Wells Fargo Conference Cups and the Ejection Free Awards. The […]
By Richard Walker Seventeen area teams will compete for the N.C. High School Athletic Association girls tennis titles beginning next week after postseason pairings were released on Friday. The pairings: (Monday, Oct. 12) 2A 1st round- No. 9 Highland Tech at No. 8 Starmount, No. 13 Mountain Island Charter at No. 4 Elkin, No. 11 […]
By Richard Walker Belmont’s Sports Hall of Fame held its 37th annual induction ceremony on Tuesday at Park Street United Methodist Church’s Family Life Center. And new Charlotte 49ers basketball coach Wes Miller was the featured speaker for an event where the winningest coach in his program’s history – and a former BSHOF featured speaker […]
By Richard Walker Belmont Middle School completed an unbeaten season and won its eighth Gaston County Conference football title on Wednesday night with a 22-12 victory over York Chester at the Hunter Huss High School stadium. The Wildcats finished 7-0 overall and handed York Chester (7-1) its first loss of the season as well its […]
By Richard Walker For just the 10th time in the Gaston County Conference junior high/middle school football’s 52-year history, unbeaten and untied teams will meet to determine the champion on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at Hunter Huss High School. Division I champion Belmont (6-0, 4-0) will meet Division II champion York Chester (7-0, 5-0) […]
By Richard Walker Former East Lincoln High star Alec Burleson joined a select local group this season when he became the fourth major league baseball player from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties to lead his league is a statistical category. And the effort could very well lead to a huge contract for Burleson. A 2017 […]
By Richard Walker A week after offensive misfires and several injuries doomed Carolina to a 1-2 start to its season, many Panthers’ fans felt Sunday’s home game against the Detroit Lions was a “must win.” The Panthers received and delivered on that challenge in their first NBC Sunday Night home game in 10 years with […]
By Richard Walker Here is a preview of Sunday’s Carolina Panthers’ 2026-27 Week 4 game: Game 3- Oct. 4: Detroit Lions (2-1) at Carolina Panthers (1-2), 8:20 p.m. TV: NBC (Mike Tirico play-by-play, Cris Collinsworth color analyst, Melissa Stark sideline reporter) RADIO: WRFX-FM 99.7 in Charlotte is flagship station (Anish Shroff play-by-play, Jake Delhomme and […]
By Richard Walker A historic basketball team highlighted Belmont Abbey’s ninth Michael P. Reidy Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday night at Haid Theater. The 1987-88 NAIA District 26 men’s basketball championship team was inducted along with men’s lacrosse player Tristan Keas (2010 graduate), men’s wrestler Chris Neidermeier (2009), men’s tennis player Tim […]
By Richard Walker Chavis Middle School completed a second straight unbeaten run to a Gaston County Conference softball title on Thursday afternoon with 11-1, 6-inning victory over W.C. Friday in the 2026 championship game. The Wolverines increased their winning streak to 21 games in addition to taking their county record 15th title. Cramerton has the […]
By Richard Walker After six seasons, the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball may not have a team in Gastonia. Zawyer Sports & Entertainment announced on social media that it will “cease operations of the Gastonia Ghost Peppers and withdraw from the Atlantic League.” The Jacksonville, Fla.-based ownership group, which also owns the Charlotte Checkers’ minor […]
By Richard Walker Cramerton Middle School’s dominance of golf in the Gaston County Conference continued Tuesday as the Eagles won their fifth straight title and a record-tying 19th overall at the Cherryville Country Club. Coached by Neill Jones and Dan Harris, the Eagles finished 13 shots ahead of second-place Belmont in the championship match. Cramerton […]
By Richard Walker As the state’s all-time leading high school boys basketball scorer and an All-ACC selection in his only season at the University of North Carolina, it’s easy to imagine how coming back to play for the home state Charlotte Hornets would’ve been a welcome homecoming for Coby White. It was – and then […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers outgained the Cleveland Browns but didn’t outscore them in a frustrating 21-18 road loss. After falling behind 10-0 late in the first half, the Panthers rallied to take leads of 12-10 and 18-13 in the fourth quarter but couldn’t hold on as embattled Browns quarterback Deshawn Watson guided his […]
By Richard Walker Here is a preview of Sunday’s Carolina Panthers’ 2026-27 Week 3 game: Game 3- Sept. 27: Carolina Panthers (1-1) at Cleveland Browns (1-1), 1 p.m. TV: FOX (Chris Myers play-by-play, Mark Schlereth color analyst, Jen Hale sideline reporter) RADIO: WRFX-FM 99.7 in Charlotte is flagship station (Anish Shroff play-by-play, Kurt Coleman and […]
