Brown swims way to college scholarship

Former Jay M. Robinson swimmer Rene Brown accepted a full athletic scholarship to swim at Saint Francis (NY) beginning this fall. Brown, who was the captain of the boys' swim team last year, hold four Bulldog school records.

From the student section: Cox Mill's first year comes to an end

Logan Albers is a student at Cox Mill High School and a member of the cross country team. He shares his thoughts on Cox Mill athletics in "From the student section."

Cox Mill sports have come to a close after a great season of hard work and learning.

Cox Mill golf concluded their season at the Western Regional meet at Salisbury after qualifying for the match following an impressive conference run. Eric Baumann, Brandon Cordell and Garett Ray were named all-conference. Austin Albers and Tyler Untz represented the Chargers as well in the regional meet.

Boys' and girls' track concluded their regular season with the conference meet at Mount Pleasant last Tuesday and Wednesday. With the sun blaring and rubber track, the meet was energized and tensions were high. The girl’s 4x400, 4x200, and 4x100 relay teams all finished second. Tori Elliot placed second in the 100 meters.

Congratulations to the Charger softball team on their come from behind victory against Mount Pleasant last Wednesday. The Lady Chargers were behind going into the seventh inning and rallied for three runs to beat the top-seeded Tigers 5-4 on Senior night. It was a great win and a total team effort. On Friday, the girls defeated Hickory Ridge by the score of 7-1 and look forward to Wednesday’s conference tournament.

Cox Mill Baseball fell to Mount Pleasant in the last game of the South Piedmont Conference tournament on May 4 and completed their season with a 5-20 overall record and a 1-13 record in the SPC. The boys worked tremendously hard over the season and have grown and learned together as a whole, fighting many close games down to the wire.

All teams worked impressively hard and saw major improvement in many aspects of play and preparation. All athletes and coaches now look to the 2010-2011 seasons and hope to make the off-season productive and profitable in the long run.

NCHSAA votes to shorten football, basketball seasons

From The Charlotte Observer's Prep Insiders:

CHAPEL HILL-- The North Carolina High School Athletic Association Board of Directors concluded its two-day spring meeting on Wednesday.
A number of items were discussed by the Board that had been recommended by a sub-committee which has studied travel, length of seasons and cost containment issues. Those items included the following:
--To play 11 regular-season football games in 11 weeks (including the Endowment game, which is optional), rather than the current 11 games in 12-week format. The Endowment game would be dropped for seeding purposes, starting with 2011-2012 academic year
--Reducing length of winter sport season by one week for competition, but still starting winter sports season practice on November 1, starting with 2010-11 academic year
-- To add to the football seeding process the "pod" format, which means schools would be grouped into four different sections (East, Mideast, Midwest, West), effective with 2010-11 academic year, to help reduce some of the longest trips that occur under the current format

--To allow an "opt-out" declaration for schools who wish not to enter NCHSAA playoffs, with a form that would be signed by athletic director, principal and superintendent and must be submitted by an established deadline prior to the release of the brackets in that sport, effective with 2010-11 academic year

Other actions of the Board included:

--Approved wrestling state championships for a three-day event, with one specific classification to wrestle on Thursday night
--Approved additional weekly combination for scheduling of one tri match and one tournament in wrestling
--Approved holding 2010-13 NCHSAA state cross country championships in Kernersville at Beeson Park
-- Recommend approval if school does not pay outstanding fine by two days before the reporting deadline for a sport, it cannot play in playoffs in that sport, to go in effect academic year 2010-11; if a school has any unpaid fines by June 30 following the academic year, its teams will not be able to participate in playoffs in any sport in the next academic year until fine is unpaid
--Eliminate mandatory use of NCHSAA-assigned clock operators for all second round and subsequent rounds of football playoffs; it is still optional for schools to use if they wish
--"Flagrant contact" will be added as a separate category to ejection policy, with the ejection penalty
--Approved move to six-man crews in NCHSAA football championships in 2010 as pilot program, all eight games

--Approved job title changes since the old job titles from the University are not necessarily applicable anymore and the new titles more accurately reflect the work being done, effective June 1, 2010
--Increase the mileage allotment, lodging and meal allowance for schools in championships in a number of different sports
--Adjust revenue shares to return more to schools; for sectional basketball share for NCHSAA, reduce to 15% to parallel other sports and could help eliminate some deficit games; for volleyball championships: 60% to NCHSAA, 40% to schools, makes volleyball consistent with other sports
--Approved new employee policy and procedures manual for NCHSAA with some editorial changes
--Approved of executive director's contract from June 7, 2010 to June of 2013

-- NCHSAA

Concord, Hickory Ridge, Robinson make 3A tennis dual state playoffs

Three South Piedmont Conference tennis squads - Concord, Hickory Ridge and Jay M. Robinson - made this year's state dual team tennis playoffs. The three Cabarrus County teams will start playing tomorrow.

From The Charlotte Observer's Prep Insiders:

Prep tennis rankings and state pairings
DUAL TEAM TENNIS PAIRINGS
4A
First Round Tuesday, May 4th
South View (12-2) at Wilmington Hoggard (14-2)
Southeast Raleigh (11-5) at Pinecrest (14-4)
Scotland (9-2) at Terry Sanford (12-2)
Wilmington New Hanover (14-7) at Clayton (16-0)
Cary (11-6) at East Chapel Hill (16-4)
Raleigh Millbrook (17-2) at Green Hope (17-0)
Jack Britt (12-4) at Raleigh Broughton (20-1)
Apex (15-2) at Durham Jordan (11-3)
Western Guilford (8-5) at Sun Valley (6-6)
Mount Tabor (11-2) at Southwest Guilford (13-1)
Ardrey Kell (9-3) at Winston-Salem R.J. Reynolds (14-2)
Ragsdale (14-4) at Greensboro Grimsley (9-3)
South Mecklenburg (11-4) at Charlotte Myers Park (13-0)
North Mecklenburg (6-4) at Charlotte Olympic (7-6)
Watauga (14-2) at T.C. Roberson (8-6)
Charlotte Providence (8-2) at Hopewell (15-2)
3A
D.H. Conley (12-4) at Currituck County (7-5)
Southern Nash(15-2) at South Brunswick (13-3)
Eastern Wayne (13-2) at Rocky Mount (12-2)
Union Pines (15-1) at South Central (15-3)
Chapel Hill (11-6) at Charles B. Aycock (15-0)
Northern Guilford (14-2) at Ledford (16-3)
Asheboro (13-4) at Western Alamance (14-2)
Southern Lee (9-2) at Cardinal Gibbons (18-4)
Statesville (10-2) at J.M. Robinson (15-0)
North Iredell (8-5) at Charlotte Catholic (9-3)
Hickory Ridge (12-2) at Marvin Ridge (12-2)
Concord (12-7) at West Rowan (14-1)
Freedom (8-5) at Forestview (11-1)
Patton (12-4) at Hickory (12-4)
Crest (9-7) at Asheville (15-1)
North Buncombe (16-2) at Franklin (13-4)
2A
Tarboro (14-5) at First Flight (10-1)
Whiteville (7-5) at Topsail (13-3)
Croatan (11-3) at West Bladen (12-6)
Edenton Holmes (11-5) at Greene Central (13-5)
Durham School of the Arts (9-8) at North Johnston (9-1)
Reidsville (11-1) at Fairmont (13-1)
Northeastern (9-5) at Jordan-Matthews (11-2)
Roanoke Rapids (12-4) at Northwood (11-6)
Cuthbertson (7-2) at Salisbury (15-2)
North Stanly (10-6) at Wheatmore (8-4)
North Lincoln (8-2) at Shelby (13-2)
West Davidson (9-4) at West Stanly (10-4)
Trinity (9-4) at Newton-Conover (21-0)
Owen (10-6) at Wilkes Central (13-2)
Polk County (13-4) at Brevard (14-0)
Maiden (16-3) at West Stokes (11-4)
1A
Williamston (5-5)- BYE
Gates County (7-3)-BYE
Dixon (7-3)-BYE
Bear Grass (6-3) -BYE
Ayden-Grifton (11-3) at North Carolina School of Science and Math (15-0)
West Columbus (1-15) at Pender County (4-6)
Goldsboro (2-4) at South Robeson (2-6)
Raleigh Charter (12-3) at Rosewood (10-1)
East Montgomery (16-0)-BYE
Albemarle (6-4) at Monroe Central Academy (10-6)
Challenger (6-5) at North Moore (7-3)
Monroe (1-8) at Highland Tech (10-4)
Hendersonville (13-0) - BYE
East Wilkes (14-4) at Bishop McGuinness (9-5)
Elkin (15-0)-BYE
Mount Airy (12-2)- BYE
4A COACHES POLL
Rank School Points
1 RJ Reynolds 91
2 Raleigh Millbrook 90
3 Raleigh Broughton 89
4 Myers Park 66
5 Green Hope 58
6 Wilmington Hoggard 55
7 East Chapel Hill 32
8 Wilmington New Hanover 30
9 Charlotte Providence 15
10 Ardrey Kell 11
Also receiving votes: Apex (9), Hopewell (2), Watauga (2)
3A POLL
Rank School Points
1 Cardinal Gibbons 77
2 Charlotte Catholic 68
3 Chapel Hill 66
4 Western Alamance 46
5 Southern Nash 44
6 Asheville 40
7 C.B. Aycock 24
8 Marvin Ridge 22
9 North Buncombe 17
10-T Rocky Mount 13
10-T Union Pines 13
2A POLL
Rank School Points
1 Newton Conover 60
2 Salisbury 50
3 Greene Central 43
4 First Flight 36
5 Topsail 33
6 Maiden 29
7 Shelby 17
8 Edenton Holmes 14
9 Reidsville 13
10 Tarboro 9
1A POLL
Rank School Points
1 Mount Airy 49
2 NC Science and Math 45
3 Hendersonville 40
4 Highland School of Technology 33
5 Elkin 32
6 Raleigh Charter 23
7 East Montogomery 22
8 Bishop McGuinness 15
9 East Wilkes 9
10 Albemarle 3
Other Receiving Votes: Ayden-Grifton (2), Rosewood (1), North Moore (1)
Also receiving votes: Wilkes Central (7), Roanoke Rapids (6), DSA (5), Northwood (4), West Stokes (3), Brevard (1)
Also receiving votes: Northern Guilford (4), Eastern Wayne (3), Patton (2), Hickory (2), South Central (1)

