Month: February 2022

Orange Panther of the Week: Samantha George

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior basketball guard Samantha George. Last wee in the 3A State Playoffs, George had a double-double with eleven points and 12 rebounds against Fayetteville 71st. The Lady Panthers roared out to a 37-17 lead against the Falcons, but 71st came back to win 66-53. It was the third double-double this season for George. On December 2, George had 19 points and 15 rebounds against the North Carolina School of Science and Math on December 2 in Durham. On February 1, George had ten points and eleven rebounds in a 51-39 win over Person in Roxboro. This season, George had her career-high with 23 points in a 68-36 victory over Carrboro in Hillsborough. George became the full-time starting shooting guard for Orange in her junior season. This year, her younger sister Evelyn, a freshman, starting playing on the varsity. After she graduates from Orange in June, George will attend Duke University. Samantha was a big reason why the Orange women’s basketball team not only finished 15-9 this season in a highly competitive Central Carolina Conference, but the team had a 3. 92 grade point average. Last week, George and Aaliyah Harris were selected to play in the Clash of the Codes All-Star Game, which will be held in Greenville later this month. Harris and George will be on Team Faison and coached by Knightdale’s Martin Faison.

Alumni Update: Porter hits grand slam for Pensacola State; Hurdle becomes Region X home run leader

Cooper Porter: Porter hit a grand slam for Pensacola State during its 12-2 win over Meridian Community College on Saturday in Pensacola, FL. It was the first grand slam of his college career. Porter, playing shortstop, went 1-for-2 against the Eagles. Porter homered again in the nightcap of the doubleheader, which the Eagles won 12-1 in five innings.

Landon Riley: Riley, now a senior for the Liberty baseball team, made his first pitching appearance of the season as the Flames defeated North Carolina A&T 12-2 in Lynchburg, VA on Wednesday. Riley threw one scoreless inning in relief with two walks and one strikeout. Over the weekend, the Flames had a three-game sweep of Winthrop. In Sunday’s 13-2 win, Riley threw two-thirds of scoreless relief with two strikeouts. Liberty started the season by taking two-out-of-three games against Florida, which was ranked #9 at the time.

Joey Berini: The #25 East Carolina baseball team faced North Carolina in a three-game series this weekend. On Friday, the Tar Heels defeated the Pirates 7-4 at Boshamer Stadium in Chapel Hill. Berini entered the game for the Pirates in the eighth inning as a designated hitter and drew a walk. In the ninth inning, Berini reached base off an error by the Tar Heel shortstop. ECU is 2-5 after losing Saturday’s game to UNC, but winning on Sunday night. They will travel to Durham Bulls Athletic Park to face Duke on Tuesday afternoon at 4.

Joey McMullin: The Sandhills Community College men’s basketball team is on its way to the Division III National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament. On Saturday, the Flyers defeated Prince George Community College 77-72 to win the Mid-Atlantic District Championship in Largo, MD. McMullin, who was named the Region X Player of the Year last week, came off the bench to score 12 points and grab six rebounds. The Flyers, who will make its fourth straight appearance in the national tournament, are 26-7. The Division III national tournament will take place in Rockford, IL, staring March 9.

Connor Crabtree: The Richmond men’s basketball team defeated St. Louis 68-66 at the Robins Center on Friday. Crabtree played eight minutes off the bench and scored two points. On Tuesday, the Spiders defeated George Washington 84-71. Crabtree scored three points in six minutes.

Jaden Hurdle: Patrick & Henry Community College won all four games they played this weekend. Hurdle had another huge weekend, hitting home runs in each of her final three games. She also picked up a win and a save in the pitcher’s circle. Currently, Hurdle leads Region X of the NJCAA with seven home runs. She is second in Region X with 17 RBIs, one behind teammate Elizabeth Parrish.

