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Prep football brackets now official

dclaybest — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:49:40 -0500

The NCHSAA football brackets are now official. Here are the games of note for the Garner and Johnston County area set for next Friday:

1-A Western Regional

(11) Hayesville at (4) Princeton

3-AA Eastern Regional

(16) Eastern Guilford at (1) South Johnston

4-A Eastern Regional

(10) Greenville Rose at (7) Southeast Raleigh

4-AA Eastern Regional

(9) Wakefield at (8) Garner

(16) Clayton at (1) Wake Forest-Rolesville

Smithfield-Selma (4-7), North Johnston (3-8) and West Johnston (3-8) did not qualify for the playoffs.

D.H. Conley eliminates South Johnston on penalty kicks

dclaybest — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:44:29 -0500

After 110 scoreless minutes of play, Greenville D.H. Conley eliminated South Johnston from the second round of the NCHSAA 3-A boys soccer playoffs by penalty kicks Saturday evening at Ronald Avery Stadium.

We'll wrap up the Trojans' memorable season in next week's edition of The Herald of Johnston County.

South Johnston gets top seed in 3-AA football bracket

dclaybest — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:24:16 -0500

South Johnston (10-1) is seeded No. 1 in the NCHSAA 3-AA football playoff bracket, which was released this afternoon. The Trojans will face Eastern Guilford in the first round.

The winner gets either Rocky Mount or South Central Pitt in the second round.

Smithfield-Selma left out of 4-A football playoffs

dclaybest — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:20:20 -0500

The preliminary listing of the state 4-AA and 4-A playoffs leave Smithfield-Selma on the outside looking in. The brackets should become official sometime tonight.

The Spartans finished the season 4-7 and were sixth, by virtue of tiebreakers in the Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference.

Southeast Raleigh to meet Greenville Rose in 4-A playoff opener

dclaybest — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:17:15 -0500

Southeast Raleigh is seeded seventh in the NCHSAA 4-A football playoff bracket and will host Greenville Rose, the 11th seed. The winner of that game meets Harnett Central or Fayetteville 71st in the second round.

Garner seeded eighth in 4-AA football brackets, will host Wakefield

dclaybest — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:13:32 -0500

Garner, which finished 6-5 this season and third in the Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference, will host Wakefield in the opening round of the NCHSAA 4-AA football playoffs. The Trojans are seeded eighth and Wakefield is seeded ninth.

The winner meets the winner of Wake Forest-Rolesville and Clayton in the second round on Nov. 20.

Clayton just makes 4-AA football playoff field, gets rematch with Wake Forest-Rolesville

dclaybest — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:10:39 -0500

Clayton earned the final spot in the NCHSAA 4-AA eastern regional brackets. The Comets (4-7) are seeded 16th and will take on top-seeded and 11-0 Wake Forest-Rolesville in the first round. The Cougars beat Clayton 16-14 earlier this season, winning on a touchdown pass on the last play of the game.

Princeton seeded fourth in 1-A West football pairings

dclaybest — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:07:29 -0500

Princeton is seeded fourth in the NCHSAA 1-A football playoffs. The Bulldogs (8-3) will host Hayesville, seeded 13th, a first round western regional game next Friday night.

Friday, Nov. 6 Area Prep Football Scores

dclaybest — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:03:25 -0500

South Johnston 21, Triton 14

The Trojans (10-1) clinch the Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference Championship and have a chance at the No. 1 overall seed in the Eastern 3-A bracket, based on their 10-0 record for seeding purposes.

Clayton 13, Smithfield-Selma 7

The Comets' Shaquille Mangum returns an interception 80 yards for the game-winning touchdown with just two seconds to play, giving Clayton a bit of hope for a playoff spot at 4-7. SSS finishes the season.

Harnett Central 34, Garner 9

Garner falls hard but gets the No. 3 seed from the Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference when Knightdale upsets East Wake, 13-12.

Southeast Raleigh 27, West Johnston 7

The Bulldogs clinch the No. 2 seed from the GNRC, while West ends up out of the playoffs with a 3-8 mark.

