From staff reports

Salisbury football and baseball standout Vance Honeycutt was honored as Central Carolina Conference Male Athlete of the Year.

Lexington track and field star Alyssa Thompson Rowe was named the Female Athlete of the Year for the Conference.

West Davidson received the league’s sportsmanship award, while  Oak Grove repeated as the Cushwa Cup winner for overall athletic excellence.

State Games

South Rowan rising seniors Kane Kepley, Nathan Chrismon and Ty Hubbard  are playing for the Region 6 team in the State Games.

Games will be played at UNC’s Boshamer Stadium  through July 2.

College baseball

East Carolina pitcher Carson Whisenhunt (Davie) is part of the  Collegiate National Team.

  The national  team has two 24-man teams — Stars and Stripes. They’re playing 11 games this summer at minor league venues in the the South.

•••

UNC pitcher Austin Love (West Rowan) projects to be drafted in the first five rounds of the upcoming MLB draft.

Minor leagues

The Kannapolis Cannon Ballers have been playing much better of late, but they were outscored 16-10 by Charleston on Tuesday.

Chase Krogman and Harvin Mendoza homered for Kannapolis.

Krogman and Mendoza also homered on Wednesday in an 8-5 loss to Chrleston.

•••

Ike Freeman (East Rowan) is 8-for-28 (.286) with four RBIs for the Lynchburg Hillcats.

Legion baseball

KANNAPOLIS —  Jacob Baucom and Chase Argabright hurled Kannapolis to a 5-2 American Legion baseball win vs. Davidson County on Tuesday.

Cole Pletcher, Caden Grider, Nick Alderfer and Blake Anderson had two hits for Kannapolis.

Drew Rabon homered for Davidson. Wilson White had two hits.

•••

Rowan County is scheduled to return to action tonight at Staton Field against Mooresville.

Mooresville lost 2-0 to Mocksville on Tuesday.

•••

Kannapolis outscored Fort Mill, S.C., 10-8 on Wednesday.

Alderfer went 4-for-4 for Kannapolis.

Junior Legion

McCall Henderson pitched a no-hitter to lead East Rowan to a win over previously unbeaten West Rowan on Tuesday.

Henderson tripled in the 3-0 victory.

•••

A strong relief effort by Logan Ballard led South Rowan to a 9-6 win against East Rowan on Monday.

Brooks Hubbard had a double for South and knocked in two runs.

•••

Hayden Simmerson, Cameron Burleyson and Keegan Barger led Carson to a 12-5 win against South Rowan on Wednesday.

Jacob Saine had four hits for South.

Showcase softball

Emma Clarke (West Rowan) hit a grand slam on Tuesday for the Carolina Cardinals.

Showcase baseball

Morgan Padgett (East Rowan) was the winning pitcher for the South Charlotte 2023 team in a 10-2 romp. Padgett was 2-for-2 at the plate, while Chance Mako (East Rowan) scored two runs.

•••

Cobb Hightower (East Rowan) had two hits and two RBIs for the South Charlotte Panthers 15U team in a 10-2 win on Tuesday.

HS wrestling

East Rowan’s Oren Bost is the North Piedmont Conference Wrestler of the Year, while West Rowan’s John Brown is NPC Coach of the Year.

West’s Christian Hercules, Mark Truman, Bryan Taylor and Luke Harrison  made all-conference.

East’s Luke Heglar, Shayden Edwards, Tayron Frost and Max Mitchell made all-conference.

Carson’s Christian Kluttz and  Raelie Hernandez made all-conference.

All-State softball

All-State softball teams have been announced by the North Carolina Coaches Association.

Carson’s Lonna Addison, Allie Burns, Kary Hales, Makayla Johnson and Abbey Nixon and West Rowan’s KK Dowling,  Taylor Walton and Emma Clarke made the team.

A.L. Brown’s Kaylyn Belfield, Madison Daniels,  Tali Hagler and Lindsay Wolford were honored, along with Davie’s London Dirks and Sydney Dirks.

Mooresville All-State players are Emma Chopko, Ella Goins, Lauren Vanderpool, Campbell Schaen and Brooke Piper.

Chopko was named 4A Player of the Year for the West.

Legion softball

Rowan County’s senior team swept a doubleheader from Gaston on Tuesday.

Local golf

Nick Lyerly (East Rowan) shot 3-under 67  on Tuesday and even-par 70 on Wednesday in the  North & South Amateur being held in Pinehurst.

Lyerly made four birdies and one bogey on Tuesday and two bogeys and two birdies on Wednesday.

Lyerly tied for seventh in stroke play and advanced to the match play portion of the event that begins today.

