All-SPC 3A basketball, wrestling honors

All-South Piedmont Conference boys’ basketball team

Reid Aube, Concord

Darren Black, Concord

Connor Burchfield, Concord

Jerry Burk, Concord

Derrick Copeland, A.L. Brown

Tevin Stark, A.L. Brown

J.D. Murray, Northwest Cabarrus

Andrew Wheet, Northwest Cabarrus

Matt Morgan, Cox Mill

William Scott, Robinson

Jordan McKenzie, Robinson

Nick Hough, Hickory Ridge

PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

Derrick Copeland – A.L. Brown

COACH OF THE YEAR:

Shelwyn Klutz – A.L. Brown

All-South Piedmont Conference girls’ basketball team

Madison Fulford, Robinson

Rachel Cook, Robinson

Kelsi Mahoney, Robinson

Shatya Bost, Northwest Cabarrus

Nakiah Black, Concord

Danica Ford, Concord

Divonnie Powell, Central Cabarrus

Raven Pfifer, A.L. Brown

Autona Grant, A.L. Brown

Kiana Davis, Hickory Ridge

Aalyan Earl, Cox Mill

Victoria Harper, Mount Pleasant                                                   

PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

Divonnie Powell – Central Cabarrus

COACH OF THE YEAR:

Kate Jenis – Cox Mill

All-South Piedmont Conference wrestling team

David Cline, 106, Robinson

Heath Gleaton, 113, Central Cabarrus

Nick Sexton, 113, A.L. Brown

Troy Gregor, 120, Hickory Ridge

Richard White, 120, A.L. Brown

Jonah Swinson, 126, Robinson

Benny Guadarrama, 132, Northwest Cabarrus

Hamilton Jones, 138, Robinson

Kyle Ocker, 145, Cox Mill

Jake Glunt, 152, Robinson

Kenan Robertson, 160, Robinson

Shane Lawless, 160, Central Cabarrus

Blake Hooks, 170, Mount Pleasant

Xavier Medina, 170, Robinson

Ryan Johns, 182, Mount Pleasant

Demetrey Benton, 182, Hickory Ridge

Tommy McCrimmon. 195, Mount Pleasant

Harrison Marchese, 220, Robinson

Nico McClure, 285, A.L. Brown

PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

Kenan Robertson – Robinson

COACH OF THE YEAR:

Jerome Davis – Robinson

Four Cabarrus County wrestlers win titles

Central Cabarrus, Jay M. Robinson and Hickory Ridge wrestlers claimed state championships at Saturday's N.C. High School Athletic Association wrestling tournament at Greensboro Coliseum.

The first champion of the night was Robinson 160-pounder Kenan Robertson. The senior defeated Hillsborough Orange's David Peters-Logue in a hard-fought 2-1 decision to win his weight-class title.

“This is the best,” said Robertson. “Everything I’ve done in my life – every practice I went to – all comes up to this moment: winning tfhis, being a state champ.”

Robertson, who also won the 160-pound South Piedmont Conference and 3A Midwest regional titles, finished his senior season with a 47-3 record.

His teammate, Robinson 106-pounder David Cline, was next county wrestler to win a championship.

Cline, a freshman, pinned his opponents, Orange's Joe Scott, in 55 seconds.

"He just walked into that one," said Cline. "He went out there and he gave me my best move."

Cline, who finished his year 53-6, credited his fellow Bulldogs for his early success.

"I had great practice partners who helped me get better, get through everything," he said. "If I didn't have them, I wouldn't be here."

Robinson also placed Morris Andujar (sixth at 120), Jonah Swinson (sixth at 126), Hamilton Jones (fourth at 138) and Jake Glunt (third at 152) to finish as 3A team runner-up.

"We've worked really hard," said proud Bulldogs' coach Jerome Davis. "You couldn't ask for a better group of kids."

At 113 pounds, Central Cabarrus' Heath Gleaton became the first Viking wrestler to win a state title since 2005 by defeating East Rowan's Jason Deutsch 11-4.

"It's amazing," the junior said. "I've worked all season as long as hard as I could, trained hour after hour and this is the results. It's paid off."

Gleaton was tied 2-2 at the beginning of the third period, but his aggressiveness allowed him to get a few takedowns and a near fall to build up a 11-2 lead.

"I just kept pushing myself," said Gleaton, who was 45-2 this season. "I figured that if I took him down one time, I could take him down again and break his will."

In the last match of the night, Hickory Ridge junior Troy Gregor won the 120-pound 3A title.

"It's a dream," said Gregor, who defeated Asheboro's Sawyer Davidson 8-2 to finish his year 43-2.

