Cabarrus football playoff update - week 2

NCHSAA football
Both A.L. Brown and Concord won Friday, moving on to the third round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs. The Wonders (12-1) defeated Weddington 41-20 in the 3AA bracket, while the Spiders (10-3) routed Rockingham County 35-8 in the 3A tournament.


Here are the state quarterfinal match-ups (local teams in bold):

A.L. Brown at Charlotte Catholic

Concord at West Rowan

NCISAA football

First Assembly defeated fellow Cabarrus County team Cannon 28-3 to reach the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Divions II finals. The Eagles (8-3), the tournament's No. 2 seed, will host No. 4 seed Asheville School for the title.

Freshman places fourth in 3A cross country championship

Natalie Andrejchak

Jay M. Robinson's Natalie Andrejchak was fourth at the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A cross country championships, finishing the 5K race with a time of 19.10. The freshman led the Bulldogs to a ninth-place finish at the meet.

Northwest Cabarrus' Emma Hand was the next best Cabarrus County performer, finishing 41st with a time of 20:37. Fellow Trojan Maddie Lowe was 57th. Robinson's Alyssa Lashway was 63rd, running a 21:13, one second faster than teammate Brooke Johns.

Robinson's boys were also ninth as a team in their race. They were led by Clifford Buck's 30th place finish. McCann Sheridan and Andrew Fried were 38th and 43th, respectively.

Last SPC teams knocked out of 3A soccer playoffs

The two remaining South Piedmont Conference teams, Central Cabarrus and Hickory Ridge, were eliminated in the second round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A boys' soccer playoffs.

Central, the SPC champs, were upset 2-0 at home by West Iredell, while Hickory Ridge, the conference's No. 3 seed in the playoffs, lost 2-0 at Statesville.

Cabarrus football playoff update - week 1

NCHSAA football
Only A.L. Brown and Concord moved on to the second round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs. The Wonders defeated Ledford in the 3AA bracket, while Concord defeated South Piedmont Conference foe Northwest Cabarrus in the 3A tournament.

Here are full scores (local teams in bold):

3A
West Rowan def. Mount Pleasant 31-12
Statesville def. Cox Mill 32-22
Concord def. Northwest Cabarrus 30-6

3AA
Charlotte Catholic def. Hickory Ridge 42-14
A.L. Brown def. Ledford 54-28

Friday's games:
Rockingham County at Concord
Weddington at A.L. Brown

NCISAA football
Cannon and First Assembly both got out of the first round of the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II playoffs. Cannon upset Christ School 37-27 to win the school's first football playoff game, while defending champions First Assembly dominated a 48-29 game against North Raleigh Christian.

First Assembly (7-3) will host Cannon (6-4) Friday in the state semifinals. It will be the Concord schools first meeting of the season.

Central, Hickory Ridge move on to second round

Of the five South Piedmont Conference teams that made the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A boys' soccer playoffs, only conference champions Central Cabarrus and No. 3 Hickory Ridge got out of the first round.

Here are the scores (local teams in bold):


Statesville def. Northwest Cabarrus 6-0

Hickory Ridge def Berry Academy 2-1
North Forsyth def. Jay M. Robinson 2-0
Central Cabarrus def. Morehead 2-1
Charlotte Catholic def. Cox Mill 2-1


Second-round games have to be played by Saturday:


Hickory Ridge at Statesville

West Iredell at Central Cabarrus

Concord golfer finishes second at states

Concord junior Sarah Bertram shot a 3-over-par 75 Tuesday to lead the field on day two of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A girls' golf championships and to claim a second-place finish at the event.

Bertram finished six shots from the leader, Pikeville Charles B. Aycock's Tara Simmons, with a 161 after shooting a disappointing 86 Monday.

Mount Pleasant junior Lacy Mirovich finished tied for 12th with a 179, while Cox Mill junior Kira Aiken was tied for 21st with a 185.

To view full results from the 3A girls' golf championships, which were held at Pinehurst's Foxfire Resort and Golf Club, click here.

Cannon senior named All-CISAA

Eric Rossitch, a Cannon School senior from Concord, was named to the All-Charlotte Independent Schools Athletic Association boys’ soccer team. Rossitch led Cannon to a 6-9-3 season, including a 1-5-1 record in the CISAA. The Cougars were ousted from the 3A state tournament in a 5-1 first-round loss to Charlotte Country Day.

For a full list of All-CISAA selection, see today's high school fall sports update in the Observer.

Top five SPC teams make soccer playoffs

The N.C. High School Athletic Association released its boys' soccer playoffs Monday morning and five South Piedmont Conference teams made it into the postseason.

First-round games have to be played by Wednesday. Here are the match-ups for local teams (in bold):

No. 4 Northwest Cabarrus at No. 1 Statesville
No. 3 Hickory Ridge at No. 2 Berry Academy
No. 4 North Forsyth at No. 2 Jay M. Robinson
No. 5 Morehead at No. 1 Central Cabarrus
No. 5 Cox Mill at No. 1 Charlotte Catholic

For a full 3A bracket and more, visit the NCHSAA website.

