June 2005 archives

View Archive

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Legion baseball

News-Argus/Mitch Loeber Post 94 first baseman Bradley Taylor gets set to apply the tag as Rocky Mount's Will Johnson safely returns to first after a pickoff attempt during Wednesday's game at Greene Central High School. For more information see...

Post 94 doubles up Nash

SNOW HILL -- Consistent and balanced. The two words best describe Snow Hill's Senior American Legion 6-3 win on Wednesday night at home against Nash County. On the mound, Post 94 got eight solid innings from right-hander Richie Turner, who...

Local roundup

PIKEVILLE -- Bradley Taylor, Joseph Toler and Will Spence had two hits each as Aycock's Junior Legion team defeated Snow Hill 8-0 on Wednesday at home. Zach Wright added a solo home run in the third inning, while Taylor smacked...

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Wayne County, Snow Hill rained out

Mother Nature, yet again, forced another evening of postponements involving Area I East Division American Senior Legion members Wayne County Post 11 and Snow Hill Post 94 on Tuesday. Four division contests and one non-conference affair were rained out --...

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Post 11 and Pitt County

News-Argus/Mitch Loeber Wayne County's Jesse Lancaster dives back to the bag beating the pickoff throw to first baseman Ross Warren during Monday night's game at Mount Olice College. The 10-2 loss, Post 11's second setback in three games, drops...

Post 11 knocked out of first

MOUNT OLIVE -- In a battle for first place in the Area One East Division, Wayne County's Senior Legion team's hitting woes continued as Pitt County Post 39 emerged with a 10-2 win at Scarborough Field on Monday night. The...

Local roundup

GREENVILLE -- Pitt County's Jason Cargile had four hits and three RBI in Post 39's 13-3 win over Snow Hill in seven innings on Sunday. Post 94 (9-8 overall) fell to 6-8 in Area I East Division play heading into...

Smith wins state tennis title

SNOW HILL -- Goldsboro resident Lucious M. Smith won a state title at the N.C. State Closed NTRP Hard Court Championships over the weekend. Smith, a former Goldsboro High School tennis coach and currently a tennis instructor, captured the Men's...

Monday, June 27, 2005

Post 11 bounces back from rare loss

HAMLET -- A day after being limited to three hits in a 5-0 loss to Hamlet, Wayne again struggled at the plate, getting only five against Duplin County Post 127 Sunday afternoon in the Hamlet Invitational. But while Wayne had...

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Weekend wrapup

HAMLET -- Hamlet pushed three runs across in the fifth inning and claimed a 5-0 decision against Wayne County Post 11 in the inaugural George Whitfield Invitational at Hamlet Memorial Park. The loss snapped Post 11's seven-game win streak. Hamlet...

Snow Hill-Wilson

Snow Hill suffers third consecutive loss in Area I East Division action. SNOW HILL -- As a player or coach, Rusty Dail couldn't remember the last time a Wilson Post 13 squad manhandled Snow Hill Post 94 on its home...

Friday, June 24, 2005

Touch 'em all

News-Argus/Mitch Loeber Joesph Toler, smiles at his teammates as he rounds third after bringing in two runs with a home run Thursday at C.B. Aycock High School. Aycock lost the Junior Legion contest to Pitt County West, 11-5. For...

Senior Legion -- Wayne County escapes Pitt Co. 160

MOUNT OLIVE -- Garrett Davis' strong right arm is obviously his most important asset on the baseball field. But, the rising Charles B. Aycock junior's speed on the base paths paid big dividends for Wayne County's Senior American Legion team...

Junior Legion -- Aycock drops pair of games

PIKEVILLE -- Pitt County West rallied for seven runs in the final two innings and dealt Aycock an 11-5 loss in Junior American Legion action at Charles B. Aycock on Thursday evening. Aycock erased an early 2-1 deficit with a...

Wachovia Cup -- C.B. Aycock 12th among 3-A programs statewide

CHAPEL HILL -- Charles B. Aycock finished 12th among Class 3-A schools, while North Lenoir claimed 10th in the 2005 final Wachovia Cup Standings announced by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association. Aycock tied for 12th with Central Cabbarus...

Trojans' Shaw signs Swansboro tandem

MOUNT OLIVE -- Mount Olive College head women's soccer coach Chris Shaw has signed a pair of Swansboro High School graduates to national letters of intent, it was announced Thursday. Signing were midfielders Amber Cantrell and Jessica Smoot, both of...

