December 2007 archives

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Monday, December 31, 2007

Goldsboro boys take second, while Saints end up fourth

KINSTON -- Goldsboro's quest for a tournament championship and Southern Wayne's bid for a third-place finish in the 7th annual Holiday Classic at Lenoir Community College both fell short on Saturday night. The maturity the Cougars and Saints gained over...

Sunday, December 30, 2007

No. 22-ranked Trojan men lose pair of games

HICKORY -- Mount Olive hit just two free throws in the final four minutes and Catawba rallied for a 79-78 victory on day two of the Lenoir-Rhyne/Moretz Sports Men's Basketball Classic. The No. 22-ranked Trojans grabbed their biggest lead, 74-69,...

Friday, December 28, 2007

Irby drains 3-pointer as time expires

KINSTON -- Demetrio Irby's no stranger to hitting game-winning shots, but he was quick to admit his heroics on Thursday rank at the top of his list. Irby's 30-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer lifted Goldsboro to a thrilling 62-59 win...

Hot-shooting Southern Wayne dumps Bears

KINSTON -- Knowing Southern Wayne has the potential to be much better than its 2-7 record indicates, first-year men's basketball coach Russell Stephens challenged his team Thursday evening. "Before we went out there tonight, I told our guys, 'there's all...

Local digest

Rosewood recorded six pins in 12 contested matches and received two forfeits during a 48-32 victory over the Ayden-Grifton wrestling team Thursday evening. The Eagles' Jake Smith (119 pounds) earned his first-ever varsity win on the mat. Olivia Neal (103),...

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Billups honored by Maxpreps.com

Eastern Wayne senior Brittani Billups has been chosen the National Player of the Week for Dec. 24-31 by Maxpreps.com. Billups, who has signed with Longwood (Va.) University, ranks No. 1 in total blocked shots, No. 2 in total rebounds and...

Local digest

WILSON -- The Greene Central girls basketball team fell 50-36 to Wilson Hunt on Wednesday in the first round of the Wilson Daily Times Classic. Shonice Pettaway scored a team-high 17 points for the Rams. Shanna Parker added four. Greene...

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Trojans' Streeter ranked among national leaders

MOUNT OLIVE -- Brandon Streeter ranks 10th in the nation in rebounding and is among four Mount Olive players to be nationally ranked among the country's top statistical leaders. Joining Streeter are Kendrick Easley, Justin Melton and Lydell Walker. The...

Monday, December 24, 2007

Local digest

From staff reports MARION, Va. -- J.D. Baker finished unbeaten in seven matches and Rosewood captured sixth place overall in the Brutal Division of the Brutal Clash Dual-Team wrestling tournament contested this weekend. Josh Holmes prevailed in six of seven...

Sunday, December 23, 2007

News-Argus Men's Soccer POY: Alex Rodriguez (C.B. Aycock)

Rarely does an athlete garner the praise from a coach as the best player they've ever coached. Junior Alex Rodriguez, the 2007 News-Argus men's soccer player of the year, isn't most athletes. In varsity seasons at Charles B. Aycock, Rodriguez...

News-Argus Volleyball POY: Brooke Newsome (E. Wayne)

The biggest challenge facing Eastern Wayne's volleyball team this season wasn't living up to expectations, but battling complacency. Loaded with a talented and experienced cast of players, many folks penciled in the Warriors as the preseason favorites to win the...

News-Argus Women's Tennis POY: Eastern Wayne team

The Eastern Wayne women's tennis team was stronger, better and deeper this past fall and veteran coach Nancy Dawson made no bones about it. With the program's most-promising season on the horizon, Dawson decided to challenge her team. During the...

News-Argus Women's Golfer of Year: Jasmine Reeves (E. Wayne)

Youth and inexperience were Jasmine Reeves' biggest obstacles while playing golf as a freshman. The Eastern Wayne standout struggled to stay focused and couldn't overcome bad shots. What a difference one year makes. Reeves returned to the links this season...

News-Argus Men's Cross Country ROY: Nik Fredrick (C.B. Aycock)

As a sophomore in high school, walking away from a sport he had played since he was a kid wasn't easy for Nik Fredrick. A little over a year later, as a junior at Charles B. Aycock, the decision to...

News-Argus Cross Country Female Runner of Year: Caroline Schlaeppi (C.B. Aycock)

Charles B. Aycock sophomore Caroline Schlaeppi isn't shy about why she runs cross country -- she can't get enough of the thrill that comes from winning. That drive has earned Schlaeppi the 2007 News-Argus female runner of the year award...