Princeton 42, Rosewood 20

The Bulldogs finish off an 8-3 season, taking second in the Carolina 1-A Conference. It's likely the Dawgs will be hosting a first round playoff match up next Friday.

Franklinton 42, North Johnston 34

The high-scoring loss likely leaves the Panthers out of the playoff hunt after they finish with a 3-8 record.

South Johnston to host Conley on Saturday at 4 p.m.

dclaybest — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:45:30 -0500

South Johnston will host Greenville D.H. Conley Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. in the second round of the NCHSAA 3-A boys soccer playoffs. The winner moves onto next Wednesday's third round matches.

South Johnston sole area survivor in prep boys soccer playoffs

dclaybest — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:34:36 -0500

Wednesday night's area results from the NCHSAA boys soccer playoffs. ...

1-A

Durham School of the Arts 5, North Johnston 2 (OT)

3-A

South Johnston 5, Wilson Fike 1

The Trojans (16-5-1) will face Greenville D.H. Conley (10-8-3) in a second round match on Saturday. The start time has not been announced.

4-A

Green Hope 1, West Johnston 0

Wilmington Hoggard 1, Southeast Raleigh 0 (OT)

Laney eliminates Clayton from 4-A soccer playoffs

dclaybest — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:32:19 -0500

Wilmington Laney beat Clayton 2-1 Tuesday night in the opening round of the NCHSAA 4-A boys soccer playoffs. The Comets finished the season with a 15-6 record and won the Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference championship.

We'll recap the match in next week's paper. The other area boys soccer playoff teams are in action tonight.

Local standout swimmer commits to Texas A&M

dclaybest — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:25:20 -0500

West Johnston High School senior Sarah Henry verbally committed to Texas A&M on Tuesday night. Henry received full scholarship offers from Stanford, Texas and A&M, according to her father, Brian Henry.

Henry is a two-time NCHSAA 4-A state individual champion, winning the 500 freestyle in the 2008-09 season and the 100 butterfly in the 2006-07 state finals. She also competed in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.

The Aggies finished eighth in last season's NCAA Division I Diving and Swimming Championships.

Local soccer playoff matches announced

dclaybest — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:21:52 -0500

This week's area first-round prep boys soccer playoff matches. Matches are set for Wednesday, unless otherwise noted.

2-A

Durham School of the Arts (10-8-1) at North Johnston (11-6-3), 6 p.m.

3-A

Wilson Fike (10-13-1) at South Johnston (15-5-1), 7 p.m.

4-A

Wilmington Laney (13-6) at Clayton (15-5), Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Wilmington Hoggard (10-8-3) at Southeast Raleigh (10-7-2), 6 p.m.

West Johnston (9-11-2) at Green Hope (14-4-2), 6:30 p.m.

West Johnston wins regional cross country title

dclaybest — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:08:45 -0400

West Johnston's boys cross country team won the eastern regional 4-A championship Saturday at Hope Mills South View High School. The Wildcats placed six runners in the top-13 individually.

The Wildcat girls team finished second, two points behind Fayetteville Terry Sanford.

Also qualifying for the state championships next weekend were Michelle Bailey of Garner and three runners from Clayton.

Friday, Oct. 30 Prep Football Scores

dclaybest — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:24:57 -0400

Harnett Central 36, Southeast Raleigh 22

The Trojans clinch the Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference championship with the win.

Garner 30, East Wake 27 (OT)

Garner led 27-6 in the fourth quarter before a furious Warrior comeback. Still, the Trojans win on a 26-yard Connor Torruella field goal.

Princeton 55, Ayden-Grifton 14

The Bulldogs lead 41-0 at the half. David Gurganus throws five TD passes.'

South Johnston 84, North Lenoir 6

Yep, you read that right. The Trojans are already being raked over the coals on this .

Roanoke Rapids 52, North Johnston 14

The Panthers actually held a 7-6 lead at one point before falling.