ECU future football schedules feature marquee matchups

GREENVILLE -- Beginning in 2006, East Carolina University will initiate an unprecedented eight-year, 25-game non-conference football scheduling agreement with a number of Bowl Championship Series' opponents according to an announcement from athletics director Terry Holland Thursday. Coupled with the Pirates'...

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Missed chances, errors cost Post 94

WASHINGTON -- Snow Hill Post 94 wasted two golden scoring opportunities and committed uncharacteristic late-inning errors in an 8-2 loss at Beaufort County Post 15 on Wednesday evening. Post 94 put the lead-off runner on base in five of nine...

Taylor named new AD at WCDS

Wayne Country Day has had its share of athletics directors over the years. Michael Taylor, however, hopes to change that trend. Taylor, 25, who has been assistant AD and a coach at the school, has been named Wayne Country Day's...

Dionne Dotson selects Clinton JUCO

DUDLEY -- Southern Wayne graduate Dionne Dotson recently committed to play basketball for Clinton Junior College in Rock Hill, SC. Dotson, a point guard, was impressed by the family atmosphere at the JUCO school. "Coach (Roderick) Woods is a cool...

Manny Lawson on watch list for Bednarik Award

North Carolina State defensive ends Mario Williams and Eastern Wayne High School grad Manny Lawson are both on the preseason watch list for the 2005 Chuck Bednarik Award. The Bednarik Award is given annually to the collegiate defensive player of...

Area roundup -- Snow Hill Jr.'s top Wayne Co. in 11

DUDLEY -- Snow Hill's William Rhem hit a solo home run to start the 11th inning -- capping a four-RBI performance in Post 94's 11-9 win over Wayne County in 11 innings at Southern Wayne High School on Wednesday in...

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Narron named Reds manager

On paper, Goldsboro native Jerry Narron's first managerial test with the Cincinnati Reds was a daunting one. The Reds, losers of seven of 10, were hosting a St. Louis team they trailed by 181/2 games in the National League Central...

Post 11 wins sixth straight

MOUNT OLIVE -- Wayne County's current offensive trend, though it's just two games, concerns third-year coach Brad Reaves. Since posting 55 total runs in three consecutive games combined late last week, Post 11's offense has been somewhat anemic in its...

New Bern cools off Snow Hill

SNOW HILL -- Coming into Tuesday's home game with New Bern, Snow Hill's American Legion team had averaged 10 runs per contest during a seven-game winning streak. A pair of hard-throwing, Post 24 pitchers -- Adam Warren and Sean Noble...

Post 11 Junior team squeezes past Aycock

DUDLEY -- A fourth-inning suicide squeeze and sixth-inning error helped Wayne County Post 11 nip Aycock 4-3 in a Junior American Legion contest Tuesday evening on the Southern Wayne diamond. Dave Overman laid down a perfect bunt to score Taylor...

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Post 11 wins again

EDENTON -- On a cool, breezy evening, the Wayne County Post 11 offense, which had been operating on all cylinders as of late, nearly came to a grinding halt. Fortunately for the visitors, the pitching and defense didn't. Jes Snyder...

Area roundup

GREENSBORO -- The Wayne County Gems finished second in 16-under North Carolina AAU Girls Basketball Division II play recently. The Gems are now qualified to enter the National AAU Division II Tournament to be held July 13-20 in Orlando, Fla....

Monday, June 20, 2005

Post 11 gets offensive at home

MOUNT OLIVE -- For the third consecutive game, Post 11 has been downright offensive. After posting 17-6 and 19-15 triumphs last week, Wayne County continued its domination at the plate on a soggy Sunday night by pounding Ahoskie Post 102,...

Weekend Legion roundup

Post 94 doubles up Kinston KINSTON -- Jordan Scott and Blake Taylor each turned in a three-hit effort as Snow Hill Post 94 collected a 12-6 victory against Kinston Post 43 in Area I East Division action Sunday evening. Scott...

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Size Matters wins Big Rock Tourney

MOREHEAD CITY -- When it comes to the Big Rock, size matters. Size Matters, a Maryland-based boat captained by Josh Ruskey, survived a late scare by former champion Dancin' Outlaw to hold on and win the 47th annual Big Rock...

Friday, June 17, 2005

Wachovia Standings announced; Post 11 back in action Sunday

CHAPEL HILL--The North Carolina High School Athletic announced the final standings in the Wachovia Conference Cup competitions for the 2004-2005 academic year. The Wachovia Conference Cup, sponsored annually by Wachovia and sanctioned by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association,...

