newsobserver.com blogs -- prepsnow

National No. 1 in girls soccer on line Saturday

timstevens — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:43:54 -0400

The N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A state girls soccer championship on Saturday between Cary Green Hope and Cornelius Hough is not the first time a national top ranking has been decided in the NCHSAA title game.
In 2001, Broughton entered the finals ranked No. 1 in the ESPN poll and Charlotte Providence was No. 2, similar to this year’s No. 1 Green Hope vs. No. 2 Hough matchup.
Broughton beat Providence in the 2001 finals 3-2 on penalties kicks. Caps keeper Andrea Hinshaw stopped three of four Providence penalty kicks despite breaking her little finger on Providence’s first penalty kick.
“It was a tremendous game,” said Sheldon Shealer, who does the national girls soccer rankings for ESPNHS. “I have a NCHSAA cup on my desk as a souvenir from the game. I keep my pens in it.”

NCHSAA pod system on baseball, softball, girls soccer playoffs

jmikeblake — Fri, 25 May 2012 03:08:46 -0400

The N.C. High School Athletic Association stated at its most recent meetings that it would hold off on implementing the "pod system" or any other seeded format for other 64-team playoff brackets.

And for sure, there were certainly a few kinks to be worked out after an opening day of fiasco when the brackets were announced, most notably when the NCHSAA did not clearly state how it was going to select its wild-card teams. Click on that link for all that info.

But feedback on the pod system was, at least from those who have spoken to this writer, positive once the games began. First-round rematches were minimal - just 24 of 128 first-round games statewide, as my study showed.

And besides, many coaches have been chomping at the bit to have some sort of seeded playoffs. They're tired of conference seeding deciding whether or not a team should play home or away, as well as sides of the bracket that can sometimes pit some of the top teams against one another as early as the second round.

In the fall, I took at look at what the 4A volleyball and boys soccer brackets would have looked like in the East and Mideast.

Now, let's do the same for softball, baseball and girls soccer, and see what we find.

Let's start with girls soccer. Its major criticism this year is having the No. 1 team in the nation, Green Hope, play two road games based on the random drawing before the season that decides a pecking order for conferences should two teams of equal conference standing meet. (note: Richmond County and Scotland County would be in the midwest under this alignment due to Southeast Guilford and Southern Alamance making the playoffs)

2012 Girls Soccer playoffs, formatted with 64-team pod system

Mideast	East
1. Green Hope (1-seeds)	1. Leesville Road (1-seeds)
2. Southern Pines Pinecrest	2. Wilmington Hoggard
3. Fayetteville Terry Sanford	3. West Johnston
4. East Chapel Hill	4. Millbrook (2-seeds)
5. Southeast Guilford (2-seeds)	5. Cary
6. Fayetteville Jack Britt	6. New Hanover
7. Lumberton	7. Garner
8. Jordan	8. Wilmington Ashley (3-seeds)
9. Apex (3-seeds)	9. Broughton
10. Fayetteville Pine Forest	10. Knightdale
11. Riverside	11. New Bern (4-seeds)
12. Holly Springs (4-seeds)	12. Wakefield
13. Hope Mills South View	13. Clayton
14. Northern Durham	14. Sanderson (5-seeds)
15. Southern Alamance	15. East Wake
16. Panther Creek (5-seeds)	16. Fuquay-Varina (wild card)

Based on what transpired this season and in the postseason, the likely teams meeting in the sectional championships would be 2-Pinecrest and 1-Green Hope in the Mideast and 2-Wilmington Hoggard at 1-Leesville Road for the East. The East final would've most likely have been Leesville Road at Green Hope.

THE GOOD: The pod would move Raleigh schools into the East pod, which addresses the main complain every year in soccer -- that the top Triangle conferences take each other out too soon. The unbeaten & untied #1 team in the nation doesn't ever have to leave home, as it should be.

THE BAD: Three intraconference games in the first round, out of 16 first-round games.

2012 Baseball, formatted with 64-team pod system

(Note #1 - Southern Alamance and Southeast Guilford are more east than Scotland and Richmond County, which is why they're here. Note #2 - Three pairs of teams finished with identical records and conference rank, which is why they are shown side-by-side in two spots)

Mideast	East
1. Southeast Guilford (1-seeds)	1. West Johnston (1-seeds)
2. East Chapel Hill/Green Hope	2. New Bern
3. East Chapel Hill/Green Hope	3. Wakefield
4. Fayetteville Terry Sanford	4. Wilmington Ashley (2-seeds)
5. Southern Alamance (2-seeds)	5. Leesville Road
6. Jordan	6. Fayetteville Cape Fear
7. Middle Creek	7. Garner
8. Fuquay-Varina (3-seeds)	8. Greenville Rose (3-seeds)
9. Riverside	9. Millbrook
10. Southern Pines Pinecrest	10. Knightdale
11. Fayetteville Jack Britt	11. Wilmington Hoggard (4-seeds)
12. Lumberton (4-seeds)	12. Clayton/Sanderson
13. Apex	13. Clayton/Sanderson
14. Northern Durham/South View	14. Wake Forest-Rolesville (5-seeds)
15. Northern Durham/South View	15. Smithfield-Selma
16. Holly Springs (5-seeds)	16. Wilmington Laney (wild-cards)

This one's a bit tougher to figure out what would have happened. Baseball is unpredictable even with a full season and almost completed postseason to use as a basis.

But for argument's sake, let's say #1 Southeast Guilford (which lost in the 2nd round) loses to #16 Holly Springs (which upset Wakefield in the 1st round this year) and from then on you get 8-Fuquay-Varina to face 7-Middle Creek for the Mideast and either 7-Millbrook or 4-Wilmington Ashley against 2-New Bern in the East.

Middle Creek against Ashley or Millbrook would make for an entertaining series to decide which one goes to the state title, and you would think Middle Creek would win.

THE GOOD: Every seed matters in baseball, where the talent is spread evenly around the state. This makes sure you don't see tough first-round games like ones we saw this year with Wakefield-Holly Springs, Apex-Jordan, Rose-Garner or West Johnston-Hoggard. Remember, four No. 1 seeds went down in the first round this year.

THE BAD: Could be as many as four intraconference first-round games, or as few as two. Travel doesn't appear to be minimized very much, but I haven't done the math yet.

2012 Softball, formatted with 64-team pod system

(Note: Southern Alamance and Southeast Guilford are more east than Scotland and Richmond County)

Mideast	East
1. Holly Springs (1-seeds)	1. Wake Forest-Rolesville (1-seeds)
2. Pembroke Swett	2. Garner
3. Hope Mills South View	3. Wilmington Laney
4. Southeast Guilford	4. West Johnston (2-seeds)
5. Person	5. Wilmington Ashley
6. Fayetteville Jack Britt (2-seeds)	6. Leesville Road
7. Apex	7. Middle Creek (3-seeds)
8. Southern Alamance	8. Fayetteville Cape Fear
9. Riverside	9. Millbrook
10. East Chapel Hill (3-seeds)	10. Clayton
11. Southern Pines Pinecrest	11. Greenville Rose
12. Fuquay-Varina (4-seeds)	12. Knightdale (4-seeds)
13. Fayetteville Pine Forest	13. New Hanover
14. Northern Durham	14. Wakefield
15. Lee County (5-seeds)	15. Heritage (5-seeds)
16. Green Hope (wild-cards)	16. East Wake

Under this alignment, you would probably expect 1-Holly Springs to host 6-Jack Britt the Mideast and whoever emerged from the 2-Garner/7-Middle Creek/3-Laney side of the bracket would play Wilmington Ashley for the East.

Considering how Britt and Holly Springs are playing right now for the regional crown, it would be one of those teams advancing to the state title game, not the trio of eastern squads.

THE GOOD: Good teams in good conferences reap rewards, even if they're not a conference champ. Fuquay-Varina and Apex would have winnable first- and second- round games. Also, this has just one intraconference first-round game (Green Hope at Holly Springs).