Wake Christian 41, Fayetteville Village Christian 9

The Bulldogs win their third straight after an 0-7 start.

SSS's Snead, South's Williams selected for Shrine Bowl squad

dclaybest — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:35:28 -0400

Johnston County will be well-represented on the 2009 N.C. Shrine Bowl squad. Smithfield-Selma's Josh Snead and South Johnston's Dee Williams were both named to the team today.

Snead, a Duke recruit, leads the Triangle area with 1,832 yards rushing in 10 games and 24 offensive touchdowns. Williams leads the Triangle area in receiving. He is tops in yards receiving (962), receiving touchdowns (17) and receiving yards per game (106.9).

Smithfield-Selma head coach and former Garner standout Anthony Barbour will serve as an assistant coach for the N.C. squad as well.

One of Barbour's fellow Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference players — Harnett Central's Anthony Johnson, an outside linebacker — was also selected to the squad. For a complete rundown of the N.C. roster, visit http://ncpreps.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1008293

The 73rd Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas will be played Dec. 19 in Spartanburg, S.C.

SSS, Clayton pick up Thursday night prep football wins

dclaybest — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:26:08 -0400

Thursday night prep football scores

Smithfield-Selma 49, West Johnston 38

Clayton 16, Knightdale 14

We'll have full reports on the games in next week's editions of the Garner-Clayton Record and The Herald of Johnston County. For boxscores from both games visit.... http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/high_school/

Raleigh Charter eliminates Princeton from 1-A volleyball playoffs

dclaybest — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:23:43 -0400

Raleigh Charter swept Princeton 25-6, 25-19, 26-24 to move on to the fourth round of the NCHSAA 1-A state volleyball playoffs tonight. The Phoenix (16-3) will play again on Saturday.

Princeton finishes its season with a 18-6 record.

Smithfield-Selma vs. Clayton junior varsity game moved to Nov. 4

dclaybest — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:07:58 -0400

Smithfield-Selma will host Clayton in junior varsity football on Wednesday, Nov. 4, instead of the previously scheduled Thursday date next week. The varsity game will remain on Friday night at Clayton High School.

The Comets are honoring their 1989 state championship team at the Nov. 6 varsity game.

Smithfield-Selma vs. West Johnston football game is Thursday night

dclaybest — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:22:36 -0400

We had a mix up in this week's editions of The Herald of Johnston County and The Garner-Clayton Record. The varsity football game between West Johnston and Smithfield-Selma will be played Thursday night at 7:30 at SSS's Tucker Stadium.

Clayton's game against Knightdale is also set for Thursday night.

Princeton moves into third round of 1-A volleyball playoffs, to host Raleigh Charter

dclaybest — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:30:29 -0400

Princeton rallied from a 20-24 deficit in the fourth game, then won a thrilling fifth game to down Lakewood 17-25, 25-23, 21-25, 27-25, 15-13 in the second round of the NCHSAA 1-A volleyball playoffs.

The Bulldogs (18-5) will host Raleigh Charter (15-3) in a third round match up Thursday night. Raleigh Charter (15-3) eliminated Midway in three games on Tuesday night.

Down 20-24 to the Leopards on Tuesday night, Princeton rode the service run of Traci Bridgers to a 25-24 lead. Lakewood broke serve to pull even at 25 but the Bulldogs got the ball right back when a Leopard block attempt went wide. Hannah Wood then came up with a serve the Leopards couldn't get back across the net to pull things even at two games apiece.

"We've played very hard all season and have kept working to improve," said Princeton coach Trudi Rast. "The girls' hard work is showing up now. Our main issue tonight was serving. When we served well we won games, when we didn't, we struggled.

"We were at our best on serve in the last two games."

The Bulldogs never trailed in the fifth and deciding game, although the Leopards (19-4) were able to tie the score six different times.

Becca Harlan and Hannah Wood had two kills each in the fifth game for Princeton. Wood carried Princeton from a 10-all tie to a 14-10 lead during a service turn that included a ace to force a game point.