Thursday, June 16, 2005

OPINION -- What a night, what a game

I had been to Wilson’s Fleming Stadium before. Tuesday was real hot and steamy. The bugs were out. I had no repellent, because I haven’t been to Snow Hill yet this summer. So, I had every intention of sitting...

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

A wild one in Wilson

Photo courtesy Paul Durham/Wilson Daily Times Wayne County's Austin Hood (9) rounds third and heads for home as coach Brad Reaves (21) waves him around during Post 11's dramatic, 19-15 win at Flemming Stadium. For more information see Wayne...

Wayne County wins wild game in Wilson

WILSON -- In its 67-year existence, Wilson's Fleming Stadium has hosted thousands of games in various levels of baseball. It's hard to imagine the historic field ever being home to a contest quite like the four hour, fifteen minute marathon...

Post 11-Post 13 box score

Legion baseball Wayne Co 000 132 21(10) -- 19 20 4 Wilson Co 423 012 300 -- 15 20 7 Leading hitters -- Wayne County -- Jackson Massey 4-6, 2B, 3 runs; Jesse Lancaster 4-7, 3B, 2 RBI, 4...

Aycock juniors wins pair of road games

PIKEVILLE -- Aycock's Jay Rose struck out nine and allowed only four hits in a 3-2 win at home against Smithfield-Selma on Tuesday. Zach Wright posted a single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, driving in the...

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Wayne County blasts Post 160

WINTERVILLE -- Wayne County erupted for 22 hits by 14 different players as Post 11 cruised to a 17-6 win at Pitt County Post 160 on the campus of South Central High School. Wayne County improved to 9-2 overall and...

Area roundup

Post 94 pounds Ahoskie SNOW HILL -- Snow Hill's Matthew Whitley had three hits, including a double, and four RBI as Post 94 dropped Ahoskie 13-0 on Monday in Area One East American Legion action. Richie Turner and Blake Taylor...

Monday, June 13, 2005

Post 11 blanks Jacksonville again

MOUNT OLIVE -- Like the first game against Jacksonville on Friday, Wayne County's pitching and defense controlled Post 265 in a 4-0 shutout on the final day of the second annual Wayne County Invitational. In Sunday's game, Eastern Wayne graduate...

Snow Hill goes unbeaten at Wayne Co. tourney

MOUNT OLIVE -- Brandon Brown didn't get the game-winning hit, but he was the man of the hour for Snow Hill Post 94 in the final game of the Wayne County Post 11 Invitational baseball tournament Sunday night at Mount...

Sunday, June 12, 2005

Snow Hill ends Wayne County's five-game win streak

MOUNT OLIVE -- An early-season learning experience. Wayne County coach Brad Reaves hopes that is how his Post 11 team will react after a dissapointing performance in a 2-0 loss at home to Snow Hill on Saturday night on the...

Post 11 trio combines for shutout against Jacksonville

MOUNT OLIVE -- A trio of Wayne County pitchers -- Garrett Davis, Dustin Overman and Michael Sigmon -- combined on a three-hit, shutout as Post 11 defeated Jacksonville 4-0 on Friday night on the first day of the Wayne County...

News-Argus Softball Player of the Year -- Jenny Jackson

PIKEVILLE -- It wasn't too uncommon to see a big smile come to the face of Charles B. Aycock senior ace Jenny Jackson before she fired a pitch toward the catcher. It wasn't ever due to a lack of focus...

News-Argus Softball coach of the year -- David West

PIKEVILLE -- Listening to David West describe his work as head softball coach at Charles B. Aycock makes someone who is not directly involved with the program think he's nothing but an equipment manager. West unlocks the storage cabinet, grabs...

News-Argus Softball pitcher of the year -- Morgan Worthington

LAGRANGE -- As the stage got bigger, North Lenoir ace Morgan Worthington got better. The right-handed pitcher, one of five seniors on the Hawks' 2005 Class 2-A state championship team, picked up two wins at the N.C. High School Athletic...

News-Argus Baseball pitcher of the year -- Dustin Overman

Dustin Overman can't forget that first twinge of pain. When the right-handed pitcher released a pitch against Ayden-Grifton, he felt something pull in his back. The Rosewood High senior didn't think anything about it. In fact, he finished the outing...

News-Argus Baseball player of the year -- Jesse Lancaster

"The zone." For athletes, it's loosely defined as a moment or series of moments where everything works in a person's favor. Not all performers experience it. Those who do may not be able to describe it, but they know it's...

