From staff and wire reports

Catawba and Livingstone will get the college football season started on Saturday.

Livingstone plays Bluefield State at home at 6 p.m.

Catawba is on the road at Elizabeth City State with a   1 p.m. kickoff.

Catawba and Livingstone were both picked 11th in their conferences in preseason polls.

Livingstone will play at Catawba on Sept. 9.

College football

Salisbury’s record-setting back JyMikaah Wells will be playing for the Livingstone Blue Bears this season.

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Linebacker Jabril Norman (Salisbury) transferred from Mars Hill to Virginia Union.

HS boys soccer

SALISBURY — Salisbury’s boys soccer team has had an impressive start to the season, a trend that continued on Monday at Ludwig Stadium.

Salisbury won 2-0 against Trinity (4-1) in a battle of unbeaten teams.

The Hornets (5-0) scored in the opening minutes when Mario Perez played a long ball to a streaking Abdul Eliwa. Eliwa did the rest with a one-on-one finish past the Trinity keeper.

SHS made it 2-0 in the opening moments of the second half when Eliwa played a diagonal ball to Hines Busby. Busby’s finish was a blast, a clinical strike that beat the keeper to the back post.

Salisbury got excellent play from the backline of Perez, Yatti Avilez, Robert Moulton and Mohammed Jabateh.  Keeper Finn Avery had the clean sheet.

Carlos Henriquez earned his captain’s band, while David Austin was a consistent presence in the midfield.

“Overall, I am very pleased with the second half,” Salisbury coach Matt Parrish said. “We moved the ball exceptionally well, played unselfish soccer, and utilized legitimate teamwork. Trinity was a good test. Coach Mike Sink always has his men ready to play. They are big and physical, a combination that we haven’t seen much this season.”

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CONCORD — East Rowan lost 2-1 in overtime to Central Cabarrus on Monday.

It was the first loss for the Mustangs (2-1-1, 0-1) and came in the South Piedmont Conference opener for both teams.

Ivan Landaverde scored for East in the second half.

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LANDIS — Northwest Cabarrus  got a hat trck from Ayden Yates and and topped South Rowan 6-2 on Monday in SPC soccer.

Michael Coles and Jacil Perez-Gutierrez scored for  the Raiders (2-3, 0-1).

Alan Ballinas-Gutierrez made six saves.

HS girls golf

SALISBURY — Hannah Waddell and Addison Queen shot 42s for nine holes at McCanless and led East Rowan to second place in a South Piedmont Conference match on Monday.

East’s third scorer was Jaelyn Earnhardt, who shot 47.

KP Pfister shot 48, while Izzy Stepp shot 53.

Lake Norman Charter won by nine strokes over the Mustangs. Leading the Knights was freshman Caitlyn Frisch, who shot 33.

The other squads that had the minimum of three golfers needed to post team scores were South Rowan (146), Northwest Cabarrus (161) and Carson (178).

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The first Central Carolina Conference match is scheduled for Sept. 5 at Corbin Hills.

HS volleyball

LANDIS — South Rowan bounced back from three weekend losses to strong teams and clobbered Northwest Cabarrus on Monday.

South (6-3, 3-0) breezed 25-11, 25-11 and 25-6 in the South Piedmont Conference match against the Trojans.

Leah Rymer had 12 assists, five digs and five kills. Campbell Withers had five digs. Meredith Faw had seven kills and five digs. Avery Welch had six kills.Laney Beaver had eight kills.

• South also swept the jayvee match against Northwest Cabarrus, taking a 25-18 and 25-11 victory.

Meghan Eagle had nine assists and eight digs. Clancy Street had 12 kills.  Cailynn Withers had eight digs. Raegan Shell and Danica Krieg had five digs each.

South’s jayvees are 5-1.

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Carson (3-3, 3-0) swept Concord on Monday and is tied for first place with South Rowan.

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East Rowan (3-3. 1-1) won a tough five-set SPC match with Central Cabarrus  on Monday. The Mustangs prevailed 25-15, 15-25, 25-19, 19-25 and 15-12.

Cameron Ostle had 11 kills for the Mustangs, while Alli Corl had 10.