Cannon wins singles title, player of the year

Jay M. Robinson senior Forrest Cannon claimed the South Piedmont Conference (SPC) tennis tournament Monday night losing only five games in three straight set wins in the event.

Cannon, the SPC player of the year, has only lost three matches in his career.

Robinson's teammates Josh Mosakowski and Andrew Alvarado took the SPC doubles title also losing only five games in three matches on the way to a championship win.

All three players will move onto regional play (individually) and compete for Robinson in the state duals (team tournament) beginning next week.

Video: ACC Barnstorming at Concord High

On Monday, the ACC All-Star team took on the All-South Piedmont Conference team in the ACC Barnstorming Tour event at Concord High School.

The ACC team was made up of seniors from North Carolina ACC schools such as UNC's Marcus Ginyard and Deon Thompson, Duke's Jon Scheyer, Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas, and Wake Forest's L.D. Williams and Chas McFarland.

Wake Forest guard Ish Smith, who played at Central Cabarrus High School, was supposed to be at the game, but was asked to stay an extra day at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in Virginia.

The All-SPC team was made up of Cam Mabry and Dylan McSwain of Mount Pleasant, Jacob Allen and Zach Fandl of Jay M. Robinson, Blake Wood and Jaland Burton of Hickory Ridge, Tyler Honeycutt and Justin Seager of Northwest Cabarrus, Jalen Cannady and Griffin Templeton of Concord, Malcolm Drummer and Bennie Deer or Central Cabarrus, and Jaques Deese and Spencer Falls of A.L. Brown.

At halftime, there was a three-point contest and a slam dunk competition.

Here's a video of highlights from the game and you can also see pictures from the game on our Web site.

From the student section: Cox Mill baseball wins first game

Logan Albers is a student at Cox Mill High School and a member of the cross country team. He shares his thoughts on Cox Mill athletics in "From the student section."

The Cox Mill Chargers experienced their first victory on the baseball diamond over Spring Break. Facing the Charlotte Stampede in the South Stanly Tournament, the Chargers rallied from an 8-4 deficit to come back and win, scoring five runs in the bottom of the seventh. Travis Watkins was strong on the mound and also drove in the tying run and scored the winning run for the Chargers. This win not only helps to build confidence, but helps to build Charger pride as the season winds down with eight games remaining.

The Charger track team races at Hickory Ridge on Wednesday, and boys golf winds down their season with three matches to go.

Tuesday’s boys' golf match at Green Oaks golf course proved a struggle for the team as they placed sixth, but they look to rebound in the upcoming meet at Skybrook Golf Course and the South Piedmont Conference championship the end of April. The team was led by Brandon Cordell, Eric Boumann, Garrett Ray, and Austin Albers.

Robinson seniors go out in style

The Jay M. Robinson boys' tennis seniors blanked Central Cabarrus 9-0 on 'Senior Night,' keeping their perfect record 12-0 record intact going into their final regular season match Wednesday at Cox Mill.

The Bulldogs, 11-o in South Piedmont conference (SPC) play this season, sent senior starters Forrest Cannon, Josh Mosakowski and Ben Shamanis out in style with the win.

Cannon and Mosakowski will leave Robinson as two of the best tennis players in school history. Cannon (No. 1 singles) lost only three times in his career, while Mosakowski has not lost a match in his career. Both are also unbeaten this season in singles and doubles.

"(Forrest) and (Josh) really don't see a lot of major competition on the court until the postseason," Robinson tennis coach Sarah Dabbs said, in her first season. "They really are each other's competition in practice and that keeps them going."

While Cannon and Mosakowski have led the Bulldog program to new heights including three conference titles (2 ME-CA, 1 SPC) in four years and 56-6 overall mark, they haven't won a playoff game in their time at Robinson.

After next week's SPC tournament, the Bulldogs, who have lost in the first round of the 4A playoffs the last three seasons, will try to win a 3A playoff game.

“The (Robinson) boys (team) has been to regionals and states every year, but haven’t had a lot of success,” Dabbs said, whose team moves from 4A to 3A this season. “We know the playoffs will be a huge step up in competition. But, we really want to try to win (a match) and maybe make a run.”

From the student section: Cox Mill

Logan Albers is a student at Cox Mill High School and a member of the cross country team. He shares his thoughts on Cox Mill athletics in "From the student section."

With Spring Break upon us, Cox Mill Sports take a break from the action as teams enjoy some time off.

In baseball, the Cox Mill Chargers have struggled, with varsity going 0-15 and JV 0-9. Despite the hard season, the Chargers look to build off each game and gain valuable experience to help establish a winning tradition at Cox Mill.

In softball, the Lady Chargers are now 4 - 5 overall and 2-2 in the conference. This came after an impressive 2-1 victory over rival Northwest Cabarrus Trojans. Led by Nikki, Katie, and Brooke, the girls look to improve their record as we near the end of the season.

In tennis news, the boys continue to give wholehearted efforts on the court. While victories are scarce at this point in the season, close games and matches, like a recent one with Carson, prove that the boys have a true potential and its only a matter of time before they gain some nice victories on the court.

Boys' and girls' track has had its share of ups and downs this season. The Chargers participated in a early scrimmage with Northwest Cabarrus and has produced some strong individual scores in many key events. The team has competed three times at Mount Pleasant and once at Carson. Now they move into conference meets with opponents including Jay M. Robinson, they look to build off of strong times and establish a name on the track. Parker, Lucas, Arrick, Tori, and Ariel have been top scorers for the team, and the 4x100 and 4x200 have produced many victories in their events. The Chargers continually look to build on their success as a home meet is upcoming.

In golf news, Garett Ray, Brandon Cordell, and Eric Boumann continue to lead the team in scoring. Austin Albers and Tyler Untz have also produced great scores on the green. The boys are currently fourth in the conference and have produced a second place finish at Rocky River Golf Course. With three matches and one post season tournament left, the boys look to finish up strong.

With Spring Break in full swing, the Chargers rest up for what will hopefully be a strong finish to an inaugural season.

Cabarrus team to host AAU championships

The Cabarrus Stars 11-and-under basketball team will be hosting the North Carolina State AAU Division I basketball championships in Concord on April 10 and 11. The championship game will be Sunday, April 11, at 4:00 pm at Concord High School .

The Stars advanced to the championship round by defeating the United Stars and the Carolina Flight in last weekend’s pool play held at Carolina Courts in Indian Trail. Team members are Lavar Batts, Landon Bost, PT Childress, A. J. Gallagher, Jacob Irby, D. J. Little, Cameron Mikesh, Javonte Misenheimer, Hamsah Nasirildeen, Miles Randolph, Jo Jo Rotan, and Cameron Wimbish.

The Stars' first game is Saturday at 4 pm at Concord High School .