News-Argus Baseball coach of the year -- Jim Montague

LAGRANGE -- Just when he thinks it's safe to sneak away and take his family to Goose Creek, a telephone call or a knock on the door interrupts Jim Montague's vacation plans. That's what happens when you win a state...

Snow Hill opens Invitational play with victory

MOUNT OLIVE -- Snow Hill Post 94 benefited from two sixth-inning errors and claimed a 5-2 decision against Duplin County on Friday afternoon at Scarborough Field in first day action at the Wayne County Invitational Tournament. Brandon Brown started the...

Friday, June 10, 2005

Post 11 rained out ... again

NEW BERN -- Maybe these late afternoon rainstorms are becoming a good omen for Wayne County Post 11. Then again ... maybe not. The latest postponement occurred Thursday afternoon. Mother Nature intervened and washed out Post 11's Area I East...

Thursday, June 9, 2005

Boys of summer

News-Argus/Mitch Loeber Edenton second baseman Landon Jordan reaches for the throw while Wayne County's Airlon Vinson slides safely into second base during early-inning action Wednesday evening at Mount Olive College. For more information see Wayne County topples Edenton....

Wayne County topples Edenton

MOUNT OLIVE -- A sloppy start. A solid finish. Wayne County committed three errors in the first three innings and fell behind 1-0 early to Edenton, but bounced back with flawless defense in the final 52/3 innings and posted a...

Snow Hill demolishes Pitt County 160

SNOW HILL -- Everybody hits. Everybody scores. That theme summarized Snow Hill's 20-5 demolishing of Pitt County 160 in Area I East Division play Wednesday evening on the James R. Fulghum Athletic Complex diamond. Post 94 recorded its highest offensive...

Wayne Juniors fall to Wilson

DUDLEY -- Wayne County's Alex Casey had two hits, including a double, and two RBI as Post 11's Junior Legion team suffered a 5-4 loss at home on Wednesday to Wilson. Wilson got a solo home run from Chris Lamb...

Shefka drafted by Nationals

CONWAY, S.C. -- Coastal Carolina University's Ricky Shefka, a former North Lenoir and Snow Hill American Legion standout, was selected in the 20th round by the Washington Nationals in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on Wednesday. Shekfa joins...

Wednesday, June 8, 2005

Pirate trio selected in amateur MLB draft

Coming off an appearance in the NCAA regionals at Arizona, three Pirates taken in draft. GREENVILLE -- A trio of East Carolina University baseball players, Ricky Brooks, Billy Richardson and Mark Minicozzi, were selected on the first day of the...

Area roundup

WILSON -- Early-evening thunderstorms washed out two Area I East Division contests involving Wayne County Post 11 and Snow Hill Post 94 on Tuesday. Wayne County's battle with Wilson Post 13 has been rescheduled for June 14 at historic Fleming...

Tuesday, June 7, 2005

C.B. Aycock golfers record best season in ECC play

PIKEVILLE -- Golf is alive and well at C.B. Aycock. That was the message delivered at the recent awards banquet by head coach Gary Hales. "Arguably," he said, "We probably just completed our best season ever since the inception of...

Male Track POY -- Injury-free, relaxed season helped Collins

An injury-free, relaxing season. Will Collins couldn't have devised a better formula for his senior year -- and illustrious running career -- at Eastern Wayne. His main focus, obviously, was to emerge a state champion in at least one long-distance...

Aycock Junior Legion suffers tough 8-inning loss

LAGRANGE -- Aycock's Zach Wright had two doubles and three RBI in Lenoir County's 6-5 win in eight innings at home over Aycock on Monday. Joseph Toler added two hits, scored two runs and had one RBI for Aycock (1-3)....

Monday, June 6, 2005

Wayne County rallies to top Snow Hill

MOUNT OLIVE -- Coming through in the clutch was one of the characteristics that defined former Southern Wayne and Wayne County American Legion standout, the late Josh Brinkley, who's memory was honored at Post 11's home contest on Sunday with...

Burke emerges youngest WCMA champ

DUDLEY -- Neal Benton and Matthew Vilsack pulled to within two strokes of 36-hole leader Jonathan Burke in the final round of the WCMA at Southern Wayne Country Club, but it wasn't enough to overcome the teenager from Lane Tree...

Sunday, June 5, 2005

C.B. Aycock softball takes 3-A East; finishes 3rd overall

RALEIGH -- They occupied the same uniforms but hardly resembled the same players who bashed three opponents on their way to a final four appearance. Charles B. Aycock outscored the opposition 23-0 in district and sectional play, but couldn't duplicate...

Hawks seize 2-A baseball title

RALEIGH -- They're going to have to come up with a new slogan. The North Lenoir baseball team -- which adopted the mantra "Unfinished Business" -- knocked off Black Mountain Owen, 5-1, on Saturday to sweep past the Warhorses in...

NL softball in 2-A title game

RALEIGH -- It was only four runs, but they were placed perfectly and dramatically across two games. As a result, North Lenoir (25-1) earned its second straight trip to today's N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 2-A championship game. In...

Friday, June 3, 2005

Cliff Wilson helps Gators reach new level

SEVEN SPRINGS -- At first glance, Robert Jones wasn't quite sure if Cliff Wilson -- then a seventh-grader -- would recognize he had some athletic ability. A scrawny kid who fired jump shot after jump shot on the basketball court,...

CBA overcomes midseason errors to reach Walnut Creek

PIKEVILLE -- Eighteen errors in two games hardly seemed like a positive when Charles B. Aycock's softball team lost a pair of midseason contests to North Lenoir and South Central in early April. How the Golden Falcons responded to the...

NL softball silences critics

LAGRANGE -- Silencing the critics and second chance. After losing standout pitcher Hermia Humphrey to graduation, some followers of North Lenoir softball felt the program had missed its chance of claiming a state championship. Think again. Five seniors returned and...

Hawk baseball focused heading into title

LAGRANGE -- Veteran North Lenoir baseball coach Jim Montague has been around the game long enough to know there is a balance between a serious approach and having fun. In fact, while wearing a shirt at a recent practice that...

NL, EPC posts banner year

North Lenoir's double assault in the Class 2-A baseball championship series and softball final four this weekend will undoubtedly cap an outstanding season for Eastern Plains Conference teams. The baseball team begins a best-of-3 series Friday against Western champion J.D....

Area roundup

EDENTON -- Snow Hill's Hunter Chase had four hits, including two doubles, and four RBI as Post 94 banged out 20 hits in a 17-8 win at Edenton on Wednesday. Snow Hill (2-0) posted three innings with four or more...

Thursday, June 2, 2005

Adams prevails in one-hole playoff

So, it never rains on the golf course, eh? A record 49 golfers dodged the elements Wednesday afternoon and morning during the fifth installment of the Wayne County Junior Amateur golf tournament at Lane Tree. "You can really see how...

Davis shuts down Nash Co. Post 58

ROCKY MOUNT -- Will Tyson wasn't counting sheep at 3 a.m. Wednesday morning. Every time he closed his eyes, another idea flashed by. Hit and runs, straight steals, pitching changes -- they all kept Tyson awake as he tried to...

The sky's the limit for Southern Wayne's Dixon

DUDLEY -- Understandably, the N.C. High School Athletic Association allows track and field athletes to compete in only four events per meet. One gets the feeling that if she could participate in more, Southern Wayne junior Christy Dixon would be...

Wednesday, June 1, 2005

News-Argus Women's Soccer POY: Maloney key ingredient to program's success

LAGRANGE -- North Lenoir coach Dan Amodeo took over as head coach of the Hawks' women's soccer team last year, and admittedly, he had limited knowledge of the game when the 2004 season began. Amodeo was wise enough to know...

Sander emerges Greco-Roman USA state champion

PEMBROKE -- Michael Sander paced around like normal as whistles sounded, wrestlers grunted and fans cheered during the 34th annual N.C. State USA Wrestling Championships on the UNC Pembroke campus. Sander silently planned his strategy and kept a watchful eye...

Post 11 Seniors misfire in Area I East opener

WASHINGTON -- Wayne County Post 11 managed only six hits, failed to score eight base runners over the last three innings and fell 5-3 to Beaufort County in ts Area I East Division opener Tuesday night. It was Post 11's...

Gourley bangs out two hits in Junior Legion win

ROCKY MOUNT -- Wayne County's Walker Gourley was one of three players with two hits as the Post 11 Junior Legion team bounced back from a season-opening loss Monday with a 6-2 win at Rocky Mount on Tuesday. Gourley finished...

Trojan netters conclude year ranked 34th nationally

MOUNT OLIVE -- Mount Olive concluded the season ranked No. 34 nationally in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division II men's tennis poll announced Tuesday. The Trojans spent the entire 2004-05 season in the national rankings, including a school-record No....