The Leopards got back to within 14-13 on consecutive kills from Zanna Faircloth and Devony Hemingway before Harlan ended the match with a kill.

Clayton's Bundy finishes fifth in state 4-A girls golf championships

dclaybest — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:09:44 -0400

Clayton High School senior Lizzie Bundy finished fifth in the NCHSAA 4-A Girls Golf Championships Tuesday at Foxfire Golf and Country Club. Bundy shot a 79 on Tuesday putting together a total of 151 (5-over-par) for the 36-hole event.

Athens Drive won its second straight team championship, led by individual champion Katherine Perry (2-under, 144).

At the 1-A/2-A/3-A state golf championships, Princeton junior Christi Mileski finished at 193.

We'll have more on the state golf finals in next week's community papers.

Garner got a little extra halftime motivation, courtesy of Hal Stewart

dclaybest — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:48:48 -0400

Garner's 49-42 football victory over Southeast Raleigh last Friday night is a game that won't likely be forgotten for a long time. The Trojans played their best game of the season, surprsing the Bulldogs, who still can win the GNRC conference title.

Now comes word from N&O preps editor Tim Stevens that legendary former Garner coach Hal Stewart gave the Garner boys an impromptu halftime pep talk.

You can read about that and more, including an early look at this Friday's big clash between Southeast and Harnett Central, online now at http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/high_school. The mention of the Stewart appearance is at the end of this article: http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/high_school/story/159671.html

Smithfield-Selma surprises Clayton, 3-2, in boys soccer

dclaybest — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:43:25 -0400

Smithfield-Selma finished off its regular-season schedule with a 3-2 overtime victory over rival Clayton Monday night. Lucas Mazzeo scored two goals for the Spartans, including the game-winner four minutes into the first overtime. Luis Zeron scored the Spartans' other goal.

Clayton had already clinched the Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference championship. The NCHSAA playoffs will begin next week.

Clayton's Bundy tied for second after first round of state girls golf finals

dclaybest — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 09:40:00 -0400

Clayton High School senior Lizzie Bundy was tied for second after the opening round of the NCHSAA 4-A Girls Golf State Championships at Foxfire Golf and Country Club. Bundy finished at 72 on the day, a stroke behind Allison Emrey of Charlotte Ardrey Kell. Par on the course is 73.

The second round of the 36-hole event is being played today (Tuesday).

Princeton advances to second round of NCHSAA volleyball playoffs

dclaybest — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 23:06:06 -0400

Area results from Saturday's opening round of the NCHSAA volleyball playoffs...

1-A

Princeton swept Southside, 3-0

Next up: Princeton (17-5) hosts Lakewood (19-3) on Tuesday evening at 7 o'clock.

2-A

South Granville sweeps North Johnston, 3-0.

The Panthers finish the season with a 18-8 record.

3-A

Wilson Hunt sweeps South Johnston, 3-0.

The Trojans finished the season at 19-4.

4-A

Greenville Rose sweeps West Johnston, 3-0.

The Wildcats finished 5-14.

Wilmington Ashley topped Garner in four games.

The Trojans finished the season at 15-7.

Fayetteville South View beats Southeast Raleigh, 3-1.

The Bulldogs finished 9-12.

South Johnston wins first conference soccer championship

dclaybest — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:17:52 -0400

South Johnston defeated C.B. Aycock 1-0 Thursday night to complete the Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference season with a perfect 10-0 mark for its first boys soccer league title in the 30-plus year history of the school.

Edgar Herrera scored the game's only goal, his 59th of the season.

Clayton High School to honor 1989 state championship team, seeking players, cheerleaders

dclaybest — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:20:00 -0400

Clayton High School will recognize members of the 1989 NCHSAA 2-A state championship football team and cheerleaders on Nov. 6 during the Comets' football game against Smithfield-Selma. Players and cheerleaders are asked to contact Clint Eaves or Cathy Paschal at 919-553-4064 for more information.