"I'm really proud of myself. I just want to keep working hard, keep achieving goals. ... It starts from here. This is just the beginning."

Gregor is the Ragin' Bulls' first-ever state wrestling champion.

"It means the world," said Hickory Ridge coach Patrick Helm. "He's a great kid. ... He leads our team by example. He's not a real big 'rah-rah' type of guy, but when he steps on the mat, he's all business.

Four individual state champions is one of the best performances Cabarrus County wrestlers have ever had in one year.

Gleaton credits that to the competition area wrestlers face.

"We've got a real tough conference," he said.

Concord ousted in sectional final

Concord's boys' basketball team lost to Harding 71-65 in the third round of the NCHSAA 3A playoffs to end its season on Friday night.

The Spiders, the SPC regular-season champions, finished their year 24-3.

Cabarrus athletes to wrestle for state titles

Four Cabarrus County wrestlers will compete for state championships Saturday at the N.C. High School Athletic Association wrestling tournament at Greensboro Coliseum.

Jay M. Robinson’s David Cline (106 pounds) and Kenan Robertson (160) as well as Central Cabarrus’ Heath Gleaton (113) and Hickory Ridge’s Try Gregor (120) reached the 3A state championship matches in their respective weight classes.

For more, see the full brackets.

Chargers win SPC tourney, have coaches reinstated (updated)

Cox Mill hit a half-court shot in the closing seconds of the South Piedmont Conference boys' basketball tournament championship to defeat A.L. Brown 54-53 and win its first tourney title.

The Chargers, the tournament's No. 4 seed, defeated the top-seeded teams - Concord and Brown, respectively - to win the title.

Cox Mill's celebration didn't last long. The Chargers will allegedly be without coach Brad Hinson and assistant coach Jody Barbee for their first playoff game in school history.

The coaches were allegedly suspended after taking part in a Harlem Shake video with their players. NBC Charlotte sportscaster Chris Clark has the video on his Facebook page.

UPDATE: Our friends at WCNC are now reporting that Hinson and Barbee have been reinstated.

Just talked with Cox Mill officials. They told me Brad Hinson and Jody Barbee will be on the sidelines coaching tonight against Berry.
— Chris Clark (@Cdclarksports) February 25, 2013

Cox Mill will host Berry Academy on Monday for a first-round 3A playoff game. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Lady Bulldogs claim SPC crown

Jay M. Robinson defeated Concord 43-28 in the SPC girls' basketball tournament finals.

The Bulldogs, which have not lost a game to SPC opponents this season, also won the regular-season conference title.

Robinson will host East Rowan today at 7 p.m. to open postseason play.

Local playoff matchups 

The N.C. High School Athletic Association released its basketball playoff brackets during the weekend. Here are the first-round matchups for local teams (in bold):

Boys tournament

(16) Central Cabarrus (10-15) at (1) Concord (22-2)

(14) Northwest Cabarrus (15-9) at (3) Statesville (20-3)

(11) Kannapolis A.L. Brown (19-7) at (6) North Forysth (20-6)

(10) Charlotte Berry Academy (13-10) at (7) Concord Cox Mill (17-10)

Girls tournament

(16) Kannapolis A.L. Brown (9-15) at (1) Ledford (23-3)

(13) Northwest Cabarrus (12-12) at (4) Weddington (20-6)

(14) East Rowan (15-10) at (3) Concord Jay Robinson (22-5)

(10) Concord (16-9) at (7) Southwestern Randolph (19-5)

(15) Central Cabarrus (10-16) at (2) Charlotte Harding University (18-4)

Eagles are state runner-up

First Assembly's boys' basketball team was the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 2A runner-up, losing to back-to-back state champion Northside Christian Academy 84-63 in Saturday's finals.

The Eagles reached the finals with a 49-43 win against Gaston Day School.

First Assembly was led by all-state senior Kriston Beasley.

The Lady Eagles also had an all-state selection. Eighth-grader Zaria Wright was also honored.

Bulldogs lead way at 3A Midwest wrestling regionals

Robinson wrestlers David Cline (106 pounds), Jake Glunt (152) and Kenan Robertson (160) won individual wrestling titles at the 3A Midwest regional tournament this past weekend to lead the Bulldogs' six state qualifiers

Central Cabarrus' Heath Gleaton (113), Hickory Ridge's Troy Gregor (120), Mount Pleasant's Ryan Johns (182) and Concord's Michael Simpson (195) also claimed regional championships.

Here are the full 3A Midwest results as well as the list of 3A state qualifiers and the 3A championship brackets.