Stallions win East Coast basketball tournament

The Greater Cabarrus Athletic Association Stallions home-school basketball teams competed in Lynchburg, Va., on the campus of Liberty University in East Coast national basketball tournament.

The boys' team won the 4A division and girls' team won the 3A division. The boys team went 2-1 in pool play, defeating St. Johns (Virginia) 83-43 then defeated the Baltimore Chargers 72-59. The Stallions then lost to CHVAA from Richmond, Va., 72-49.

The Stallions were placed in the 4A division and defeated The Heat from Tennessee 59-56 and then faced SVHS Conquers from Virginia for championship and defeated them 61-46.

The members of the Stallions are Caleb Dietz, John Clay, Andrew Kelly, Landon Holm, Matt Godley, Sam Nelson, Jacob Nelson, Nick Weaver, Randy Hansen, Mike Phillips and Coached by Robert Bland and Gary Kelly.


The girls' team went 2-1 in pool play. Their first game was against Lighthouse from North Carolina, which they lost 56-40. Then they played Albemarle Christian out of Virginia and defeated them 65-25. The team then played the Frederick Warriors out of Maryland and defeated them 44-28.

The Stallions were placed in the 3A division and defeated Baltimore Bravehearts out of Maryland 41-32.

They played Upstate out of South Carolina for championship and beat them 42-38.

The team members are Kaitlyn Holm, Alyssa Henden, Ruthann Thomas, Helen Darden, Hannah Holm, Becca Bare, Allie Long, Jessi Harris, Alayna Long, Victoria Long and coached by Mike Thomas and Sherri Holm. Hannah Holm was named to the all tournament team.

Eddie named to AP all-state basketball team

Cannon's Jarrell Eddie was named all-state by the Associated Press. Eddie, who will play basketball at Virginia Tech next season, averaged nearly 25 points for the Cougars this season. Eddie also scored over 2,500 points in his career.

Former Viking hits game-winning shot

In all the madness that was the first day of the NCAA tournament yesterday, a local player had his "one shining moment" in one of the last games of the day.

Former Central Cabarrus star Ishmael Smith hit a jumper with 1.3 seconds left in overtime to lift Wake Forest over Texas in a first round game in New Orleans last night. Smith finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists in the 81-80 win.

Smith and Wake Forest will now move on to face No. 1 seed Kentucky and former Raleigh Word of God star John Wall on Saturday.

Another local player will be in action on Saturday as former Concord High guard Dee Bost will try to lead Mississippi State past UNC in the second round of the NIT.

Bost will see a familiar face on the other bench, Will Graves, who he played against in the 2006 3A state championship when Dudley beat Concord.

1st SPC golf match results

Central Cabarrus hosted the season's first South Piedmont Conference golf match of the year Wednesday at Rocky River Golf Club.

Jay M. Robinson won the match, with Trevor Cone as the top player.

The next conference match will be March 22 at The Club at Irish Creek, hosted by A.L. Brown and Northwest Cabarrus.

Team results:

Jay M. Robinson: 157
Hickory Ridge: 166
Mt Pleasant: 168
Cox Mill: 173
A.L. Brown: 176
Central Cabarrus: 181
Concord: 190
Northwest Cabarrus: 204

Top Players

1. Trevor Cone - JM Robinson score 34

2. Evan Danchnka - Hickory Ridge score 38

3. Brandon Cordell - Cox Mill score 39

Austiin Kiker - Central Cabarrus score 39

Andrew Leslie - AL Brown score 39

Mitchell Swaringer - Mt Pleasant score 39

Track athletes make history

Jill Moore (right) from Northwest Cabarrus High and Lindsey Good from Weddington High competed in the first ever race between two wheelchair athletes in N.C. high school track and field history on March 10. Moore won the race.

Concord to play for the state championship

Concord is used to winning and winning often.

This weekend, the Spiders' boys basketball added another notch on their belt, beating West Rowan (67-61) and Hibriten (72-52) to advance to their third 3A state title game in the last five years.

Concord (25-6) will play Rocky Mount (23-3) Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Dean E. Smith Center on the campus of North Carolina (Chapel Hill).

The Spiders were led by junior guard Jacquise Moore, who had 20 points, 11 rebounds, seven steals and two assists to lead five players who scored in double figures, including Xavier Stywall (13), Darren Black (11), Jalen Cannady (10) and Will Vanderburg (10).

Moore, who was named the regional MVP, also had 23 points to lead Concord past West Rowan in the regional semifinal win over West Rowan.

Concord, who lost in the 2006 state title game to Dudley, came back in 2007 beating Kinston to win it all. Since then, Concord has boasted an 81-12 record (last 3 years) under head coach Scott Brewer, but have not advanced to the state finals.

The Spiders lost in the regional final (state semifinals) last season to Forestview 70-68.

Belfield, Moore invited to Carolina Challenge.

Cannon School junior Keith Belfield is among the 80 North Carolina high school basketball players hand-picked to participate in Dave Teleps Carolina Challenge, to be held Saturday, March 27 at Cary Academy in Cary, N.C.

Junior Jacquise Moore from Concord will also take part in the event.

Now in its fourth year, the Carolina Challenge is the signature event for the state’s top players. Only the best freshmen, sophomores, and juniors have been chosen for this invitation-only, one-day academy that showcases the talent in the state and emphasizes what it means and takes to become a college basketball player.

Players will be divided into eight teams of 10 players each for scrimmages, and will also attend skill sessions conducted by Denny Kuiper, a former Michigan high school coach and academic advisor for the Marquette University basketball program.

Here is the full list of players:

JUNIORS (CLASS OF 2011)

1 Wykevin Bazemore Windsor NC Bertie

2 H. Keith Bellfield Concord NC Cannon School

3 Deuce Bello High Point NC Westchester Academy

4 Devince Boykins Forest City NC East Rutherford

5 Carlin Bremner Huntersville NC North Mecklenburg

6 Marcus Burton Charlotte NC Butler

7 John Cannon Burnsville NC Mountain Heritage

8 Bishop Daniels Raleigh NC Word of God

9 Jacoby Davis Charlotte NC West Charlotte

10 Chad Frazier Charlotte NC Metrolina Christian

11 Anthony Gill Charlotte NC Charlotte Christian

12 P.J. Hairston Greensboro NC Dudley

13 Tabarris Hamilton Winston Salem NC West Forsyth

14 Donta Harper Winterville NC South Central

15 Demarcus Harrison Arden NC Christ School

16 Tony Kimbro Arden NC Christ School

17 Jacob Lawson Oak Ridge NC Oak Ridge Military

18 Travion Leonard Durham NC Kestrel Heights

19 Tony Menton Charlotte NC Waddell

20 Quincy Miller Winston Salem NC Quality Education Acad.

21 James Milliken Siler City NC Jordan-Matthews

22 Jacquise Moore Concord NC Concord

23 Michael Neal Oak Ridge NC Oak Ridge Military

24 Ike Nwanu High Point NC Westchester Academy

25 Reggie Perkins Greensboro NC Western Guilford

26 Keynan Pittman Burgaw NC Pender

27 Marshall Plumlee Arden NC Christ School

28 Tyler Poole Hickory NC Hickory

29 Jervon Pressley Charlotte NC Waddell

30 Marquis Rankin Charlotte NC Vance

31 Jaleel Roberts Greensboro NC Greensboro Day

32 Tyquan Roberts Jamestown NC Ragsdale

33 Paris Roberts Charlotte NC United Faith

34 Jordan Robertson Greensboro NC Greensboro Day

35 Aaron Roundtree Wilson NC Beddingfield

36 Jerome Seagears Red Springs NC Flora McDonald

37 Jackson Simmons Smoky Mountain NC Smoky Mountain

38 Worth Smith Charlotte NC Charlotte Christian

39 Anthony Stitt Charlotte NC Butler

40 Bernard Sullivan Huntersville NC North Mecklenburg

41 Mike Thorne Fayetteville NC Trinity Christian

42 Mike Tyson Kinston NC Kinston

43 Dezmine Wells Raleigh NC Word of God

44 Terry Whisnant Cherryville NC Cherryville

45 Anthony Williams Whiteville NC Waccamaw Academy

46 Terrence Williams Charlotte NC West Mecklenburg

47 Chris Wilson Fayetteville NC Terry Sanford

Sophomores, Class of 2012

1 Montay Brandon High Point NC Wesleyan

2 Adam Coble Greensboro NC Northwest Guilford

3 Justin Cousin Graham NC Graham

4 Reggie Dillard Greensboro NC Dudley

5 Carlton Ford Fayetteville NC Westover

6 Torian Graham Durham NC Hillside

7 Rob Grey Forest City NC East Rutherford

8 Xavier Griffin Greenville NC Oakwood School

9 Montarius Hall Charlotte NC Victory Christian

10 Julius Hamilton Charlotte NC West Charlotte

11 Montrezl Harrell Tarboro NC North Edgecombe

12 Terry Henderson Raleigh NC Neuse Christian

13 Madison Jones Raleigh NC Ravenscroft

14 Shawn Lester Mooresville NC Mooresville

15 Tyler Lewis Lewisville NC Forsyth Country Day

16 John McBeth Greensboro NC Northern Guilford

17 Josh Newkirk Raleigh NC SE Raleigh

18 Braxton Ogbueze Charlotte NC Vance

19 Carlos Rankins Oak Ridge NC Oak Ridge Military

20 Joseph Uchebo Oak Ridge NC Oak Ridge Military

21 T.J. Warren Durham NC Riverside

22 Quayshad Williams Greensboro NC Greensboro Day

Freshmen, Class of 2013

1 Marcus Bryan Raleigh NC Ravenscroft

2 Tyrek Coger Raleigh NC Upper Room Christian

3 Alerick Freeman Charlotte NC United Faith

4 Anton Gill Raleigh NC Ravenscroft

5 Isaiah Hicks Oxford NC Oxford Webb

6 Greg McClinton Winston Salem NC W-S Prep

7 Kennedy Meeks Charlotte NC West Charlotte

8 Rodney Purvis Raleigh NC Upper Room Christian

9 Quinton Ray Apex NC Middle Creek

10 Donte Reynolds Kinston NC Kinston

11 Jaquel Richmond Greensboro NC Dudley

12 Deion Robinson Winston Salem NC Mount Tabor

13 Patrick Rooks Charlotte NC United Faith

Cannon, First Assembly stars named to All-NCISAA team

Cannon School senior Jarell Eddie was named to the All-NCISAA 3A team after Cannon made it to the quarterfinals of the state tournament.

Eddie was joined by teammate Keith Belfield, a junior, on the All-CISAA conference team.

First Assembly's Paige Whitaker and Kyle Grisby were named to the NCISAA 2A girls' and boys' teams, respectively. The First Assembly girls' team made it to the quarterfinals of the 2A bracket, while the boys lost in the finals to Victory Christian.

The full teams:


GIRLS

ALL CISAA

Garland Austin—Latin
Nneka Awuruonye—PDS
Gigi Bailey—Christian
Christal Barnett—Christian
Cailan Howey—PDS
Tiffany Mitchell—PDS
Maryah Mayzak —Christian
Brittany Powell—CCDS
Janice Roberts—CCDS

2010 NCISAA 2A Girls All-State Basketball Team

Paige Whitaker - Senior - First Assembly
Dakota Dukes - Sophomore - Cary Christian School
Zoe Vernon - Sophomore - Carolina Friends School
Hillary Summers - Sophomore - Village Christian Academy
Jessica Edmonds - Sophomore - Carolina Day School
Alexis Hicks - Senior - Victory Christian
Tenika Neely - Senior - Fayetteville Christian School
Haley Laughter - Freshman - Carolina Day School

2010 NCISAA 3A Girls All-State Basketball Team

Hannah Allgood - Senior - Forsyth Country Day School
NNeka Anuruonye - Senior - Providence Day School
GiGi Bailey - Freshman - Charlotte Christian School
Erin Bratcher - Senior - Ravenscroft School
Chelsea Douglas - Senior - Hickory Grove
Tiffany Mitchell - Sophomore - Providence Day School
Janice Roberts - Senior - Charlotte Country Day School
Erica Williams - Freshman - Rabun Gap School

BOYS

ALL CISAA

Keith Belfield Cannon
Richard Brown CLS
Jarell Eddie Cannon
Anthony Gill CCS
Wake Hamilton CCDS
Kevin Hickson PDS
Akil Mitchell CCS
Connor Sullivan PDS
Trent Walker CCS

2010 NCISAA 2A Boys All-State Basketball Team

Kyree Bethel - Senior - Fayetteville Christian School
Anthony Thomas - Senior - St. David's School
Michael Woods - Senior - Asheville Christian Academy
Kyle Grisby - Senior - First Assembly
Deuce Bello - Junior - Westchester Country Day School
Zack Richardson - Senior - Fayetteville Academy
Chad Frazier - Junior - Metrolina Christian Academy
Travis Liner - Senior - Northside Christian Academy
Will Saunders - Senior - Caldwell Academy

2010 NCISAA 3A Boys All-State Basketball Team

Luke Davis - Senior - Ravenscroft School
Jarrell Eddie - Senior - Cannon School
Anthony Gill - Junior - Charlotte Christian School
Damarcus Harrison - Junior - Christ School
Tony Kimbro - Junior - Christ School
Tyler Lewis - Sophomore - Forsyth Country Day School
Akil Mitchell - Senior - Charlotte Christian School
Eric Smith - Senior - Christ School

Concord advances to 3A Western Semis

The Concord Boys basketball team won their 14th straight game and 18th of the last 19th, beating Harding 73-66 to advance to the 3A Western Regional semifinals in Greensboro Tuesday night.

The Spiders (25-5), who haven't lost a game since January 20th against Hickory Ridge, won the South Piedmont Conference (SPC) regular season and tournament titles and has rolled through the playoffs beating Ledford, Carson and Harding.

Concord plays West Rowan (20-6) at UNCG's Fleming Coliseum Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. The winner of that game will play the winner of Hunter Huss and Hibriten Saturday at the Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center at 2 p.m.

Parisi, White take individual state championships

Jay M. Robinson's Dominic Parisi and Garrison White took home 3A individual state wrestling championships Saturday in Greensboro.

Parisi won his third straight state title, this time at 119-pounds. Parisi, who will likely wrestle at Appalachian State, American or Virginia Tech next year, has only lost two matches in the last three years of his high school career.

White won for the first time in his high school carrer at 112-pounds.

Concord AAU team holding tryouts

The Concord Red Dragons AAU boys basketball program will be holding tryouts for its 14U team on Saturday, March 13th at 2 p.m. at Jay M. Robinson High School, 300 Pitts School Rd. SW, Concord, N.C.

For more info on the Concord Red Dragons, please go to www.ballcharts.com/concordreddragons or call 704-970-8349.

Cannon's Glen Taylor gets 300th win

Cannon School’s first-round win in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association (NCISAA) basketball tournament was especially sweet for head coach Glen Taylor. The Cougars (16-13) defeated Durham Academy 60-42 on Feb. 23, giving Coach Taylor his 300th career win.

Virginia Tech-bound Jarell Eddie led Cannon with 26 points while teammate Keith Belfield added 11. Coach Taylor will go for win number 301 when Cannon School faces third-seed Ravenscroft School (22-5) on Thursday, Feb. 25 at Greensboro Day School.

Taylor is in his first year as Cannon’s varsity coach. He came to Cannon from Christchurch School in Christchurch, Va., where he led its varsity basketball team to four consecutive Virginia Prep League championships during his five years as coach.

Prior to coaching at Christchurch School, Taylor spent six years as head varsity and junior varsity coach at Kerr Vance Academy in Henderson, N.C., during which he was a four-time Coastal Plains Independent Conference varsity basketball coach of the year. He began his coaching career at Lawrence Academy in Merry Hill, N.C., and received the Tarheel Independent Conference varsity coach of the year award twice during his four-year tenure.

Cannon School’s varsity basketball team was co-champion of the Charlotte Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA) during the 2008-09 season, its first in the highly-competitive conference. In the three years prior to joining the CISAA, Cannon won three consecutive Metrolina Athletics Conference titles and won the NCISAA 2A state championship in 2006.

--Cannon School press release

Concord, Hickory Ridge still alive in playoffs

The Concord boys' and girls' teams as well as the Hickory Ridge girls' team won last night to put them in the sectional finals on Friday.

The Central Cabarrus boys fell just short of the sectional finals with a close loss to Anson.

3A girls:

Hickory Ridge 59, Parkwood 51 (OT).

Hickory Ridge will travel to North Iredell on Friday night for the sectional final.

Concord 68, Statesville 49.

Concord will host Charlotte Catholic in the sectional final Friday night.

3A boys:

Anson 45, Central Cabarrus 42.

Concord 79, Carson 66.

Concord will host Harding on Friday night in the sectional final.

NCISAA first round basketball results

The private schools in the NCISAA played their first round games last night. Here's how the local schools did.

2A girls:

First Assembly 43, St. David's 36.
First Assembly will play Cary Christian in the second round Thursday.

2A boys:

First Assembly 85, Arendell Parrott Academy 61.
First Assembly will play St. David's in the second round Thursday.

3A boys:

Cannon School 60, Durham Academy 42.
Cannon will play Ravenscroft in the second round Thursday.

Cabarrus wrestlers fight their way to regional titles

Six wrestlers from Cabarrus County teams grabbed 3A Midwest Regional titles Saturday on their way to the state individual championships this weekend at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Jay M. Robinson boasted four of the regional champions, including Garrison White (112-lb.), Dominic Parisi (119-lb.), Caleb Swinson (130-lb.) and Jacob Eldridge (145-lb.). Robinson will also send eight wrestlers to the state individual meet

Northwest Cabarrus wrestlers grabbed two regional titles including William Johnson (125-lb.)and Lucas Dutch (135-lb.). The Trojans will send four individual wrestlers to the state meet.

Mount Pleasant, who won the SPC tournament title by 1.5 over Robinson, will also send four wrestlers to the meet, while A.L. Brown, Concord and Cox Mill will send one wrestler each to the state meet.

SPC teams have mixed results in 3A sectional quarterfinals

The Concord boys and girls' basketball teams advanced in convincing fashion Monday night in the first round of the 3A West playoffs. The Central Cabarrus boys and Hickory Ridge girls' team also advanced to the sectional semifinals Wednesday night, but the rest of the Cabarrus County teams were eliminated.

Boys Results

Concord 77, Ledford 59
**Hosts Carson Wednesday night

Central Cabarrus 67, Asheboro 62
**Plays at Anson Co. - Wednesday night

Waddell 78, A.L. Brown 59

Harding 71, Hickory Ridge 56

Girls Results

Concord 93, North Forsyth 67
**Hosts Statesville Wednesday night

Hickory Ridge 64, NE Guilford 39

Harding 59, Jay M. Robinson 57

North Iredell 63, A.L. Brown 50

Robinson's Tucker wins indoor championships

Jay M. Robinson's Erin Tucker led Cabarrus-area runners at the state indoor track championships in Chapel Hill on Saturday.

The senior won state titles in both events she competed in, the 55-meter hurdles and 55-meter run.

The rest of SPC:

A.L. Brown:

Travis Bailey finished fifth in the boys' shot put.

Keonna Artis finished third in the girls' high jump.

Concord:

Juanita Leto finished third in the girls' 55-meter hurdles and ninth in the 55-meter dash.

Hickory Ridge:

Coye Still finished second in the boys' long jump and fifth in the boys' high jump.

Taryn Stern finished third in the girls' 1600-meter run.

Mount Pleasant:

Kunle Akindahunsi finished ninth and Garrett Miller finished 11th in the boys' 300-meter run.

Jocelyn Parnell finished second in the girls' shot put.

Kayleigh Norris finished eighth in the girls' pole vault.

Miranda Clark finished 15th in the girls' 300-meter dash.

Northwest Cabarrus:

Trevor Anderson finished fifth in the boys' triple jump.

Richard Cotton finished fourth in the boys' 300-meter run.

Arianna Tucker finished seventh in the girls' high jump.

Here's a story I wrote to preview the indoor championships.

Robinson's Koerner scores 1,000th point

Pictured: Tabby Koerner (right) with Jay M. Robinson head coach Lin Smithson.

Jay M. Robinson senior girls basketball player Tabby Koerner became the second girl in the school's history to score 1,000 points in her career.

The first girl to score 1,000 points was teammate Kelsey Cheek, a junior.

Koerner scored the point against Hickory Ridge High School on Feb. 12.

Robinson, a three seed out of the Southern Piedmont Conference, will play their first round state playoff game tonight against Harding University.

Concord sweeps SPC tournament

The Concord boys' and girls' teams continued their dominance against South Piedmont Conference opponents by winning the SPC tournament last Thursday.

Both Spiders team also won the regular season title this year.

The Lady Spiders faced Hickory Ridge in the final, the same team that they beat in the regular season to clinch the regular season crown.

In that earlier matchup, Concord squeaked by the Ragin' Bulls. The latest game wasn't as close. Concord controlled the game, winning 62-52.

The Concord boys faced their arch rival A.L. Brown in the final. Brown jumped out to a 12-4 lead, but the Spiders quickly came back, tying the game at 32 at the half.

The second half was back and forth until the Spiders pulled away at the end to take a 72-66 win and their fourth consecutive SPC tournament title.

All-SPC girls' team

Nyshia Hammonds (Concord), Jhemelia Edwards (Concord), Mariah Black (Concord), Jasmine DeBerry (Concord), Kelsey Cheek (Jay M. Robinson), Tabby Koerner (Robinson), Akysia Resper (Hickory Ridge), Candra Mathis (Hickory Ridge), Jasmine Parker (A.L. Brown), Kelsie Pethel (Northwest Cabarrus), Sarah Ritchie (Mount Pleasant) and Dee Polk (Central Cabarrus).

Kelsey Cheek was named SPC player of the year, while Hickory Ridge coach Jessica Kulp won coach of the year.

All-SPC boys' team

Jalan Cannady (Concord), Jacquise Moore (Concord), Griffin Templeton (Concord), LC Cooks (Central Cabarrus), Malcolm Drummer (Central Cabarrus), Bennie Deer (Central Cabarrus), Jaquese Deese (A.L. Brown), Teven Jones (A.L. Brown), Tyler Honeycutt (Northwest Cabarrus), Quentin Wimbish (Hickory Ridge), Elijah Hampton (Robinson) and Jacob Allen (Robinson).

Jaques Deese was named SPC player of the year and Concord coach Scott Brewer was named coach of the year.

Concord Robinson wins 3A state wrestling championship

The Concord Robinson wrestling team came back from a 26-3 deficit in the 3A state title game to beat two-time defending state champ Orange (Hillsborough), winning the final match to claim the victory 35-32.

Robinson didn't earn the victory until the final match when Davante Andujar, the meet's Most Outstanding Wrestler, won at the 140-pound weight class, giving the Bulldogs their first lead and the win. The state title was also the first in Robinson High School history in any sport.

"I couldn't imagine a better way to win a state championship," Parisi said, who was a high school and college All-American himself in New York. "For the final meet to come down to the final match, it was something we all will never forget."

Andujar needed every win his teammates gave him to get the victory as Hamilton Jones (103-lb), Garrison White (112-lb.), Dominic Parisi (119-lb.), Caleb Swinson (135-lb.) won in succession to complete the comeback and secure the title. Heavyweight Jordan Taylor also won his match for the Bulldogs.

"You couldn't have written a script any better than the way we had to win this (championship) tonight," Robinson wrestling coach Dave Parisi said, whose team lost in the 4A state semifinals last year to Butler. "I think it was probably one of the most exciting wrestling matches in the history of the state finals."

--Jay Edwards

SPC conference tourneys begin today

The South Piedmont Conference kicks off it's conference tournament tonight with a handful of first round games. Here are the final conference standings and a look at the tournament schedule.

Tickets to games at the Cabarrus Arena are $6.

Girls' tournament
1. Concord 14-0
2. Jay M. Robinson 11-3 (won coin flip)
3. Hickory Ridge 11-3
4. A.L. Brown 8-6
5. Northwest Cabarrus 6-8
6. Mount Pleasant 4-10
7. Central Cabarrus 2-12
8. Cox Mill 0-14

Monday games
Cox Mill at Concord 6:00
Northwest at Brown 6:00
Central Cabarrus at Robinson 7:00
Mount Pleasant at Hickory Ridge 6:30

Tuesday at the Cabarrus Arena
3/6 vs. 2/7 Winners 6:00
4/5 vs. 1/8 Winners 7:30

Thursday at the Arena
Championship 6:00

Boys' tournament
1. Concord 13-1
2. Central Cabarrus 9-5 (won head to head)
3. A.L. Brown 9-5
4. Northwest Cabarrus 8-6 (won head to head)
5. Hickory Ridge 8-6
6. Jay M. Robinson 6-8
7. Mount Pleasant 3-11
8. Cox Mill 0-14

Monday games
Cox Mill at Concord 7:30
Hickory Ridge at Northwest 6:00
Mount Pleasant at Central Cabarrus 7:00
JM Robinson at AL Brown 7:30

Wednesday at the Arena
3/6 vs. 2/7 Winners 6:00
4/5 vs. 1/8 Winners 7:30

Thursday at the Arena
Championship 7:30

Robinson swimmers finish top-10 in states

Both Jay M. Robinson swim teams recorded top-10 finishes in the 3A state swimming meet this weekend. The girls finished sixth and the boys finished fourth, giving them a sixth place finish in the combined team scores.