Reggie Barnes to host free youth basketball camp at Smithfield-Selma High on Saturday

dclaybest — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:13:30 -0400

Former Smithfield-Selma High School standout Reggie Barnes will be hosting a free youth basketball camp (for boys and girls) this Saturday in the SSS gymnasium. The event will run from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Pre-registration is not required. For more info, contact the school at 934-5191.

Clayton clinches Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference soccer title

dclaybest — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0400

Clayton clinched the outright Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference boys soccer regular-season championship with a victory over Knightdale on Wednesday night. The Comets also benefitted from a tie between Southeast Raleigh and Harnett Central on Wednesday.

The Comets have two games remaining, including a Monday night meeting with Smithfield-Selma, but are more than two games ahead of the conference field with just two matches to go.

Area state volleyball playoff openers set

dclaybest — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:45:50 -0400

Here are the start times and match ups we've been informed of involving area teams in the NCHSAA volleyball playoffs, which begin Saturday.

1-A

Chocowinity Southside at Princeton, 3 p.m.

2-A

South Granville at North Johnston, TBA

3-A

South Johnston at Wilson Hunt, 3 p.m.

4-A

Wilmington Ashley at Garner, 1 p.m.

West Johnston at Greenville Rose, TBA

Southeast Raleigh at Hope Mills South View, TBA

Triton tops South Johnston to win Eastern Carolina 3-A Volleyball tourney

dclaybest — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:17:15 -0400

Undefeated Triton defeated South Johnston in three games Wednesday night to win the Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference volleyball tournament. It was the Hawks' third sweep of the Trojans this season.

South Johnston (19-3 and unmatched against all teams on its schedule so far not named Triton) will open the NCHSAA 3-A playoffs on the road Saturday.

Princeton takes Carolina 1-A Conference volleyball championship

dclaybest — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:56:55 -0400

Princeton defeated rival Rosewood Wednesday night for the second time in less than a week to won the Carolina 1-A Conference volleyball tournament title. The Bulldogs will host a first round NCHSAA playoff match on Saturday.

Garner falls to Harnett Central in GNRC volleyball tourney final

dclaybest — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:45:10 -0400

Harnett Central topped Garner in five games Wednesday night to win the GNRC 4-A conference volleyball championship. Garner takes the league's No. 2 playoff seed with the loss. The Trojans will host a first round NCHSAA 4-A playoff match on Saturday at 1 p.m. The opponent has not been determined.

Clayton's Bundy finishes second in 4-A girls golf regional

dclaybest — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:23:49 -0400

Clayton senior Lizzie Bundy fired a 3-over-par, 75, to claim individual runner-up honors at today's NCHSAA 4-A Eastern Regional Championship girls golf tournament at The Golf Club at Chapel Ridge. Bundy finished a shot behind individual winner Sarah Bae of Athens Drive.

The Jaguars won their second straight regional title. Clayton finished eighth in the team standings.

Garner, Harnett Central to meet in GNRC volleyball finals

dclaybest — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:21:35 -0400

Regular-season co-champions Garner and Harnett Central will meet in the Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference Tournament Championship match Wednesday night at 6 at Garner. The winner of the match will receive the league's No. 1 playoff seed.

Clayton, SSS set for dual team tennis playoffs tomorrow

dclaybest — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:23:21 -0400

Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference co-champions Clayton and Smithfield-Selma will both open the NCHSAA 4-A dual team tennis playoffs Tuesday afternoon. The Comets and Spartans split their two regular-season matchups.

Clayton drew the No. 1 seed and will host Wilmington Hoggard, while SSS will play at Southern Pines Pinecrest.

Garner hosting GNRC volleyball semifinals tonight

dclaybest — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:38:09 -0400

Back in the loop this week after a furlough week off...

Garner will host the semifinals of the Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference Tournament tonight, beginning at 5 p.m. Garner meets East Wake at 5 p.m., with Harnett Central and Southeast Raleigh battling in the other semifinal at 7 p.m.

The championship match is set for Wednesday at 7 at Garner. Garner and Central tied for the regular-season league title, so if those two teams meet in the championship round, the match will also determine which team gets the league's top playoff seeding.