By Richard Walker Longtime rivals Crest and South Point rolled past Big South 5A/6A Conference opposition as they prepare for next week’s matchup between the two teams in Belmont. South Point is 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the league while Crest is 4-1 and 1-0. Week-by-week 2026 area high school football schedule and results: (Friday, […]
By Richard Walker One of the winningest high school baseball programs in the area has a new coach. Lincoln Charter has hired Brad Baranowski as its new varsity baseball coach to replace Scott Clark, who resigned after last season. The Eagles have a 288-118 record with 14 playoff appearances in their 18 full seasons, including […]
By Richard Walker A week before the start of 2026 training camp, the Charlotte Hornets added two veteran players in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday. Hornets President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson announced that the team has acquired guard Buddy Hield, guard Ryan Nembhard and cash considerations from the Atlanta Hawks in […]
By Richard Walker Area high school football standings through games of Sept. 18. (Big South 5A/6A) South Point 1-0, 5-0 175-105 Kings Mountain 1-0, 4-1 199-55 Huss 1-0, 3-2 173-87 Crest 0-0, 3-1 93-76 Ashbrook 0-1, 2-3 163-122 Forestview 0-0, 0-5 59-200 North Gaston 0-0, 0-5 8-256 (Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A) Shelby 3-0, 4-1 244-74 Burns […]
By Richard Walker When Waco’s Clay Guiton was 4, he quickly followed in his father’s bull riding footsteps – by riding a sheep. “Bull riding is all I’ve ever known,” said Clay Guiton, a 2025 Burns High graduate whose hometown is listed as Cherryville. “After I started riding sheep, I never looked back.” The 20-year-old […]
By Richard Walker The hometown Carolina Cowboys (14-9) concluded PBR Teams: Cowboy Days presented by Patriot Mobile with a dramatic, walk-off victory on Sunday afternoon at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro. Adriano Salgado (Batatais, Brazil) delivered a clutch ride during the team’s final out of the weekend to defeat the Arizona Ridge Riders 88.70 to […]
By Richard Walker Here is a preview of Sunday’s Carolina Panthers’ 2026-27 Week 2 game: Game 2- Sept. 20: Carolina Panthers (0-1) at Atlanta Falcons (0-1), 1 p.m. TV: FOX (Tim Brandon play-by-play, Matt Millen color analyst, Sarah Kustok sideline reporter) RADIO: WRFX-FM 99.7 in Charlotte is flagship station (Anish Shroff play-by-play, Luke Kuechly and […]
By Richard Walker For the 17th time in South Point High’s rich football history, the Red Raiders are off to a 5-0 start to the season after winning its Big South opener on Friday at Belmont’s Lineberger Stadium. Week-by-week 2026 area high school football schedule and results: (Thursday, Sept. 17) North Gaston at Huss – […]
By Richard Walker Three individuals and a state championship team will be inducted into the Belmont Sports Hall of Fame when it holds its 2026 ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at Belmont’s Park Street United Methodist Church. New Charlotte 49ers head coach Wes Miller is the featured speaker for the event and tickets are $30 […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte Sports Foundation (CSF) announced on Wednesday a landmark partnership with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), that will bring the WTA Finals, the season-ending championship of women’s professional tennis, to Charlotte for three consecutive years beginning in 2027. In addition to hosting the WTA Finals from 2027-2029, the agreement includes the […]
By Richard Walker Crest High junior baseball standout Luke Rayfield has committed to play baseball for N.C. State, An outfielder, Rayfield hit .526 with eight home runs and 45 RBIs for the Chargers last spring to earn All-Big South 5A/6A Conference honors. And he hit .355 with five home runs 26 RBIs for Shelby Post […]
By Richard Walker Area high school football standings through games of Sept. 11. (Big South 5A/6A) South Point 0-0, 4-0 137-78 Crest 0-0, 3-1 93-76 Kings Mountain 0-0, 3-1 144-49 Ashbrook 0-0, 2-2 136-84 Huss 0-0, 2-2 111-87 Forestview 0-0, 0-4 53-145 North Gaston 0-0, 0-4 8-194 (Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A) Shelby 2-0, 3-1 196-61 Burns […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers set dubious history in Sunday’s 2026 season and home opener with a 59-37 loss to the Chicago Bears. The point total is the largest ever allowed by the Panthers in the 32-year-old franchise’s history – and the came in the highest-scoring game in team history and highest-scoring opening week […]
