By Richard Walker All area high school baseball teams have started conference play. Here are the area’s standings with conference record, overall record through games of March 17: Big South 3A Crest 2-0, 4-3 South Point 2-0, 4-3 Cramer 1-0, 6-0 Kings Mountain 1-0, 4-1 North Gaston 0-1, 3-4 Ashbrook 0-1, 0-5 Forestview 0-2, 2-5 […]
By Richard Walker Historic runs by a pair of NCAA women’s basketball tournament participants and a NJCAA women’s basketball team, two more women’s basketball postseason teams and another junior college national tournament participant highlight six local products who remain alive in college basketball postseason play. Gardner-Webb, Catawba and Catawba Valley Community College are on historic […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers will now have the opportunity to pick their quarterback of the future after dealing away four draft picks and wide receiver D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 overall pick in the April 27-29 NFL Draft. Four quarterbacks are considered first-round possibilities in most mock drafts […]
By Richard Walker East Gaston High’s historic boys basketball playoff run continues on Tuesday when they face the area’s most experience postseason team in the Western N.C. 2A semifinals. East Gaston (25-2), which has never been this far in the playoffs in school history, will host Lincoln Charter (24-11) at 7 p.m. The Warriors’ historic […]
By Richard Walker The winningest basketball coach in Gaston County history had his career come to an end in Tuesday’s first round of the 2023 state playoffs. Cherryville’s Scott Harrill, who announced his retirement earlier this month, had his Ironmen eliminated 95-60 by No. 3-seeded Eastern Randolph in the Class 1A playoffs. A 1989 Cherryville […]
By Richard Walker Basketball teams from East Gaston and Cramer high schools set history with their conference tournament victories on Friday night. East Gaston’s boys edged Bessemer City 76-75 in overtime for the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Conference title on Friday. It was the Warriors first conference tournament title since 2005 and coach Gene Farrar’s team […]
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 The coach who helped lead the Carolina Panthers into playoff contention has found a new home after the organization picked another coach to take the job on a full time basis. Steve Wilks, a 1987 West Charlotte High graduate, will become the new defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. Wilks will […]
By Richard Walker There’s been shift in the fortunes on three programs that have usually struggled in area high school basketball. East Gaston, Gaston Christian and South Point are enjoying historic seasons – and all three have either won or have a chance to win rare league titles. Gaston Christian clinched the first conference regular […]
By Richard Walker Cleveland County’s winningest high school football coach is a member of the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association 2023 Hall of Fame induction class. Jim Taylor led Shelby High to a 201-54-2 record as head coach from 1977 to 1997. During his tenure, the Golden Lions won 11 conference championships, three state titles […]
By Richard Walker Cherryville High School added two more trophies last weekend when its cheerleading team won its 24th and 25th state championships. The Ironmen cheerleaders won the North Carolina Cheerleading Coaches Association on Saturday at North Raleigh Christian Academy. Cherryville took titles in the Varsity D2 Game Day Division and the Small Varsity D2 […]
By Richard Walker During the recent Carolina Panthers head coaching search, reports indicated team owner David Tepper was interested in an offensive-minded coach. At Tuesday’s news conference to officially introduce Frank Reich, Tepper confirmed them. “Every year we get in these NFL (owners) meetings and every year they put some new rule in to benefit […]
By Richard Walker History was made and extended on Saturday during the opening two rounds of the N.C. High School Athletic Association dual team wrestling playoffs. Lincolnton won its first dual match in history and followed it up with a second straight win to advance into Wednesday’s Class 2A regional finals. The Wolves, who are […]
By Richard Walker The winningest coach in Kings Mountain High School football history has resigned. Greg Lloyd had a 133-71 record in 16 years as the Mountaineers’ head coach, a tenure highlighted by four conference titles and four trips to the regional finals. “First off, I would like to thank and congratulate Coach Greg Lloyd […]
By Richard Walker After pursuing 12 candidates to replace the coach David Tepper fired Matt Rhule early in the 2022 season, Tepper dug back into the team’s past to find a full-time replacement. Frank Reich, who was the starting quarterback for the franchise’s first three games in 1995, was hired as the team’s new head […]
By Richard Walker A pair of Gaston County schools won wrestling titles on Saturday as Cherryville won the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Conference title and Mountain Island Charter won the Catawba Shores 1A/2A Conference wrestling title. Here are Cherryville’s individual results: 113 Hunter Griffin (17-25) placed 2nd and scored 18.0 team points. Quarterfinal – Hunter Griffin […]
By Richard Walker East Lincoln High School’s girls basketball team improved to 19-0 following Tuesday’s 65-23 home win over Statesville. Coach Jason Otey’s Mustangs improved to 9-0 in the Western Foothills 3A Conference and are one win away from becoming the school’s 10th 20-game winner since 1972. East Lincoln’s all-time best team – its unbeaten […]
By Richard Walker The Big South 3A boys and girls races and the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A boys races head into the final three weeks of the regular season with multiple teams currently tied at the top of the standings. Meanwhile, in the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A girls race and the Western Foothills 3A and Catawba Valley […]
By Richard Walker Only once in Gaston County’s basketball conference championship history has the same school won both the boys and girls titles. It was the Southwest Roadrunners in 2009 as the boys edged Grier 42-38 and the girls rolled past Belmont 40-12 to complete 11-1 seasons. If the preseason coaches’ polls are correct, Holbrook […]
By Richard Walker A date and site has been chosen for the North Carolina American Legion Hall of Fame class of 2022 inductions that include two Gaston County inductees and one from Lincoln County. Cherryville Baptist Church will host the event on May 6 at 6 p.m. and tickets are $20 each for a ceremony […]
By Richard Walker Lincolnton High has a new head football coach after Jaden Angle was confirmed by the Lincoln County School Board on Tuesday night. Angle, a 2011 Lincolnton High graduate, has been a Wolves assistant football coach since 2017. A UNC Charlotte graduate, Angle teaches business and marketing classes at the school and also […]
By Richard Walker Gardner-Webb’s Jhessyka Williams continues having a record-setting season for the Bulldogs’ Big South Conference-leading women’s basketball team. Williams, a 5-foot-10 graduate student from Augusta, Ga., was on Monday named Big South Conference women’s player of the week for the fifth time this season. The league record for most player of the week […]
By Richard Walker Sixteen players from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties were named to the third annual HighSchoolOT all-state football team, including four on the first team. First team selections were South Point offensive lineman Sullivan Absher, Kings Mountain defensive lineman A.J. Richardson, East Lincoln linebacker Ben Cutter and East Lincoln defensive back Keandre Walker. […]
By Richard Walker Rivalry week is upon the local high school basketball scene as the first half of the conference schedules come to a close. The boys rivalry matchups in the Big South 3A (Kings Mountain at Crest) and the Western Foothills 3A (North Lincoln at East Lincoln) have some high stakes; The Kings Mountain-Crest […]
By Richard Walker Earlier this week, the twitter site “Friday Nights in Carolina” named its N.C. all-state high school football teams and 34 players from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties were honored. Burns (4), Crest (3), Kings Mountain (4) and Shelby (2) of Cleveland County had selections, with Ashbrook (2), Mountain Island Charter (5) and […]
By Richard Walker Three former local standouts will be playing this weekend for NFL playoff teams and another local standout has been signed for next season. The Minnesota Vikings (13-4) with Jonathan Bullard (Crest 2012 graduate) and Nick Muse (South Point 2017) won the NFC North Division title and will host the New York Giants […]
By Richard Walker Gaston College athletic director and head baseball coach Shohn Doty has announced his 2023 baseball schedule that features 28 Region 10 Division I matchups and a non-conference slate that includes games against two National Junior College Athletic Association World Series participants. The Rhinos went 41-9 last year, were ranked as high as […]
By Richard Walker As we drop the curtain on the 2022-23 college football bowl season, there’s lots to unpack following Georgia’s 15-0 unbeaten season that ended with the school’s eighth national title – and second straight. Georgia’s 65-7 victory over TCU was the largest margin of victory in the modern national title era. CarolinaSportsHub.com has […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers just completed their 28th NFL season with the 18th losing record in franchise history. This past season began and ended with optimism. In between, there was much sorrow. Many Panthers fans hoped head coach Matt Rhule would follow the path he’d followed in his two previous stops as a […]
By Richard Walker Now that the Carolina Panthers season is over, the franchise is set to go through an interview process to hire a new coach or possibly retain its own interim head coach. One day after Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer said a pair of former coaches with Carolinas ties – Frank Reich and […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers’ first walk off field goal since 2018 gave them a 10-7 win at New Orleans on Sunday to close out their 2022-23 season. Carolina finishes 7-10 overall and tied for second place in the NFC South behind division-winning Tampa Bay (8-9). The Panthers yielded an opening touchdown drive but […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers enter Sunday’s game with no postseason to pursue. In truth, a loss would ensure a top 10 pick in April’s 2023 NFL Draft. But if the past is any indicator, the Panthers may well do something special in their 2022 season finale at New Orleans. Not only is the […]
By Richard Walker Crest needed overtime but the Chargers extended their school record conference winning streak on Friday night with a 79-68 overtime with at South Point. The Chargers improved to 11-2 overall and 4-0 in the Big South 3A with their 32nd straight league win; Crest hasn’t lost a conference game since a 76-63 […]
By Richard Walker Calvin Camp, a 2017 Shelby High graduate, finished his college football career with a flourish under an interim coach for the Charlotte 49ers. Camp had gotten one rushing attempt in the first eight games under former head coach Will Healy but interim head coach Pete Rossomando featured Camp’s talents in each of […]
By Richard Walker When Biff Poggi was hired as Charlotte 49ers head coach in November, he vowed to improve the team’s roster. Based on his incoming recruiting class, that’s happening for the 49ers. Most notably, Poggi got an attention-grabbing commitment on ESPN2 during Tuesday’s Under Armour All-American Game from four-star running back Durell Robinson. Robinson, […]
By Richard Walker Two former local standouts have clinched NFL postseason futures entering the final week of the 2022-23 NFL season – and another can advance with some help on Sunday. The Minnesota Vikings (12-4) with Jonathan Bullard (Crest 2012 graduate) and Nick Muse (South Point 2017) have already clinched the NFC North and know […]
By Richard Walker High school holiday basketball tournaments are now over and all area teams return to conference play as soon as Tuesday. In the Big South, which doesn’t resume league games until Friday, a huge matchup will be a part of their opening schedule as two-time unbeaten league champion Crest travels to face South […]
By Richard Walker The Carolina Panthers’ late-season playoff push came to an end on Sunday. Despite building leads of 14-0 and 21-10, the Panthers couldn’t stop veteran Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they rallied for a 30-24 victory. The result clinched the division title for Tampa Bay and gave Brady his 19th […]
By Richard Walker For the Carolina Panthers, the path to a NFC South title is simple: Win the last two games. It’s also happened before as the Panthers closed their 2014 season with four straight victories to win the NFC South title with a 7-8-1 record. A key to that postseason run were blowout road […]
By Richard Walker Maryland edged N.C. State 16-12 in Friday’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium in a throwback defensive-minded game played in front of a crowd of 37,228. The result left both teams with an 8-5 overall record. Maryland, making its first appearance in the Charlotte bowl game, tallied the game’s […]
By Richard Walker The 21st Duke’s Mayo Bowl will be played Friday at noon at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. Longtime rivals Maryland and N.C. State will meet for the first time since 2013 in the 2022 renewal of the postseason game. The ACC takes a 10-10 record into the contest – and hasn’t won […]
By Richard Walker A year ago, Jaylen Bates set Gaston College history as the school’s first All-Region 10 selection since the school restarted its athletic program after 50 years. On Thursday, now a starting forward at Florida A&M University, Bates will be on the biggest stage in college basketball when he the Rattlers visit No. […]
