July 2009 archives

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Friday, July 31, 2009

Fishing report

Northern District Ocean: Offshore anglers caught diverse species, with limits of dolphin being landed by most anglers who targeted them. Anglers had good catches of yellowfin, blackfin and bigeye tuna along with wahoo, king mackerel, atlantic bonito, little tunny and...

OUTDOORS - Alligator Access

Courtesy NCDMF MOREHEAD CITY -- A traditional commercial fishing access point to the Alligator River will soon get a facelift. Over the next 18 months the Alligator River Waterman's Association, in partnership with the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program, will construct...

Moore-designed layout covers 7,000 yards

SNOW HILL -- Golfers officially have a new place to tee it up in eastern North Carolina. Cutter Creek Golf Club unveiled its back nine on Thursday to raucous fanfare and rave reviews. With 18 holes open for business, players...

Opinion -- BCS needs re-evaluating

All this recent BCS talk is giving John Swofford a headache. So, who can the blame the BCS commissioner for buying stock in Aleve? Nearly 10 years ago, the BCS was created to assure the top two teams would play...

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Local golf

Lane Tree LGA Shelley Leder captured game-of-the-week and low net honors during weekly tournament play on the Lane Tree Golf Club links. Betty Jean Gurley won low putts. Walnut Creek LGA Betty Edwards secured play-of-the-day accolades during weekly action at...

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Reaves era ends, coach taking family to Cornhusker State

Brad Reaves realized the inevitable long before the final out had been penciled in the scorebook against Edenton Post 40. The seven-year Wayne County Post 11 baseball coach had accepted the realization his team would not repeat as Area I...

The World's best: Coley, Team USA bring home gold Cup

Slowly twisting an aqua blue square earring, Justin Coley sat quietly and stared into open space. The gaze wasn't from jetlag due to a long plane trip from Belgium. His eyes twinkled and a slight grin curled his lips as...

Friday, July 24, 2009

N.C. fishing report

Northern District Dare, Hyde, Currituck & Beaufort Counties Ocean: Offshore catches were good with plenty of diversity. Anglers caught moderate numbers of yellowfin, blackfin and bigeye tuna; along with wahoo, king mackerel, blueline tilefish, atlantic bonito, little tunny and dolphin....

Floating rigs needed to catch flounder

The tide was so high even the shoreline grasses were inundated. The rising water had also obscured the flatfish attracting structure we knew was there. The change in water level required a change in tactics. Flounder are the most highly-sought...

Trojan memorabillia on display in Hall

MOC Sports Information COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. -- The Sultan of Swat. Stan "The Man" Musial. Willie Mays. Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle. And now the Mount Olive College baseball team. A baseball cap and photo of the Trojan players posing with...

Harris heads to Guilford

GREENSBORO -- Running back James Harris, who graduated from Rosewood High School, will suit up for Guilford College this fall. Harris received All-Carolina 1-A Conference honorable mention status in football. He also garnered all-conference recognition during football season, and...

Opinion -- Strange ideas draw attention

A brothel to finance an Olympian and a golf course stretching nearly 900 miles ... well ... 848 to be exact. Welcome to "Ripley's Believe It Or Not: Sports Edition." Logan Campbell, who hails from New Zealand, doesn't want his...

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Narron hooks Mudcats

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- Former East Carolina left-hander and Goldsboro native Sam Narron allowed one unearned run over 72/3 innings as the Huntsville stars defeated the Carolina Mudcats 6-1 on Wednesday night. Narron allowed five hits, struck out seven and...

Kruse joins Trojans' staff

MOUNT OLIVE -- Finding enough to keep himself busy between now and the start of the 2010 season won't be a problem for new Mount Olive College pitching Matt Kruse. Before coming to Mount Olive, Kruse served as the pitching...

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Wayne County eliminated

PEMBROKE -- Wayne County's bid for a trip to the Dixie Youth World Series ended with a 5-0 loss to Shallotte in the N.C. Dixie Youth Majors state tournament Tuesday evening. Tyler Powell, Jordan Salter, Andrew McKeel and J.C....

Opinion -- Trade rumors swirling in Toronto

As summer drags on and the start of college football season seems as tantalizingly far away (42 days) as Christmas in November, the world of sports isn't offering much to pass the time. Here's a list of things I think...

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Wayne County Dixie Youth prevails

LUMBERTON -- Brooks Bartlett threw a complete-game six-hitter as Wayne County stopped Kings Mountain 3-2 in the N.C. Dixie Youth Majors state tournament at the Pembroke Recreation Complex. Wayne County faces either Shallotte or Mount Holly today. Bartlett logged...