The 3A state tournament will be held Thursday-Saturday in Greensboro.

Rirst ead more here: http://lknprepsports.blogspot.com/#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://lknprepsports.blogspot.com/#storylink=cpy

First Assembly reaches 2A semis

First Assembly's boys' basketball team defeated Westchester Country Day 59-52 on Thursday to reach the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association's 2A state semifinals.

The Eagles, the tournament's No. 3 seed, will face second-seeded Gaston Day today at 5:30 p.m. at Charlotte Country Day. The winner will face either No. 1 Northside Christian or No. 5 Calvary Baptist Saturday at 4 p.m. at Providence day.

On the girls' 2A bracket, First Assembly was eliminated in a 53-44 loss to third-seeded Calvary Baptist. The Lady Eagles finish their season 22-6.

For more, see the full NCISAA tournament brackets.

Hickory Ridge hosts 3A Midwest wrestling regional

Local wrestlers will convene at Hickory Ridge Friday and Saturday for a chance to earn a spot at next week's 3A state tournament.

The 3A Midwest regional tournament kicks off at 5 p.m. Friday. Wrestling resumes Saturday at 9 a.m.

For more, see the full brackets for the 3A Midwest and the rest of the regional tournaments.

Robinson falls in 3A semifinals

Jay M. Robinson barely got by host Southwest Randolph 32-31 Thursday night in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 3A dual-team wrestling quarterfinals.

But the Bulldogs couldn't muster a win against Fred T. Foard in the semis, dropping the match 38-27.

Robinson, the SPC regular-season and conference champions, finish the year 28-7.

The Bulldogs and other local wrestlers will compete in the 3A Midwest individual regional on Feb. 22-23 at Hickory Ridge. The top four wrestlers in each class will qualify for the 3A state meet in Greensboro on Feb. 28-March 2.

Eagles named all-conference

The Metrolina Athletic Conference announced its boys' and girls' all-conference basketball teams. Five First Assembly players – Cassidy Crawford, Zaria Wright, Kriston Beasley, Nate Cantadore and Stefan Fundic – were honors.

Here is the complete all-conference lists:

2012-13 Girls MAC All-Conference

Hannah Adamczyk – Hickory Grove Christian School

Catherine Casey – Westminster Catawba Christian School

Cassidy Crawford – First Assembly Christian School

Catherine Crouch – Covenant Day School

Amanda Dobner – Hickory Grove Christian School

Veronica Dzuik – SouthLake Christian Academy

Kianna Funderburk – SouthLake Christian Academy

Hannah Griffin – Hickory Grove Christian School

Jayla Joyner – Hickory Grove Christian School

Nora Logan – Metrolina Christian Academy

Morgan Mosteller – Covenant Day School

Nina Okoroji – Gaston Christian School

Giselle Verville – SouthLake Christian Academy

Zaria Wright – First Assembly Christian School

2012-13 Boys MAC All-Conference

David Airing – Covenant Day School

Kriston Beasley – First Assembly Christian School

Nate Cantadore – First Assembly Christian School

James Demery – Northside Christian Academy

Dustin Dodd – Hickory Grove Christian School

Josh Dominguez – Metrolina Christian Academy

Stefan Fundic – First Assembly Christian School

Keith Griffin – Hickory Grove Christian School

AJ Jackson – Westminster Catawba Christian School

Luke Morrison – Northside Christian Academy

Tyrell Nelson – Metrolina Christian Academy

Phillip Reed – Northside Christian Academy

Jalen Sanders – SouthLake Christian Academy

Keyshawn Woods – Northside Christian Academy

Bulldogs reach 3A wrestling quarterfinals

Jay M. Robinson beat North Iredell and Asheboro Tuesday night to get to the N.C. High School Athletic Association's 3A dual-team quarterfinals.

The Bulldogs, the South Piedmont Conference champions, defeated North Iredell 38-33 in the first round before dropping Asheboro 57-19 in the second.

Robinson will travel to Southwest Randolph on Thursday for the state quarterfinals. The winner will face Fred T. Foard or Ashbrook for a shot to wrestle at Saturday's 3A state championship match.

Cabarrus County's other playoff representative, Concord, lost in the first round. The Spiders dropped their match 42-25 to West Iredell.

Fiedler defends 100 butterfly title

Jay M. Robinson's Griffin Fiedler claimed the 100-yard butterfly state championship at the 3A state meet Friday. The senior was the defending 100 fly medalist.

Griffin led the way for area athletes to help the Bulldogs boys finish fifth. He was part of the runner-up 400-yard freestyle relay along with Ryan Buddendeck, Dillon Roey and Tyler Gomez.