On Friday, the Patriots swept Southeastern Community College-Whiteville in a doubleheader. In the opening game, the Patriots won 10-2. Hurdle started the game in the circle for P&HCC and earned the win, throwing a complete game. She struck out nine over six innings, surrendering five hits and two runs (both unearned). Hurdle also went 1-for-5. In the nightcap, Patrick & Henry won 9-1. Hurdle had another home run, a two-run blast that came during a seven-run 7th inning. Hurdle went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored with a double.

On Saturday, P&HCC swept a doubleheader from Lakeland Community College. In the opening game, the Patriots were down 7-3 going into the bottom of the seventh inning before storming back with five runs in its final at-bat to win 8-7. Hurdle had another home run and went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. In the Patriots’ 7-3 victory in the nightcap, Hurdle earned the save as a pitcher after she replaced starter Madison Lemons. She threw three innings, where she didn’t surrender a hit. Hurdle walked two and struck out one. At the plate, Hurdle hit a home run and a double. She finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored.

Tori Dalehite: The UNC Greensboro softball team swept all four games in this weekend’s UNCG Invitational. On Saturday, the Spartans defeated Towson 4-1. Dalehite started in right field and went 1-for-3. The Spartans, which defeated Virginia on Sunday, are 9-4.

Grace Andrews: The Catawba Valley Community College softball team split a doubleheader with USC Sumter on Friday. in CVCC’s 8-1 opening game victory, Andrews went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Andrews drove in the second run of the game in the first inning. The Fire Ants defeated the Red Hawks 5-3 in the nightcap. Andrews went 0-for-4. On Saturday, Catawba Valley swept a doubleheader from USC Salkehatchie. In the opener, the Red Hawks won 8-0 in six innings. Andrews went 1-for-2 with three RBIs. In the first inning, Andrews drove in the opening run of the game with a sacrifice fly to score Kaylee Yoder. Andrews hit a double in the fourth inning to score two runs. Catawba Valley won the nightcap 10-3. Andrews went 0-for-5 starting at third base. The Red Hawks are 3-1.

Braden Homsey: At the Division III NCAA Southeast Wrestling regionals in Williamsport, PA, Homey finished 1-2 in the 197-pound tournament. Homey opened with a major decision win over Brendan Loder of Gettysburg College 14-3. Alvernia University’s Mario Pellot defeated Homsey 16-7 in the quarterfinals. In the consolation round, Joe Embleton of Messiah University outscored Homsey 14-10.

Jamar Davis: In the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships this weekend, Davis finished 11th for N.C. State in the long jump with a leap of 24’7.25″. On Saturday, Davis wound up in tenth place in the triple jump with a leap of 50’3.25″. The event was held at Rector Field House in Blacksburg, VA.

Touching the Sky; Davidson becomes SEC’s All-Time Home Run Leader

What is delayed cannot be denied.

From the day she led the Orange softball team to the 2017 3A State Softball Championship, power has been the theme of Mia Davidson’s career. She still owns the all-time North Carolina record with 53 home runs.

When she started her career at Mississippi State in 2018, Davidson homered on her first day as a college player, an 8-0 win again Omaha at Nusz Park in Starkville. It was her second game as a Bulldog.

Through a pandemic, a head coaching change and an injury to her most prized teammate (her older sister), last week Davidson cemented her name in the Southeastern Conference record book for years to come. She hit her 70th career home run against Southern Illinois on February 18, breaking the all-time SEC record previously held by Lauren Haeger of Florida.

Davidson needed 214 games to break the record. Haeger achieved 70 home runs over the course of 261 games.

“It’s a great achievement,” Davidson, clearly emotional, said after the doubleheader during the Bulldog Classic. “I’m going to cry, oh my goodness. just being here for five years and doing something, especially in one of the best conferences in the country. It’s something amazing. It’s nice. It felt amazing. I was jumping around the bases the whole time.”