THE BAD: Wow, FIVE 1-seeds in the Mideast plus Jack Britt! This is the only one of the three spring sports brackets that looks more lopsided in one half's talent than in the slotted system, and maybe that's because softball is one a few sports where the Cap-8 and Raleigh schools don't add as much firepower to the East pod.

Read more here: http://blogs.newsobserver.com/swakesports/if-soccer-volleyball-had-used-new-pod-system#storylink=cpy

Coaches, players like new NCHSAA softball playoff format

jmikeblake — Fri, 25 May 2012 01:17:46 -0400

Holly Springs has a chance to wrap up its second straight 4A East softball title today, but be careful about using the word "repeat." Very little will be replicated from last year's experience at this stage.

In previous seasons, the NCHSAA softball championships were decided by the state's semifinalists meeting in Raleigh for a double-elimination tournament. This year, it moved to the same format that baseball has been using for years -- a best-of-three series for the East and West titles, then a best-of-three series for the championship the following weekend.

The change will solve some of the parking problems that Walnut Creek Softball Complex had to deal with in the past few years that come with inviting 16 teams -- some who travel quite well -- all at once. But it'll also take away one of the more awkward occurences at any NCHSAA event -- when a team would win the East or West title, only to immediately resume play that same day against another team.

So when Holly Springs won the 4A East last year against Clayton, the Golden Hawks didn't have much time to enjoy the program's first such title. Holly Springs played the 4A West champ Alexander Central that same day, lost, then returned to Walnut Creek again the next day to face 4A West runner-up North Davidson.

"It was so unfair from last year. You played for the Eastern championship and then five minutes later you're playing a team from the west," said Holly Springs coach Jill Munchick, a fan of the new format.

Winning a 4A East regional is "a big deal, but it doesn't seem like a big deal because there's not enough time to celebrate," she added. "It just kind of downplayed it because there was no time to enjoy it."

Fatigue was another concern coaches have had in years past, particularly when the first weekend in June has coincided with 90-degree temperatures.

A double-elimination format meant that a team could play as many as five games in three days. It can feel more than that if a game goes into extra innings. And most teams have just one pitcher. Holly Springs pitcher Erica Nunn knows what it's like -- she pitched all seven innings against Clayton in last year's 4A East final only to return after a short break and pitch all nine against Alexander Central.

"Pitching over two games last year was not that fun," Nunn said.

While fewer teams are advancing to Walnut Creek, Munchick is one of many coaches who think the pros outweigh that singular con.

"This is fair. It's fair to play this way, and it should've been done a long time ago," she said.

Prep Softball: North Johnston to face Wilson Beddingfield in regional championship series

dclaybest — Fri, 25 May 2012 01:06:16 -0400

Wilson Beddingfield and North Johnston will play the ultimate rubber match this weekend. The two nearby schools will meet in the NCHSAA 2A prep softball eastern regional championship series, beginning Friday night in Wilson.

Beddingfield (24-3), which beat Swansboro 1-0 on Thursday night to advance to the best-of-three championship series, is the only team to beat North Johnston (26-1) this season.

Game 1 has a 7 p.m. start in Wilson on Friday, while North Johnston will host Game 2 and a potential Game 3 on Saturday. Saturday's game is set for noon with the third game following about 2:30 p.m.

Admission to each game of the series, as set by the N.C. High School Athletic Association, is $7. Admission would be charged for Game 3 as well if it is necessary on Saturday.

Schedule(s) announced for 2A eastern regional softball championship series

dclaybest — Thu, 24 May 2012 11:33:09 -0400

Wilson Beddingfield and Swansboro are still trying to get their fourth round NCHSAA 2A prep softball playoff game in. The winner advances to meet North Johnston in the eastern regional championship series this weekend.

North (26-1) has the home field advantage but, because of the issues two straight days of rain have caused in the other game and travel concerns for Swansboro, North will host Games 2 and 3 of the series on Saturday.

Here's the plan for both scenarios.

If Swansboro wins Thursday night and advances

Friday, May 25: Game 1 at Swansboro, 7 pm

Saturday, May 26: Game 2 at North Johnston, 2 pm

Saturday, May 26: Game 3 if necessary, at North Johnston, 4:30 pm

OR if Beddingfield wins Thursday night and advances

Friday, May 25: Game 1 at Beddingfield, 7 pm

Saturday, May 26: Game 2 at North Johnston, noon

Saturday, May 26: Game 3 if necessary, at North Johnston, 2:30 pm

On Saturday at North, there will be separate admission charges for each game. If a third game is needed, all fans will have to leave the park and pay to enter for the third game again.

Former Clayton coach Glenn Nixon dies

timstevens — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:25:18 -0400

Former Clayon football coach Glenn Nixon said he didn't remember his teams ever losing a game.

That, he said, was the key to keeping your sanity and coaching high school football for more than 25 years.

"We won them all," he said. "Or at least we won all the ones worth remembering."

Nixon, 80, died Tuesday morning after battling brain cancer.

Nixon came from New York to play football at N.C. State and never left. He built a football program at Clayton that centered around the community. Clayton already had embraced football -- the school's principal let the students out to pick cotton to earn money for uniforms -- but Nixon made the high school games even more special.

He was succeeded by Gary Fowler as head coach and the two men have been the school's only head coaches in more than 50 years.

Nixon had the ability to be competitive without being mean-spirited. He was witty, funny and disarming. His friends teasingly called him, "The Legend."

"But you know, he really was," said former student manager, player and assistant coach Andy Pleasants. "He was a legend."

One night after his punter faked a kick and was tackled far short of a first down, Nixon explained, "That's the great thing about coaching 16 and 17 year olds. Nobody knows what they are going to do. Not even the coach."

Another night, the Comets played in a driving rainstorm at Apex. Nixon said the last time he had played in weather that bad he'd been wearing a leather helmet. That may have been true.

After he retired from coaching, Nixon became a painter. I wondered why he'd want to paint houses and garages. "Portraits," he said. "I paint portraits."

He painted well enough to have his works displayed at the Clayton Center.

His painting portraits wasn't a surprise. He was always a people person.

Video of Gibbons' last-second shot hitting crossbar in boys lacrosse title game

jmikeblake — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:16:20 -0400

As you read in Nate Taylor's story from Friday night, Cardinal Gibbons was inches away from sending the boys lacrosse championship game into overtime against Lake Norman.

But instead, the final shot of the game hit the crossbar as time expired and Gibbons lost by one. Below is the video of that moment, as posted on YouTube by username GibbonsLacrosse. It starts with a draw with 15 seconds left - right after Gibbons had just scored to cut the deficit to one.

It's worth watching. Well, maybe not if you're a Gibbons fan.

And if you are a Gibbons fan, I posted a different video below that one of pretty sweet highlight from this year - a one-handed goal by Danny Dorsett - that was also under the GibbonsLacrosse YouTube account and deserves to be linked somewhere as well.

N.C. Coaches Association East-West All-Star boys basketball

timstevens — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:25:30 -0400

Rosters for this summer's N.C. Coaches Association East-West All-Star boys basketball game in Greensboro.

2012 NCCA East-West All-Star Men’s Basketball Teams

East
Alex Bradley           Pine Forest
Elon Edwards            Greenville Rose
Terrill Hilliard           Rocky Mount
Denzel Ingram           Chapel Hill
DeAndre’ Mason       West Bladen
Josh Mellette           Southern Lee
Shi’Chee Moore       Millbrook
Dominique Reed       Garner
Aaron Tate           West Craven
Tyler Thayer           Hoggard

Head Coach: Mike Rotolo Southern Vance
Asst. Coach: Dwight Taylor Hunt

West
Justin Cousin           Graham
Tracy Gathings, Jr.       B.L. Smith
Nathan Jones           Davie County
Shawn Lester           Mooresville
Rob Noyes           Freedom
Diondre Pratt           Anson
Zeb Richardson       Ashe County
KeShun Sherrill       West Rowan
Joshua Smith           Olympic
Shivaughn Wiggins       North Mecklenburg

Head Coach: Brad LeVine East Rutherford
Asst. Coach: Mike Gurley West Rowan

Kanaby: Title IX has helped high school athletics

timstevens — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:31:35 -0400

Robert F. Kanaby, the former executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations, was in the area this week for the Durham Sports Club's annual award presentations.

