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