A.L. Brown's Davied Sanchez was runner-up in the 100-yard backstroke, the event the senior won last year.

Cox Mill finished ninth, while Concord was 10th in the boys' standings.

The Lady Bulldogs were fourth. The Lady Spiders were sixth while Hickory Ridge was ninth, A.L. Brown was 12th and Cox Mill was 14th.

Here are the full results.

Ragin' Bulls duo perform at state runners-up

Hickory Ridge's Jordan Warren won a state championship in the triple job and took second in the high jump to lead Cabarrus County's athletes at the 1A/2A/3A indoor track state meet. Teammate Elizabeth Olesen was second in the girls' high jump.

The Ragin' Bulls finished were tied for 19th among the boys and 26th in the girls' standings.

Jay M. Robinson's 4x800 meter relay, made up of Ashleigh Andrejchak, Brooke Johns, Katie Miller and Natalie Andrejchak, finished third. The Lady Bulldogs were 30th.

Click here for full results.

Robinson wins SPC wrestling tourney

Behind six individual conference champions, Jay M. Robinson claimed another South Piedmont Conference wrestling tournament title.

The Bulldogs' David Cline (106), Jonah Swinson (126), Hamilton Jones (138), Jake Glunt (152), Kenan Robertson (160) Harrison Marchese (220) won SPC titles.

Mount Pleasant was tournament runner-up, while Hickory Ridge was third. Concord, which was regular-season runner-up, did not place any wrestlers.

Robinson, the SPC regular-season champion, and Concord will represent the league in the 3A dual-team state tournament, which kicks off Tuesday.

Robinson will travel to Marvin Ridge to face North Iredell in the first round. The winner will face either Marvin Ridge or Asheboro later that night.

Concord will travel to North Piedmont champs West Iredell. In the second round, the winner takes on Charlotte Catholic or Southwest Randolph.

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.

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.

Bulldogs, Wonders earn 3A dual playoff spots

Two South Piedmont 3A teams - Jay M. Robinson and A.L. Brown - made the N.C. High School Athletic Association's dual team 3A wrestling playoffs. First- and second-round dual match-ups will take place Tuesday. Regional matches are slated for Thursday while the state championships are scheduled for Saturday.

Here are the western part of the 3A bracket (local teams in bold):

At Jay M. Robinson High

No. 1 West Henderson (17-7) vs. WC East Rowan (19-5)

No. 1 Robinson (18-1) vs. No. 2 Ashbrook (19-6)

At North Gaston High

No. 1 North Gaston (26-8) vs. No. 2 Ledford (33-11)

No. 1 Freedom (13-6) vs. No. 1 Charlotte Catholic (26-7)

At Fred T. Foard High

No. 1 Enka (27-5) vs. No. 1 Fred T. Foard (28-1)

No. 1 Weddington (22-20) vs. No. 2 West Iredell (12-7)

At North Iredell High

No. 1 Southwest Randolph (32-3) vs. No. 2 A.L. Brown (19-14)

No. 1 North Iredell vs. WC St. Stephens (26-7)

For the full brackets , check out the NCHSAA's website.

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.

Mount Pleasant coach gets 300th win

Mount Pleasant head wrestling coach Greg Hinson won his 300th dual team match against Cox Mill High School on Dec. 15.

Principal Edie Sayewich (left) presented him with the award.

Robinson Dominic Parisi wrestling his way into record book

Jay M. Robinson's Dominic Parisi (112-lb.) has rewritten the record books for Jay M. Robinson. Now, the Bulldog senior is making a run the state's most accomplished feats.

Parisi, who is a perfect 17-0 this year, has now won 135 matches in a row, the 5th best streak in the state history.

Parisi, who won the Most Outstanding wrestler at last weekend's Jim Hayes tournament at East Mecklenburg High School, is being recruited by over 10 schools including Appalachian State, American and Virginia Tech.

-Jay Edwards

Wrestling: Bulldog Duals results

Jay M. Robinson High School hosted the second Bulldog Duals wrestling tournament Saturday, which featured 18 teams from around the state, including six teams from the South Piedmont Conference.

Robinson made it to the finals of the tournament, where they lost to Davie County 42-28. The tournament featured six preliminary and final pools with three teams each. The 2-0 teams from the top two final pools wrestled for the championship.

Cox Mill won their first wrestling match as a school with a 54-27 preliminary win against South Point. They finished 12th overall.

Northwest Cabarrus finished sixth and Concord finished seventh after beating Independence 48-36. Central Cabarrus ended up in 14th and A.L. Brown finished 17th.