From staff reports

Perfect Game named UNC junior center fielder Vance Honeycutt (Salisbury) as a preseason third team All-America.

Honeycutt was the ACC  Defensive Player of the Year award as a sophomore and was a third-team all-conference selection.

Honeycutt is expected to be a high draft pick this summer, so this is likely to be his final season playing for UNC.

Pitcher Cameron Padgett (East Rowan) could also be a big factor for the Tar Heels.

The Tar Heels open the season at home on Feb. 16 against Wagner.

•••

Catawba baseball’s annual First Pitch Dinner fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 17, at Newman Park.

The dinner will feature former Catawba star Jerry Sands as the keynote speaker. Kevin McMillan will deliver the alumni remarks.

Catawba will play Shippensburg at 1 p.m. on that day. The social and dinner will be from 4-6 p.m. Speakers and presentations start at 6:30 p.m.

•••

Carson assistant coach Jesse Park has been named pitching coordinator for the South Charlotte Panthers.

•••

LOCAL GOLF

The team of Barry Medinger and the father-son duos of Roger and Nick Lyerly and Steve and Michael Gegorek won the annual Sunday Afternoon Regulars Tournament benefiting The Salisbury Post Christmas Happiness Fund.

They shot a near tournament record 23-under par to win the coveted title.

Second, third and fourth places were determined by scorecard playoff, with three teams posting 17-under scores.

The team of John McCoy, Bo Brincefield and Warren Fesperman captured second place, The team of Randy Kaiser, Brad Evans and Michael and Matthew Swaringen edged out the foursome of Jeff Holshouser, John Struzick, Alan Barefoot and Tim Ballard for third place.

The tournament was held on Sunday, Dec. 31, at Corbin Hills Golf Club after being postponed two times due to inclement weather.

Nick Lyerly sparked the winners with eagles on holes No. 7  and No. 11, but modestly deflected credit for the victory:

“The key to our score was hot putters,” Lyerly said. “We were fortunate to have some long putts to fall. Steve Gegorek made back-to- back 25-footers on No. 12 and No. 13,  and the eagle on No. 11 was due to a near 40-footer somehow finding the hole. It seemed to be contagious. We all putted well.”

Tournament  committee member Ronnie Shoaf summed up the 2023 tournament: “Special thanks to Tim and Garrett Gardner and the staff of Corbin Hills, along with prize donors Lee VonCannon and Silver Eagle Distributors, Bob Timm and Carolina Golf Mart, GMC Glass, Jack Moore and Blowin’ Smoke Barbecue Sauces, and Chad Campbell and The Country Club of Salisbury for helping us donate $4,680 to The Post’s Christmas Happiness Fund. While our championship team of the Lyerlys, Gegoreks and Medinger played their expected great golf, it was also exciting to see first hand the skill levels of up and coming Rowan County golf stars John McCoy, Bo Brincefield, Warren Fesperman, Cam Honeycutt, and Tatum and Brody Benfield.”

Weather permitting, the tournament is held annually in early December at Corbin Hills Golf Club and is open to all area golfers, with proceeds going to The Salisbury Post’s Christmas Happiness Fund.

This year’s tournament honored the memories of Gary McNeely and Verne McCombs, with tournament participants donating $2,340 and Corbin Hills Golf Club matching that donation to reach the tournament record donation of $4,680.

•••

Richard Long and Azalee & David Huneycutt took first place in a McCanless Couples Captain’s Choice event.

Crystal Clement, Larry Clifton and Lenny Mauseli came in second.
David Huneycutt had closest to the pin. Azalee Huneycutt had the.longest putt.
•••

GARS members played at Salem Glen in Clemmons.

Low ‘A’ Flight player with a net of 67.48 was Dickie Peeler.

Low ‘B’ Flight player with a net of 65.01 was Phil Cauble.

Low ‘C’ Flight player with a net of 69.70 was David Schenck. Low ‘D’ Flight player with a net of 58.10 was Bill Rogers.

Larry Petrea shot 77 to take low gross. Rogers won low net.

Keith Mason made an eagle on the par-4 11th hole.

John Mitchell was the Super Senior with a net of 65.31.

•••

HS BASKETBALL

Davie’s boys are 13-0 after a 59-53 win against Mount Tabor and off to their best start since the Duane Phillips days of the late 1990s.

Davie played in Davidson County’s Christmas Tournament at Ledford and won the championship game, 83-36.

•••

The NCHSAA announced that it will use a Final Four format for the basketball state championships.

They will be held at Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, which can hold almost 15,000 fans.

The Final Four format means regional championship games and state championship games for all classifications will be played at a single location,

This is a change from the previous format, which saw regional championships played at neutral sites throughout the state on a Saturday before state championships were held at Reynolds Coliseum or the Dean E. Smith Center the following Saturday.

Regional championships now be state semifinals and will be played Monday through Thursday, March 11-14. Games will be played throughout the day each day.

State championships will be played on Friday, March 15, and Saturday, Mar. 16.

•••

Some of Tuesday’s games were postponed to Wednesday.