The Hickory Ridge and Cox Mill boys also finished strong at sixth and tied for seventh respectively. Cox Mill finished ninth and Hickory Ridge finished 10th in the combined team scores.

Cardinal Gibbons won the boys' championship and Charlotte Catholic won the girls', as well as the combined score.

Zack Lambert from Hickory Ridge won the South Piedmont Conference's only individual state championship with a win in the boys' 100-yard backstroke.

Several Robinson swimmers fell just short of state titles, including the boys' 200-yard medley relay team (Griffin Fiedler, Chad Heiser, Rene Brown and Forrest Cannon), which finished second in the finals after winning the preliminary race.

Chad Heiser finished also finished second in the boys' 200-yard freestyle.

Complete girls' standings:

1 Charlotte Catholic 432
2 Chapel Hill 246
3 Tuscola 238
4 Marvin Ridge 205
5 Cardinal Gibbons 167
6 Jay M. Robinson 134
7 Weddington 132
8 Orange 120
9 South Central 104
10 Hickory 68
11 Washington 57
12 Northern Guilford 52. 50
13 Franklin 47. 50
14 West Henderson 31
14 F.T. Foard 31
16 Concord 30
17 Cox Mill 29. 50
18 St. Stephens 23
19 R-S Central 15
20 North Iredell 13
21 Asheville 12
21 Southern Nash 12
21 Williams 12
24 C.B. Aycock 11. 50
25 South Brunswick 10
25 Hickory Ridge 10
25 Forestview 10
28 Ashbrook 9
29 D.H. Conley 7
30 East Rowan 6
30 White Oak 6
32 Hunter Huss 4
32 Northwest Cabarrus 4
34 Havelock 2
34 Rocky Mount 2
34 Ledford 2
37 Fike 1
37 Nash Central 1

Complete boys' standings:

1 Cardinal Gibbons 249
2 Charlotte Catholic 199
3 Chapel Hill 191
4 Jay M. Robinson 152
5 Marvin Ridge 147
6 Hickory Ridge 126
7 Cox Mill 116
7 Hickory 116
9 Hibriten 92
10 Tuscola 71
11 Franklin 62
12 South Rowan 56
13 Weddington 55
14 Washington 47
15 West Henderson 45
16 St. Stephens 44
17 South Brunswick 42
18 West Carteret 41
19 Mount Pleasant 40
19 A.L. Brown 40
21 Hunt 39
21 South Point 39
23 Eastern Alamance 37
24 Eastern Wayne 36
24 Asheville 36
26 Northwest Cabarrus 33
27 North Forsyth 23
28 Forestview 21
28 D.H. Conley 21
30 Northern Guilford 19
31 Nash Central 17
32 Fike 16
32 Concord 16
34 Ashbrook 11
35 Western Harnett 4
35 F.T. Foard 4
37 West Iredell 1

Combined Team Scores:
1 Charlotte Catholic 631
2 Chapel Hill 437
3 Cardinal Gibbons 416
4 Marvin Ridge 352
5 Tuscola 309
6 Jay M. Robinson 286

7 Weddington 187
8 Hickory 184
9 Cox Mill 145. 50
10 Hickory Ridge 136
11 Orange 120
12 Franklin 109. 50
13 South Central 104
13 Washington 104
15 Hibriten 92
16 West Henderson 76
17 Northern Guilford 71. 50
18 St. Stephens 67
19 South Rowan 56
20 South Brunswick 52
21 Asheville 48
22 Concord 46
23 West Carteret 41
24 Mount Pleasant 40
24 A.L. Brown 40
26 South Point 39
26 Hunt 39
28 Northwest Cabarrus 37
28 Eastern Alamance 37
30 Eastern Wayne 36
31 F.T. Foard 35
32 Forestview 31
33 D.H. Conley 28
34 North Forsyth 23
35 Ashbrook 20
36 Nash Central 18
37 Fike 17
38 R-S Central 15
39 North Iredell 13
40 Williams 12
40 Southern Nash 12
42 C.B. Aycock 11. 50
43 East Rowan 6
43 White Oak 6
45 Hunter Huss 4
45 Western Harnett 4
47 Havelock 2
47 Ledford 2
47 Rocky Mount 2
50 West Iredell 1

Robinson hopes to wrestle to state title

For most of the last year, the Concord Robinson wrestling team has worked to get back to this point. Now, the Bulldogs will have to wait a little longer as their 3A state championship match was postponed until Monday at 6 p.m. at Orange High School.

Robinson made it all the way to the 4A state semifinals in last year's state tournament before falling to Butler. This year, the Bulldogs (23-2) hope to win it all, but will have to beat two-time defending 2A state champion Orange.

But Robinson is used to good competition as the Bulldogs have won their last three playoff matches by a total of seven points, beating Anson County (37-35), Southwest Randolph (35-33) and Enka (33-30). Robinson also won the SPC conference and 3A Western Regional title.

"On paper I feel better about this match (against Orange) than I did the last two (SW Randolph and Enka), Robinson wrestling coach Dave Parisi said. "But they (Orange) aren't in the finals for no reason."

The Bulldogs are led by Coach Parisi's son Dominic. The younger Parisi, 41-2 this year, is a two-time individual state champion at the 112-lb. and 119-lb. weight classes. Parisi, who is being recruited heavily by American, Appalachian State and Virginia Tech, won 139 consecutive matches between the beginning of his sophomore year and this year (senior year), the fifth longest streak in state history. He is 156-2 in the last three seasons combined.

But Parisi doesn't have to do it all as Garrison White (119-lb.) and Davante Andujar (135-lb.) are also strong. Coach Parisi says the match against Orange could come down to four weight classes that include: Hamilton Jones (103-lb.), Jay Singleton (125-lb.), Caleb Swinson (130-lb.) and Patrick Oakley (140-lb.)

"We are very positive about our chances to win it all," Parisi said. "We know what we are capable of any time out and we know how to win."

Note: The students at Robinson are also behind their team as the school held a pep rally for the Bulldog wrestling team this week. The wrestlers were cheered on by their fellow students with a pep band as they walked down the halls.

--Jay Edwards

Concord clinches SPC basketball titles

The Concord Spiders boys' and girls' basketball teams clinched the South Piedmont Conference titles with victories over Hickory Ridge last night.

This is nothing new for the Spiders, both teams have won the regular season conference title three years in a row. This year's boys' team could become the first in school history to win three straight regular season and tournament titles if they roll through the SPC tourney as expected.

The girls won a close back-and-forth game against the Ragin' Bulls, finally outlasting Hickory Ridge 60-58. They are still undefeated in conference this year.

The boys lost to Hickory Ridge earlier this year, giving them their only SPC loss in the last three years. Concord made up for that loss with a dominant 84-59 win.

Two individual milestones during the game:

Senior Nyshia Hammonds became the school's all-time leading girl scorer after a 24-point performance pushed her career total to 1464.

Junior Jacquise Moore scored the 1,000th point of his career in the first half of Wednesday's game.

Both teams are in action again tonight (making up for snow days) at Central Cabarrus and will travel to A.L. Brown on Friday to finish out the season.

McDonald's All-American nominees announced

Cannon School's Jarrell Eddie is one of 36 nominees from North Carolina for the 2010 boys' McDonald's All-American game.

The game is a showcase of the best high school players from around the country.

View the full list of nominees at www.mcdonaldsallamerican.com/2010_Nominees.pdf.

Mount Pleasant girls' basketball helps Samaritan's Feet

The Mount Pleasant girls' basketball team is helping the Samaritan's Feet organization by collecting donations of money and shoes at their Jan. 9 game against Jay M. Robinson.

During the game, Mount Pleasant coaches will also go barefoot in support of the children in need.

Samaritan's Feet raises money and collects new shoes for needy children around the world.

300 million people wake up each morning without a pair of shoes to protect their feet from injury and disease.

"The goal of Samaritan’s Feet is to provide shoes to...these individuals in the next 10 years by teaching them a biblical story of faith, hope, and love, demonstrating those truths in touching them by washing their feet, and treating them to a new pair of shoes and socks," said the orgainzation's Web site.

Contact head coach Courtney Johnson at courtney.johnson@cabarrus.k12.nc.us for more information.

Observations from the pool deck: 3A Western Swimming Regionals

Darren Kataja, a junior on the Jay M. Robinson High School swim team, competed in two events at the 3A Western Regional swim meet on Saturday. He took time out of his day to share his experiences and impressions of the meet.

10:20 a.m.: Today is the day. The culmination of a full season of hard work. The spectacle beheld by throngs of interested viewers. The goal for many, a dream for some, but a competition for all. Oh, and after it’s over we can all watch the Super Bowl.