Davidson’s 70th dinger was a solo blast in the sixth inning that drew the Bulldogs to within one run of the Salukis, who held on to beat MSU 4-3. Later in the day, Mississippi State defeated Central Arkansas 11-3. In that game, Davidson had a two-run homer in the 2nd inning. It was an emotional moment for an emotional player that has aimed to make the Mississippi State program a better one as she prepares to end her softball career this summer.
“It was nice,” Davidson said. “They (her teammates) all came and gave me a hug. I think some of us starting crying together. It was an amazing feeling. I think just having a strong team and family especially with having my sister there. It was really nice.”

In 2018, Davidson was named the SEC Freshman of the Year after leading the conference with 18 home runs, but it wasn’t an easy transition from Hillsborough. Her older sister, Montana, was sidelined with a knee injury and was forced to take a medical redshirt.

Montana Davidson, who graduated from Orange in 2016, returned the following season, where she and Mia played at Duke Softball Stadium against the college team they grew up rooting for. The year away from Montana wasn’t just a period to recover from a painful injury. It robbed her of precious time to play alongside her sister that neither one of them could get back.

“It was indescribable,” Montana said after an extra innings win over Duke in 2019. “It hit me pretty hard when I couldn’t even travel (with the team due to being hurt).”

While Montana was out, she guided Mia through her first year away from Hillsborough.

“She was pretty much everything for me,” Mia said in 2019. “She would listen when I vented. She would tell me when to calm down and stuff. It was a different experience when she was there.”

Over this past weekend, Mia continued her torrent pace for her senior season. During five games in the Alex Wlcox Memorial at Nusz Park, Davidson hit five home runs. She went 7-for-13 while being walked five times. This season, Davidson has eight homers and 17 RBIs. She is now one RBI away from tying the school record.

On Friday alone, Davidson had four home runs over the course of two games. Against Longwood and Belmont, Davidson went 5-for-6 with eight RBIs. She reached base safely in seven of her eight plate appearances. The only time she was retired all day came when she struck out after her contact lens fell out on the previous pitch.

Against the Lancers, Davidson had a career-high six RBIs while going 4-for-4, including a grand slam. The six RBIs was the third-most in a single-game in school history. The grand slam was the third of her career.

In Sunday’s win over South Alabama, Davidson launched a solo blast to centerfield as the Bulldogs prevailed 5-0.

Mississippi State is 9-7 overall and will continue the season against Mississippi Valley State on Wednesday.

Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week: Fernando Martinez

This week’s Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week is junior wrestler Fernando Martinez. Earlier this month, Martinez won the 113-pound Mideast Wrestling Championship at Union Pines High School in Cameron. Last weekend, Martinez finished 5th in the 3A State Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum. It was the highest finish by any Cedar Ridge wrestler in a 3A State Tournament in school history. Martinez pinned Skyler Oxford, the Eastern Regional Champion, to secure the fifth place finish. This is the third time that Martinez has won Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week in his career. Martinez finished the season 42-10. He will go into his senior season with 97 career wins. He is on the verge of becoming the first Cedar Ridge wrestler with 100 career wins since Ethan Kapp, who wrestled from 2003-2007. Martinez’s fifth-place finish was the best by any Cedar Ridge wrestler sine Adam Howard finished 5th in the 2013 2A State Tournament. This was Martinez’s first appearance in the state tournament and he helped the Red Wolves to a 3rd-place finish in its first year in the Central Carolina Conference tournament.

Alumni Update: Former Cedar Ridge high jumper Jones wins MEAC title for Central

Photo by Jalien Leach

Marvin Jones: Adding to what has already been a stellar indoor season, former Cedar Ridge high jumper Marvin Jones won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title on Tuesday. Jones earned the gold medal at the MEAC Indoor Track & Field championships in Virginia Beach, VA with a 2.10 meter leap. It is his second MEAC high jump championship and his third MEAC deal. In the 2020 MEAC Indoor championships, Jones claimed the bronze. In the 2021 MEAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Jones won the gold medal. Jones has qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, which will be held in Birmingham, AL on March 11 and 12.

Joey Berini: Berini saw action in each of the first three games for the #12 East Carolina baseball team in its opening series of the season against Bryant University at LeClair Stadium in Greenville last weekend. In the opening game, the Bulldogs defeated the Pirates 10-2. Berini entered the game as a second baseman in the 7th inning. He reached on a one-out single in the eighth inning. On Saturday, the Bulldogs scored a somewhat controversial 5-4 win in ten innings over the Pirates. Berini started at 2nd base and went 0-for-2. On Sunday, Bryant completed the sweep of the Pirates with a 4-3 win, scoring the game-winning run in the ninth inning. Berini entered the game in the fifth inning to play second base. He went 0-for-3.

Cooper Porter: The Pensacola State Junior College baseball team has started its season. Porter, a sophomore who was once committed to N.C. State, closed out the Pirates’ 12-3 win over the College of Central Florida on January 28 in Auburndale, FL. Porter threw two perfect innings in the seven-inning matchup. On February 6, Meridian Community College edged Pensacola State 3-2. Porter threw the last two-and-one-thirds innings and surrendered only two hits with one strikeout. On February 11, East Georgia College knocked off the Pirates 11-4. Porter relieved starter Jake Cohen in the fourth inning. Over two innings, Porter surrendered two runs over two hits with one walk. On February 14, John Logan College rallied to defeat Pensacola State 6-5. Porter suffered his first loss. He threw two-and-two-thirds innings and struck out six. He surrendered three runs off three hits. Porter returned as a position player in an 8-1 win over Bryant Stratton on February 19 in New Orleans. Playing third base, Porter went 1-for-2 with an RBI single and a walk. Later that day, Delgado Community College upended the Pirates 10-2. Porter went 1-for-3. The following day, Porter went 0-for-2 as Delgado defeated Pensacola State 3-0.

Tori Dalehite: The UNC Greensboro softball team continued its season in the Spiro Classic at UNCG Softball Stadium last weekend. In the opening game, the Spartans defeated Rider 10-1 in five innings on February 18. Dalehite started at 2nd base and did not have an official at-bat in the game. She walked twice and had a sacrifice fly in the 4th inning to score Grace Loftin. Dalehite scored off a home run by Makenna Matthijs in the fifth inning. On Saturday, the Spartans rolled past George Washington 7-3. Dalehite went 3-for-3 with a run scored and two doubles. With the Colonials leading 3-1 in the fifth inning, Dalehite doubled down the right field line to bring in Grace Loftin. Dalehite scored the game-tying run off a sacrifice fly by Matthijs. Later on Saturday, UNCG rolled past Rider 8-1. Dalehite, starting at 2nd base, went 1-for-3. The Spartans finished a perfect weekend by beating George Washington 10-1 in six innings. Dalehite went 0-for-3. UNC Greensboro will continue its season with the UNCG Invitational, which starts on Friday. The Spartans will face Loyola Chicago at 2:30PM.

Orange Panther of the Week: J.J. Thompson

This week’s Orange Panther of the Week is senior point guard J.J. Thompson. On December 30, Thompson scored a career-high 27 points as the Panthers defeated Granville Central 67-58 in the third place game of the South Granville Holiday Invitational in Creedmoor. Thompson shot 8-of-13 from 3-point range as the Panthers put together a complete performance to defeat Granville Central for the third straight time. Thompson has been the senior starting point guard for the Orange men’s basketball team the past three seasons. This year, he started all 22 games for the Panthers. He had a season-high six assists against Person on February 1 in Roxboro. The son of Shayne and Tracy Thompson, who met at and graduated from Orange High School, J.J. Played his final game for Orange last week in the semifinals of the Central Carolina Conference Tournament. Last Monday, Thompson started at point guard as Orange defeated Western Alamance, the Panthers’ first postseason tournament win since 2017.

Stanback Bulldogs wrestling ends Orange Chargers dynasty to win OPAC Championship

The term “dynasty” becomes more arbitrary from generation to generation.

In the 1990s, the Chicago Bulls earned the moniker after winning six NBA Championships in eight seasons. But could it really compare to Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics of the late 1950s-1960s, which won eleven world titles in 13 years?

The San Francisco 49ers was the first team to win five Super Bowls. They did it in a span of 14 years behind quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young from 1981-1995. For much of that period, the New England Patriots were as far away from a Super Bowl as Hillsborough is to the moon. No one knew that Tom Brady would take New England to six World Championships in 16 years in the 21 century.

By any definition of the term, Orange Middle School had a wrestling dynasty. More to the point, Stanford wrestling had a dynasty, long before the Orange County School Board changed its name.

The string of dominance started in the 1980s under Coach Lou Geary and continued under Aaron Carr into the new millennium. The Chargers won 20 consecutive Orange Person Athletic Conference Championships. They had 18 consecutive undefeated seasons and 12 straight years without losing a league match.

It all ended last month at the hands of the Stanback Bulldogs.

In a standard Hollywood script, the Bulldogs would have defeated its crosstown rivals with the entire dual match, conference championship and, well, dynasty boiling down to one final one-on-one individual bout.

In reality, Stanback’s win had all of the drama of a mid-1980s Super Bowl.

Stanback defeated the Chargers 73-18 to earn its first wrestling championship in school history. It was also the first time ever the Bulldogs defeated the Chargers on the wrestling mat.

“I think we had the advantage of a continuation of coaching,” said Stanback wrestling coach Jonah Hill. “We had a lot of sixth graders who were wrestling two years ago. They did a great job as 8th graders in getting a buzz about the program and talking to their friends. That created an advantage for us.”

Obviously, Stanback waited an eternity to beat OMS. The wait to simply compete, not just for Stanback but all local middle schools in all sports, was interminable after the pandemic.

While high school sports steadily returned to action in the 2020-2021 academic year, albeit with unorthodox schedules and curtailed attendance, there were no sports in middle schools across Orange County.

One of the last middle school events before the shutdown took place in front of a standing room only crowd on January 10, 2020. Stanback, under then-head coach Grant Gibson, and Stanford (under its former name) met on the mat in front of a packed grandstand at Bulldog Gymnasium. The Chargers squeezed out a 47-46 win, but not before Stanback started strong when Mason Pierce scored a pin in the opening match.

While the subsequent long, monotonous days without competition during the lockdown dragged on, that match never left the minds of Hill and Jose Hidalgo, who were assistants to Gibson at the time.

They thought they would end Stanford’s streak two years ago.

“That was a long of fun,” Hill said. “I think we got a lot of bad calls that night and I said as much to the (referee) booking agents. That was a one-point meet and I thought it could go either way. That was one of those nights where we were happy with the effort the kids put out. It was a clear indication that we were on the right track.”

This season, Stanback’s Ethan Montgomery went undefeated competing at 141 and 148 pounds. He was among four Bulldogs to win individual OPAC Championships.

“He wrestled the best kid in each of those weight classes against every school and beat them all,” Hill said. “He’s a very impressive kid. He was average as a 6th grader. I know that, as a student, he’s very smart. He has a good mind for wrestling and he surprised us all the way he developed this year. And he picks things up very quickly.”

Pierce won the OPAC 85-pound championship, ending a three-year run on the team.

“He got a lot of matches as a sixth grader because he wrestled in a smaller weight class,” Hill said. “That’s rare. But Mason worked extra hard this year. He was reliable. We asked so many kids on this team to do completely unreasonable things, and they still do it.”

Among those who transformed the most from the start of the season was Thalia Paterno, who finished 2nd in her weight class. Paterno spent most of the year as a backup until the waning days of the season. Then Hill had to juggle his lineup because of weight cuts and departures, and suddenly Paterno found herself competing against some of the top wrestlers in the league in the OPAC Tournament.

Paterno reached the semifinals at 92-pounds, where she prevailed in double overtime against a competitor from Northern Middle School despite suffering a neck injury in the third period. After escaping in the second :30 overtime period, Paterno won the match with a takedown.

“She was a sixth grader who hadn’t started any matches all season,” Hill said. “She wrestled so well. During one of the breaks in the match, I noticed her neck was hurting. I asked if she wanted to go out, but she wrestled for the championship.”

Durvin Lopez claimed the championship at 170 pounds, which surprised Hill, who labeled him a “darkhorse.” Lopez may have been a surprise, but he was also studious.

“He told us at the end of his championship match that he studied every single one of his opponents,” Hidalgo said. “In his last match, Durvin said every time his opponent had a tendency to bring his arm up. Every time he brought his arm up, he went in for a takedown. And it worked. I didn’t know that Durvin studied his opponents that way.”

Diego Vera Palma won an individual championship, though Hill said it was a journey that could have ended at any point during the season.

“He tried to quit about four or five times,” Hill said. “He doubts himself sometimes. I’m so happy that he gave himself to chance to perform to his ability. I think towards the end of the season he realized he had a talent for the sport and should stick with it. Once he got past that stuff, he performed at his best.”

Stanback had 13 8th graders overall. it was a journey that ended with a championship the school waited a lifetime for.

“I think every year we have a chance and every year we train as if it is a possibility,” Hill said. “It’s never been about the championship, honestly. It’s been about the idea of doing something very difficult. We’ve always been motivated by this idea that we believe it’s possible and there’s a lot of wisdom in approaching a goal like you can achieve it. Whether you actually achieve the goal matters very little. It’s about the growth you make when you work for your goal.”

Like Orange Middle did, Hidalgo hopes the middle school wrestling dynasty will now shift to the southern end of town.

“They have more motivation to continue in the right path,” Hidalgo said. “I think we’re going to gather more students to join our team. I hope next year we’ll have a bigger players.”

Going into final season, Cedar Ridge’s Lowry signs with N.C. Wesleyan

With the start of her final softball season a week away, Cedar Ridge senior Ava Lowry formally signed with North Carolina Wesleyan during a ceremony at the Red Wolves Auxiliary Gymnasium on Monday night. Lowry has a career batting average of .453. Last season, she had an average of .550 during 14 games. Lowry started 17 games in her freshman year in 2019, when the Red Wolves won a share of the Big 8 Championship. Last year, Lowry was All-Big 8 Conference and All-State. Ava started playing softball when she was seven years old. Formally a member of the Lady Blues travel team, she now plays for the Stars Gold. Lowry shares the same side of the infield with third baseman Takia Nichols, who has signed to play with North Carolina Central. In addition, Lowry is a member of the American Red Cross. On Monday, Cedar Ridge will start its season against Cardinal Gibbons at Red Wolves Softball Stadium.

Cedar Ridge’s Olivia Aitkin signs with Amherst College

It would be true to say that this is a busy time for Cedar Ridge senior Olivia Aitkin, but the fact of the matter is that its always a busy time for Olivia Aitkin. On Monday night, Aitkin signed with Amherst College to play softball. Aitkin is a rare three-sport athlete for has qualified for regionals in two different sports and has been a member of a conference championship team. This winter, Aitkin teamed with Quinn McCrimmon, Abbbygale Pearce and Sophia Stinnett to set two school records in swimming. The group recorded new marks in the 200 yard freestyle and 400 yard freestyle relay. As a freshman, Aitkin was a member of a Cedar Ridge softball team that shared the Big 8 Conference Championship and won two 3A State Playoff games. Through the first three years on the varsity softball team, Aitkin has a career batting average of .452 with 36 stolen bases. She started playing softball at the age of 12. At Cedar Ridge, Aitkin is also the Founder and President of My School Votes, which is a national organization that helps increase voter turnout among high school students. She is also the co-President of the Unified Red Wolves, a group that aims to help students with disabilities unite with students without disabilities. Aitkin is also a two-time Cedar Ridge Red Wolf of the Week winner.

Alumni Update: Andrews starts softball season strong for Catawba Valley

Grace Andrews: The Catawba Valley Community College softball team finally got its season going over the weekend. The Red Hawks swept doubleheaders on consecutive days against the Montreat junior varsity and Pitt Community College. Andrews picked up where she left off last season. Against Montreat on February 16, she went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two doubles. The Red Hawks won the opener 6-3. In the nightcap, CVCC won 12-0 in five innings. Andrews, who started at third base, went 1-for-3 with an RBI.

On Saturday, the Red Hawks swept a doubleheader from Pitt Community College. In the opener, which CVCC won 2-1, Andrews went 2-for-3 with an RBI double. In the second game, Andrews went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI as the Red Hawks prevailed 9-4. Andrews came away from the first eight games of the season as the leading hitter on the team with a .615 batting average.

Jaden Hurdle: The Patrick & Henry Community College softball team had back-to-back doubleheaders over the weekend. On Saturday, Georgia Military College swept the Patriots on scores of 6-1 and 6-3 in Milledgeville, GA. In the opening game, Hurdle went 0-for-3. She started as pitcher and went six innings with one strikeouts. She surrendered six runs (three earned) off six hits. In the nightcap, Hurdle went 1-for-3.

The following day, Gordon State College swept the Patriots in Barnesville, GA. Hurdle homered in the opening game against the Highlanders, who won 12-7. In the second game, Hurdle went 3-for-4 an RBI. Hurdle also finished the game in the circle throwing the last four innings. She struck out seven.

Braden Homsey: For the second time this year, Homsey won an individual tournament for the Division III Ferrum Wrestling team. Homsey captured the 197-pound championship at the Southeast Wrestling Conference championship on February 5 in Danville, VA. Homsey dominated Averett’s William Baldwin in the championship match, winning via technical fall 21-4. In the opening round, Homsey defeated Cache Holmes of Southern Virginia via pinfall in 2:11. Homsey had a major decision over Max Steele of Greensboro College 15-4 in the semifinals. On Friday, Ferrum won a senior day dual match over Shenandoah 34-10 at Swartz Gym in Ferrum, VA. Homsey pinned Troy Gibson in 2:15. The Panthers are 6-6.

Jamar Davis: Davis finished in first place in the high jump for the N.C. State men’s indoor track & field team in the Virginia Tech Challenge in Blacksburg, VA on Friday. Davis won the long jump with a leap of 7.55 meters, beating eleven other athletes. It was the end of the regular season for the Wolfpack. The Atlantic Coast Conference championships are set to start Thursday in Blacksburg, VA. Davis has qualified for the long jump.

Connor Crabtree: The Richmond men’s basketball team fell to VCU 77-57 in Richmond, VA on Friday night. Crabtree came off the bench to play two minutes.

Jaylin Jones: The Division III Pfeiffer men’s lacrosse team opened its season against Birmingham Southern at Lefko Field in Misenheimer on Thursday. Birmingham Southern defeated the Falcons 14-7. Jaylin Jones scored a goal for Pfeiffer. He also has two ground balls and created two turnovers. Pfeiffer will travel to Lees-McRae on Wednesday.

Phillip Berger: Berger was the opening day starter for the Division III William Peace baseball team. Brevard defeated the Pacers 7-3 on February 5 at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary. Berger had a no decision after he threw two innings. He surrendered one run off one hit with three walks and a strikeout. On Saturday, Berger threw four innings as the Pacers defeated Mitchell College 7-5 at Durham Athletic Park. Berger struck out six in another no decision. He gave up three runs off six hits. William Peace is 2-3 after taking the weekend series from the Mariners.

Will Walker: Pitt Community College defeated the Barton junior varsity squad 8-7 last Wednesday. Walker started at first base for Pitt and went 1-for-4 with a double. The Bulldogs are 5-1.