By Richard Walker Here is a preview of Sunday’s Carolina Panthers’ 2026-27 Week 1 game: Game 1- Sept. 13: Chicago Bears (0-0) at Carolina Panthers (0-0), 1 p.m. TV: FOX (Adam Amin play-by-play, Drew Brees color analyst, Kristina Pink sideline reporter) RADIO: WRFX-FM 99.7 in Charlotte is flagship station (Anish Shroff play-by-play, Luke Kuechly and […]
By Richard Walker Five players and three coaches represent the area in the NFL this season, with one of them having already opened his season on Wednesday. Super Bowl champion Chazz Surratt and the Seattle Seahawks opened the NFL season with a 13-10 win over the New England Patriots on Wednesday with Surratt making two […]
By Richard Walker Charlotte 49ers Athletics is deeply saddened to announce that longtime Sports Information Director and Associate Athletic Director for Media Relations Tom Whitestone passed away Tuesday after a battle with cancer. “Tom Whitestone loved our university,” Athletic Director Emerita Judy Rose said in a school news release. “He had the gift of bringing […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers begin their 33rd NFL season on Sunday when they host the Chicago Bears. And while they have never had back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history, they have made the playoffs three consecutive seasons with a team that finished with a losing record in the middle of that streak. Panthers […]
By Richard Walker Area high school football standings through games of Sept. 4. (Big South 5A/6A) Crest 0-0, 3-0 72-41 South Point 0-0, 3-0 95-64 Ashbrook 0-0, 2-1 103-49 Huss 0-0, 2-1 85-60 Kings Mountain 0-0, 2-1 96-42 Forestview 0-0, 0-3 28-118 North Gaston 0-0, 0-3 8-139 (Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A) Lincolnton 1-0, 3-0 146-50 Shelby […]
By Richard Walker One of the Charlotte Knights’ winningest seasons in this century is winding to a close with the final home series starting on Tuesday at Truist Field. The Knights, 74-64 entering the series with 12 games to play, have only one 80-win series in this century – that coming in 2012 (83-61). This […]
By Richard Walker For a pair of area football programs, the start of the 2026 season couldn’t be worse. The Charlotte 49ers lost their season opener to The Citadel 43-41 in triple overtime while Gardner-Webb fell 17-13 at Wofford to fall to 0-2 on the season in a week in which its first-year head coach […]
By Richard Walker When No. 4-ranked Notre Dame meets Wisconsin on Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. on NBC at historic Lambeau Field in Green Bay, a former local standout is a projected starter for the Fighting Irish. Sullivan Absher, a 2023 South Point High graduate, started the last five games of last season for Notre […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers announced the 2026 jersey schedule and team captains for the upcoming season. Captains will be QB Bryce Young, RB Chuba Hubbard, DT Derrick Brown, LB Devin Lloyd and LS J.J. Jansen. The team will wear their alternate blue jerseys three times, including in the season opener at home Week […]
By Richard Walker Area products Curtis Simpson and Charlie Birtwistle and the Charlotte 49ers begin their 14th season on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at a renovated Jerry Richardson Stadium against The Citadel. Second-year head Tim Albin hopes for a packed stadium in the 2026 opener – even as he recognizes some in the fanbase will […]
By Richard Walker The Charlotte Hornets announced this week that the organization has named Mike Pires general manager and Zach Peterson head coach of the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets’ NBA G League affiliate. The Swarm won the 2026 G League championship under the direction of D.J. Bakker, who in July was hired by the Orlando […]
By Richard Walker Area high school football standings through games of Aug. 28. (Big South 5A/6A) Crest 0-0, 2-0 55-38 South Point 0-0, 2-0 76-48 Ashbrook 0-0, 1-1 63-49 Huss 0-0, 1-1 73-54 Kings Mountain 0-0, 1-1 53-35 Forestview 0-0, 0-2 22-75 North Gaston 0-0, 0-2 8-97 (Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A) Cherryville 0-0, 2-0 98-44 Cramer […]
By Richard Walker Gardner-Webb has suspended head coach Kris McCullough and special teams coordinator Pete Bennett will serve as interim head coach in McCullough’s pending an ongoing investigation, the school said Monday. In the school news release, “The University has no additional comment at this time.” . FootballScoop reported on Sunday that Gardner-Webb was evaluating […]
By Richard Walker As the Carolina Panthers shaped up their opening day roster, they made a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers. The Panthers sent a 2028 sixth round draft pick for defensive tackle TeRah Edwards. An undrafted free agent out Illinois, Edwards signed with the Chargers before the 2025 season. Though he didn’t play […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers released seven players on Saturday as the begin the final reduction of their roster to 53 players. Carolina needs to release 31 more players before 6 p.m. Sunday. On Saturday, the team waived defensive tackle Kyon Barrs, wide receiver Elijah Cooks, running back Miles Davis, defensive tackle Tywone Malone, […]
