Payton Wilson: In a thrilling finish to the National Football League’s 106th regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 26-24 at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday night. The Steelers claimed the AFC North Division championship, the 25th divisional championship in franchise history. Wilson, who will be going to the playoffs for the second straight year, finished with three tackles for Pittsburgh. The Steelers end the regular season 10-7. They will be the 4th seed in the AFC Playoffs and host the Houston Texans next Monday. Pittsburgh will go for its first postseason win since January 15, 2017, when they defeated Kansas City in the Divisional Playoffs. This season, Wilson led Pittsburgh with 123 tackles, including a team-best 73 solo tackles. He had two sacks and an interception.
Bryse Wilson: The New York Post reports that Wilson has signed a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. Wilson, who turned 28 last month, spent last season with the Chicago White Sox. In Chicago, Wilson went 0-2 with with a 6.65 ERA in five starts and 15 relief appearances. Philadelphia will be Wilson’s fifth Major League team. Originally drafted in the fourth round by the Atlanta Braves days after he graduated from Orange High, Wilson won game four of the 2020 National League Championship Series for the Braves, beating Clayton Kershaw. In 2021, he was traded to Pittsburgh to get Richard Rodriguez to Atlanta. He has made 57 starts in the Majors with 106 relief appearances. He also won a National League Central Division championship with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Evelyn George: The Division III Guilford College women’s basketball team continues the best start in team history. The Quakers won the Guilford Holiday Classic at Ragan-Brown Field House over two games in Greensboro. On December 28, Guilford defeated St. Mary’s College of Maryland 88-71. George was one of six Quakers in double-figures with eleven points. She also had two rebounds and a blocked shot over 20 minutes. Two days later, Guilford defeated Piedmont University 73-64 to wrap up the classic. Over 15 minutes, George finished with seven points and two rebounds in 15 minutes. Guilford returns to action against Randolph-Macon in Greensboro on Wednesday. The Quakers are 2-0, tied for first in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
Amiyah Ware: The Division II North Greenville women’s basketball team suffered a 79-44 loss to Belmont-Abbey on Saturday in its first game after winter break at the Wheeler Center in Belmont. Ware scored five points off 1-of-6 shooting from the field. North Greenville is 6-5 overall, 3-3 in Conference Carolinas. On Monday, they will host Classflin University at Hayes Gymnasium in Tigerville, SC.
Cole Cloer: Backingthepack.com reports that Cloer suffered a knee injury just before his senior season started at IMG Academy. He missed the season. Cloer, who has been in attendance at several Orange men’s basketball games recently, has enrolled at N.C. State and will start classes this month. Cloer spent two seasons at Orange, leading the Panthers to the 2023-2024 Central Conference regular season and tournament championship. Cloer was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2024 Central Conference Tournament, where he scored 22 points against Person in a 65-59 semifinal win. In the championship game, Cloer scored 36 points as the Panthers captured an 86-69 win. It was Orange’s first postseason tournament championship since 2016. A week later, Cloer became the fastest player in school history to reach 1,000 points as Orange defeated Currituck County 85-62 in the opening round of the 3A State Playoffs. Cloer scored 38 points against the Knights in what turned out to be his final game in Hillsborough. Three months later, Cloer transferred to Caldwell Academy in Greensboro. Last year, Cloer helped Caldwell win the North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association 2A State Championship, beating the Burlington School 73-51 in the title game. Cloer averaged 18.9 points per game as Caldwell Academy finished 26-9. He committed to N.C. State, under head coach Will Wade, in October.
