Updated Wells Fargo Cup standings announced

The N.C. High School Athletic Association’s Wells Fargo Cup standings were updated Tuesday through the winter season. Jay M. Robinson, which ranks 12th in 3A with 162.5 points, is the lone Cabarrus County school in the top 15.

Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons, Marvin Ridge (362.5) and Charlotte Catholic (322.5) were the top three schools in the class, respectively.

The Wells Fargo Cup, formerly known as the Wachovia Cup, recognizes the high schools that achieve the best overall athletic performance within each of the state’s four classes. The Cup program is in its 33rd year.

Here are the 3A standings:

SCHOOL POINTS

1. Raleigh Cardinal Gibbons 517.5

2. Waxhaw Marvin Ridge 362.5

3. Charlotte Catholic 322.5

4. Chapel Hill 280

5. Asheville 207.5

6. Rocky Mount 200

7. Orange 195

8. Hickory 187.5

    West Carteret 187.5

    Northern Guilford 187.5

11. Weddington 177.5

12. Jay M. Robinson 162.5

13. Burlington Williams 160

14. North Buncombe 150

15. Berry Academy 132.5

For other classes' standings, visit the NCHSAA's website.

Coach comes home to take over Central Cabarrus football program

Courtesy of Tuscola High

Donnie Kiefer, a 1975 Central Cabarrus graduate, will return to his alma mater to take over the school’s football program.

Kiefer, who accepted the Viking job earlier this week, comes back to Concord after five seasons at Waynesville’s Tuscola High, where he had a 39-24-1 record.

A former all-conference football and baseball player for the Vikings, Kiefer has had the chance to rebuild football programs at Southwest Guilford, Gates County, Andrews, Hibriten, Roanoke and East Carteret before arriving at Tuscola in 2007. That will come handy, as Central won its first two games since 2007 last season.

Kiefer replaces Chris Shinn, who stepped down in January after three seasons as head coach.

The school plans to hold a meet-and-greet with Kiefer March 15 at 6 p.m. Parents, players and anyone in the community interested is invited to attend.

Postseason update (Feb. 21)

SPC teams stuggle in first round
After the first round of basketball playoffs, only four of the 10 Cabarrus County teams that made either the boys' or girls' 3A playoffs remain in their respective tournaments.

Concord's boys, which were coming off only their second loss of the year, and South Piedmont Conference tournament champions Jay M. Robinson are still alive in the 3A brackets. On the girls' side, the Lady Spiders and the Lady Bulldogs also won their first-round games Monday night.

Here are the scores for local teams (in bold):

Boys
Concord def. MC Michael 100-53
Charlotte Catholic def. Central Cabarrus 71-41
Jay M. Robinson def. East Rowan 66-40
Harding def. A.L. Brown 81-55
North Forsyth def. Hickory Ridge 82-69

Girls
Parkwood def. Hickory Ridge 63-43
Jay M. Robinson def. West Rowan 74-42
Anson def. Northwest Cabarrus 55-27
Concord def. Carson 68-59
Ledford def. A.L. Brown 56-20

These are the second-round match-ups (to be played Wednesday):

Boys
West Rowan at Concord 7 p.m.
Jay M. Robinson at Statesville 7 p.m

Girls
Jay M. Robinson at Anson 7 p.m.
Concord at North Iredell, 7 p.m.

Athletes gear up for wrestling championships
Five Cabarrus County wrestlers who claimed 3A Midwest regional titles this past weekend - Robinson's Garrison White (126) and Kenan Robertson (152), Hickory Ridge's Troy Gregor (113) and Josh Chapman (285) as well as Mount Pleasant's Ryan Johns (182) - will compete at the 3A state championships, which will be held Thursday through Saturday in Greensboro.

The five regional champs will be joined by the top four finishers in their respective weight classes at regionals. Here is a complete list of state qualifiers.

Updated SPC 3A basketball brackets (Feb. 16)

South Piedmont 3A

Girls (final played Friday at A.L. Brown):
No. 1 Jay M. Robinson vs. No. 2 Hickory Ridge, 6 p.m.


Boys (final played Friday at A.L. Brown):

No. 2 Jay M. Robinson vs.  No. 1 Concord, 7:30 p.m.

SPC basketball tournaments ready to tip off

The Southern Piedmont Conference basketball tournaments kicks off its first round of play today.

On the boys' side, Concord earned the No. 1 seed. The Spiders, which are coming off its first loss of the year to rival A.L. Brown Friday, finished the regular season with a 22-1 (13-1) record. The winners of tonight's games, which take place at the higher seed's gym, will play at Tuesday's semifinals at A.L. Brown.

