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SWakeSports focuses on the sporting scene in Cary, Apex, Morrisville and Holly Springs. Email The Cary News at carystaff@nando.com.
How is Jack Stewart rehabbing from a broken leg suffered seven weeks ago? Could the RailHawks have him back in the lineup soon, and if so, what role would he play? What did RailHawks coach Martin Rennie think of his three new trialists on Tuesday? Sports Editor J. Mike Blake answers these questions in the SWakeSports blog.
Football season is right around the corner, folks. August 21, the first night of high school football, can't get here soon enough. With that date in mind, let's break down each of the 2009 opening night games in the Tri-Nine Conference, which adds Holly Springs to the mix this year.
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.Â
This year's U.S. Junior Amateur Championship will be at Trump National Golf Club at Bedminster, N.J. from July 20-25.Â
The final state Wachovia Cup standings were released today in all four classifications. Green Hope, which finished second to Apex in the Wachovia Conference Cup standings by a half-point, finished second statewide behind only Myers Park of Charlotte. The top 15 4-A schools are listed below:
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.Â
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. Â
 We hope to have more from these two Imps-turned-Braves in next week's TCN sports section.Â
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:Â
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.Â
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