Kanaby is retired and living in Hilton Head, S.C., now. He still speaks nationally on the merits of high school athletics, including the impact of Title IX.

"High school athletics have been a national leader in providing opportunities for girls," Kanaby said. "If there has been any success story in athletics in recent years, it has been the expansion of athletic opporttunities."

In 1971, there were 294,015 girls and 3.6 million boys involved in high school athletics in the United States. Title IX, which said opportunities and funding could not be denied by sex, was passed in 1972.

By the end of the decade there were 1.8 million girls involved in high school athletics and the number has grown to 3,173,549 million girls.

The N.C. High School Athletic Association did not have any state championships for girls before 1969 and offered two state championships for girls -- golf and tennis -- by 1970.

The NCHSAA added basketball, track and swimming in 1972, softball in 1975 and volleyball in 1976. The NCHSAA now has 12 championships for boys and 11 for girls.

"Title IX has had no greater success than at the high school level," Kanaby said. "This legislation was about fairness. It is one of the best things to have happened to athletics at any level."

NCHSAA and NCISAA playoffs (May 17)

timstevens — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:12:19 -0400

NCHSAA
Baseball
Third round
4A East
Richmond at New Bern; Wilmington Ashley at Scotland; Fuquay-Varina at Middle Creek; Apex at Millbrook
3A East
Pikeville Aycock at Currituck; Wilson Hunt at West Brunswick; Southern Lee at Northeast Guilford; Eastern Alamance at Cardinal Gibbons
2A East
Pittsboro Northwood at Graham; South Granville/ First Flight winner at Providence Grove; North Brunswick at North Pitt; Whiteville vs. Fairmont/ Farmville winner
1A East
Voyager Academy at Gates; Martin Riverside at Perquimans; Southwest Onslow at Dixon; Midway/ South Robeson winner vs. North Duplin

Girls lacrosse
Championship
Green Hope (20-0) vs. Charlotte Catholic (20-1), Saturday, WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, 11 a.m.

Boys lacrosse
Cardinal Gibbons (20-0) vs. Lake Norman (22-0), Friday, WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, 7:30 p.m.

Girls soccer
Quarterfinals
4A East
Southern Pines Pinecrest at Wilmington Hoggard; Green Hope at Leesville Road (Fri, 6 p.m.)
3A East
Jacksonville White Oak at Jacksonville; Cardinal Gibbons at Chapel Hill (Fri., 6 p.m.)
2A East
First Flight at Carrboro; Whiteville at Swansboro
1A East
Raleigh Charter vs. Southwest Onslow/ Dixon winner; Jefferson at Lake Norman Charter

Softball
Third round
4A East
Fayetteville Britt at Garner (Fri.); Wilmington Ashley vs. West Johnston; Apex vs. Middle Creek; Holly Springs vs. Fuquay-Varina
3A East
Pikeville Aycock vs. Winterville Conley/ Washington winner; Havelock vs. South Central Pitt; Eden Morehead vs. Southwest Randolph; Western Alamance vs. Western Harnett
2A East
Bertie/ Bunn winner vs. North Johnston; South Granville/ Elizabeth City Northeastern winner vs. Barlett Yancey; Hampstead Topsail vs. Wilson Beddingfield; South Columbus/ South Lenoir winner vs. Swansboro
1A East
Camden winner vs. Durham Science & Math; Southside / Martin Riverside vs. South Creek; Rosewood vs. Princeton/ Perquimans; Hobbton vs. East Columbus

Dual-team tennis
Saturday finals

at Burlington Tennis Cener
4-A: Wakefield vs. Winston-Salem Reynolds
3A: Cardinal Gibbons vs. Marvin Ridge
2A: Carrboro / Hampstead Topsail winner vs. Shelby
1A: Raleigh Charter / Durham Science & Math winner vs. Hendersonville /Kernersville McGuinness winner

NCISAA
Girls lacrosse
Charlotte Providence Day at Ravenscroft, Durham Academy at Charlotte Country Day
Boys lacrosse
Arden Christ School at Charlotte Latin; Ravenscroft at Charlotte Providence Day

Baseball
Thursday semifinals
3A at Charlotte Christian
Cary Academy vs. Charlotte Christian; High Point Wesleyan vs. High Point Christian/ Charlotte Providence Day winner
2A at Rocky Mount Academy
Caldwell Academy vs. Kinston Parrott/ First Assembly winner; Harrells Christian vs. Fayetteville Christian/ High Point Westchester winner
1A at Wilson Fleming Stadium
Faith Christian vs. Lawrence Academy; Wayne Country Day vs. Northeast Academy/ Wilson Greenfield winner

Softball
3A at Forsyth Country Day
High Point Christian vs. Southlake Christian/Charlotte Latin winner; Gaston Christian vs. Charlotte Christian; Hickory Grove vs. Charlotte Providence Day; Metrolina Christian vs. Calvary Baptist/Village Christian winner
2A at Northside Christian
Kinston Parrott vs. Harrells Christian; First Assembly vs. Northside Christian/ Fayetteville Christian winner
1A at Oakwood School
Hobgood Academy vs. Oakwood; Lawrence Academy vs. Statesville Christian/Cape Fear Christian

Soccer
3A at Durham Academy
Charlotte Latin vs. Charlotte Country Day; Charlotte Providence Day vs. Greensboro Day
2A at Greensboro Caldwell Academy
Caldwell Academy vs. Cary Christian; Cape Fear Academy vs. Davidson Day
1A at Rocky Mount Faith Christian
Statesville Christian vs. Burlington Christian; Community Christian vs. Wilson Greenfield

Tennis
3-A at High Point Wesleyan Christian
Charlotte Providence Day/ Cannon School winner vs. Cary Academy/ Arden Christ winner; Greensboro Day School vs. Covenant Day/ Charlotte Country Day winner

Read more here: http://blogs.newsobserver.com/prepsnow/home#storylink=cpy

Not time to abandon interscholastic sports

timstevens — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:54:47 -0400

One solution to conflicts between club athletic programs and interscholastic competition was suggested this week on the Sports Illustrated on-line site -- high schools should just quit fielding athletic teams.

The Reno (Nevada) Gazette-Journal originally published the comments of Len Stevens, a former college basketball coach and current executive director of the Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce. In the article, he suggested we should “kick it (high school sports) to the curb” and go the way of the European model focusing solely on club sports.

Bob Gardner, the executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations, responded in a national release, "As the head of an organization that provides leadership to 51 state high school associations, 19,000 high schools and more than 7.6 million student-athletes involved in high school sports, I am pleased to report that funeral arrangements have been cancelled."

The United States is the only country in the world that has high school athletics on a national level and the purpose is to develop good citizens for a democracy. The 1912 founding documents of the N.C. High School Athletic Association state the goal of the organization is teaching, not winning contests or developing athletes who are capable of competing in college.

More than 150 million people attended high school athletic contests 2009-2010 school year. Participation in high school sports is an all-time high, Interscholastic athletics can be a binding force in communities.

Employers want workers who can work alone or in a group, who can persevere, who can handle adversity and success, who are dedicated and have loyalty, who have integrity and who can abide by rules and regulations. Those are the things high school sports are designed to teach.

High school athletics teach those things. Interscholastic athletics have an educational aspect that club sports do not. High school sports are an American treasure.