10/31 playoff update

Football

Brackets for both the N.C. High School Athletic Association and N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association football playoffs were released during the weekend. Here are the match-ups for Cabarrus County teams (local teams in bold):


NCHSAA
3A
No. 8 Mount Pleasant at No. 1 West Rowan
No. 5 Cox Mill at No. 4 Statesville
No. 6 Northwest Cabarrus at No. 3 Concord


3AA
No. 8 Hickory Ridge at No. 1 Charlotte Catholic
No. 6 Ledford at No. 3 A.L. Brown


NCISAA

Div. II

No. 6 Cannon School at No. 3 Christ School

No. 7 North Raleigh Christian at No. 2 First Assembly


Cross country

Natalie Andrejchak led the Jay M. Robinson girls to a second-place finish in the NCHSAA 3A Midwest regionals Saturday. Robinson's Brooke Johns finished in seventh place.

Northwest Cabarrus' Maddie Lowe finished fifth in the race, advancing to states as an individual. The trojans finished sixth at regionals. A.L. Brown was fifth, Cox Mill was seventh and Hickory Ridge finished eighth.

On the boys' side, Robinson finished third behind Clifford Buck and Andrew Fried, who were sixth and seventh respectively. A.L. Brown's Jose Navarette, Northwest's Gil Gilreath and Cox Mill's Taylor Page advanced to states as individuals. Kannapolis finished seventh overall, while Cox Mill was eighth, Hickory Ridge 10th and Northwest Cabarrus was 11th.

For complete results, N.C. Runners has them compiled.

The state championships take place Saturday.


NCISAA

Cannon's Tim Gruber finished 26th at the NCISAA 3A state championships Saturday to lead the Cougars to a 10th-place finish at states. The girls, led by Darby West's 40th-place finish, were also 10th.

First Assembly finished 17th in the 2A boys regionals and 16th on the girls' side.

For complete results, check out the NCISAA's website.

SPC teams knocked out of volleyball playoffs

The three remaining SPC teams - Hickory Ridge, Cox Mill and Mount Pleasant -  were all eliminated in second-round play of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A volleyball playoffs Tuesday.

Here are Tuesday's results (local teams in bold):

North Iredell def. Mount Pleasant 3-0

Marvin Ridge def. Cox Mill 3-0
West Iredell def. Hickory Ridge 3-0

Cannon wins inaugural NCISAA girls' golf title

Cannon School's girls' golf team won the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association's state championship strokes Monday in Greensboro.

The Cougars were led by sophomore Kate Collum, who shot an 18-hole score of 75, and her freshman sister Annie, who finished fourth in the field with a 78. Cannon's Anna Redding (79) and Taylor Bunten (88) were fifth and ninth for the tournament.

Cannon finished with a score of 232 - 22 strokes ahead of Raleigh's Ravenscroft.

To read more about the Collum sister, read our article on the duo from earlier in the year.

NCISAA state championship tournament standing

1- Cannon School 232

2- Ravenscroft 254

3- Saint Mary's School 266

4- Charlotte Country Day 287

5- Durham Academy 309

6- Forsyth Country Day 318

7- Charlotte Latin 319

8- Cary Christian 332

9- Providence Day 362

All-NCISAA girls' golf state team

- Evie Dole, Ravenscroft (Player of the Year)

- Jessica Kittelberger, Ravenscroft

- Kate Collom, Cannon

- Mary Kate Holanek, Cary Christian School

- Anna Redding, Cannon

- Annie Collom, Cannon

- Cameron Little, Saint Mary's School

- Katie Seymour, Saint Mary's School

- Brook Vann, Charlotte Country Day

- Taylor Bunten, Cannon

10/24 playoff update

NCHSAA volleyball
South Piedmont Conference volleyball teams had mixed results in the first round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association's 3A playoffs.

The top three seeds - No. 1 Hickory Ridge, No. 2 Cox Mill and No. 3 Mount Pleasant - moved on to the second round, while No. 4 Concord and No. 5 Northwest Cabarrus were eliminated. Here are Saturday's scores:

North Iredell def. Concord 3-0
Mount Pleasant def. Berry Academy 3-1
Cox Mill def. Asheboro 3-0
Hickory Ridge def. Morehead 3-0
Charlotte Catholic def. Northwest Cabarrus 3-0

Second-round play will take place Tuesday at 7 p.m. Here is the schedule for the three remaining Cabarrus County teams:

Mount Pleasant at North Iredell
Cox Mill at Marvin Ridge
West Iredell at Hickory Ridge


NCISAA soccer
Both Cabarrus County soccer teams in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association boys' soccer playoffs were eliminated in first-round play Saturday. Here are the scores:

2A
St. David's School def. First Assembly 5-1

3A
Charlotte Country Day def. Cannon 5-1


NCISAA girls' tennis
Cannon, the No. 10 seed in the NCISAA girls' tennis dual team playoffs, dropped its opening match to No. 7 Charlotte Latin 9-0 Saturday. The Cougars finish the season with a 7-7 dual record.

