News & Observer | newsobserver.com | 2008 NCAA Men's Bracket

Andy Knox, a rising senior at Apex High School, has qualified for this summer's U.S. Junior Amateur Championship after placing in the top-four at the sectional qualifier yesterday at MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary.

Knox finished third after shooting a 69 in the first round and following that up with a 70 in the second. 

This year's U.S. Junior Amateur Championship will be at Trump National Golf Club at Bedminster, N.J. from July 20-25. 

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..

We've done an "alumni news" blog on how former Cary High baseball player Cory Harrilchak was drafted by the Atlanta Braves after his senior year at Elon.

Now we're doing one yet another former Cary High baseball player drafted by the Atlanta Braves.

Andrew Wilson, a 6'2 180-pound right handed pitcher from Liberty University, was selected by the Braves with the 1,078th pick (36th round) in the MLB draft last week. Wilson and Harrilchak were teammates at Cary.

Wilson went 5-3 in his final year with the Flames, posting a 3.52 ERA in 64 innings pitched. 

In the Big South Conference, Wilson was fifth in strikeouts (70) and tied for fourth in saves (5). Wilson’s five saves were also tops for Liberty, as he averaged 9.84 strikeouts per nine innings. He made 24 appearances, 21 of which came out of the bullpen.  

 We hope to have more from these two Imps-turned-Braves in next week's TCN sports section. 

Panther Creek High School graduate Alyssa Bearden, an Charleston Southern signee, is among 32 of the state’s top female soccer seniors who have accepted invitations to participate in the 18th NCCA East-West All-Star Game to be played at UNCG Soccer Stadium on Tuesday, July 21, 2009 (7 p.m. kickoff).

A total of seven Wake County players have been tabbed for the East squad. Lumberton High coach Kenny Simmons will lead the squad.

We didn't have enough room to publish these in this week's issue, but here are the "other" teams/athletes/games/etc. considered in our TCN/SWW awards.

Male Athlete of the Year:

Winner -- Eloheim Palma

Others considered: Eric Brady, Green Hope baseball; Cory Hunter, Fuquay-Varina football; Michael Cromie, Green Hope golf; Earnest Ross, Panther Creek basketball; Chris Barfield, Cary track & field; Zak Roshdy, Green Hope track & field

Female Athlete of the Year: 

Winner -- Alex Ryan

Others considered: Cawley Bromley, Apex lacrosse; Courtney McLaughlin, Apex lacrosse; Dakota Dukes, Cary Christian basketball; Chloe Wells, Apex women's basketball; Rachel Wells, Green Hope soccer; Jaleesa Wilson, Panther Creek gymnastics; Cassie Crawford, Panther Creek track & field; Katherine Perry, Athens Drive golf

Game of the Year:

Winner -- Southern Durham vs Panther Creek, men's basketball

Others considered: Apex vs Cary football; Cary vs Middle Creek men's basketball; Apex vs Wilmington Hoggard football; Apex vs Charlotte Catholic women's lacrosse; Fuquay-Varina vs New Bern softball

Coach of the Year:

Winner -- Bob Wolfe, Apex football

Others considered: L.J. Hepp, Panther Creek; Jerry Winterton, Cary wrestling; Deb Clarke, Fuquay-Varina softball; Michael Robinson, Green Hope women's basketball; Ryan Habich, Fuquay-Varina football; Jessica Pineo, Apex women's lacrosse, Nikki O'Connell, Apex volleyball

Milestone of the Year:

Winner -- Jerry Winterton wins No. 600

Others considered: F-V baseball coach Milton Senter wins No. 500, Eloheim Palma wins 200th match; Gabe Brotzman wins 200th match

Moment of the Year:

Winner -- Chris Barfield wins state discus title the same year he lost his mother

Others considered: Local coaches and players wearing pink after the death of Kay Yow.

No matter what the outcome of tonight's Charleston-Portland game, the Carolina RailHawks were not going to be alone atop the USL-1 standings by the end of the night.

The Timbers, fresh off a 0-0 tie with the RailHawks on Thursday, notched a goal in the game's last five minutes to tie Charleston 1-1. Although the Battery just missed out on three points in the standings, the tie is still good enough for Charleston to move ahead of the RailHawks by a single point.

Portland is now three points behind the RailHawks, and four points out of first.

Carolina and Portland both have played 11 games, while Charleston has played 12.