By Richard Walker Week two of area high school concluded with lots of thrilling finishes. Week-by-week 2026 area high school football schedule and results: (Thursday, Aug. 20) Cramer at Forestview – Cramer 42-6 East Gaston at North Gaston – East Gaston 34-8 Highland Tech at Langtree Charter – Langtree Charter 59-24 North Stokes at Cherryville […]
By Richard Walker N.C. State is one of 16 schools to get an early start to the 2026 college football season – and the Wolfpack has five local products on its roster. Senior linebacker A.J. Richardson (Kings Mountain 2023 graduate), junior offensive lineman Trent Mitchell (Ashbrook 2024) and freshmen linebacker Caleb Gordon (Ashbrook 2026), safety […]
By Richard Walker When the Charlotte 49ers begin play in the 2026 season at Jerry Richardson Stadium, fans will notice lots of changes. New this year for the 2026 season include a value menu, new food items, increased beverage stations, an in-stadium DJ, on-field viewing experiences, a new internet radio streaming option and parking updates. […]
By Richard Walker In addition to titles won by South Point (Division I), Shelby (Division II) in last weekend’s Gaston Cup boys high school tournament, 34 players were named all-tournament with six honored for exemplary individual play. Here are the full awards for the 2026 Gaston Cup boys soccer tournament: (Division I) Champion- South Point […]
By Richard Walker Area high school football standings thru Aug. 22. (Big South 5A/6A) Crest 0-0, 1-0 28-14 South Point 0-0, 1-0 34-28 Ashbrook 0-0, 0-1 28-42 Forestview 0-0, 0-1 6-42 Huss 0-0, 0-1 12-48 Kings Mountain 0-0, 0-1 21-28 North Gaston 0-0, 0-1 8-34 (Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A) Cherryville 0-0, 1-0 41-6 Cramer 0-0, 1-0 […]
By Richard Walker South Point moved within of a record for most titles in the Gaston Cup boys high school soccer championship tournament while Shelby became first-time winner in the second Division II competition. South Point defeated Huss 2-0 in the Red Raiders’ 15th championship appearance in Division I competition that began in 1993. The […]
By Richard Walker The honors keep coming for East Lincoln senior football star Jaxon Dollar. A 6-foot-5, 235-pound wide receiver and safety, Dollar is one of three players from North Carolina to be named preseason All-American by the high school website www.maxpreps.com. Recently picked the No. 1 college prospect in the state by The Charlotte […]
By Richard Walker The schedule for 2026 WWW.CAROLINASSPORTSHUB.COM Football Previews: Aug. 17 – Western Foothills 4A/5A, Catawba Shores 2A/3A/4A and Catawba River 1A/2A/3A. Link: https://carolinassportshub.com/8-17-26-roundup-pro-football-baseball-basketball-auto-racing-soccer-and-rodeo-legion-baseball-high-school-football-and-soccer-middle-school-football-softball-golf/ Aug. 18 – Gaston County Conference Middle Schools. Link: https://carolinassportshub.com/8-18-26-roundup-pro-football-baseball-basketball-auto-racing-soccer-and-rodeo-legion-baseball-high-school-football-volleyball-and-soccer-middle-school-football-softball-golf/ Aug. 19 – Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A. Link: https://carolinassportshub.com/8-19-26-roundup-pro-football-baseball-basketball-auto-racing-soccer-and-rodeo-high-school-football-volleyball-and-soccer-middle-school-football-softball-golf/ Aug. 20 – Big South 5A/6A Conference. Link: https://carolinassportshub.com/8-20-26-roundup-pro-football-baseball-basketball-auto-racing-soccer-and-rodeo-high-school-football-volleyball-and-soccer-middle-school-football-softball-golf/ Week-by-week 2026 area […]
By Richard Walker The schedule for 2026 WWW.CAROLINASSPORTSHUB.COM Football Previews: Aug. 17 – Western Foothills 4A/5A, Catawba Shores 2A/3A/4A and Catawba River 1A/2A/3A. Link: https://carolinassportshub.com/8-17-26-roundup-pro-football-baseball-basketball-auto-racing-soccer-and-rodeo-legion-baseball-high-school-football-and-soccer-middle-school-football-softball-golf/ Aug. 18 – Gaston County Conference Middle Schools. Link: https://carolinassportshub.com/8-18-26-roundup-pro-football-baseball-basketball-auto-racing-soccer-and-rodeo-legion-baseball-high-school-football-volleyball-and-soccer-middle-school-football-softball-golf/ Aug. 19 – Southern Piedmont 2A/3A/4A. Link: https://carolinassportshub.com/8-19-26-roundup-pro-football-baseball-basketball-auto-racing-soccer-and-rodeo-high-school-football-volleyball-and-soccer-middle-school-football-softball-golf/ Aug. 20 – Big South 5A/6A Conference Crest High didn’t win last […]