NCHSAA, NCISAA pairings (May 16)

timstevens — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:39:28 -0400

NCHSAA
Baseball
Third round
4A East
Richmond at New Bern; Wilmington Ashley at Scotland; WF-Rolesville/ Middle Creek winner vs. Holly Springs/ Fuquay-Varina winner; Apex at Millbrook
3A East
Pikeville Aycock at Currituck; Wilson Hunt/ South Central Pitt winner vs. West Brunswick; Southern Lee at Northeast Guilford; Eastern Alamance/ Orange winner at Cardinal Gibbons
2A East
Pittsboro Northwood at Graham; South Granville/ First Flight winner ay Providence Grove; North Brunswick at North Pitt; Whiteville vs. Fairmont/ Farmville winner
1A East
Voyager Academy/ KIPP Pride winner at Gates; Martin Riverside at Perquimans; Southwest Onslow at Dixon; Midway/ South Robeson winner vs. Red Springs/ North Duplin winner

Girls lacrosse
Championship
Green Hope (20-0) vs. Charlotte Catholic (20-1), Saturday, WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, 11 a.m.

Boys lacrosse
Cardinal Gibbons (20-0) vs. Lake Norman (22-0), Friday, WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, 7:30 p.m.

Girls soccer
Quarterfinals
4A East
Southern Pines Pinecrest at Wilmington Hoggard; Green Hope at East Chapel Hill/ Leesville Road winner
3A East
Washington/ Jacksonville winner vs. Jacksonville White Oak/Wilson Hunt winner; Burlington Williams/ Cardinal Gibbons winner vs. Northern Guilford/ Chapel Hill winner
2A East
First Flight/ Roanoke Rapids winner vs. Carrboro/ Reidsville winner; Swansboro/ Croatan winner vs. Whiteville/ Richlands winner
1A East
Raleigh Charter/ Manteo winner vs. Southwest Onslow/ Dixon winner; Jefferson/ Kernersville McGuinness winner vs. Central Academy/ Lake Norman Charter winner

Softball
Third round
4A East
Fayetteville Britt winner at Garner; Wilmington Ashley vs. Pembroke Swett/ West Johnston winner; Apex vs. WF-Rolesville / Middle Creek winner; Holly Springs/ Scotland winner vs. Fuquay-Varina vs. Leesville Road winner
3A East
Pikeville Aycock vs. Winterville Conley/ Washington winner; Havelock vs. South Central Pitt/ South Johnston winner; Eden Morehead/ South Brunswick winner vs. Southwest Randolph; Western Alamance vs. Western Harnett
2A East
Bertie/ Bunn winner vs. North Johnston; South Granville/ Elizabeth City Northeastern winner vs. Barlett Yancey/ Siler City Jordan-Matthews winner; Hampstead Topsail vs. Wilson Beddingfield; South Columbus/ South Lenoir winner vs. Swansboro
1A East
River Mill/ Camden winner vs. Durham Science & Math; Southside / Martin Riverside vs. South Creek; Rosewood vs. Princeton/ Perquimans; Hobbton/ Midway vs. East Columbus

Dual-team tennis
Semifinals
4-A: Broughton vs. Wakefield at Millbrook High; Winston-Salem Reynolds vs. Charlotte Kell
3A: Northern Nash at Cardinal Gibbons; Asheville at Marvin Ridge
2A: Carrboro at Hampstead Topsail; Shelby at Black Mountain Owen
1A: Raleigh Charter vs. Ayden-Grifton/ Durham Science & Math winner; Hendersonville vs. Kernersville McGuinness

NCISAA
Girls lacrosse
Charlotte Providence Day at Ravenscroft, Durham Academy at Charlotte Country Day
Boys lacrosse
Arden Christ School at Charlotte Latin; Ravenscroft at Charlotte Providence Day

Class of 2012 Triangle college commits

jmikeblake — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:12:58 -0400

Below is a list of area athletes who have committed to play a sport in college. Some of these athletes signed their national letter-of-intent in the fall. Certain sports, like football and boys soccer, prohibit the athlete from signing a letter-of-intent until the first Wednesday in February.

We will update this blog with more names as they are reported. Click on the "recruiting" tag above to see more N&O blogs on recruiting.

Last update: April 13

Apex
Katie Burnet, girls lacrosse, Longwood
Mitch DeForest, boys swimming, UNC-Chapel Hill
Jake Fegely, boys lacrosse, Wingate
Megan Gravley, volleyball, Elon
Alex Herbst, boys soccer, Appalachian State
Harrison Hodge, boys soccer, Greensboro College
Kyle May, baseball, Louisburg Junior College
Lizzie Margagliotti, softball, Morehead State
Alexis Murphy, girls track & field, South Carolina
Tyler Rogers, boys lacrosse, Queens University of Charlotte
Logan Rohde, boys soccer, Greensboro College
Meghan Poirier, girls soccer, James Madison
Markey Studnicky, girls soccer, Western Carolina
Hannah Snyder, girls swimming, Towson
Matt Tenuta, baseball, N.C. State
Katie Thomas, girls soccer, UNC-Charlotte
Hayley Tomlinson, girls swimming, N.C. State
Ali White, volleyball, Utah Valley

Athens Drive
Tyler Agiovlassitis, boys soccer, Limestone (SC)
Jason Curfman, boys soccer, Greensboro College
Mike Estes, football, Gardner-Webb
Daniel Hughey, boys lacrosse, Guilford College
Brandon Lohmiller, boys lacrosse, Limestone (SC)
Kevin Vincent, boys track & field, N.C. Central

Broughton
Elizabeth Bialkowski, volleyball, Queens University of Charlotte
Jabari Crenshaw, football, Wingate
Drew Davis, football, N.C. State
Austen Johnson, boys lacrosse, Bridgewater (VA)
Sarah King, girls tennis, Appalachian State
Chris Mangus, football, Virginia Tech
Everett McCord, boys soccer, Lehigh
Justin Moore, boys lacrosse, Emmanuel (MA)
C.J. Tikvart, boys soccer, Davidson
Clay Weaver, girls soccer, Richmond
Eric West, boys soccer, Lafayette

Bunn
Marisa Bellamy, girls track & field, South Carolina

Cardinal Gibbons
Carolyn Albright, volleyball, William & Mary
Lauren Brooker, girls tennis, Virginia Wesleyan
Maddi Bugg, volleyball, Stanford
Matt Daly, boys tennis, College of Charleston
Eleanor Derouin, volleyball, Navy
Caitlyn Donovan, girls soccer, UNC-Charlotte
Kevin Dougherty, boys soccer, Belmont-Abbey
Luke Enzweiler, boys lacrosse, Rutgers
Ben Huger, boys lacrosse, VMI
C.J. Miller, boys soccer, Winthrop
Tim Nalesnik, football, Wingate
Victoria Phillips, volleyball, UNC-Wilmington
Connor Prevost, boys lacrosse, Navy
Chris Shannon, boys soccer, Elon
Max Shrock, baseball, South Carolina
Matthew Skowron, football, Princeton
Alex Taylor, volleyball, N.C. State
Monica Trickett, girls soccer, UNC-Charlotte
Hunter Tyson, girls lacrosse, Lynchburg (VA)
Satchel Wiltshire, boys soccer, USC-Upstate
Tyler Zimmerman, boys soccer, Catholic University (D.C.)

Carolina Friends
Zoe Vernon, girls basketball, Winthrop

Carrboro
Samantha Burch, girls soccer, Elon
Neela Mahanty, field hockey, Penn
Francesca Perone, girls track & field, MIT
Jack Snyder, boys lacrosse, Kenyon (OH)
Kylie Tawney, girls soccer, Clemson

Cary
Joel Ahearne-Ray, boys soccer, Rensselaer (NY) Polytechnic Institute
John Allen, boys lacrosse, Limestone (SC) College
Ryan Beeler, football, Campbell
Patrick Ebbs, boys soccer, Concord (WV)
Sarah Henry, equestrian, South Carolina
Erin Harwood, volleyball, Fairmont State (WV)
Nikki Hoff, girls soccer, Queens College of Charlotte
Sarah Jabusch, girls swimming, Campbell
Tony Sanchez, baseball, Brunswick CC
Zack Sowers, boys swimming, UNC-Wilmington

Cary Academy
Sydney Branson, girls soccer, Clemson
Thomas Graham, cross country, Stanford
Haleigh Morgus, girls tennis, Loyola Maryland
Andrew Park, boys soccer, Johns Hopkins
Tyler Powell, field hockey, UNC-Chapel Hill

Cary Christian
Dakota Dukes, girls basketball, Davidson
Mary-Katelyn Holonek, girls golf, Campbell
Chris Thomas, boys basketball, Francis Marion (SC)

Cedar Ridge
Fred Blanks, football, Campbell
Casey Ward, girls golf, High Point

Chapel Hill
Jessica Barfield, field hockey, Dartmouth
Roscoe Burnette, football, NC Wesleyan
Montrell Carty, football, NC Central
Joey Duronio, boys swimming, Kenyon College (OH)
Denzel Ingram, boys basketball, Charlotte
Allie Krasnov, girls swimming, Loyola (MD)
Katelyn Layden, volleyball, Campbell
Mitch McLeod, cross country, Appalachian State
Alexa Mendes, girls swimming, Duke
Mark Morton, boys lacrosse, Berry College (GA)
R.J. Quick, football, Winston-Salem State
Lydia Renn, girls swimming, College of Charleston
Liza Schimmelfing, volleyball, Queens College of Charlotte
Lila Scott, girls basketball, Guilford College
Amoris Thompson, football, NC Wesleyan
Hunter Tyson, girls lacrosse, Queens College of Charlotte
Aaron Weber, boys tennis, Elon
Katy Weinberg, equestrian, Davidson
Paul Whitford, boys lacrosse, Queens College of Charlotte
Haley Wilson, girls lacrosse, Queens College of Charlotte
Stephen Winsor, boys lacrosse, UMBC

Clayton
Evan Phillips, baseball, UNC-Wilmington
Daiquan Thomasson, football, Navy

Durham Academy
Shannon Cleaver, girls soccer, N.C. State
Lauren Rogers, field hockey, Wake Forest
AnneMarie Thomas, volleyball, Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ)

East Chapel Hill
Hanna Gardner, girls soccer, UNC-Chapel Hill
Bill Heine, football, Georgetown
Charles Retter, diving, N.C. State

East Wake
Jonathan Aparicio, baseball, East Carolina
Macon Crowder, boys swimming, East Carolina
Azzam Dhamra, boys soccer, Mount Olive
Griffin Heffner, boys soccer, Penn
Jonathan Waszak, baseball, Western Carolina
Macon Watkins, boys soccer, Mount Olive

Enloe
Jonathan Addison, boys track & field, N.C. State
Dana Brown, girls basketball, UNC-Wilmington
Taylor Brown, girls soccer, Meredith
Joe Brunk, boys swimming, Denison (OH)
Faison Mann, boys soccer, West Alabama
Mike Paye, boys soccer, Creighton
Julie Woody, girls swimming, Savannah College of Art and Design

Franklinton
Nichole Poppe, girls soccer, Gardner-Webb

Fuquay-Varina
Elaine Barnes, girls soccer, Mount Olive College
Kyle Boraski, baseball, Winston-Salem State
Addison Braswell, baseball, N.C. State
Brian Davis, boys track & field, N.C. State
James Daughtery, boys lacrosse, Bridgewater (VA)
Tyson Fernandez, football, Appalachian State
Adrian Gonzales, boys soccer, Louisburg JC
Jessi Johnson, volleyball, Meredith
Cameron Mulvey, boys soccer, Campbell
Danielle Plante, volleyball, Mount Olive
Hannah Rembach, girls soccer, Urbana University (OH)
Cole Schwietering, boys soccer, UNC-Asheville
Andrew Sotak, boys soccer, UNC-Asheville
Andrew Starnes, boys soccer, VMI
Chris Williams, baseball, Louisburg Junior College

Garner
Demetrius Fairley, football, Gardner-Webb
Maylon Rowland, football, St. Augustine's
Greg Milhouse, football, Appalachian State
Trey Thompson, baseball, East Carolina

Granville Central
Martin Alston, boys basketball, William Peace University
Briana Haith, girls track & field, South Carolina
Tevin Hester, boys track & field, Clemson
Jaimie Jordan, softball, North Carolina A&T
Keyante Lindsey, boys basketball, Averett University (VA)

Green Hope
Sarah Alexander, girls cross country, UNC-Wilmington
Erica Amatori, girls cross country, William & Mary
Alec Baulch, boys soccer, Methodist College
Miles Brown, boys track & field, UNC-Asheville
Alex Conwell, boys basketball, Randolph College (VA)
Indi Cowie, girls soccer, UNC-Chapel Hill
Kristen Gaffney, girls basketball, Vanderbilt
Will Gilbert, baseball, N.C. State
Daniel Glover, boys cross country, UNC-Pembroke
John Hardin, boys basketball, William Peace University
Claire Nobles, girls swimming, Dusquense
Kaitlin Quinn, volleyball, Campbell
Haley Patsey, girls soccer, East Carolina
Jessi Rossabi, girls cross country, East Carolina
Cyndey Smith, girls soccer, Campbell
Morgan Stevenson, boys soccer, Greensboro College
Will Thomas, boys golf, UNC-Greensboro
*Ryan Thompson, boys soccer, Duke
Christina Vucich, volleyball, Duke
Shewit Wendelese, girls cross country, East Carolina

Harnett Central
Nathan Laing, football, Georgia Southern

Hillside
Collyn Anderson, football, Gardner-Webb
Kevin Cousins, football, North Carolina A&T
Dylan Davis, football, West Virginia Wesleyan
Daniel Jordan, football, UNC-Charlotte
Aaron Krah, football, Appalachian State
Anthony Mangum, football, North Carolina A&T
Jamal Marcus, football, Ohio State
Lamonte Melvin, football, Fayetteville State
Casey Perry, football, UNC-Charlotte
Lee Williams, football, Fayetteville State
Ronald Witherspoon, football, N.C. Wesleyan
Kelvin Wright, football, Hampton

Holly Springs
Markez Davis, football, Air Force
Bobby Gazak, football, Campbell
Jenna Firestein, softball, NW Florida Junior College
Brandon Jones, football, Campbell
Cameron Martin, girls swimming, James Madison
Erica Nunn, softball, South Florida
Jake Stone, boys golf, King College (TN)
Von Williams, football, Campbell

Jordan
Amir Abdullah, boys lacrosse, Ohio Valley
Jeff Clark, football, UNC-Pembroke
Joaquin Del Rosario, boys soccer, N.C. State
Nick Drew, football, Campbell
Sam Lindsey, boys lacrosse, Marquette
Rachel McGirt, girls basketball, UNC-Asheville
Alexis Perry, girls track & field, N.C. State
Alex Raburn, baseball, UNC-Chapel Hill
Greyson Ray, girls soccer, UNC-Wilmington
Sydney Sawaya, girls soccer, N.C. State
Phillip Williamson, football, UNC-Chapel Hill

Knightdale
Dane Famiglietta, boys soccer, Greensboro College
Craig Gage, boys soccer, Greensboro College
C.J. Moose, softball, UNC-Wilmington

Lee County
Nick Durazo, baseball, East Carolina
Brady Heath, boys soccer, Methodist College

Leesville Road
Sarah Floyd, girls soccer, Appalachian State
Krystal Garbarino, girls swimming, Denison (OH)
Caroline Gentry, girls soccer, N.C. State
Courtney Johnson, girls soccer, Army
Hannah Lincoln, girls swimming, UNC-Chapel Hill
Grayson Murray, boys golf, Wake Forest

Millbrook
Elizabeth Bialkowski, volleyball, Millbrook
Matt DeGraffinreed, football, Western Carolina
Eli Dodgson, boys lacrosse, Mount Olive
Samantha George, cross country, N.C. State
Taylor Houston, girls basketball, Bethune-Cookman
Kyle Margosian, boys lacrosse, Messiah College (PA)
Keith Marshall, football, Georgia
Awele Nweze, volleyball, Duke
Alex Olofson, boys soccer, UNC-Chapel Hill
Landon Pope, boys lacrosse, Guilford College
Brett Villena, boys lacrosse, Randolph College (VA)