Monday, July 20, 2009

Aycock falls in state tournament

ASHEBORO -- Charles B. Aycock's run in the 2009 Junior American Legion baseball state tournament ended with a 5-3, elimination-round loss to Cary on Sunday. Colin DuBose paced Aycock's offense with three hits in three at-bats.Travis Musselman (RBI) and...

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Aycock splits pair of contests

ASHEBORO -- Charles B. Aycock split a pair of contests in the North Carolina junior American Legion state tournament at McCrary Park. Aycock fell 4-1 to Mooreseville on Friday morning. Adam Pate, Jordan Quinn, Tyler Ruffin (RBI) and Travis...

Friday, July 17, 2009

Opinion - Pujols a perfect ambassador

Until now Major League Baseball has been on the outside looking in. Every other professional sports league in the country has developed athletes it can proudly market and display as the faces of their respective teams. Meanwhile, baseball remains mired...

OUTDOORS- Wyndham elected to NCWRC

Steve Windham, a 59-year-old sportsman from Winnabow, was elected chairman of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission at the commissioners meeting on July 8, 2009. Former Gov. Easley appointed Windham as commissioner at-large in 2000. Windham gave his first...

Thursday, July 16, 2009

OUTDOORS - Chimney Rock

In just four years under the State Park designation, Chimney Rock has become one of the most popular parks in all of North Carolina. It's rustic trails lure hikers and mountain bikers, and the scenic overlooks attract bird watchers and...

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Burke wins third WCMA

MOUNT OLIVE -- Three men entered, one survived.  Jonathan Burke, Scott Woodard and Ryan Campbell each began the final round of the 11th annual Wayne County Mens Amateur with a chance to claim the area's top superlative.  Burke stayed...

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Trio pull away at Wayne County Amateur

After two days of near-perfect conditions and low scores, three players have risen above the rest at the 11th annual Wayne County Mens Amateur. Jonathan Burke and Scott Woodard are currently leading the pack at eight under par while Ryan...

Aycock advances to state tourney

Charles B. Aycock advanced to the junior legion state tournament with wins over West Craven and West Pitt on Friday at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary. The state tournament begins next Friday in Asheboro. Aycock defeated West Craven 8-6...

Friday, July 10, 2009

OUTDOORS- Lake Glenville an anglers pleasure

While working on my next book, "Fishing North Carolina," I discovered a mountain lake on a map. Since I had never heard of Thorpe Reservoir, I delved into the lake's history and discovered that the name on the map...

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Sutton seeks WCA three-peat

Over 150 of the best golfers in Wayne County are set to show off their strokes. The 11th annual Wayne County Men's Amateur begins play on Friday morning at Goldsboro Municipal Golf Course and continues Saturday at Walnut Creek...

Opinion -- A look at MLB's best kept secrets

As Major League Baseball nears the halfway point in its season the excitement of the 80th All-Star Game, the approaching trade deadline and the return of Manny Ramirez have grabbed the majority of the headlines. Quietly several big leaguers and...

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Junior leagion boxscore

North Lenoir 046 50 -- 15 4 3 Wayne South 011 03 -- 5 6 8 Leading hitters -- North Lenoir -- Najea Jackson 1-3, RBI; Spencer Bass 2-3, 3 RBI; Zach Brown 1-4. Wayne South -- Zach Grantham 2-2;...

Wayne South falls to North Lenoir

SEVEN SPRINGS -- North Lenoir benefited from extra outs and rolled to a 15-5 win over Wayne South in five innings on Tuesday night at Spring Creek High School. North Lenoir pushed across four unearned runs on no hits and...

Gourley earns first professional hit

Former Eastern Wayne standout Walker Gourley saw his first action at the professional level on Tuesday as his Gulf Coast Pirates fell 8-3 to the GulfCoast Phillies in Bradenton, Fla. Gourley served as the designated hitter for the contest and...

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

MOC players enjoy YES clinic

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. - For the second year in a row, Mount Olive head softball coach Jaime Kylis-Higginbotham and members of the Trojan softball team participated in the NCAA YES Clinic at the Women's College World Series. Rising senior Allison...

Wayne South wins, Aycock tumbles

FOUR OAKS -- Zach Grantham provided three hits and two RBI as Wayne South picked up a 9-3 win at South Johnston on Monday night. Taylor Brock and Thomas Kelly (RBI) both added two hits for Wayne South. Cody...