NCISAA releases soccer, volleyball playoff brackets

Three Cabarrus County teams have made the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association girls' tennis and boys' soccer playoffs. Cannon School made both tournaments, while First Assembly qualified in soccer.

First round play is scheduled for today in the soccer bracket, while girls' tennis is slated for Saturday.

Girls' tennis
NCISAA 3A girls' tennis
No. 10 Cannon (7-6) at No. 7 Charlotte Latin (11-5)

Soccer
NCISAA 2A
No. 12 First Assembly (9-6-2) at No. 5 St. David's (14-4-1)

NCISAA 3A
No. 12 Cannon (7-8-3) at No. 5 Charlotte Country Day (11-5-2)

Five SPC teams reach 3A volleyball playoffs

Five South Piedmont Conference teams were selected to play in the  N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A volleyball playoffs. 

The SPC's top five teams - No. 1 Hickory Ridge, No. 2 Cox Mill, No. 3 Mount Pleasant, No. 4 Concord and No. 5 Northwest Cabarrus - will start play in the postseason tournament Saturday.

Here are the draws for local teams, which are highlighted:

No. 4 Concord (10-11) at No. 1 North Iredell (24-0)

No. 3 Mount Pleasant (13-9) at No. 2 Berry Academy (15-4)

No. 4 Asheboro (11-13) at No. 2 Cox Mill (18-6)

No. 5 Morehead (12-10) at No. 1 Hickory Ridge (20-4)

No. 5 Northwest Cabarrus (9-11) at No. 1 Charlotte Catholic (21-5)

For links to the full brackets, visit the NCHSAA website.

A.L. Brown, Robinson win cross country championships

A.L. Brown won the South Piedmont Conference boys’ cross country championship, while Jay M. Robinson won the girls’ title.

The Wonder boys were led by senior Jose Navarette’s second place finish. Robinson junior Clifford Buck won to lead his Bulldogs to a second-place finish. Hickory Ridge wrapped up the boys’ top three.

On the girls’ side, Robinson’s Natalie Andrejchak, Alyssa Lashway and Brooke Johns finished as the top three, respectively, to lead the Bulldogs to their title. A.L. Brown finished second while Northwest Cabarrus was third.

A.L. Brown's Brian Landis and Robinson's Justin Gutierrez were named boys' and girls' SPC Coach of the Year, respectively.

Three Cabarrus teams make girls' tennis dual playoffs

The N.C. High School Athletic Association released its girls' tennis dual team brackets Monday morning.

Three Cabarrus County teams - Cox Mill, Mount Pleasant and Northwest Cabarrus - made the playoff tournament.

The Chargers will host defending 3A champions Charlotte Catholic, while the Tigers and the Trojans will travel to East Rowan and Weddington, respectively.

First round of play is slated for tomorrow.

Here are the full 3A brackets. Local teams are bolded.

No. 1 Nash Central (15-0) at No. 1 Aycock (22-1)

No. 2 Jacksonville (12-3) at No. 1 South Brunswick (12-4)

No. 2 Eastern Wayne (13-4) at No. 1 Currituck (6-8)

No. 2 Rocky Mount (10-6) at No. 1 West Carteret (13-0)

No. 2 Chapel Hill (9-3) at No. 1 Walter Williams (15-1)

No. 2 Ledford (14-7) at No. 1 Union Pines (16-0)

No. 2 Northern Guilford (14-2) at No. 1 Asheboro (15-3)

No. 2 Western Harnett (11-4) at No. 1 Cardinal Gibbons (20-5)

No. 2 Mount Pleasant (15-2) at No. 1 East Rowan (14-0)

WC Northwest Cabarrus (11-6) at No. 1 Weddington (12-1)

No. 1 Charlotte Catholic (16-2) at No. 1 Cox Mill (14-2)

WC Marvin Ridge (11-3) at No. 1 Forestview (11-1)

No. 2 Jesse Carson (14-3) at No. 1 Hickory (15-2)

WC Harding (7-1) at No. 1 Patton (11-2)

No. 2 South Point (6-2) at No. 1 Asheville (15-3)

WC Hibriten (10-5) at No. 1 Franklin (12-2)

Kannapolis guard commits to Virginia

COURTESY OF TEVEN JONES

Former A.L. Brown basketball star Teven Jones committed to the University of Virginia Wednesday, ESPN's Dave Telep reports.

Jones, who averaged 21 points per game for the Wonders as a senior last season, is attending prep school at Fishburne Military Academy, just west of Charlottesville, Va. He is the fourth pledge of a 2012 Cavalier class that some analysts rank among the nation’s top 15. The point guard will join center Mike Tobey as well as forwards Evan Nolte and Justin Anderson at Virginia next season.

"They see me fitting in there as a point guard," Jones told ESPN.com. "Their point guard is going to be a senior next year. With their recruiting class, they feel like I'm a steal because I was underrated a lot."

Jones was also an All-South Piedmont Conference wide receiver for the A.L. Brown football team.