So much for my 'career' in concert reviewing... my take on U2 at Carter-Finley

dclaybest — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:54:51 -0400

So I sat out to 'review' the U2 concert from a longtime superfan's perspective in this week's Garner-Clayton Record and The Herald of Johnston County.

You can read it here: http://www.garnerclayton.com/sports/story/1493.html

Obviously I'm not much of a concert reviewer. Seriously, how
hard is it to review a concert. Said baid played 'X' number of up-tempo
songs from their new album, transitioned into some of their older
stuff, acted like they were leaving/the show was over/came back for
four more songs, mixing a couple of their absolute best ever with a new
one or two. Show's over, everybody goes home happy.

But guess what? I'm no good at it, horrible in fact.

So this is what my
'review' of the U2 concert turned into. It's probably the only time Hal
Stewart's old lucky socks and Bono have been appeared in the same
story.

Southeast Raleigh, Clayton battle for GNRC soccer lead Monday night

dclaybest — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 19:24:54 -0400

League-leading Southeast Raleigh will visit Clayton Monday night in a battle for the Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference boys soccer lead. The Bulldogs (6-0 in the league) topped Clayton 1-0 in the two teams' first match-up this season.

Clayton is 5-1 in the league, half-a-game ahead of East Wake (4-1-1).

Friday, Oct. 2 Prep Football Scores

dclaybest — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:15:00 -0400

Southeast Raleigh 55, Smithfield-Selma 20

Southeast quarterback Gabe Henderson throws for 191 yards and three touchdowns, and runs for 178 yards and a score as well to lead the Bulldogs to their seventh win of the season. SSS's Josh Snead ran for 248 yards and all three Spartan scores.

Harnett Central 49, Clayton 21

The Trojans put together a statement win, rolling by a Comet defense that had been one of the area's best through the first six weeks of the season.

Garner 38, Knightdale 20

Juwan Moye pops two long early TD runs for the Trojans, who manage to hang onto a two-score lead the rest of the night.

South Johnston 21, Wilson Fike 19

The Trojans move to 5-1 on the season with a solid road victory. South is now 3-0 away from home this season.

East Wake 26, West Johnston 14

The Warriors fall in a 14-0 hole and can't recover on the road.

Bunn 48, North Johnston 21

The Wildcats roll up 36 first-half points in a Northern Carolina 2-A Conference win. North's Jacques Alston rushes for 215 yards in the loss.

Garner tops Clayton on last play, 14-13; West, SSS fall

dclaybest — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:19:32 -0400

Garner downed Clayton 14-13 on the final play of the game when Bryan Watkins pulled in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Cody Woodall Thursday night in Clayton. Connor Torruella's extra-point with no time on the clock was the deciding point.

The Comets had taken a 13-7 lead on a 1-yard QB sneak run by Matt Reid with 1:53 to play in the game, but missed the extra point.

The win moves Garner to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference. Clayton drops to 1-5 and 0-2.

In other prep football games from Thursday night, East Wake topped Smithfield-Selma 21-10 and West Johnston fell to Harnett Central 34-14.

Look for full reports on all of these games in next week's print editions of the Garner-Clayton Record and The Herald of Johnston County.

Racing returns to Southern National this weekend

dclaybest — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:37:00 -0400

From PASS News Releases

The Pro All-Stars Series (PASS) will bring the roar of engines back to Southern National Raceway Park in Kenly on Saturday.

Since is first opened in 1993, Southern National Raceway Park in Kenly has been one of the region's premier short tracks. Touring divisions and weekly racers flocked to race at the facility that saw drivers like Denny Hamlin and Scott Riggs hone their skills before moving on to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

But, in recent years, the track struggled to find its identity and, following a tumultuous end to the 2008 season, Southern National's future looked bleak.

While other tracks around the country have been putting on races for much of 2009, Southern National has sat idle. Leaving locals with a void that has yet to be filled.