Weekend preps

PIKEVILLE -- Charles B. Aycock kept the defensive clamps tight on Wilson Fike's Jeremy Atkinson for one half Friday evening, but couldn't duplicate the effort in the second half. Atkinson got untracked in the third quarter and finished with a...

Friday, December 21, 2007

Aycock boys rally but fall to Clayton

PIKEVILLE -- Even after his club's eighth loss of the season, David West was smiling like he knows something other coaches don't. The Charles B. Aycock boys basketball coach watched his Golden Falcons rally from an 11-point, first-half deficit to...

Trojans finish 1-1 in Bahamas Sunshine Shootout

NASSAU, BAHAMAS -- Mount Olive erased a nine-point deficit in the final nine minutes, but Southern Indiana hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to hand the Trojans a 64-59 loss on the final day of the Bahamas Sunshine Shootout....

Local digest

RALEIGH -- Wayne Country Day picked up a 61-45, non-conference victory over Western Harnett in the Word of God Christmas Invitational on Thursday. Floronta Wynn led the Chargers with 19 points, while Reco McCarter added 15. Cameron Strickland ended the...

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Hart leads three Saints in double figures

DUDLEY -- Bragging rights, for now, belong to the Saints. Jonathan Hart led three Southern Wayne in double figures with 19 points in a 75-59, non-conference victory over Spring Creek's varsity boys basketball team Wednesday evening. It was the first-ever...

C.B. Aycock grapplers begin ECC title defense

PIKEVILLE -- Charles B. Aycock opened defense of its Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference regular-season wrestling championship with a 52-15 rout of Wilson Hunt on Tuesday evening. The Golden Falcons, who collected just three pins, triumphed in 10 of 13...

Trojan women stop Tiffin

NASSAU, BAHAMAS -- Brittney Robich scored 16 points and Lakeisha Monroe and Tomeka Prichard both posted double-doubles to lead Mount Olive to a 66-62 victory over Tiffin (Ohio) University at the Bahamas Sunshine Shootout on Tuesday. Prichard tallied 15 points...

Local digest

Eastern Wayne's girls continued their hot start with a 70-38 win at home over North Lenoir on Wednesday evening. Brittani Billups paced the Warriors with 28 points, 21 rebounds and six steals. Lindsey Frederick had 10 points. Tiarra McIntyre added...

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Rebels earn split with Lejeune

CALYSPO -- With just two games under its belt, the North Duplin boys basketball team has some kinks to work out. The Rebels got outrebounded, had trouble taking care of the basketball and gave up countless easy baskets in an...

Warriors down Saints grapplers

The puzzle just might be complete. Injury-plagued since wrestling season began, Eastern Wayne competed with a full complement of grapplers Tuesday evening against archrival Southern Wayne. What a difference it made. The Warriors recorded seven falls and a pair of...

Local digest

SEVEN SPRINGS -- The Rosewood wrestling team triumphed in the first four contested individual matches and eased past Spring Creek 44-33 on Tuesday evening. "This was not a pretty match, but we'll take the win however we can get it...

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Local digest

Eastern Wayne's Bailey Upchurch, Mason Chenier and Melvin Shipman each recorded two individual victories during a swim meet contested at the Goldsboro Family Y. Upchurch emerged victorious in the 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke. Chenier touched the wall first...

Sunday, December 16, 2007

McDuffie's quick-strike plays lift Goldsboro

Goldsboro High can check off one preseason goal -- thanks to Keovanta McDuffie. A slashing guard, the 6-foot-1 junior pumped in a game-high 20 points as the Cougars turned back Southern Wayne 71-65 before a near-capacity crowd Friday evening. Goldsboro...

Local Sports Digest

From staff reports Faith Christian placed four players in double figures and earned a 61-48 victory over N.C. Christian Schools Association Class 2-A region member Cornerstone Christian on Friday evening. Jeremy Sandlin scored a game-high 15 points for the Conquerors....

Eagles sink 9 of 10 late free throws to top Midway

Rosewood executed fundamentals to near perfection and didn't fold after watching a double-digit lead vanish in a 53-46, non-conference victory over Midway on Friday evening. In the girls' game, Rosewood played three sloppy quarters and struggled to find consistency in...