- Freelance writer Jay Edwards contributed

Cougars ready to host invitational

Cannon School will the host the 13th annual Cannon Cross Country Invitational Sept. 10 at 8:15 a.m. Thirty-four schools from all over the region, both public and private, will participate in the meet. With more than 1,100 runners competing in varsity, junior varsity and middle school divisions, it will be the largest Cannon Invitational to date.

“With many teams and several top individuals returning to this year’s meet from last year’s record performances, it is shaping up to be one of the most competitive Cannon Invitationals ever,” said Russ Campbell, Cannon’s cross country coach.

Participating high schools include:

Augusta (Ga.) Prep

Cannon School

Central Cabarrus

Charlotte Country Day

Charlotte Latin

Cox Mill

Hickory Ridge

Jay M. Robinson Concord

Mount Pleasant

North Raleigh Christian

-Staff reports

Longtime Mount Pleasant AD has new job

Cabarrus County Schools superintendent Barry Shepherd announced a new appointment in his school system.

Gary Calamari, a longtime Cabarrus County Schools employee, has been named system's athletic director by the Board of Education.

Calamari joined Cabarrus County Schools in 1990 as a football and track coach at Northwest Cabarrus Middle. In 1994, he joined the staff at Mount Pleasant High as athletic director, serving in a number of coaching and administrative capacities. During his time at Mount Pleasant, he served as junior varsity as well as varsity football coach, softball coach and athletic conference president.

"I want to extend my thanks to Gary for his continued service to Cabarrus County Schools and wish him all the best as he begins his new assignment," said Shepherd in a statement.

Robinson pitcher commits to Winthrop

Jay M. Robinson pitcher Dallas King verbally committed to Winthrop University last night.

The rising senior went 16-5 with a 1.37 ERA while also hitting .380 for her Bulldog team. King also plays for the Carolina Angels, a Fort-Mill based showcase team where she is one of the top players this summer.

King is a two-time All-South Piedmont Conference and all-state selection with a 38-9 record in the past two seasons. She also has a 4.4 grade-point average in the classroom.

- Freelance writer Jay Edwards

Koerner, Seager named all-state

The N.C. Baseball Coaches Association named two local players, Jay M. Robinson's Brody Koerner and Northwest Cabarrus' Corey Seager, to its 3A all-state team.

Koerner was 6-3 on the mound for the Bulldogs while also recording 108 strikeouts and a 1.51 ERA. The rising senior was named the South Piedmont Conference Pitcher of the Year. Koerner, a Clemson commit, led Robinson (14-10, 9-6) to a fourth-place conference finish. The Bulldogs were the SPC tournament runners-up.

Seager had another good season as he led his Trojans (18-8, 12-2) to a share of the SPC regular season championship. The shortstop, who has committed to play at South Carolina, seems to be following in the footsteps of his older brother, Kyle, on his way to NCAA and possibly professional baseball. His other brother, Justin, plays at UNC Charlotte.

Here is a complete list of the NCBCA 3A all-state baseball team:

Parker Lamm, Wilson Hunt
Benton Moss, Rocky Mount
Seth Bresseale, Union Pines
Peter Owens, Chapel Hill
Jordan Deloatch, DH Conley
Zach Mozingo, Eastern Wayne
Ryne Rush, Asheboro
Brody Koerner, J.M. Robinson
Nick Monroe, Eastern Alamance
Sean Grant, West Iredell
Alex Jensen, Charlotte Catholic
Jordan Newsome, Weddington
Josh Vales, Currituck
Brian Hardy, North Lenoir
Corey Seager, Northwest Cabarrus
Colby Fox, North Buncombe
Kevin Wise, Southern Wayne
Jon Taylor, CB Aycock
Garrett Brown, Erwin
Spencer Wiles, Belmont South Point
Jeffrey Springs, Belmont South Point (2011 3-A Player of the Year)
Dylan Baker, West Henderson
Chastin Radford, North Lenoir
John Edwards, Jacksonville
Luis Paula, Northeast Guilford
Damon Hogg ard, West Carteret
Pete Guy, Ledford

Seager recalled to Triple-A

Photo courtesy of Ben Van Houten/Seattle Mariners

After a 15-day stint with the Seattle Mariners, former Northwest Cabarrus baseball player Kyle Seager was optioned back to Class AAA Tacoma, Wash., the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports.

Seager, who was drafted in 2009 out of North Carolina, only had three hits in his 15 days in the majors. The 23-year-old had been called up to the MLB on July 6, making his debut the next day against the Angels in Anaheim, Calif.

Kyle Seager makes MLB debut

Former Northwest Cabarrus and North Carolina baseball standout Kyle Seager made his Major League Baseball debut for the Seattle Mariners Thursday.

The 23-year-old Kannapolis native, who started his first game at third base against the L.A. Angels, was called up by the Mariners after spending less than two weeks at Class AAA Tacoma (Wash.) Rainiers.

He batted .455 and hit two home runs and 12 RBIs for the team after being bumped up from Class AA Jackson (Tenn.) Generals June 23.

Seager hit .312 and recorded 37 RBIs and 25 doubles in 66 games for the Generals, being named to the Southern League All-Star Game.