Although PASS has only raced at Southern National once, PASS President Tom Mayberry and his staff saw the potential in the speedway. That 2006 race at Southern National was only the second race of the then brand new PASS South division and attracted drivers from near and far.

Super Late Model veteran Freddie Query took his only PASS South victory at Southern National after a spirited battle with local driver Clay Jones, future PASS South champions Mike Rowe and Ryan Lawler, and Alabama hotshoe Charlie Bradberry.

"When we went to Southern National in 2006 we had an outstanding race," said Mayberry. "The lead changed hands all day long and that race proved to us that PASS South just might have the legs to be a success. I just loved the track, but for whatever reason we were not able to put things together to get another race there."

In the years following PASS's visit to Southern National, track owner and former racer Kirk Leone made significant capital improvements to the four-tenths mile facility including repaving the track, paving the infield, erecting a new scoreboard and public address system, and constructing new buildings on the property. And, although the track has sat idle this season, Leone has continued to make upgrades as he tries to sell Southern National.

"We've got a brand new sewer system and have done a lot of work to the track to get ready for the PASS race and for any potential buyers out there," said Leone. "The track is great and it will be a steal for whoever buys it. I just don't have the time to devote to it that I need to for it to be a success. I'm glad PASS is coming in to put on this show and I know our fans are looking forward to it because they love their racing here at Southern National."

PASS South has put added emphasis on the Southern National 150 by making it one of only four races in the PASS National Series.

The PASS National Series consists of four special events taken from the PASS North and PASS South schedules that will help to determine an overall PASS National Champion. The Southern National 150 will be race number three of the PASS National Series and is expected to attract the top Super Late Models from across the country. In addition, former Southern National regulars such as John Batten, "Big" Jim Kelley, and Shelton McNair have expressed their intention to return to their old stomping grounds.

The PASS Late Model Trucks and Four-Cylinders will also be on the racing card at Southern National on Saturday. Southern National was one of the first racetracks in the region to race Trucks and a great field of newcomers is expected to join PASS Late Model Trucks regulars such as Grant Davidson, Jody Measamer, Clint King, Michael Cooper, and Marty Griggs.

The Four-Cylinder division has a great heritage at Southern National and will add to the excitement as the local fans and drivers look to return to their home track.

But, the Southern National 150 will not be the only race held this year at Southern National. PASS South will continue the Thanksgiving tradition of racing at Southern National with the Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 27-28. The PASS South Super Late Models will have a special non-points race with several other divisions also racing. Those divisions competing at the Thanksgiving Classic will be announced in the coming weeks.

The Southern National 150 weekend kicks off with practice for all divisions from 4-7 p.m. on Friday. Then, on Saturday, practice and qualifying will be held prior an on-track autograph sessions and main events for the Four-Cylinders, PASS Late Model Trucks, and PASS South Super Late Models. The feature races begin at 6:15 p.m.

For more information on any PASS division go to racewithpass.com or for information on the Southern National 150 go to southernnational.net.

Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference Football Standings after Week 1

dclaybest — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 08:30:00 -0400

Team: Conference Record; Overall Record

Southeast Raleigh: 1-0; 5-0

Harnett Central: 1-0; 5-0

Smithfield-Selma: 1-0; 2-3

West Johnston: 1-0; 2-3

Garner: 0-1; 2-3

Clayton: 0-1; 1-4

East Wake: 0-1; 1-4

Knightdale: 0-1; 0-5

Friday, Sept. 18 Prep Football Scores

dclaybest — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 23:14:22 -0400

West Johnston 22, Garner 21

The Wildcats dominate in yardage but don't pull ahead until the final two minutes.

Southeast Raleigh 21, Clayton 10

It was another tough battle between these two. The Bulldogs take control on Gabe Henderson's 15-yard TD scramble on fourth-and-6 in the fourth quarter.

Smithfield-Selma 34, Knightdale 28

Josh Snead scored all five SSS TDs, including the game-winner. He returned a blocked field goal attempt 71 yards on the final play of the game for the winning score.