By Richard Walker Longtime North Gaston High School football coach and teacher Bob Patton died on Saturday at CaroMont Regional Medical Center in Gastonia. Born on Feb. 16, 1936 in Thompsontown, Pa., Robert William “Bob” Patton, 86, was the son of the late Parke Clarence Patton and Violet Delp Patton. At 8, Bob went to […]
By Richard Walker Entering this week’s holiday tournaments, high school basketball teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties have begun league play and have competed in two or three conference contests. Here are area high school basketball standings with conference record followed by overall record through Dec. 23: (Big South 3A boys) Crest 3-0, 6-1 […]
By Richard Walker Playing the coldest home game in franchise history, the Carolina Panthers resorted to “old school” football on Sunday against the Detroit Lions as they moved closer to an improbable NFC South Division title. The Panthers rushed for a team-record 320 yards and amassed a team-record 570 total yards in a 37-23 victory […]
By Richard Walker Based on their history, the Carolina Panthers’ biggest obstacle on Saturday in their 2022 home finale may not be the Detroit Lions. It may be Mother Nature. With a forecasted high temperature of 32, the Panthers will have to defy their history to pull off a victory as they’ve recorded a victory […]
By Richard Walker High school basketball holiday tournaments have become commonplace in the area since the 1970s. Local teams are playing in tournaments in two states and multiple counties beginning on Monday. Here’s the full schedule of 2022 holiday tournaments for teams from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties: -BOYS Bud Black/Dennis Tate Holiday Classic (at […]
By Richard Walker Shelby’s Ally Hollifield scored 43 points to set a Cleveland County girls basketball single-game scoring record for the 5-on-5 rules era that started in 1969 in the Golden Lions’ 69-51 victory at rival Kings Mountain on Wednesday. Her point total was two points more than her older sister Kate Hollifield’s school record […]
By Richard Walker Charlotte FC and Major League Soccer announced the 2023 league schedule on Tuesday. Charlotte FC’s 34-game regular season schedule opens at home at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Feb. 25. Tickets will be on sale with upper and lower bowl starting on Tuesday. Lower bowl will be limited. Additionally, presale for […]
By Richard Walker When Ray Cloyd took over the Cramerton Middle School boys soccer program, the Eagles had won seven Gaston County Conference titles and had even recorded five unbeaten seasons. After Cramerton’s 6-0 victory over Holbrook for the 2022 county title, the Eagles completed the most dominant season in county history, extended their county […]
By Richard Walker Just when the Carolina Panthers appeared to position themselves for a division title run, a throng of towel-waving Pittsburgh Steelers fans and their team dampened the local team’s increasing optimism. In front of a crowd of 73,548 at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, the Steelers with former University North Carolina standout Mitch […]
By Richard Walker Some may call it “boring” football but interim Carolina Panthers head coach Steve Wilks is following a strategy to run the football as much as the two more successful coaches in franchise history. And that strategy has gotten his team into postseason contention. Wilks’ 4-4 record as interim coach has improved the […]
By Richard Walker North Carolina American Legion baseball officials recently named sites for the 2023 state tournaments in both Senior and Junior Legion baseball. The 2023 Senior Legion tournament will return to Campbell University’s Barker-Lane Stadium at Campbell University from July 25-29. It’s the second straight year Campbell has been the host of the tournament […]
By Richard Walker East Lincoln High School will remember its winningest boys basketball coach in school history on Friday when the school honors the late Neil Hodges before its Western Foothills 3A Conference home game against Hickory. Neil Hodges, who died earlier this week after suffering various illnesses in recent years, guided East Lincoln to […]
By Richard Walker Fourteen football players from Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties were named to the NCHS Recruiting BlueSheet All-state academic team – 10 from the current senior class and four other underclassmen. Seniors honored include four players from 2022 N.C. Class 3A state champion East Lincoln – defensive back Keandre Walker, linebacker Ben Cutter, […]
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 […]