Middle Creek
Josh Banks, football, Wake Forest
Jimmy Boyd, baseball, Brunswick CC
Allison Geiner, softball, UNC-Greensboro
Nicole Giamber, girls swimming, N.C. State
Mary Johnston, girls basketball, Oglethorpe University (GA)
Kevin Jones, football, Georgia Military College
DaJon Montague, football, St. Augustine’s
Jon Moore, football and boys basketball, Wingate
Jasmine Shaw, girls basketball, Wake Tech CC
Ty Unger, boys soccer, Valparaiso
Darius Wilkins, football, Old Dominion
Marvin Wilson, boys basketball, Ferrum College (VA)

N.C. Science & Math
Richard Lu, boys track & field, MIT
Ada Taylor, volleyball, MIT

Neuse Baptist
Terry Henderson Jr., boys basketball, West Virginia

Northern Durham
Caleb Hawkins, football, Western Carolina
Sam Murray, boys basketball, William Peace University

Northwood
Blake Svendson, boys soccer, Gardner-Webb
John Wieland, boys basketball, Mount Olive
Shelby Wolfe, girls basketball, Brevard

Panther Creek
Jasmine Aguinaldo, volleyball, Meredith
Dan Beilinson, football, Duke
Maddie Bisantz, girls soccer, Radford
Kristin Connors, girls swimming, N.C. State
Dana Cox, cross country, Appalachian State
Kennedy Garrett, girls soccer, UNC-Asheville
Emily Hendricks, volleyball, Meredith
Joshua Hong, boys soccer, Johns Hopkins
Asyia Mitchell, girls soccer, Radford
Noah Parson, boys lacrosse, Vassar College (NY)
Jamel Ross, football, UNC-Charlotte
Jacob Sears, boys cross country, William & Mary
Kayla Seymour, girls basketball, UM-Baltimore County
Henriette Stenkvist, girls swimming, Southern Cal
Claire Wach, girls lacrosse, Lenior-Rhyne
Matt Williams, football, Davidson
Jake Wimberly, boys soccer, Lees-McRae College
Thomas Young, baseball, Western Carolina

Raleigh Charter
Joe Bonk, boys swimming, Virginia Tech

Ravenscroft
Melissa Funsten, field hockey, Davidson
Scott Goldcott, boys lacrosse, Mars Hill
Madison Jones, boys basketball, Wake Forest
Caroline Lindquist, girls soccer, UNC-Chapel Hill
Caroline Margolis, girls lacrosse, Boston College
Taylor Newcomb, girls soccer, UNC-Greensboro

Riverside
Nicole Anderson, girls soccer, UNC-Charlotte
Maddie McCallie, girls basketball, Miami of Ohio
Kelsey Rothwell, girls soccer, Barton College
Kira Speer, volleyball, South Carolina

Saint Mary's
Sarah Scott, field hockey, Miami of Ohio

Sanderson
Dylan Ejlali, boys soccer, N.C. State
Desmond Owino, football, N.C. State
Nicholas Williams, boys soccer, UNC-Chapel Hill

Smithfield-Selma
Tyler Casselbury, baseball, Danville Area CC

South Granville
Matt Fuhr, baseball, William & Mary

South Johnston
Alex Barbour, football, Averett University (VA)
Brandon Beasley, football, Tusculum College (TN)
Chris Crumity, football, Fayetteville State
Joel Watson, football, North Carolina A&T

Southeast Raleigh
Quentin Atkinson, football, Georgia Military
Dolphus Pearson, football, Morgan State
Sumner Tate, football, Louisburg College
David Washington, football, Old Dominion

Southern Durham
Dorian Belcher, football, North Carolina A&T
Lian Fleming, football, Ferrum College
Lee Harley, football, Georgia Military
Jemiah Johnson, football, St. Augustine’s
Micah Martin, football, N.C. Central
Reggie Prince, football, North Carolina A&T
Jeremy Thompson, football, N.C. Central

Upper Room Academy
Rodney Purvis, boys basketball, N.C. State

Wake Christian
Tyler Renfroe, football, Campbell

Wake Forest-Rolesville
Corey Brookins, baseball, UNC-Pembroke
Sam Culbertson, girls soccer, Cape Fear CC
Katie Davis, girls basketball, Anderson (SC)
Xavier Gill, football, Lenoir-Rhyne
Will Perry, boys basketball, Lenoir-Rhyne
Seth Poole, boys soccer, N.C. State
Phil Seamster, boys soccer, Mount Olive

Wakefield
Matt Anderson, football, Layfayette
Alex Eiden, boys swimming, South Carolina
Ariah Graham, girls track & field, N.C. State
Christopher Hawley, boys lacrosse, Lynchburg College (VA)
Lauren Hudson, girls basketball, Elon
Kiera Molloy, girls swimming, Duke
Michelle Oestreich, girls soccer, N.C. State
Alex Puszcynksi, girls soccer, Old Dominion
Madison Shaw, girls soccer, N.C. State
Vance Vizcaino, baseball, Tennessee

West Johnston
Scarlett Beamon, girls track & field, UNC-Asheville
Dakota Foskey, girls track & field, UNC-Wilmington
Marquel Gathers, football, Fayetteville State
Jeremy Gower, cross country, UNC-Asheville
Andrew Henry, boys swimming, Eastern Michigan
Lauren Pollard, girls track & field, UNC-Charlotte

*a junior who will complete coursework to graduate one year early

NCHSAA playoffs

timstevens — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:45:03 -0400

HIGH SCHOOLS
NCHSAA playoffs
Girls lacrosse
Green Hope at East Chapel Hill (Tues., 7 p.m.); Marvin Ridge at Charlotte Catholic
Boys lacrosse
Athens Drive at Cardinal Gibbons (Tues., 7 p.m.); Charlotte Myers Park at Lake Norman
Dual-team tennis
4A
Broughton at Wilmington Laney; Green Hope at Wakefield ; Greensboro Page /High Point Central winner vs. Winston-Salem Reynolds; Charlotte Kell at Greensboro Grimsley
3A
Wilson Fike at Northern Nash; Chapel Hill at Cardinal Gibbons; Charlotte Catholic at Marvin Ridge; Asheville at Hickory
2A
Carrboro at Roanoke Rapids; Reidsville at Hampstead Topsail; Salisbury at Black Mountain Owens; Polk Central at Shelby
1A
Raleigh Charter at Riverside (Martin); Durham Science & Math at Ayden-Grifton; Mount Airy at Hendersvonille; Central Academy/Highland Tech winner vs. Winston-Salem McGuinness
Girls soccer
4A East
New Bern at Wilmington Hoggard; New Hanover at Southern Pines Pinecrest; Leesville Road at East Chapel Hill (Wed., 6:30 p.m.); Millbrook at Green Hope (Tues., 6 p.m.)
3A East
Washington at Jacksonville; Wilson Hunt at Jacksonville White Oak; Cardinal Gibbons at Burlington Williams (Wed., 7 p.m.); Northern Guilford at Chapel Hill (Wed., 7 p.m.)
2A East
Roanoke Rapids at First Flight; Carrboro vs. Reidsville/ Corinth Holders winner; Croatan at Swansboro; Richlands at Whiteville
1A
Raleigh Charter at Manteo (Wed., 6 p.m.); Dixon at Southwest Onslow; Jefferson at Winston-Salem McGuinnes; Lake Norman Charter at Central Academy
Baseball
4A East
Fayetteville Cape Fear at New Bern; Wilmington Hoggard at Richmond County; Wilmington Laney at Wilmington Ashley; Greenville Rose at Scotland; Wake Forest-Rolesville at Middle Creek; Wakefield/Holly Springs vs. Fuquay-Varina; Millbrook at Green Hope (Tues., 7 p.m.); Apex at Leesville Road (Tues., 7:15 p.m.)
3A East
Currituck at Eastern Wayne; Pikeville Aycock at Jacksonville; South Central Pitt at Wilson Hunt; Southern Wayne at West Brunswick; Southern Lee at Burlington Williams; Northeast Guilford at Gray’s Creek; Eastern Alamance at Orange (Tues., 7 p.m.); Mayodan McMichael at Cardinal Gibbons (Tues., 5 p.m.)
2A East
Pittsboro Northwood at Edenton Holmes; Graham at Bunn; First Fligth at South Granville; Bartlett Yancey at Providence Grove; North Brunswick at Hampstead Topsail; West Bladen at North Pitt; South Lenoir at Whiteville; Farmville Central at Fairmont
1A East
KIPP Pride at Voyager Acdemy; Roxboro Community at Gates; Manteo at Perquimans; Northside at Riverside (Martin); Spring Creek at Dixon; Pamlico at Southwest Onslow; South Robeson at Midway; North Duplin at Red Springs
SOFTBALL
4A East
Fayetteville Britt at Wilmington Laney; Richmond County at Garner (Tues., 6 p.m.); Wilmington Ashley at Hope Mills South View; West Johnston at Pembroke Swett; Apex at Person (Tues., 6 p.m.); Middle Creek at Wake Forest-Rolesville; Scotland at Holly Springs; Fuquay-Varina at Leesville Road (Tues., 5 p.m.)
3A East
Wilson Fike at Pikeville Aycock; Washington at Winterville Conley; Havelock at Nash Central; South Central Pitt at South Johnston (Tues.); South Brunswick at Eden Morehead; Southern Vance at Southwest Randolph; Western Alamance at Ledford; Western Harnett at Oxford Webb
2A East
Bunn at Bertie; Eastern Randolph at North Johnston; Elizabeth City Northeastern at South Granville; Siler City Jordan-Matthews at Bartlett Yancey; Whiteville at Hampstead Topsail; North Brunswick at Wilson Beddingfield; Swansboro at West Bladen; South Columbus at South Lenoir
1A East
Camden at River Mill; Roxboro Community at Durham Science & Math; Riverside (Martin) at Southside; South Creek at Creswell; Rosewood at Pamlico; Perquimans at Princeton; Midway at Hobbton; Rocky Point Trask at East Columbus