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Wayne County rally falls short

MOUNT OLIVE -- Edenton provided the offensive fireworks, and Wayne County was forced to watch as Post 40 enjoyed a 7-4, Fourth of July victory in game five of the opening round of the Area I East playoff bracket...

Friday, July 3, 2009

Wayne County 10U All-Stars advance

GRANTHAM -- The 24-hour delay bothered Wayne County's coaches. The players? Not so much. Focused on the prize, short-handed Wayne County pounded out a 12-2, rain-suspended decision over Wilson County and claimed the Eastern N.C. Babe Ruth District 4...

OUTDOORS - Ladyfish pack big bite

As the water heats up along the North Carolina coast, saltwater species undergo a dramatic change. Spadefish show up at the offshore reefs, dolphin move within sight of the beach and summer flounder flock to the nearshore ledges and...

senior legion boxscore

Edenton 107 304 0 -- 15 17 2 Wayne County 110 110 1 -- 5 8 1 Leading hitters -- Edenton -- Tyler Barrington 1-3, 2B, RBI; J.J. Allen 2-5, RBI; Daniel Oliver 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI; Cameron Peed 1-3,...

Junior legion teams enjoy victories

DUDLEY -- Wayne South exploded for 14 runs in the final two innings as they bested Northern Nash 17-7 in Junior American Legion baseball action on Thursday night. The offensive outburst completed a thrilling comeback as Wayne South trailed...

Edenton takes series lead against Wayne County

MOUNT OLIVE -- Edenton Post 40 brought plenty of offense to the Scarborough Field diamond in their Area-I East playoff game against Wayne County on Thursday night. Post 40's pitching wasn't bad either. Andrew Womble tossed a complete game as...

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Wayne North avenges loss to Wayne South

Wayne County North is starting to show signs of maturity one win at a time. Logan Wicks pitched his second consecutive complete game and Wayne County North held on for a 4-3 win over Wayne County South on Wednesday evening...

Zach Wright will play in showcase game

East Carolina's Zach Wright is one of four Holyoke Blue Sox (New England Baseball League) selected to play in the annual Red Sox Draft Class Showcase game today at Fenway Park. Wright is batting .212 (7-for-33) with two doubles, a...

OPINION- Some athletes should fade away

As sports fans we love to cheer our heroes as much as we enjoy despising the star player for one of our beloved team's rivals or that overpaid athlete with an attitude that gets under our skin. I love rooting...

Edenton beats Post 11 to even series

EDENTON -- Wayne County Post 11 expected to play in a pitcher-friendly park Wednesday evening, but had those thoughts dashed when Edenton moved the contest to hitter-friendly Hicks Field. The change -- along with a torrential rainstorm -- factored...

Greene County wins 12u title

GRANTHAM -- Two strikes. The game-tying run 60 feet from home. The game-winning run at second base. Greene County reliever Justin Lee adjusted his hat, got the sign from his catcher and fired toward the plate. Wayne County's Jordan Gurley...

Junior Legion briefs

PIKEVILLE -- Aaron Champion permitted one hit in a complete-game effort as Charles B. Aycock hammered South Johnston 20-0 on the Junior American Legion baseball scene Wednesday evening. Officials halted the contest after 41/2 innings due to the mercy...

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Wayne County-Edenton box score

Edenton 010 000 0 - 1 11 5 Wayne County 220 820 x - 14 10 1 Leading hitters - Edenton - Nikolai Simonsen 2-3; Cameron Peed 1-1; Tyler Barrington 1-4; J.J. Allen 1-3; Robert Jacot 1-1; Austin Beasley...

Post 11 dominates

MOUNT OLIVE -- One step at a time. Wayne County Post 11 exploded for eight runs in the fourth inning and rode the left arm of Eric DuBose to a 14-1 win in 6 1/2 innings over Edenton Post 40...

Gourley signs with Pittsburgh

Walker Gourley had to choose between Pirates. In the end, the professionals won. The Eastern Wayne graduate inked a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday evening. "I had to sit down and weigh the options and after taking some...

WC North crowned 8U champ

GRANTHAM -- Another comeback. For the second straight day, Wayne County North allowed rival Wayne County South to gain early momentum and build a mutiple-run lead during their 8U Rookie battle. And, once again, Wayne County North rallied -- in...

Trio paces Aycock attack

RED OAK -- Tyler Famer, Adam Pate and Jeff Carmel each collected two hits to lead Charles B. Aycock past Northern Nash 11-0 in an American Junior Legion baseball game Tuesday evening. Officials halted the game after five innings...