Seager, who was drafted in 2009, led UNC to three consecutive NCAA College World Series.

Seager went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in his MLB debut. Seager, his former Tar Heel teammate Dustin Ackley, Seattle's second baseman, and the rest of the Mariners will again take on the Angels tonight.

Kannapolis native Kyle Seager (left), who was just called up to the majors, can't make the tag on time as L.A. Angels shortstop Erick Aybar slides at third base. AP photo

Kyle Seager was an All-American standout at Northwest Cabarrus. File photo - John W. Adkisson

Cabarrus softball players named all-state

Five Cabarrus County softball players were named all-state by the North Carolina Softball Coaches Association.

Here is a list of the honorees:

Central Cabarrus
- Tori Cragan (Junior)

Jay M. Robinson
- Dallas King (Junior)
- Megan Crowe (Senior)

Hickory Ridge
- Ally Yeager (Junior)

Northwest Cabarrus
- Andrea Jones (Senior)

Bulldogs win SPC Wachovia Conference Cup

Jay M. Robinson claimed its second consecutive South Piedmont 3A Wachovia Conference Cup after winning the boys' tennis and boys' golf titles as well as a share of the girls' soccer championship.

The Wachovia Conference Cup is awarded to schools with the best overall interscholastic athletic performance in their conference. According to the N.C. High School Athletic Association, points are awarded based on participation and standings in conference play. Each conference determines its own method of awarding points.

Hickory Ridge, who won the boys' track and field title, finished second in the cup standings while Cox Mill was third after winning a share of the girls' soccer title and finishing second in boys' golf.

Here are the SPC Wachovia Conference Cup standings:

1. Jay M. Robinson - 792.5

2. Hickory Ridge - 712.5

3. Cox Mill - 647.5

4. Concord - 642.5

5. Mount Pleasant - 565

6. A.L. Brown - 563.5

7. Northwest Cabarrus - 562.5

8. Central Cabarrus - 365

Quick hits: May 16

SPC baseball teams see mixed results in first round

Northwest Cabarrus and Jay M. Robinson were the only two South Piedmont Conference teams that made it out of the first round of play in the NCHSAA 3A baseball playoffs. The Trojans (18-7) will host Parkwood tomorrow, while the Bulldogs (15-10) will travel to Marvin Ridge. Here are first-round scores for SPC teams:

Weddington 8 - Hickory Ridge 4

NW Cabarrus 8 - North Forsyth 0

Mt. Pleasant 0 - Jesse Carson 1

Marvin Ridge 9 - Cox Mill 2

West Iredell 0 - Jay M. Robinson 5

Cox Mill girls finishes third at 3A track and field meet

Behind junior Tori Elliott's performance, Cox Mill finished tied for third place at last weekend's 3A track and field championships. Elliott won the long jump, while also finishing second in the 100- and 200-meter races as well as leading the Charger 4x100 team to a second-place finish. Cox Mill's Ameenah Bey Shaw also helped, finishing second in the triple jump

The Chargers finished the meet with a score of 42, only nine points behind state champions Winterville South Central.

Concord, behind Juanita Leto's second-place finishes in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles, finished 17th with 16 points. Hickory Ridge was 22nd, while A.L. Brown and Jay M. Robinson finished 30th and 36th, respectively.

The Trojans' Jill Moore claimed the 100-, 200-, 400- and 800-meter wheelchair titles.

Robinson boys place 7th in state track meet

Braedon Koerwitz's state championship in the 1,600-meter race helped Jay M. Robinson finish seventh at Friday's 3A track and field meet. Neshawn Dingle also contributed by finishing second in the state in the boys' shot put.

The Bulldogs wrapped up the meet with a score of 25, which was 17 points behind state champions Fayetteville Douglas Byrd.

Hickory Ridge finished 11th, while Northwest Cabarrus and Mount Pleasant tied for 29th place. Central Cabarrus (32nd) and A.L. Brown (42nd) also saw representation at the meet.

For full track and field results from the 3A state meet, click here.

3A softball brackets announced

Five South Piedmont Conference teams made it into the 3A softball playoffs. Here are the matchups for local teams. Games will be held Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Central Cabarrus at Parkwood

S. Guilford at Northwest Cabarrus

Jesse Carson at Jay M. Robinson

Cox Mill at Marvin Ridge

Hickory Ridge at N. Iredell

For the 3A West softball brackets, go here.

Cougars named No. 1 seed in softball playoffs

After a 15-2 year, the Cannon softball team claimed the NCISAA 3A softball championships' top seed. Here are the brackets for the tournament, which kicks off today:

No. 1 Cannon School vs. No. 8 Charlotte Country Day

No. 5 Charlotte Latin vs. No. 4 Providence Day

No. 3 High Point Christian vs. No. 6 Wesleyan Christian

No. 7 Cary Academy vs. No. 2 Hickory Grove

First Assembly, Cannon soccer wrap up season

The First Assembly and Cannon girls' soccer teams both lost its opening games in the NCISAA 2A playoffs to finish their seasons. The Eagles lost 3-0 to the tournament's top seed, Caldwell Academy, while the Cougars dropped a 3-1 game to Greensboro Day School. First Assembly wraps up the year with a 6-9-3 record, while Cannon finishes 6-10-4.