NCISAA spring sports playoff schedule

jmikeblake — Sun, 13 May 2012 22:49:53 -0400

NCISAA TRACK

Finals on Saturday, May 19, 2012

1A/2A at High Point University

3A at Charlotte Country Day School

NCISAA BASEBALL

1A (semifinals and finals at Fleming Stadium in Wilson)

#1 Lawrence Academy 23-8

#9 Grace Christian School (Sanford) 11-10

#5 Faith Christian School 14-9

#4 Trinity School of Durham 12-8

#3 Wayne Country Day School 13-8

#6 Epiphany School 12-5

#7 Northeast Academy 12-5

#2 Greenfield School 15-6

2A: (semifinals and finals at Rocky Mount Academy)

#1 Caldwell Academy 19-4

#8 Rocky Mount Academy 14-11

#5 Arendell Parrottt Academy 15-3

#4 First Assembly 12-7

#14 Salem Baptist School 6-11

#6 Harrells Christian Academy 9-11

#7 Fayetteville Christian School 12-5

#2 Westchester Country Day School 19-6-1

3A: (semifinals and finals at Charlotte Christian)

#1 Cary Academy 23-0

#8 Village Christian Academy 16-5

#5 Charlotte Country DaySchool 14-9

#4 Charlotte Christian School 27-6

#3 High Point Christian Academy 27-3

#6 Providence Day School 19-9

#10 Southlake Christian Academy 17 -16-1

#2 WesleyanChristian Academy 19-5

NCISAA softball

1A: (all remaining games in Nashville, N.C.)

#1 Hobgood Academy 19-3

#8 Pungo Christian Academy 5-10

#5 Ridgecroft School 7-9

#4 Oakwood School 12-7

#3 Lawrence Academy 13-11

#6 Burlington Christian Academy 8-7

#7 Statesville Christian School 7-8

#2 Cape Fear Christian Academy 16-2

2A: (all remaining games at Northside Christian Academy in Charlotte)

#1 Arendell Parrott Academy 22-1

#8 Kerr Vance Academy 4-9

#5 Harrells Christian Academy 9-6

#4 Halifax Academy 10-8

#3 First Assembly 5-10

#6 St. David's School 13-8

#7 Northside Christian Academy 4-13

#2 Fayetteville Christian School 8-7

3A (all remaining games at Forsyth Country Day School)

#1 High Point Christian Academy 24-3

#8 Southlake Christian Academy 10-12 vs #9 Charlotte Latin School 9-5

#5 Gaston Christian School 14-7 vs #12 North Raleigh Christian Academy 10-6

#4 Charlotte Christian School 14-4

#3 Hickory Grove 15-12

#6 Cannon School 7-10 vs #11Providence Day School 7-12

#7 Calvary Baptist 11-3 vs #10 Village Christian Academy 10-7

#2 Metrolina Christian Academy 20-1

NCISAA BOYS LACROSSE (all games at the higher seed)

#1 Charlotte Latin School 14-2

#8 Charlotte Country Day School 6-15

#5 Durham Academy 9-9

#4 Christ School 15-4

#3 Ravenscroft School 10-6

#6 Cannon School 6-10

#7 Cape Fear Academy 11-7

#2 Providence Day School 14-4

NCISAA GIRLS LACROSSE (all games at higher seed)

#1 Ravenscroft School 17-2

#8 Forsyth Country Day School 4-9

#5 Charlotte Latin School 5-12

#4 Providence Day School 8-6

#3 Durham Academy 10-4

#6 Cape Fear Academy 5-7-1

#7 Saint Mary's School 3-11

#2 Charlotte Country Day School 7-8

NCISAA BOYS 3A TEAM TENNIS (semifinals and finals at Wesleyan Christian Academy)

#1 Providence Day School 18-5

#9 Cannon School 10-8

#4 Cary Academy 12-5

#5 Christ School 11-0

#3 Durham Academy 15-4

#6 Greensboro Day School 15-3

#10 Covenant Day School 11-3

#2 Charlotte Country Day School 16-1

NCISAA GIRLS SOCCER

1A (semifinals and finals at Faith Christian)

#1 Statesville Christian School 14-4-1

#9 Wayne Country Day School 13-6

#5 Burlington Christian Academy 10-8-1

#4 Elon School 9-5-2

#3 Community Christian School 12-4

#6 Hickory Christian School 8-3-2

#7 Epiphany School 11-2

#2 Greenfield School 10-3-2

2A: (semifinals and finals at Caldwell Academy in Greensboro)

#1 Caldwell Academy 17-1-3

#8 Carolina Friends School 13-5-1

#5 St. David's School 12-6-1

#4 Cary Christian 15-2-1

#3 Cape Fear Academy 17-1

#6 Fayetteville Academy 10-5-3

#7 O'Neal School 13-4-1

#2 Davidson Day School 16-4-4

3A: (semifinals and finals at Durham Academy)

#1 Charlotte Latin School 14-2

#16 North Raleigh Christian Academy 2-8-4

#8 Durham Academy 10-5-1

#9 Wesleyan Christian Academy 11-4-3

#5 Covenant Day School 18-5-1

#12 Cary Academy 8-5-1

#4 Charlotte Country Day School 9-7-1

#13 High Point Christian Academy 9-13

#3 Providence Day School 9-6-1

#14 Southlake Christian Academy 15-4-3

#6 Cannon School 11-6

#11 Forsyth Country Day School 6-8-4

#7 Ravenscroft School 10-7

#10 Saint Mary's School 9-7-1

#2 Greensboro Day School 13-2-3

#15 Rabun Gap School 13-5

Coaches will go to school

timstevens — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:59:38 -0400

Some veteran North Carolina high school coaches will be brushing up on coaching basics during the next few years.

The N.C. High School Athletic Association board of directors recently passed a requirement that all non-faculty coaches and all new hires must pass the National Federation of State High School Association's coaching fundamentals course.

If a coaching veteran, even one with 30 years experience and a glowing resume, is hired at a different school, the coach will have to pass the Federation's coaching fundamentals course.