In about an hour and 40 minutes, the best swimmers of the 3A Western region will converge on Huntersville Aquatic Center to compete in one of the most important events of the season: regionals. The field is made only of those swimmers who have recorded an automatic standard or a very high consideration standard at some point throughout the season, making for a competitive meet.

The top twelve finishers in each event will proceed to the state meet, which is Friday in Raleigh. My team, the Jay M. Robinson Bulldogs, is lucky enough to have a high number of individual entries and relays seeded near the top.

My two events today are the 100-yard butterfly and the 100-yard backstroke. I’m the twelfth seed in the butterfly, so that’s my focus for the day.

11:15 a.m.: The pool area is crowded with parents and teams from all over the western half of North Carolina. Half of the teams are warming up now, but the rest of us are patiently and nervously waiting our turn. Almost everyone is listening to their iPods, getting pumped up.

Our coach, Beverly Kopelic, just made a speech encouraging us to “make our mark” on regionals. That is exactly what we intend to do.

11:50 a.m.: Warm-ups just ended and we are ready to swim. The pool feels fast today (yes, good swimmers can tell the difference between fast water and slow water) and my heart rate is just as fast as it should be. The purpose of warming up is to get adjusted to the pool conditions and to test out your body’s systems.

In my experience, I have felt terrible in warm-ups many times and turned out great swims, and vice versa. Every swimmer takes a different approach to warming up, and it is important to establish a routine that makes the swimmer feel the most comfortable about the coming events.

12:15 p.m.: High school meets always begin with one of the most entertaining events: the 200-yard medley relay. Four swimmers from each qualifying team compete with each swimmer doing 50 yards of a different stroke. The order is backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle. The freestyle leg never fails to be nail biting.

The Bulldog girls' relay, consisting of Alex Kirk, Meghan Masius, Katy Gilbert and Julia Greer, was the fifth seed in the event. Each girl swam well and they managed to finish fourth, meaning expectations for states are high.

The boys relay, made up of Griffin Fiedler, Chad Heiser, Rene Brown, and Forrest Cannon, carried the top seed in to the event. The team from Charlotte Catholic had their targets set on the Bulldog boys, but with a powerful breaststroke leg by Heiser and a gutsy freestyle leg by Cannon, they managed to hold off Catholic and become regional champions.

“I was nervous to the point where I couldn’t even shake,” said Cannon, a senior and captain. “Compared to last year, though, when we were fighting for the eighth spot (in 4A Regionals), this race was nice.”

1:20 p.m.: There are generally two types of swimmers on high school teams: those who swim year-round on competition teams and those whose swim season is confined to high school. It takes a strong mix of both types to create a team deep enough to be successful. Our team this year was definitely able to take advantage of a perfect mixture. It certainly is a part of the reason why the boys and girls handily won the South Piedmont Conference.

2:15 p.m.: OK, so I’m a little bit mad. I just got out of the water after my 100-butterfly race, which, if you recall, I was seeded twelfth and projected to qualify for states. I swam my best time of the season so far, faster even than what I swam only two weeks ago. With limited practice time due to the recent snow, that is definitely an accomplishment.

However, everyone else swam faster, too, and I ended up finishing 15th. Such is the cruelty of swimming. Success and failure in the sport is only partially under the control of the individual swimmer. Everything depends on the ability, mind state, training regimen and adrenaline of the opposing swimmers. The race against the clock is only part of it; you also have to race against people who have spent the whole week hearing from coaches about how “that kid Darren Kataja is only such-and-such tenths of a second ahead of you….”

There is definitely something left to be desired after my best swim of the year, but for me it will be a tasty sandwich instead of states.

Maybe I can calm myself down during these long 500-freestyle races.

3:45 p.m.: Well, the spectacle has come and gone. Charlotte Catholic High School won the meet according to the points, but the real winners are definitely those whose hard work pushed them through into a qualifying spot for states. The Bulldogs will be well represented next Friday in Raleigh, and that’s what the months of practicing is all about.

I’d love to keep going on but I’ve got to get out of here and get my homework done before the Super Bowl (the other spectacle that happens to share the day with regionals). I wonder if Drew Brees could beat me in the 100-yard butterfly….

Western Regional 3A swim meet results

Charlotte Catholic School swept the 3A Western Regional swim meet on Sunday.

Several South Piedmont Conference schools also competed in the meet, with Jay M. Robinson leading the way. The Bulldog girls' team finished fourth while the boys finished, third, giving them a fourth place finish in the combined score.

Cox Mill finished eighth in the combined score, with Hickory Ridge ninth, Concord 11th, Northwest Cabarrus 15th, Mount Pleasant tied for 17th, A.L. Brown in 20th and Central Cabarrus in 29th.

Swimmers who finished in the top-12 in their event will compete in the state meet this weekend.

Representing the SPC at states are:

Girls' 200-yard medley relay:

4. Robinson (Alex Kirk, Meghan Masius, Katy Gilbert and Julia Greer).

8. Concord (Katie Barefoot, Meridith Moore, Lucy Suddreth and Annabeth Bethune).

11. Cox Mill (Erin Wells, Taylor Rothermel, Ashley MacCoy and Bethy Beard).

Boys' 200-yard medley relay:

1. Robinson (Griffin Fielder, Chad Heiser, Rene Brown and Forrest Cannon).

3. Hickory Ridge (Ryan Steigerwalt, Adam Mulchi, Zack Lambert and Matt Icard).

6. Cox Mill (Nick Cannon, Preston Roycroft, Ethan Garrison and Clay Perry).

11. A.L. Brown (Davied Sanchez, Jackson Boone, Corey Klepper and Cole Harris).

12. Mount Pleasant (Spencer Kiessling, Michael Dilks, Kody Rice and Devon Jarman).

Girls' 200-yard freestyle:

6. Hunter Rogers (Robinson).

11. Bethy Beard (Cox Mill).

Boys' 200-yard freestyle:

2. Chad Heiser (Robinson).

7. Michael Dilks (Mount Pleasant).

9. Nick Cannon (Cox Mill).

10. Rene Brown (Robinson).

12. Brian Todd (Robinson).

Girls' 200-yard IM:

5. Addison White (Robinson).

Boys' 200-yard IM:

4. Preston Roycroft (Cox Mill).

6. Cole Harris (Brown).

11. Griffin Fiedler (Robinson).

Girls' 50-yard freestyle:

6. Julia Greer (Robinson).

10. Bethy Beard (Cox Mill).

12. Annabeth Bethune (Concord).

Boys' 50-yard freestyle:

4. Matt Icard (Hickory Ridge).

6. Ethan Garrison (Cox Mill).

7. Adam Mulchi (Hickory Ridge).

9. Forrest Cannon (Robinson).

10. Devon Jarman (Mount Pleasant).

Girls' 100-yard butterfly:

9. Katy Gilbert (Robinson).

11. Taylor Greene (Northwest Cabarrus).

12. Megan Maglione (Robinson).

Boys' 100-yard butterfly:

2. Rene Brown (Robinson).

8. Austin Rohrer (Concord).

12. Greg Leeman (Concord).

Girls' 100-yard freestyle:

4. Julia Greer (Robinson).

12. Erin Wells (Cox Mill).

Boys' 100-yard freestyle:

2. Zack Lambert (Hickory Ridge).

3. Ethan Garrison (Cox Mill).

7. Matt Icard (Hickory Ridge).

8. Adam Mulchi (Hickory Ridge).

Girls' 500-yard freestyle:

4. Hunter Rogers (Robinson).

Boys' 500-yard freestyle:

5. Austin Rohrer (Concord).

Girls' 200-yard freestyle relay:

4. Robinson (Addison White, Alex Kirk, Hunter Rogers and Julia Greer).

8. Concord (Mary Blackwelder, Brianna Clark, Lucy Suddreth and Annabeth Bethune).

9. Hickory Ridge (Jesseeca Nguyen, Nora Shafer, Anna Zinkann and Kristin Mulchi).

Boys' 200-yard freestyle relay:

2. Hickory Ridge (Zack Lambert, Ben Mack, Adam Mulchi and Matt Icard).

6. Mount Pleasant (Kody Rice, Spencer Kiessling, Devon Jarman and Michael Dilks).

8. Northwest Cabarrus (Jeff Gilley, Collin Waldrop, Sam Miller and Brian Gilley).

10. Concord (Aaron Kuhn, Myers Jones, Rob Suddreth and Austin Rohrer).

12. Robinson (Ryan Buddendeck, CJ Herron, Brian Todd and Forrest Cannon).

Girls' 100-yard backstroke:

12. Alex Kirk (Robinson).

Boys' 100-yard backstroke:

1. Zack Lambert (Hickory Ridge).

2. Davied Sanchez (Brown).

3. Jeff Gilley (Northwest Cabarrus).

5. Nick Cannon (Cox Mill).

6. Griffin Fiedler (Robinson).

7. Cole Harris (Brown).

8. Ryan Steigerwalt (Hickory Ridge).

Girls' 100-yard breaststroke:

9. Addison White (Robinson).

12. Meghan Masius (Robinson).

Boys' 100-yard breaststroke:

3. Chad Heiser (Robinson).

4. Preston Roycroft (Cox Mill).

9. Michael Dilks (Mount Pleasant).

Girls' 400-yard freestyle relay:

4. Robinson (Jessica Gomez, Katy Gilbert, Hunter Rogers and Addison White).

6. Concord (Mary Blackwelder, Brianna Clark, Lucy Suddreth and Annabeth Bethune).

7. Cox Mill (Erin Wells, Ashley MacCoy, Amanda Carter and Bethy Beard).

12. Northwest Cabarrus (Leslie Oman, Hilary Overcash, Nicole Soltis and Taylor Greene).

Boys' 400-yard freestyle relay:

3. Robinson (Rene Brown, Griffin Fiedler, Brian Todd and Chad Heiser).

4. Cox Mill (Nick Cannon, Kyle Cicenia, Preston Roycroft and Ethan Garrison).

9. Northwest Cabarrus (Jeff Gilley, Collin Waldrop, Sam Miller and Brian Gilley).

11. Concord (Rob Suddreth, Myers Jones, Greg Leeman and Austin Rohrer).

More basketball scheduling changes...

This weather is seriously messing up some scheduling. Here's the latest for a couple area schools.

Central Cabarrus at Concord Robinson, moved to tonight.
Cox Mill at Central Cabarrus: Moved up to Thursday to avoid potential weather situation Friday.

Friday basketball games rescheduled

Due to early arriving snow, many of Friday's basketball games in the area were postponed. Here's a list of postponed games in the Cabarrus area and their rescheduled date.

Concord at Central Cabarrus, ppd, Feb. 10.
Hickory Ridge at Mount Pleasant (varsity only), ppd, Wednesday 4 p.m.
A.L. Brown at Cox Mill, ppd, TBD.
Cox Mill at South Rowan, which was scheduled for Monday was moved to Feb. 8.

The Brown at Cox Mill game was rescheduled for today, but with Cabarrus County Schools out today, the game will be rescheduled again. The schools have not yet announced a new date.

Northwest Cabarrus and Jay M. Robinson played a day early on Thursday. The Northwest boys won 73-56 and the Robinson girls won 60-36.

All-South Piedmont Conference swim teams

Chad Heiser and Julia Greer of Jay M. Robinson won the South Piedmont Conference swimmers of the year award after the Bulldogs swept the conference meet.

Northwest Cabarrus' Bob Ringer won the SPC coach of the year.

Jay M. Robinson, Northwest Cabarrus, Hickory Ridge, Central Cabarrus, A.L. Brown, Concord and Mount Pleasant will compete in the Western Regional meet on Saturday. The top 12 teams move on to the state meet.

Here is a full list of the all-SPC teams.

Men

Chad Heiser (JM Robinson)

Brian Gilley (Northwest Cabarrus)
Zack Lambert (Hickory Ridge)

Jeff Gilley (Northwest Cabarrus)
Ethan Garrison (Cox Mill)

Cole Harris (AL Brown)
Rene Brown (JM Robinson)

Nick Cannon (Cox Mill)
Adam Mulchi (Hickory Ridge)

Ryan Steigerwalt (Hickory Ridge)
Davied Sanchez (AL Brown)

Kody Rice (Mount Pleasant)
Matt Icard (Hickory Ridge)

Greg Leeman (Concord)
Preston Roycroft (Cox Mill)

Darren Kataja (JM Robinson)
Austin Rohrer (Concord)

Rob Suddreth (Concord)
Griffin Fiedler (JM Robinson)

Devin Jarmon (Mount Pleasant)
Brian Todd (JM Robinson)

Michael Dalton (JM Robinson)
Michael Dilks (Mount Pleasant)

Ryan Buddendeck (JM Robinson)

Women

Julia Greer (JM Robinson)

Haley Walker (Mount Pleasant)
Hunter Rogers (JM Robinson)

Erin Wells (Cox Mill)
Addison White (JM Robinson)

Kristen Mulchi (Hickory Ridge)
Beathy Beard (Cox Mill)

Olivia McCloskey (Hickory Ridge)
Alex Kirk (JM Robinson)

Maria Buck (JM Robinson)
Katy Gilbert (JM Robinson)

Grace Koontz (JM Robinson)
Lucy Suddreth (Concord)

Taylor Carroll (JM Robinson)
Taylor Greene (Northwest Cabarrus)

Brianna Clark (Concord)
Meghan Masius (JM Robinson)

Sydney Kopelic (JM Robinson)
Megan Maglione (JM Robinson)

Leslie Oman (Northwest Cabarrus)
Annabeth Bethune (Concord)

Nora Shafer (Hickory Ridge)
Jessica Gomez (JM Robinson)

Mary Blackwelder (Concord)

Concord girls end Robinson's unbeaten streak

The Concord girls' basketball team beat Jay M. Robinson 71-68 Tuesday night at home to take the lead in the South Piedmont Conference (SPC).

The Spiders (13-5, 8-0), who have won the last two SPC crowns, were the first team this season to knock off the Bulldogs, who are now 16-1, 7-1.

Charlotte signee Nyshia Hammonds led the way for the Spiders, while Jhemelia Edwards notched her 1,000th career point for Concord.

Concord and Robinson meet again at the Bulldogs gym one week from today.

--Jay Edwards

Robinson swim teams finish regular season unbeaten

The Jay M. Robinson boys' and girls' swimming team finished the regular season a perfect 14-0 each after winning the South Piedmont Conference title (SPC) this weekend.

Robinson's girls' team won the SPC meet last Saturday by 284 over second-place Northwest Cabarrus. The Bulldogs were led by senior Julia Greer, sophomore Addison White and freshman Hunter Rogers, who all won four events - including relays.

Senior Alex Kirk added three wins as Robinson's girls claimed 10 of the 11 events in the SPC meet.

The Bulldogs boys won the SPC title as well by 81.5 points over Hickory Ridge. Junior Chad Heiser won four events, including two relays while Rene Brown won three different races (including two relays).

Both the Robinson boys and girls' swimming teams advance to the 3A Western Regional meet, February 6th at Huntersville Aquatic and Fitness Center.

Jay M. Robinson girls' basketball team unbeaten

The Jay M. Robinson girls' basketball is playing for the first time in years at the 3A level.

So far, the Bulldogs are a perfect 16-0, including 7-0 in South Piedmont conference play.

Robinson is led by senior forward, Tabby Koerner, who has committed to play for Gardner Webb next year, and is averaging 13 points and 10 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, junior Kelsee Cheek is also play big for Robinson, averaging 20 points per game. Cheek is also a Division I recruit getting interest from all over right now.

The Bulldogs may face their toughest game of the year, this Tuesday night, though when they travel to Concord, who is 11-5 overall, but also a perfect 6-0 in conference play.

The Spiders have won the last two conference titles, including the 2008 3A state championship.

Bulldog swimmers remain unbeaten

The Jay M. Robinson girls' and boys' swim teams improved to a perfect 9-0 Friday night after winning a conference meet against A.L. Brown and Central Cabarrus.

The Brown boys and girls also beat Central Cabarrus.

WOMEN:

JMR 211 Central Cabarrus 35
JMR 210 AL Brown 48
AL Brown 131 Central Cabarrus 64

MEN:

JMR 197 Central Cabarrus 75
JMR 182 AL Brown 85
AL Brown 132 Central Cabarrus 111

Parisi streak ends at 5th best in state history

Jay M. Robinson's Dominic Parisi streak reached 139 of consecutive wins matches without a loss came to an end in a wrestling tournament in New York last weekend. Parisi, who went 115-0 in the last two seasons combined, now owns the fifth longest winning streak in North Carolina history.

Parisi was chasing 144 wins in a row by Appalachian State wrestling coach John Mark Bently, when he was in high school.

"I think the streak meant a lot to (Dominic), but it also put a lot of pressure on him," Robinson coach and Dominic's father, Dave Parisi said. "I think he'll be able to focus on just going out and competing his best now."

Parisi is a two-time defending state champion at the 112-lb. and 119-lb. weight classes the past two seasons.

--Jay Edwards