Friday, December 14, 2007

Streeter's late free throws lift Trojans to road win

MURFREESBORO -- Brandon Streeter drained a pair of tie-breaking free throws with four seconds remaining as No. 20-ranked Mount Olive College escaped Chowan University 79-77 on Thursday evening. Streeter finished with 20 points on 7 of 9 shooting from the...

Lcoal digest

JV sports * Eastern Wayne girls 42, New Bern 16 -- Mauriel Baker led the Warriors (5-1) with 13 points. Janielle Daniel, Sedonia Scott and Morgan Smith each scored five points. Eastern Wayne hosts Jacksonville on Tuesday. Middle schools *...

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Saints finally notch first win of season

DUDLEY -- Southern Wayne might not have created a Michaelangelo or Picasso during its mid-week, non-conference basketball outing against Wilmington Ashley on Wednesday evening. But it certainly felt like a masterpiece. The Saints held the Eagles without a field goal...

Trojans rout Apprentice

MOUNT OLIVE -- Tomeka Prichard recorded her third consecutive double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds as Mount Olive College routed The Apprentice School 71-50 on Wednesday evening at Kornegay Arena. Alisa Jones and Brittney Robich added 14 points apiece...

Local digest

WILSON --Trailing 24-19 at halftime, Eastern Wayne outscored Wilson Fike 26-9 in the third quarter and escaped with a 48-46 win on Wednesday night. Fike outscored the Warriors 13-3 in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough to overcome...

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Cougar boys beat Warriors for second time

Poise down the stretch. It's one of many characteristics Goldsboro boys basketball coach Tod Morgan is hoping to instill in his team through a difficult non-conference schedule. He began to see glimpses of it Tuesday evening against county rival Eastern...

Local digest

SNOW HILL -- Danny Moye poured in 23 points and pulled down 15 rebounds to help guide Greene Central past Charles B. Aycock 68-50 on Tuesday evening. William Brown finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds for the Rams. Khendra...

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Warren and Flow earn ECC honors

From staff reports DUDLEY -- Southern Wayne head coach Bob Warren and fullback Kelvin Flow earned the top football awards recently selected by their Class 3-A Eastern Carolina Conference peers. Warren was named the coach of the year after guiding...

Local Sports Digest

From staff reports After falling earlier in the season at Trinity of Fayetteville, Wayne Country Day returned the favor with a 55-42 victory over Trinity on Monday night. The Chargers (9-2 overall), currently ranked fifth in the N.C. Independent School...

Monday, December 10, 2007

Bailey captures first-ever gold medal at Eagle Invitational

Those arduous afternoons of working out in a sweltering wrestling room and serving as a practice partner to experienced teammates paid dividends for Charles B. Aycock's Brandon Bailey on Saturday. A first-year varsity starter, Bailey claimed his first-ever gold medal...

Sunday, December 9, 2007

1-A Championship: North Duplin falls to Plymouth

RALEIGH -- Robert McCullen looked toward the scoreboard as the final seconds ticked away. Brad Rhodes unsnapped his chinstrap and trudged toward the sideline. Other members of North Duplin's football team walked off the field silently as Plymouth celebrated its...

Guilford College trio helps produce record-setting season

GREENSBORO -- Senior Troy Smith, junior Danny Langston and sophomore Markas Brunson -- all graduates of Rosewood High School -- helped the Guilford College football team post back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in two-plus decades. A 5-foot-11, 225-pound...

Rosewood gymnasts fare well in season-opening meet

RALEIGH -- The Rosewood High women's gymnastics team entered its first meet of the competitive year on Friday evening looking to build on last year's success as the state runner-up. The squad competed in Raleigh against a field of 18...

Princeton notches home win

PRINCETON -- Three different Bulldogs finished in double figures as Princeton turned back visiting Midway 60-52 on Friday night. Ryan Daughtry finished with 19 points. Josh Barefoot added 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Benton Myers tallied 11. Will Gainey...

Friday, December 7, 2007

Tigers return with relaxed minds

WARSAW -- As James Kenan head coach Ken Avent Jr. sat down earlier this week to talk about his team's state championship game with West Montgomery scheduled for Saturday evening, he looked every a bit like a coach who was...

Rebels, Vikings take similar paths to finals

CALYPSO -- North Duplin and Plymouth seemed to follow the same formula to the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A (small school) championship game. Both teams finished below .500 two years ago. Last season, the Rebels stumbled in the...

Rebels' Schilling handles role like seasoned player

CALYPSO -- Then next era of North Duplin's offense started sooner than its fans expected. Senior Doug Lloyd suffered a career-ending injury on the game's first play against Lakewood and hobbled to the sideline. Backup quarterback Alan Schilling snapped his...