Eagle baseball reaches second round

First Assembly's baseball squad claimed a 3-2 win against Asheville Christian in a close 12-inning game Friday in the first round of the NCISAA 2A playoffs. The Eagles (12-9) will play No. 1-overall seed Kerr-Vance Academy (20-6) Tuesday. The game will be held in Hendersonville.

Cougars to fact top boys' lacrosse seed

Cannon won its first-round game against Greensboro Day School 15-5 to reach the second round of the NCISAA boys' lacrosse championships. The Cougars (5-13) will travel to Asheville to face No. 1 seed Christ School Tuesday.

Bulldogs in state quarterfinals

The Jay M. Robinson boys' tennis team will travel to Charlotte Catholic Tuesday in sectional finals for the NCHSAA dual tennis tournament. The Bulldogs are playing for a chance to go to the state semifinals. The match will be held at 4 p.m.

Cannon tennis wins

Cannon's boys' tennis team (8-8) won its first-round match in the NCISAA dual team tennis championships. The Cougars, which defeated North Raleigh Christian 7-2 Friday, will play No. 1 seed Providence Day (17-2) Tuesday.

Baseball playoff brackets set

The NCHSAA announced its high school baseball playoff brackets today.

Five South Piedmont Conference teams - Northwest Cabarrus, Mount Pleasant, Hickory Ridge, Jay M. Robinson and Cox Mill - made it into the 3A postseason tournament.

For a full 3A West bracket, click here.

Playoff play is set to begin Friday.

Cone wraps up Bulldog career with 4th-place finish

Trevor Cone finished his Jay M. Robinson golf career with a fourth-place finish in the 3A boys' golf state championship. The senior shot a 36-hole score of 142, which was two-under-par for the tournament. His teammate, fellow senior Tom Farrell shot a 153 for the championship.

Hickory's J.T. Poston won his second consecutive state title, shooting a N.C. record low score of 131.

The Bulldogs finished team play in sixth place, shooting a team score of 623 (311 Monday and 312 Tuesday). They were 44 strokes behind state champions Burlington Williams.

Quick hits: May 10

Newsome is new Wonders coach

There were big news coming out of Kannapolis Monday night, as Mike Newsome was announced as the new football coach at A.L. Brown. Newsome, who led Butler to back-to-back 4AA state championships, will take over for Ron Massey. He starts at Kannapolis July 1. For a full article, click here.

Bulldogs still in contention for state title

The Jay M. Robinson boys' golf team was in sixth place after the first day of play at the 3A state championship tournament. Senior Trevor Cone's one-under 71 led the way for the Bulldogs, who had a team score of 311, 23 shots behind first-place Gastonia Forestview.

Robinson's Chris Johnson shot a 76, while Tom Farell had a 79. Concord individual qualifier Wainwright Ritchie shot a 74 thru the first 18 holes.

Hickory's J.T. Poston, last year's individual champion, is leading the way again, shooting a NCHSAA record nine-under 63 in the first day.

SPC softball tourney starts today

The South Piedmont Conference softball tournament gets under way tonight. Want previews for every team? You can read freelance writer Jay Edwards' article from this week's Cabarrus News.

Chargers ranked in Observer's girls' soccer Sweet 16

The Cox Mill soccer team is ranked 16th in the Observer's area rankings. This marks the first time the second-year school has been ranked in the Sweet 16. The Chargers will face South Iredell Wednesday in the first round of the NCHSAA 3A soccer playoffs.

Girls' soccer playoff brackets announced

The N.C. High School Athletic Association announced its girls' soccer playoff brackets this morning.

Five Cabarrus County teams claimed spots in the postseason tournament, which begins Wednesday.

Jay M. Robinson, the South Piedmont Conference's No. 1 seed, will host North Forsyth, while Cox Mill will play West Iredell. Mount Pleasant will travel to Marvin Ridge, while Hickory Ridge will face Statesville and Northwest Cabarrus will play Weddington.

For a complete 3A West playoff bracket, click here.

Bulldogs, Wainwright headed to state golf championship

At Monday's boys' golf 3A West Regional, Jay M. Robinson qualified for states as a team while Concord's Wainwright Ritchie took one of the individual spots for next week's 3A golf championship.

Jay M. Robinson, which finished the regional event in second place with a score of 311, was led by regional medalist Trevor Cone. The senior led the field with a 2-under-par 70.

Marvin Ridge (297) finished first while Charlotte Catholic (320) was third to wrap up the state-qualifying teams. The 3A state meet will be held May 9-10 at Foxfire Country Club near Pinehurst.