Michael Childress of Salisbury shot 72-73— 145, but the cutline fell at 141.

Crescent aces

Dan Luce had a hole-in-one on No. 10.

He used a 9-iron from the yellow tees.

The shot was witnessed by Steve McGuire and John Hathcock.

•••

David Berrier used a 6-iron to ace No. 15 from the white tees.

The shot was witnessed by Craig Pless and Eric Rhew.

•••

Chad Ballard made a hole-in-one on No. 8 with an 8-iron from the white tees.

The feat was witnessed by Jeff Prevette.

McCanless Couples

Monica Green, Eileen Full and David & Azalee Huneycutt took first in a Captain’s Choice Event.

Lenny Maseuli, Steve and Lynn Masingo came in second.

Ty Cobb got closest to the pin, while Don Carpenter won longest putt.

GARS golf scores for 6/28/21 Rolling Hills GC

GARS

GARS members played at Rolling Hills.

Low ‘A’ Flight player was Franklin Ford with a net of 64.33. Low ‘B’ Flight player was Mel Smith with a net of 61.46. Low ‘C’ Flight player was Ken Safrit with a net of 59.86.

Low ‘D’ Flight player was Wayne Bost with a net of 61.93. Bernard Caldwell shot a 3-under 69 for low gross score, while Safrit shot low net.  Red McClain and Ford shot par 72s. Caldwell eagled the par-5 No. 3 hole. Safrit eagled the par-5 14th.

Seven GARS members beat their ages.  Caldwell, 73, shot a 69. Smith, 76, shot a 75. Bobby Clark, 81, shot a 77. Bost, 85, shot an 83. Frank Masingo, 85, shot a 77. Ralph Luther, 86,  shot an 83. Buddy Barger, 87, shot an 84.

Little League softball

The Rowan Little League 12U (ages 10-12) team romped in District 2 play with 15-0 and 14-1 wins in district play at Northwest Forsyth.

Rowan will be in the state tournament in Marion, starting on July 5.

COVID wiped out Little League in 2020, so Rowan, which won it all in 2019, is the defending state, regional and World Series champs in this age group.

Players are Madyson Baker, Leisha Carter, Jordan Dry, Kaylee Furr, Brinley Hiatt, Josephina Huynh, Caroline Lyerly, Myla McNeely, Reese Poole, Sophia Redding, Danica Rosa, Eva Shue, Leah Troutman and Regan Williams.

Coaches are Donnell Poole, Charlie Dry and Allen Baker.

•••

The Rowan Little League 10U (ages 8-10) team wrapped up the district title with 17-0, 17-1 and 10-0 victories and will play next in the state tournament at Lake Norman on July 10.

Rowan won twice against East Surry and once against Northwest Forsyth. Davie also was in  the district tournament.

Remington Hagerty pitched a no-hitter and struck out 15 batters in the championship game against East Surry.

Rowan players are Addison Barrier, Emma Bingham, Bently Hager, Remington Hagerty, Aubrey Jenkins, Ansley Jenkins, Gracie Mowry, Peyton Mulkey, Cressley Patterson, Tenley Shell, Emma Smith, Kaylyn Smith and Emory Stewart

Coaches are Brett Mulkey, Jacqueline Mulkey and Jeff Bernhardt.

  •••

The Rowan Coach Pitch  team (ages 6-8) won the District 2 championship and will play for the state title at Lake Norman, starting July 10.

Players are Courtlyn Bost, Payton Brown, Graci Cooper, Zoey Correll, Harper Deal, Abby Miller, Paisley Lanning, Kinsley Linton, Lily Poole, Jaylee Nixon, Emerson Raper, Samantha Sloop, Carsyn Smith and Jenna Smith.

Coaches are Jeff Bernhardt, Ashley Poole, Hillary Nixon, Tony Lanning and Greg Deal.

Pitch, Hit and Run 

The Salisbury Parks and Recreation Department held a local MLB Pitch, Hit and Run youth skills competition at JC Optimist Sports Complex.

The event had over 40 registrants.   Winners in the boys divisions were Brewer Jackson (ages 7-8), Alex Limerick (ages 9-10), Michael Brown (ages 11-12) and Will Tucker (ages 13-14).   The winner in the girls division was Lilyana Acevedo (11-12).

Local winners are in the running to attend the Braves Team Championship in Atlanta this summer.

College football

After missing a year due to COVID concerns,  Virginia State offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator Trumaine Watson (A.L. Brown) is   preparing for his second NFL affiliated coaching clinic this summer at the 2021 Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship.

Watson will have an opportunity to assist in OTAs,    mini-camp and training camp this summer with the Minnesota Vikings.