A busy day for Duplin County and the Avents

WARSAW -- With a pair of state titles on the line, Saturday could be special day for folks in Duplin County. Especially those in the Avent family. North Duplin athletics director Ken Avent Sr., and his son, James Kenan head...

Father, son to call 3-AA title contest

CHAPEL HILL -- As father and son, Ron and Jeff Prince have been making memories for over 30 years. Saturday afternoon will probably be the most memorable. The pair, who both live in the area, are most likely the first...

Local digest

Eagles rally, crush Bruins Rosewood spotted the Wilson Beddingfield wrestling team a double-digit advantage after six contested matches, but rallied for a 60-24, non-conference victory Thursday evening. Bruin grapplers pinned their respective foes in four of the first six individual...

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Enrollment numbers don't support recommendation

The grumblings have started and the number crunching has increased two-fold since the N.C. High School Athletic Association released its realignment draft proposal last week. Officials affiliated with the Wayne County schools are not pleased with the Association's initial plan....

Golden Demeons' early run puts Goldsboro on its heels

"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely." Goldsboro men's basketball coach Tod Morgan and counterpart, women's coach Brandy Smith, hope the same holds true for their respective teams against a demanding non-conference schedule. Facing a...

Local digest

PRINCETON -- The Charles B. Aycock wrestling team prevailed in 10 of 13 contested matches, and earned 11 wins overall, in a 62-15 non-conference victory over Princeton on Wednesday evening. Nick Bentley (103 pounds), Drake Gurley (119), Joseph Conner (125),...

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

North Duplin, James Kenan eyeing state titles

CALYPSO -- The lingering image of North Duplin's 2006 football season, in which plenty of good things happened, was the final scene. The Rebels advanced to the western regional final, but succumbed to eventual state champion Elkin. Two lost fumbles...

Local Sports Digest

From staff reports Wayne Country Day senior Jeff Franklin reached the 1,000-point plateau during the Chargers' 55-36, non-conference win over county archrival Wayne Christian on Tuesday night. Franklin's 3-pointer in the fourth quarter helped him achieve the milestone. He also...

County rivals earn split

Playing fundamentally-sound, man-to-man defense isn't always easy to do during early-season games. More often than not, the aggressive and active nature of the scheme usually creates a frenetic-paced tempo which includes ragged play at times. So far, it seems to...

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Local digest

KINSTON -- Faith Christian's girls picked up a 37-19 win at Bethel Christian in non-conference play on Monday night. Alyssa Hill led the way for the Conquerors with 13 points, and Lindsey Godwin chipped in 10. Faith also earned a...

Monday, December 3, 2007

Golden Falcon grapplers take Pierce-Davis crown

PINETOPS -- Three Wayne County teams combined to claim 20 individual medals, the overall team title and the Most Outstanding Wrestler award during the 16th installment of the Pierce-Davis Memorial Tournament contested Saturday. Charles B. Aycock emerged victorious in three...

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Tigers' defense, special teams shine

WARSAW -- Fourth-seeded Pender County felt optimistic about its second meeting against James Kenan since taking an early-September shellacking at Bill Taylor Field. And the Patriots' confidence received a boost when they forced the Tigers to punt on their first...

Local sports Digest

From staff reports DUDLEY -- Goldsboro outscored Southern Wayne 35-19 in the second half and cruised to a 74-58, non-conference victory Friday evening. Keovanta McDuffie led the Cougars with 23 points. Demetrio Irby finished with 17 points and Tim Hobbs...

Newest forward in lineup produces second double-double of season

MOUNT OLIVE -- Tomeka Prichard didn't seem too enthusiastic when Mount Olive College women's coach Wendy Lee moved her to small forward a couple of games ago. The change took the thin-framed Prichard off the perimeter and put her inside...

Mount Olive men rebound from road loss at Queens with double-digit win at home

MOUNT OLIVE -- Erskine's deliberate offense and its collapsing defense frustrated Mount Olive College during first-half play Saturday afternoon. The trend didn't continue in the second half. Despite having three, sometimes four, defenders draped around him underneath the basket, Brandon...

Schilling has career night after Lloyd injury

CALYPSO -- Head coach Hugh Martin stood at midfield and hoisted the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Class 1-A (small school) western regional championship trophy high in the air on Friday night to a boisterous applause. With one more...