The South Rowan-Lake Norman Charter games will be made up tonight.

The Robinson-West Rowan games will be made up on Thursday, Jan. 18.

•••
HS FOOTBALL

Salisbury’s Deuce Walker, a Georgia State recruit, was Honorable Mention for the High School OT All-State team as a two-way player. Walker had 10 receiving touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and two defensive touchdowns.

North Rowan had two players make High School OT All-State Honorable Mention  for special teams. Tsion Kelly blocked four punts and a field goal. Jaemias Morrow had two punt return touchdowns.

High School OT’s offensive and defensive teams will be released soon.

•••

North Rowan lineman Elijah Jefferies will continue his football career with the Georgia Warhawks post-graduate program. The Warhawks provide a chance to play against other post-graduate and college teams while getting a two-year degree.

•••

Carson’s Trevor Vaughn was on the winning team (56-6) in the Tiki Bowl in Hawaii.

•••

Blue Valley Kansas linebacker Dawson Merritt, a four-star recruit, is the son of Salisbury grad Yolanda Smith and David Merritt, the former N.C. State player who is the defensive backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.

•••

David House was named as the new head football coach at South Davidson. He’s been the defensive coordinator.

He replaces Tripp Honeycutt, who accepted the head job at Walkertown.

HS BASEBALL

Florida native Noah Anderson, 42, was announced as the new baseball coach at West Davidson, which competes in the Central Carolina Conference with Salisbury and North Rowan.

•••

MOORESVILLE — West Rowan’s male wrestlers won the 3rd annual Gavin Sharpe Invitational held at Mooresville High on Saturday.

Gavin Sharpe was the 15-year-old Mooresville athlete who died after an accident in 2019.

West’s  Kevin O’Brien (138 pounds), Mason Kincaid (175) and Dakota Athey (190) were weight class champions.

West runners-up included Mark Truman (126), Andrew Taylor (132), Connor Misenheimer (157) and Greyson Burleson (heavyweight).

West’s Robert Coleman (175) and Hunter Miller (215) placed third. Stetson Collins (144) was fourth.

South Rowan’s Garrison Raper was runner-up at 106. Mateo Diaz was third at 113. The Raiders were ninth in the team scoring.

Carson’s Joseph Little (106) and Elijah Morgan (157) had fourth-place finishes. The Cougars finished 11th.

•••

SEMIPRO BASKETBALL

The Rowan Bulls are back for their seventh season in the East Coast Basketball League.

The season starts on Feb. 18. The first home game at Hall Gym will be on Feb. 25 against the Winston-Salem Wolves.

•••
LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL

Rowan Little League spring baseball and T-ball registrations are being held at HTC Sports, 5520 Sherrill’s Ford Road, at the Roundabout on Saturdays, Jan. 13, Jan. 20 and Jan. 27 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

Parents can also register online anytime at http://www.rowanlittleleague.com

The cost is $99 for all leagues.

Baseball leagues offered are T-ball (ages 4-6), Coach Pitch (ages 6-8), B (ages 8-10), A (ages 10-12) and JR/SR (ages 13-16).

Softball leagues offered for girls are T-ball (ages 4-6), Coach Pitch (ages 6-8) 10U (ages 8-10), 12U (ages 10-12) and 14U/16U (ages 13-16)

Contact Jeff Bernhardt at 704-267-1146 for more information.

•••

SALISBURY ACADEMY

The Salisbury Academy jayvee girls basketball team defeated Summit School of Winston-Salem 27-4.

Leading scorers were Jillian Jarrell with 17 points and Hadley Haines and Kinzlee Smith with four each.

Salisbury Academy plays at Concordia Lutheran on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

•  The Salisbury Academy varsity girls rolled past the Summit School of Winston-Salem 47-12.

Leading scorer was Jream McLeod with 14 points, Elle Blankenship scored 10, while Harper Haines had seven.

Salisbury Academy will play today at 5 p.m. against Tabernacle Christian.

•••

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Catawba defensive lineman Mike Jones announced that he’s transferring to Virginia Union. He has two seasons of eligibility.

•••

Catawba defensive back Jayden Gibson (Salisbury) announces that he’s transferring to Livingstone.

•••

COLLEGE SWIMMING

Catawba’s Maks Minichowski and Marit Reckmann were the SAC Swimmers of the Week.

The duo combined to win 15 events in five wins, including the first wins against Wingate in 24 years.
•••
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Elizabeth Kitley made the game-winning shot for Virginia Tech in a victory against NC State. It was the first loss for the Wolfpack.

Kitley is the daughter of Ralph Kitley, who helped North Rowan win a basketball state title in 1986.

•••

Wingate’s Bryanna Troutman (Salisbury) had successful reconstructive ankle surgery.

•••

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

VMI associated head coach Dave Davis has decided to retire.

Davis had great runs as a Division II head coach at Newberry (nine seasons) and Pfeiffer (14 seasons).

Davis was 282-124 at Pfeiffer and guided the Falcons to the Elite Eight in 2004. He was Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1998, 1999 and 2004.