Jay M. Robinson claimed the top seed on the girls' side in a 55-47 win against Hickory Ridge Friday. The two teams entered the regular-season finale tied for first place with a 12-1 conference record. The Lady Bulldogs are 18-6 (14-1) going into the tournament. The winners of the girls' first-round games will play at A.L. Brown Wednesday.

Finals for both boys and girls will be held at A.L. Brown Friday. Here is the schedule for tonight's games:


South Piedmont 3A
(first round at higher seed, semifinals and finals at A.L. Brown)
Boys:

No. 8 Northwest Cabarrus at No. 1 Concord 7: 30 p.m.

No. 5 Hickory Ridge at No. 4 Central Cabarrus 6 p.m.

No. 6 Cox Mill at No. 3 A.L. Brown 6 p.m.

No.  7 Mount Pleasant at No. 2 Jay M. Robinson 7:30 p.m.

Girls:

No. 8 Cox Mill at No. 1 Jay M. Robinson 6 p.m.
No. 5 A.L. Brown at No. 4 Northwest Cabarrus 6 p.m.
No. 6 Central Cabarrus at No. 3 Concord 6 p.m.
No.  7 Mount Pleasant at No. 2 Hickory Ridge 6 p.m.

Bulldog junior wins state swimming title

Junior Griffin Fiedler won the 100-yard butterfly 3A title.
Photo by freelance writer Joe Habina

Jay M. Robinson’s Griffin Fiedler won the boys’ 100-yard butterfly 3A state championship with a time of 51.37 Thursday.

The junior, who also finished second in the 200-yard freestyle, led the Bulldog boys to a fifth-place finish at the state meet. Cox Mill and A.L. Brown finished sixth and seventh, respectively, at the championships. Concord was 10th.

Kannapolis sophomore Davied Sanchez also won a state title in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 52.44.

Jay M. Robinson’s girls, led by Hunter Rogers’ fourth-place 100-yard freestyle finish, were sixth. The Lady Charger tied for eighth, while the Lady Spiders placed 12th. Mount Pleasant is 14th and Northwest Cabarrus was 16th.

For full results, check the N.C. High School Athletic Association's website.

Robinson barely misses championship match

Robinson wrestling team lost to Southwest Randolph by one point in the regional match of the NCHSAA 3A dual-team playoffs Thursday.

The Bulldogs, which beat Gastonia Ashbrook, West Henderson and North Gaston on the way to the regional championship, finishes the year 21-2.

But the wrestling season if far from over, as the state's individual regional will be held Feb. 17-18.

Cabarrus athletes ready for state indoor meet

Six of the South Piedmont Conference's eight teams will have athletes competing at Saturday's N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A/2A/3A state indoor track meet at UNC Chapel Hill's Eddie Smith Field House.

A.L. Brown, Cox Mill, Hickory Ridge, Jay M. Robinson, Mount Pleasant and Northwest Cabarrus will all be represented at the event, which kicks off at 9 a.m.

Here is a list of the local athletes participating by school:

A.L. Brown: Jose Navarette (boys' 3,200-meter run), Timmy Hall (boys' 500-meter dash), Samara Tisdale (girls' shot put), Talvanisha Lawing (girls' 55-meter hurdles, 55-meter dash), Natalie Tresslar (girls' 3,200-meter run), Lexie Petty (girls' 1,000-meter run), boys' 4x400 relay, boys' 4x800 relay, girls' 4x800 relay.

Cox Mill: Tori Elliott (girls' 55-meter dash, 300-meter dash), Alicia Tapp (girls' 1,000-meter run), Ike Washington (boys' 300-meter dash), boys 4x800 relay.

Hickory Ridge: Elizabeth Olesen (girls' high jump), Aaron Sandiffer (boys' 55-meter hurdles).

Jay M. Robinson: Clifford Buck (boys' 3,200-meter run, 1,600-meter run); Taylor Bowers (boys’ pole vault), Shay Bossard (girls' shot put), Alyssa Lashway (girls' 1,000-meter run); Brooke Johns (girls' 1,600 meter run), Natalie Andejchak (girls' 3,200-meter run, 1,600 meter run), girls' 4x800 relay, boys' 4x800 relay.

Mount Pleasant: Kayleigh Norris (girls' pole vault), Brooke Mcelwain (girls' pole vault), Colby Miller (boys' shot put).

Northwest Cabarrus: Josh Marco (boys’ pole vault), Will England (boys' 55-meter hurdles, 300-meter dash).

For a full list of qualifiers to the 1A/2A/3A state meet, check out N.C. Runners' website.