Here is a list of how Cabarrus County golfers did at Monday's regional:

3A West Region team scores

Central Cabarrus (335)

1. Drew Riley, 83
2. JJ Howard, 85
3. Tim Debarge, 96
4. Austin Kiker, 81
5. Stephen Hartsel, 97
6. Christian Campbell, 86

Cox Mill (330)

1. Eric Baumann, 82
2. Brandon Cordell, 81
3. Garrett Ray, 81
4. Justin Westveer, 86
5. John Marston, 114
6. Austin Albers, 94

Jay M. Robinson 311*

1. Trevor Cone, 70*
2. Tom Farrell, 73*
3. AT Cashwell, 86*
4. Andrew Geddes, 82*
5. Chris Johnson, 89*
6. Bret Fortin, 89*

Mount Pleasant (348)

1. Mitchell Swaringen, 82
2. Avery Suggs, 93
3. Luke Widenhouse, 90
4. Nathan Bryant, 97
5. Trey Swaringen, 95
6. Hayden Carroll, 83

3A West Region individual scores

A.L. Brown

1. Jared DeVlieger, 80
2. Andrew Leslie, 87

Concord

1. Wainwright Ritchie, 74*
2. Seth Roberts, 84

*State qualifier

Tennis dual playoffs get under way

Three Cabarrus County teams - Jay M. Robinson, Concord and Hickory Ridge - will begin their pursuit of a state title in the 3A boys' tennis dual playoffs today.

The Bulldogs (15-0) will host Parkwood, the Spiders (13-2) will travel to Charlotte Catholic, while Hickory Ridge will travel to Hickory for the first round of play, which starts today at 4 p.m.

Here are the 3A tennis pairings:

• Weddington at Statesville
• Parkwood at Jay M. Robinson
• Concord at Charlotte Catholic
• Crest at Marvin Ridge
• East Rowan at Freedom
• Asheville at West Henderson
• West Rowan at Forestview
• Hickory Ridge at Hickory

SPC baseball tourney begins

The South Piedmont Conference baseball tournament gets under way today.

Northwest Cabarrus, the defending champion, is the No. 1 seed in the tournament and will host the semifinal and final games tomorrow and Thursday respectively. Today's first-round games are held at the higher seeds' stadiums at 6:30 p.m.

To read a team-by-team preview by freelance writer Jay Edwards, click here.

Here are tonight's first-round matchups:

No. 1 Northwest Cabarrus vs. No. 8 A.L. Brown

No. 4 Jay M. Robinson vs. No. 5 Cox Mill

No. 3 Mount Pleasant vs. No. 6 Concord

No. 2 Hickory Ridge vs. No. 7 Central Cabarrus

State wrestling champ signs with UNC Pembroke

Concord senior Nathanael Torrence signed to continue wrestling at UNC Pembroke Thursday.

Torrence, who won the 3A 145-pound state championship earlier this year, had a standout Spider career. A three year Concord starter, he finished high school with a 139-20 record, including a 72-2 pin record. Torrence qualified to states all three years on varsity, finishing third in the 140-pound class last season.

He was named All-South Piedmont Conference twice and NCHSAA Scholar Athlete three times.

Front row (from left): Sam Helms (step father), Debra Cook (mother), Nathanael Torrence, Mike Torrence (father), Shirley Torrence (step mother); Top row (from left): Concord High principal Carla Black, athletic director George Walker, wrestling coach Michael Carty, assistant coaches Paul Proper and Dave Fowlie. Photo courtesy of CHS.

SPC softball heats up

Five South Piedmont Conference teams are still on the hunt of a conference title.

Central Cabarrus, Cox Mill, Hickory Ridge, Jay M. Robinson and Northwest Cabarrus are all on top of the conference standings. The five teams have three SPC losses each, meaning that any of them can be crowned champions depending on how they perform the last few weeks of the season.

Coming into the week, Hickory Ridge was on top of the standings, but after suffering their third loss to Cox Mill Monday night, things in the conference got more interesting.

Check out tomorrow's Cabarrus News to read about the Trojans' senior class and how big they've come for their team.

Here is the schedule for the last two weeks of conference play:

Today:
Concord @ Hickory Ridge - 5:30 p.m.
Central Cabarrus @ Cox Mill - 6 p.m.
Jay M. Robinson @ Mount Pleasant - 6:30 p.m.

Thursday:
Northwest Cabarrus @ Cox Mill - 5:30 p.m.
Hickory Ridge @ Jay M. Robinson - 6 p.m.
Central Cabarrus @ Mount Pleasant - 6:30 p.m.

May 3:
Concord @ Northwest Cabarrus - 5:30 p.m.
Mount Pleasant @ Cox Mill - 6 p.m.
Hickory Ridge @ Central Cabarrus - 6 p.m.
A.L. Brown @ Jay M. Robinson - 5:30 p.m.

May 4:
Cox Mill @ Hickory Ridge - 6 p.m.
Central Cabarrus @ A.L. Brown - 5:30 p.m.

May 6:
Northwest Cabarrus @ Mount Pleasant - 5:30 p.m.
Jay M. Robinson @ Concord - 5:30 p.m.
Central Cabarrus @ A.L. Brown - 5:30 p.m.

Note: Some teams will play out of conference squads during next week's spring break. For complete schedules, visit your school's website.

Tiger signs to play college soccer

Mount Pleasant's Madison Sapp commited to play women's soccer at Stanly Community College next year. The senior signed in a ceremony at the high school, accompanied by her father, Mack, and mother, April, as well Mount Pleasant assistant coach Kate Williams and head coach Kelly Williams.

Sapp's Tigers are 9-3 (5-3 in the South Piedmont Conference) and will travel to Hickory Ridge tomorrow. The game is at 6 p.m.

(Front row, from left) Mack Sapp, Madison Sapp, April Sapp; (Back row, from left) Assistant girls' soccer coach Kate Williams and head soccer coach Kelly Williams. Photo courtesy of Gary Calamary.

Northwest Cabarrus leads baseball standings

With three games left in the South Piedmont Conference regular season, Northwest Cabarrus is still in first place in conference standings after a win Tuesday against A.L. Brown.

Second-place Jay M. Robinson kept up their pace, defeating Mount Pleasant Tuesday, while third-place Hickory Ridge won their game against Concord.

The Trojans will face the Wonders again Friday before playing an non-conference game against Mooresville. They will close out the regular season with two games against Cox Mill. The path to back-to-back SPC regular season championships looks easy, but Northwest can't get overconfident the next two weeks.

Here are last night's scores and the updated conference standings:

April 12 SPC baseball scores

Northwest Cabarrus 10 - A.L. Brown 5
Cox Mill 10 - Central Cabarrus 7
Robinson 11 - Mount Pleasant 1
Hickory Ridge 14 - Concord 0

SPC baseball standings

Team	SPC wins	SPC losses	Games behind
Northwest Cabarrus	10	1	-
Jay M. Robinson	9	2	1
Hickory Ridge	7	4	3
Mount Pleasant	6	5	4
Central Cabarrus	4	7	6
Cox Mill	4	7	6
Concord	3	8	7
A.L. Brown	1	10	9

Bulldogs continue SPC golf dominance

Trevor Cone led Robinson to another SPC tournament title. Photo courtesy of Col. Dick Heftner.

Jay M. Robinson won the South Piedmont Conference boys' golf tournament title Monday with a team score of 318 at Rocky River Golf Club in Concord.

The Bulldogs were led by Trevor Cone, who shot an 18-hole, two-under-par round of 70. The senior was named SPC Golfer of the Year for the second year in a row. The Bulldogs' coach, Col. Dick Hefner, received conference Coach of the Year honors.

At the tournament meet, Cox Mill (340) was second with Central Cabarrus (348) wrapping up the top three. Wainwright Ritchie finished second individually with a round of 78 followed by fellow Spider Seth Roberts at 79.

With the regular season coming to an end, Robinson, Central Cabarrus, Cox Mill and Mt. Pleasant qualified for May 2's regional meet at Cabarrus Country Club. Ritchie and Roberts along with A.L. Brown's Jared DeVlieger and Andrew Leslie qualified as individuals.

The all-conference team was also announced Monday. Here is a list of the golfers who were honored:

• Jared DeVlieger (A.L. Brown)
• Drew Riley (Central Cabarrus)
• Wainwright Ritchie (Concord)
• Seth Roberts (Concord)
• Eric Baumann (Cox Mill)
• Brandon Cordell (Cox Mill)
• Garrett Ray (Cox Mill)
• Justin Westveeer (Cox Mill)
• Trevor Cone (Robinson)
• Tom Farrell (Robinson)
• A.T. Cashwell(Robinson)
• Andrew Geddes (Robinson)

SPC golf wraps up regular season today

South Piedmont Conference golfers have had a busy week, having three golf meets in as many days.

At Irish Creek Country Club Monday, Jay M. Robinson took top honors with a team score of 161. Cox Mill was second with a 170 while Mt. Pleasant rounded out the top three with a 174. Individual honors went to Trevor Cone (Robinson) and Wainwright Ritchie (Concord). Both golfers carded 39s. Andrew Geddes (Robinson) finished third with a 40.

During Tuesday's action at Skybrook, the Bulldogs continued its run with a team score of 157. Cox Mill was second with a 167 and Central Cabarrus was close behind with a 171. Cone, Ritchie and Geddes finished in the top three spots respectively. Cone finished his round with a one-under par 35, while Ritchied shot a 38 and Geddes finished with a 39.

The SPC will hold its regular season finale today at Green Oaks Golf Course at 3:30 p.m. This match will determine the four teams that will move on to next month's Regional. Heading into the meet, the top four teams in the conference are Robinson, Cox Mill, Central Cabarrus and Mt. Pleasant. A.L. Brown has a chance to break into the top four with a strong finish today.

The SPC Conference Tournament will be at Rocky River Golf Club in Concord Monday at 1 p.m.

We're back!

Sorry for the long period of inactivity! I will be again posting news and links about Cabarrus County sports that I come across on here. I get a lot of information that we can't fit in our papers, so expect regular updates about Concord, Harrisburg, Mount Pleasant and Kannapolis sports.

If you have any information or tips, let me know. Just e-mail me at stovar@newsofcabarrus.com. Look forward to hearing from you!