The NCHSAA recommends that each of its coaches become nationally certified within the next three years. Coaches must pass the fundamentals course, a first aid course and sports specific course to be nationally certitifed.

Some local school systems already require their coaches to be nationally certified.

Sanderson names girls basketball coach

timstevens — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:59:12 -0400

Frazier, along with Raymond Hammond, took over the girls program midway through the 2011-12 season after coach Marcus Davis resigned for personal reasons.

Frazier helped lead the Spartans to the Eastern Regional quarterfinals in Fayetteville.

ACC football moves to Friday

timstevens — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:51:14 -0400

The Atlantic Coast Conference’s new $3.6 billion television deal with ESPN includes three Friday games each year.

The N.C. High School Athletic Association has worked for years to keep the ACC from televising its football games on Friday nights, which are the traditional playing night for high schools in the state, but the tide could not be stopped.

Boston College and Syracuse will each host a Friday night game during the season and another ACC game will be played on either the Friday night or Friday afternoon after Thanksgiving.

"The Atlantic Coast Conference knows our position very clearly," Davis Whitfield, the NCHSAA commissioner, said. "Our position hasn't changed."

The ACC dynamic has changed with expansion and with the proliferation of television channels. Other college conferences now telecast their games on Friday night and there are even telecasts of a national high school football game of the week on Friday night.

Friday night high school football is not the norm in many places in the northeastern United States, where high school games often are played on Saturday. The ACC now includes schools in .New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

Keeping Friday nights free of ACC football telecasts had been a battle by the North Carolina high schools, but most athletic administrators knew that was a battle that could not be won. The fight was to prolong what was probably inevitable.

The North Carolina high school athletics lost a similar battle years ago when the ACC started televising basketball games on Tuesday nights. Then, as now, the league began with just a few games, but kept increasing the number until now Tuesday games are common.

Most high schools in North Carolina rely on five or six home football games to generate most of their gate revenue for the year. An ACC game on television could cut those receipts.

Here's hoping that the league will always keep in mind the high school football games on Friday night. A big matchup, say a North Carolina vs. N.C. State game, would have a devastating affect on high school football throughout the state.

The contract announcement is a sad day for North Carolina high schools.

NCHSAA baseball playoff pairings, 2012

jmikeblake — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:50:28 -0400

Middle Creek (base runner) and Smithfield-Selma (fielder) each made the postseason - Staff Photo by Johnny Johnson

The N.C. High School Athletic Association baseball brackets have been posted. Green Hope, East Chapel Hill, West Johnston and Wakefield earned No. 1 seeds in 4A brackets. Defending 4A champ Holly Springs is at Wakefield on Friday, but some games may be pushed to Thursday.

Baseball
4A East
Smithfield-Selma at New Bern; Clayton at Fayetteville Cape Fear; Wilmington Hoggard at West Johnston; Fayetteville Britt at Richmond County; Wilmington Laney at Fayetteville Terry Sanford; Knightdale at Wilmington Ashley; Hope Mills South View at Scotland; Greenville Rose at Garner
Wake Forest-Rolesville at East Chapel Hill; Sanderson at Middle Creek; Holly Springs at Wakefield; Fuquay-Varina at Riverside; Northern Durham at Green Hope; Southern Pines Pinecrest at Millbrook; Apex at Jordan; Lumberton at Leesville Road
3A East
West Craven at Eastern Wayne; Southern Nash at Currituck; Pikeville Aycock at Greenville Conley; Jacksonville at Nash Central; North Lenoir at Wilson Hunt; Hertford County at Pikeville South Central; West Carteret at West Brunswick; Northern Nash at Southern Wayne
Southwest Randolph at Burlington Williams; Southern Lee at South Brunswick; Northern Vance at Gray's Creek; Chapel Hill at Northeast Guilford; Eastern Alamance at Ledford; Orange at Western Alamance; Western Harnett at Cardinal Gibbons; Mayodan McMichael at Cameron Union Pines
2A East
Franklinton at Edenton Holmes; Roanoke Rapids at Northwood; Elizabeth City Northeastern at Bunn; Louisburg at Graham; Jordan-Matthews at South Granville; Cedar Ridge at First Flight; Carrboro at Providence Grove; Bartlett-Yancey at North Johnston
Wilson Beddingfield at Topsail; Croatan at North Brunswick; East Duplin at North Pitt; West Bladen at St. Pauls; Swansboro at Whiteville; Tarboro at South Lenoir; South Columbus at Fairmont; Clinton at Farmville Central
1A East
Southeast Halifax at Voyager Academy; Franklin Academy at KIPP Pride; Southside Chocowity at Gates County; Northampton-East at Roxboro Community; North Edgecombe at Perquimans; Manteo at Creswell; Northside-Jacksonville at Mattamuskeet; East Carteret at Riverside-Martin
Princeton at Dixon; Wallace Rose-Hill at Spring Creek; Pamlico at Ayden Grifton; Camden County at Southwest Onslow; East Columbus at Midway; Lakewood at South Robeson; James Kenan at Red Springs; North Duplin at Heide Trask

NCHSAA softball playoff pairings, 2012

jmikeblake — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:14:00 -0400

Garner (center) and Fuquay-Varina (right) made the postseason - Staff Photo by Johnny Johnson

Wake Forest-Rolesville is the top-ranked softball team in the N&O area and starts postseason play this Friday against Lee County in the 4A N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs. Undefeated South Granville hosts Providence Grove in 2A softball.

The format has changed in this year's playoffs. Now, instead of the four state semifinalists advancing to a double-elimination, four-team tournament to decide a state title, the semifinals and finals will each be a best-of-three and held on separate weeks. It's currently how the NCHSAA baseball playoffs operate.

Holly Springs, last year's 4A East champ, opens at home with Northern Durham. The 4A East runner-up, Clayton, is at Wilmington Ashley.

Softball
4A East
East Wake at Wilmington Laney; Knightdale at Fayetteville Britt; New Hanover at Garner; Fayetteville Cape Fear at Richmond County; Green Hope at Hope Mills South View; Clayton at Wilmington Ashley; Fayetteville Pine Forest at Pembroke Swett; Greenville Rose at West Johnston
Heritage at Person; Wakefield at Apex; Lee County at Wake Forest-Rolesville; Middle Creek at East Chapel Hill; Northern Durham at Holly Springs; Scotland at Millbrook; Fuquay-Varina at Riverside; Southern Pines Pinecrest at Leesville Road
3A East
West Carteret at Pikeville Aycock; Wilson Fike at Currituck; Triton at Greenville Conley; Washington at Southern Nash; Cleveland at Nash Central; Fayetteville Byrd at Havelock; Winterville South Central at West Brunswick; Northern Nash at South Johnston
Asheboro at Eden Morehead; Gray's Creek at South Brunswick; Southern Vance at Cameron Union Pines; Orange at Southwestern Randolph; Northern Guilford at Ledford; Norhtern Vance at Western Alamance; Southern Lee at Oxford Webb; Eastern Alamance at Western Harnett
2A East
Edenton Holmes at Bertie; Bunn at Cedar Ridge; Pasquotank at North Johnston; Roanoke Rapids at Eastern Randolph; Providence Grove at South Granville; Granville Central at Elizabeth City Northeastern; Northwood at Bartlett-Yancey; Jordan-Matthews at Corinth Holders
Farmville Central at Topsail; East Duplin at Whiteville; Croatan at Wilson Beddingfield; North Brunswick at Fairmont; Richlands at West Bladen; North Pitt at Swansboro; South Columbus at St. Pauls; South Lenior at SW Edgecombe
1A East
Clinton Union at River Mill Academy; Camden at KIPP Pride; N.C. Science & Math at Gates County; Northampton-East at Roxboro Community School; North Edgecombe at Southside Jacksonville; Riverside-Martin at Columbia; Mattamuskeet at Creswell; SW Onslow at South Creek; Ayden Grifton at Pamlico
Pender at Rosewood; Dixon at Princeton; Perquimans at East Carteret; Red Springs at Hobbton; Midway at South Robeson; James Kenan at East Columbus; North Duplin at Heide Trask