Jordan Dry had seven aces. Jaeley Legg had 16 digs. Jacee Eudy had 11 digs and 25 assists.

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West Rowan  was swept by Lake Norman Charter 25-22, 25-12 and 25-16 on Monday.

The Falcons (3-3, 1-2)  lost the first set at Mount Pleasant in Tuesday’s non-conference match but came back to win the next three.

‘Played really awful on Monday, but the girls showed some resilience,” West coach Jan Dowling said.

Emma Clarke had 26 kills for the Falcons. Lydia Gibson and Skyy Ruben had eight kills each.Sophia Blackledge had four kills and four aces.

Brinley Batts, Clarke and Blackledge led the Falcons in digs.

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SALISBURY — Salisbury lost in five sets to North Davidson on Monday, with the Black Knights winning the non-conference match 16-25, 25-19, 19-25, 25-22 and 15-8.

Ashley Yang had 36 assists and 17 digs.

Ava Morris returned to action after missing a match with illness and had 20 kills and 10 digs.

Addie Myers had nine kills Carmen McQueen had six kills and three blocks. Dayami Acevedo had 13 digs. Kendall Henderson had 11 kills Sheenya Daugherty had 14 digs.

• Salisbury opened  Central Carolina Conference play on Tuesday with a breezy 25-6, 25-7 and 25-12 sweep of Thomasville.

Yang had 21 assists, nine digs and five aces.

Morris had 14 kills. Myers had six aces. Henderson had six kills. Kylaih Pearson-Hasty had seven aces for  the Hornets (2-4, 0-1).

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North Rowan (0-3, 0-1) was swept by South Davidson in Monday’s CCC opener.

HS girls tennis

SALISBURY — Salisbury’s girls tennis team won 9-0 against Central Carolina Conference opponent South Davidson on Monday.

Millie Wymbs won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 1 singles.

Lucy Barr, Cora Wymbs, Meredith Williams, Addie Griffith and Lola Koontz also breezed to singles victories for the Hornets (4-0, 2-0).

Millie Wymbs/Barr, Cora Wymbs/Koontz and Williams/Griffith finished the sweep with doubles victories.

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   MOUNT ULLA — West Rowan lost 8-1 to Lake Norman Charter on Monday in South Piedmont Conference action.

Laney Moore won at No. 6 singles for the Falcons.

The Falcons (3-2, 3-2) own wins against Robinson, South Rowan and Central Cabarrus in the SPC. They have lost twice to Lake Norman Charter (7-0, 5-0).

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CHINA GROVE — Carson won 6-3 over Concord in SPC tennis on Monday.

Allie Martin, Brenna Smith, Kayla Cook and Madalinn Griffin won in singles for the Cougars.

Cook/Valerie Webster and Maggie Cooper/Sophie Lipe were winning doubles teams for the Cougars (4-1, 3-1).

HS football

Salisbury’s Deuce Walker set a date to announce his college choice.

Walker will make his college commitment known on Sept. 10.

Virginia Tech, Duke and Georgia State reportedly are his top three choices.

JV football

Touchdowns by DeMonte Barr and Bryce Morgan lifted A.L. Brown to a 14-6 win against Northwest Cabarrus in a game that was suspended on Thursday and completed on Monday.

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The North Rowan-Anson jayvee game scheduled for Thursday has been canceled.

HS basketball

Central Cabarrus championship ring ceremonies are set for Sept. 8.

North Rowan and Catawba graduate Jim Baker coaches the Vikings.

Local golf

GARS members played at McCanless this week.

Low ‘A’ Flight player was Larry Petrea with a net of 62.87.

Low ‘B’ Flight player was Linn Safley with a net of 60.93.

Low ‘C’ Flight player was Randy Lipe with a net of 62.00.

Low ‘D’  Flight player was Tommy Seamon with a net of 60.93.

Petrea shot a 2-under par 68 to win low gross. Safley and Seamon tied for low net.

John Mitchell was Super Senior  with a net of 64.22.

Five members shot their age or better .

