Basketball’s still far from a done deal, but ready or not, the time has come for high school spring sports.
Salisbury’s baseball team entertains Concord today at 4:30 at Newman Park to kick off the prep diamond season. That game’s been moved up. It was originally scheduled for tomorrow.
Boys tennis action begins this afternoon at 3:30 as South Rowan plays host to West Rowan.
South plays at West to open the softball season tomorrow. North Rowan opens at West Davidson.
Vince Connolly thought he’d have a little fun with the new guy in town.
The Rowan County Girls Soccer Tournament opens tonight at North Rowan, with South and East kicking off the event at 7. The winner advances to Tuesday’s semifinals against top seed West Rowan, coached by newcomer Rick Erdman.
“I had no clue when the tournament was, that we were the No. 1 seed,” said Erdman, who got plenty of info on the girls soccer scene from Connolly, the Cavs head coach. “He said that if we lose to anybody, it’d be an upset. He’s having a good time with it.”
The host Cavaliers will play Salisbury in Tuesday’s other semifinal matchup, with the consolation game coming Thursday at 5 p.m. and the championship at 7. Pairings were determined by last year’s tournament, which West claimed.
Erdman isn’t a total stranger to West soccer — he’s just been away a while. When he left in 1996 to pursue a career in youth ministry, there wasn’t even a girls team at West. He recently returned to Cornerstone Baptist Church in Cleveland; shortly thereafter, the Falcon job became available.
Former head coach Rebecca Snider is leaving West before the end of the season to join husband Jamie in Conway, S.C., following the former Catawba College football coach’s move to the Coastal Carolina program.
So will the 2002 tournament title go to the new guy in town, one of the lower seeds or the home team?
“It’s good to have people come to your place. We’ll be familiar and comfortable with the environment,” Connolly said. “It’s a few long nights, but we have a team we feel can win it.”
Previews of the area teams will appear in Tuesday’s soccer notebook.
- College teams in tourneys
Livingstone’s women get basketball tournament festivities for area colleges started today in the CIAA Tournament at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Raleight.
The Bears, fourth seeded in the Western Division, play a 1 p.m. game against St. Pauls, No. 6 seed from the East.
If the Bears win, they’ll play at 1 p.m. tomorrow against Virginia State, No. 1 seed in the East.
Livingstone’s men, No. 6 in the West, don’t open until Wednesday. They’ll play Elizabeth City State, No. 3 in the East, at 7 p.m. If the Bear men spring a first-round upset, they’ll face strong Winston-Salem State at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
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Catawba’s men’s basketball team hosts Presbyterian and the Indian women welcome Wingate in SAC Tournament first-round games on Tuesday.
The women play at 6, the men at 8.
Both Catawba teams are No. 3 seeds.
If the Indian teams advance, they’ll play semifinal games on Friday afternoon in Hickory. Championship games are set for Saturday at 2 (women) and 4 (men).
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After beating Limestone Saturday, Pfeiffer’s women finished the regular-season in a three-way tie for first place, sharing the CVAC title with Lees-McRae and Belmont Abbey The Falcons have been seeded first for the tourney by tiebreakers. They have a first-round bye and play Thursday at 7 at home against a first-round survivor.
Pfeiffer’s fifth-seeded men host 12th-seeded St. Andrews in a first-round game tonight at 7. If they win they’ll play at Barton on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
The Pfeiffer golf team is ranked sixth in the latest Golf Coaches Association Poll. Pfeiffer opens its spring season today and Tuesday when it hosts the Pfeiffer/Pine Needles Invitational in Southern Pines.
South Rowan’s Greg Yanz has been named Coach of the Year in the 4A Central Piedmont Conference for boys swimming.
South placed Tyler Walker, Ben Wooten, Jacob Helms and Mark Beck on the all-conference team.
Davie County placed Meagan Clark on the girls all-conference team.
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Davie’s Patrick Lowery has been named Wrestler of the Year for the 145-275-pound range and his father, Buddy, has been named Coach of the Year in the CPC.
Zack Morton, Andrew Darcy, Malachi Gentry, Andrew Scott, Josh Stanley, Jordan Kahrs, Jacob Garner, Adam Sain, Matt Wilson, Tyler Black, Billy Riddle, Adam Barber and Lowery made the all-conference team for the War Eagles.
Dwayne Herman represented South Rowan on the team.
Catawba College swept three games from No. 30 Shippensburg in a weekend series at Newman Park.
The Indians (6-4) won 8-2 and 8-0 in a Saturday doubleheader and rolled 11-5 on Sunday.
Thomas Giles pitched well for the Indians, while Matt Smith drove in three runs in Saturday’s opener.
In Saturday’s nightcap, West Davidson’s Zach Snyder tossed six innings of two-hit ball for the win. Curt Motsinger and Chad Hill hit two-run homers, while Blair Reynolds had three doubles and scored three runs.
Reynolds stayed hot on Sunday, pounding a pair of homers and driving in five runs. Spence Southard had four hits and three RBIs, while Israel Morrow added three hits. Jake Talley got the win and Chris Abernathy the save.
Pfeiffer was swept in three games in a weekend series by CVAC foe Belmont Abbey. Pfeiffer lost 2-1 and 5-2 on Saturday and 6-3 on Sunday. Mark Schleicher bashed his ninth and 10th homers for the Falcons, while Bryant Parnell had two hits on Sunday.
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