Midway 21, Princeton 12

The Bulldogs' four-game win streak to open the season ends.

South Johnston 35, Northern Nash 0

The Trojans cover two blocked punts for touchdowns and limit Northern to 85 yards of offense.

North Johnston 35, Rosewood 12

The Panthers offense rolls up 35 first-half points, including a 28-point second quarter to move to 2-3 on the year.

Points have been sparce in Southeast-Clayton games

dclaybest — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:40:33 -0400

Southeast Raleigh (4-0) hosts Clayton (1-3) tonight in both teams' traditional Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference football opener. Southeast leads the series, 3-1, since the two schools joined the GNRC in 2005.

Despite winning three games (and losing the fourth on a last-second field goal that bounced over the crossbar) the Bulldogs have never scored more than 22 points in a game on the Comets. Last year's game was a 14-9 win. The year before that, a 7-0 Bulldogs' decision.

In the four-game series, the average score has been Southeast 12.5, Clayton 7.75.

Now, I'm known for bringing up trends like this and seeing the whole thing shot out of the water in the next game, but I'd really be surprised if we end up with a 1980s Jets-Doplhins' score (like 42-38) in this one tonight.

Garner could notch historic football win tonight

dclaybest — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:26:01 -0400

Garner (2-2 overall) meets West Johnston (1-3) in the Trojans' and Wildcats' Greater Neuse River 4-A Conference football opener tonight at Trojan Stadium.

In addition to getting above .500 for the first time this season, a win would be notable on two fronts for Garner. Tenth-year head coach Nelson Smith would hit 100 career victories if the Trojans take the win.

Additionally, a win would give Garner 200 as a program since the 1990 season. The Trojans are 199-47 since 1990 entering tonight's game.

Smith is 99-21 with seven seasons of 10 or more wins.

Kenly race track (SNRP) going on auction block

dclaybest — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:18:20 -0400

From a press release announcing the decision...

Southern National
Raceway owner Kirk Leone announced today
that Southern National will go up for auction in November, the exact
auction date to be announced in the upcoming weeks. "This is a great
opportunity for a potential owner to get a top notch facility at a very
good market price," Leone said. "I feel this is a great time to offer the track up for
auction, it will give the new owner time to get things ready to open
up for the 2010 race season."

Southern National Raceway
Park has long enjoyed great fans, sponsors, competitors and most of all
racing. Over the past few years there has been much change at the
facility all with the intent of making the track, facilities and
racing better. From new and remodeled facilities, updated operating
systems to a new track surface and throughout that time one thing has
always remained constant, the passion for good hard racing. Southern
National is ready to host the upcoming PASS series in September, a Car
Show in October and The Thanksgiving Classic in November with the PASS
Series returning.

Southern National is a great race facility and
has been home to past NASCAR Drivers such as Denny Hamlin, and Scott
Riggs as well as MRN Announcer Alex Hayden..Local Racers and their fans
have voiced their support for the continued operation of the track
along with many local, regional and national touring series.

Since the
announcement that the track would not reopen in 2009, under past or
current ownership, many, many racers, fans and supporters have
expressed a desire to see Southern National Raceway Park reopen.
Anyone interested in making a pre-auction offer or to inquire about
the facility or the upcoming auction can contact Jimmy Johnson with
Johnson Properties jp@johnsonproperties.com.

SSS's football winning streak against South Johnston is finally over

dclaybest — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 01:49:10 -0400

The 36th time was officially the charm for South Johnston. The Trojans ended a 35-game losing streak to Smithfield-Selma Friday night, taking a 23-22 victory. South (3-1) had never beaten SSS (1-3) before Friday's victory.

Pat Dunigan connected with Dee Williams on a 20-plus yard touchdown pass with just over a minute to play to give the Trojans the one-point lead. But SSS moved into field goal range in the final seconds. However, a short snap thwarted the Spartans' game-winning kick attempt, giving the Trojans the victory.

We'll have more on the game in Wednesday's edition of The Herald of Johnston County.