Petrea, 72, shot a 68.  Wayne Kluttz, 79, shot a 79. Donald Martin, 80, shot an 80. Bobby Clark, 83, shot an 83. Buddy Barger 89, shot an 89.

Two members eagled par-4 holes. Ted Weanteagles No. 17, while  Dan Newell carded a 1 on No. 1.

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In a McCanless Couples Captain’s Choice event,  Lenny Mauseli, Larry Harwood and Bev & Ty Cobb took  first place.

Todd Cleary and David & Azalee Huneycutt placed second.

Bev Cobb had longest putt. Larry Harwood had  closest to the pin.

Little League

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa.  — Louis Lappe hit a walk-off homer and California beat Curacao 6-5 in the Little League World Series championship on Sunday, despite giving up a four-run lead.

Louis flipped his bat and threw his arms in the air as he trotted around the bases, leaping onto home plate before he was greeted by his teammates surrounding the batter’s box.

The leadoff hitter in the sixth inning, Louis lofted the second pitch he saw just beyond the left field fence.

Curacao tied the game in the fifth on Nasir El-Ossais’s grand slam to center.

Nasir also drove in a run in the third. Jaxon Kalish and Lucas Keldorf drove in two runs each for California.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) — Little Leaguers everywhere dream of a moment like this.

Louis Lappe hit a walk-off homer and California beat Curacao 6-5 in the Little League World Series championship on Sunday, despite giving up a four-run lead.

Louis flipped his bat and threw his arms in the air as he trotted around the bases, leaping onto home plate as he was greeted by his teammates surrounding the batter’s box. The leadoff hitter in the bottom of the sixth inning, Louis lofted the second pitch he saw just beyond the left field fence.

“This is a unique feeling that maybe only five or less people experience in their lifetime,” said Louis, who finished the tournament with five homers, the most of any player. “I feel great. It’s hard to beat this feeling. I don’t know what would make me feel happier.”

Curacao tied the game in the fifth on Nasir El-Ossais’s grand slam to center, setting off a frenzied celebration by the players, coaches and Curacao fans down the third-base side of Lamade Stadium. Nasir also drove in a run in the third.

Jaxon Kalish and Lucas Keldorf drove in two runs each for California.

“The five guys that I have in the top of the lineup, they’re as good as anyone in this tournament,” El Segundo manager Danny Boehle said. “I stand by that full heartedly.”

It was the first trip to the final for the team from El Segundo, a community in the Los Angeles area. California’s eight titles are the most by any U.S. state.

Curacao, a small island off the coast of Venezuela that is home to just 150,000 residents, has represented the international side of the bracket in the championship the last three times non-U.S. teams have competed — in 2019, 2022 and this year — but has lost each time.

There was no tournament in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 tournament was limited to American teams because of travel restrictions.

Curacao returned five players and its coaching staff from the team that lost 13-3 to Hawaii in the 2022 final.

“I ate the cake already last year. I ate the cake this year, too, but I ain’t take the cherry home,” Curacao manager Zaino Everett said after the game with tears in his eyes.

Both California and Curacao took a loss during the tournament and had to work their way through the elimination bracket to the final. With pitch counts mounting across the rosters, each turned to less experienced LLWS starters.

Crew O’Connor drove in a run for El Segundo in the fourth with a single to left field that followed Max Baker’s triple, giving California a 5-1 advantage. It got bumpy from there, but California came out on top.

“What we did may never happen again in the history of El Segundo,” Boehle said.

HELLO, GOVERNOR

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was on hand for the game, joined by 2014 LLWS pitching sensation Mo’ne Davis. Next August will mark 10 years since Davis became the first female pitcher to win a tournament game, helping Philadelphia’s Taney Little League to make it to the U.S. semifinal.

“We’re really proud of her in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said.

STUART SCOTT HONORED

The late Stuart Scott was the 62nd person to be enshrined in the Little League’s Hall of Excellence before Sunday’s tournament final. Scott was recognized for his support of the Little League World Series while he was at ESPN.

ESPN is the broadcast partner for Little League and carried 337 games across all divisions of play this season.

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Spencer Ripchik contributed to this report. He and Seth Engle are students in the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports