Fre'Shad Hunter, senior, Cary football

Cary senior Fre'Shad Hunter has committed to play at N.C. State next season. This coming after N.C. State's win over Pitt on Saturday.

Hunter, who's playing primarily offensive line this year for the Imps, is ranked as one of the nation's top defensive ends. He totaled 60 tackles and six sacks last year in his first year at the position.

Cary coach Ben Kolstad said the move to offensive line was based on team need. Cary's defense remains one of the best groups in the conference even without Hunter, allowing just 15.7 points per game.

"We moved him to offensive tackle just because he gives us some really good things at offensive tackle. It's really hard to play both ways," Kolstad said. "We just needed a boost down the stretch and he's a good athletic player, so we'll see what he can do."

"We're just trying to be a better team, and he's doing what we need." 

In Friday's 21-14 loss to Holly Springs, however, Hunter did make some spot appearances on defense during the game's final minutes. In those limited opportunities, he made two tackles and a half-tackle for loss.

He displayed a good nose for the ball, and figures to return to the defensive side of the ball in college.

In the Tri-Nine Conference alone, there are three N.C. State football commitments. The other two, Pete Singer and Rob Crisp, are with Athens Drive. Cary plays host to Athens Drive in a "Future Wolfpack Bowl" on Oct. 9th. 

Carlos Rodon, junior, Holly Springs baseball 

Carlos Rodon, a 6-foot-2, 192-pound junior baseball pitcher/first baseman at Holly Springs High, committed to N.C. State this week.

Last spring as a sophomore, Rodon hit .330 with four home runs and 30 RBI. Rodon was one of six sophomore starters for the three-year-old program that went 19-6 this year.

As a pitcher, he was 2-1 during his sophomore season and posted 67 strikeouts in 40 innings as a freshman.

In a one-week span this year against Fuquay-Varina and Panther Creek, Rodon had two homers with 11 RBI. 

After talking with Cary defensive end Fre'Shad Hunter (and look for a story on him in this week's TCN sports section) today, I learned that he was leaving this afternoon for Knoxville, Tenn. along with Sanderson wide receiver/tight end Matt James.

The two are driving out to a football camp at the University of Tennessee.

According to Rivals.com, Hunter has an offer from Tennessee and seven other schools and James does not hold an offer from Tennessee, but does from eight other schools.

As far as in-state schools are concerned, Hunter holds offers from N.C. State (which he said was the first to offer) and East Carolina (which he said impressed him a lot on his visit there), while James has offers from ECU and Wake Forest.

I wonder if Lane Kiffin will trash-talk any of those in-state schools to either Hunter or James. Didn't work so well last time..

Marques Oliver, senior, Panther Creek basketball; Brandon Oliver, senior, Panther Creek basketball 

Panther Creek twins Marques and Brandon Oliver have officially signed with Delaware State.

The twins are fraternal, and their games and positions differ greatly. Marques is a 6-6 power forward who was the Catamounts' second scoring option behind Auburn signee Earnest Ross.

Brandon is a 6-foot point guard who averaged a modest four points per game, but like his brother, received first-team All-Tri-Eight Conference honors after the season.

It was widely known that the twins wanted to attend the same university and play ball together. Now they can do so in Division I in the MEAC (which is the same conference as North Carolina A&T). 

The Catamounts, who finished the year 28-3, now have three players in Division I ball. The Tri-Eight Conference, which also boasted Garrius Adams (Miami/Middle Creek High), Josh Davis (N.C. State/Athens Drive High), Tom Tankelewicz (Charleston Southern/Middle Creek High) and Ross, now had six Division I players in the league last year.

Add that to former players Yorel Hawkins (Fairfield/Apex High), Marcus Kitts (William & Mary/Middle Creek High), Evan Neisler (Drexel/Cary High) and there will be NINE players in Division I ball next year who hail from the Tri-Eight Conference. 

Lewis McAlister, senior, Apex football

Head coach Bob Wolfe confirmed this week that the Tri-Eight Defensive Player of the Year, defensive tackle Lewis McAlister, will continue playing football at Davidson College next season.

McAlister makes it six Apex players from last year's 10-4 team that will be playing in college next year, joining defensive teammates Joshua Cunningham (DL, Johnson C. Smith), Josh Powell (DB, Campbell), Joey Powell (DB, Campbell) as well as Kevin Fogg (RB, Liberty) and Houston Hawley (QB, Cornell).

A seventh player, wide receiver/tight end Rob Fronk, will be attending Hargrave Military Academy next year before choosing a college the following season. 

Sports Editor J. Mike Blake stopped by Cary High School last week to speak with national champion heavyweight Eloheim Palma, who recently committed to N.C. State on a full athletic scholarship.

Rob Fronk, senior, Apex football

In an e-mail from Apex football coach Bob Wolfe, it's been confirmed that wide receiver/tight end Rob Fronk will spend a year at Hargrave Military Academy.

Josh Davis said he had been hoping for a scholarship offer from N.C. State for quite sometime, and been a fan of the Wolfpack for even longer.

Now, the talented forward from Athens Drive knows he won't have to leave Raleigh for the next four years to continue playing basketball after he committed to the Pack earlier today.

Athens Drive basketball coach Robert Clemons confirmed that his star center Josh Davis has accepted a scholarship offer to play for Sidney Lowe and the N.C. State Wolfpack next year.