From staff reports
The Rowan Rampage opened its Central Carolinas League football season with a 15-14 victory over the Triangle Rattlers in Durham.
Quarterback D’Andre Hopper kicked a 28-yard field goal as time expired to win the game for the Rampage.
Hopper was 14-for-26 passing for 198 yards, and he rushed for 38 yards. He threw for a score and ran for a score.
Hakim Pearce had five catches for 89 yards, and Rodney Wallace rushed for 57 yards on 11 carries.
The Rattlers scored first for a 7-0 lead, but Hopper capped a 60-yard Rampage drive with a 1-yard sneak to cut the deficit to 7-6 at halftime.
The Rampage went ahead 12-7 on a 22-yard strike from Hopper to Justin Davis, but the Rattlers retook the lead at 14-12.
When the Rampage drove 70 yards, only to be stopped at the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal late in the fourth quarter, things looked bleak. Steven Blanton led a defensive charge that forced the Rattlers to punt from their own end zone.Davis fielded the punt, returned it 34 yards to the Rattlers 18 and got out of bounds with two seconds left.
After discussion over whether to take a shot at the end zone with a pass play or to try a field goal, the Rampage trusted the game to Hopper’s foot, and he responded.
Justin Parker made the snap and D.J. Lyles the hold on the winning field goal.
Other defensive standouts for the Rampage included Nichael Hill and Corby Jones.
The Rampage plays its next game on the road against the Monroe Mustangs. The first home game at Knox Middle School will be Aug. 16 at 3:30 p.m. against the Thomasville Titans.
– American Legion
Qualifiers for the American Legion state tournament in Gastonia are Wayne County and Clayton (Area I), Wilmington and Hope Mills (Area II), Rowan County and Randolph County (Area III) and host Gastonia and the Cherryville-Pineville winner (Area IV).
Cherryville has a 2-1 lead in its series with Pineville.
– McCullough to Hungary
Former North Rowan and UNC Asheville basketball player Bryan McCullough has signed a new pro contract with Koremend, a Hungarian league power and participant in the FIBA EuroChallenge.
The past two seasons, McCullough has been one of the top players in Romania’s first division while playing for Tg Mures.
In 2006-07, McCullough averaged a league-best 24.5 points per game to go along with 5.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and a league-best 2.8 steals.
In 2007-08, he averaged 22.8 points (second in the league), 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.1 steals.
He was first team all-league in 2007 and second team in 2008.
Kormend, the Hungarian League runner-up a year ago, needed a wing scorer. McCullough is a natural fit.
McCullough was a three-year starter at UNC Asheville and finished his career 17th on the all-time career list in scoring with 1,186 points. McCullough is ninth all-time at Asheville in assists (300), fourth in steals (147) and sixth in 3-pointers (125). He led the Bulldogs in scoring his junior and senior seasons and was second team All-Big South in 2005.
McCullough was Rowan County Player of the Year in 2001, when North Rowan was 27-1.
Kormend will open European play against Dutch power Eiffel Towers Den Bosch on Oct. 14.
– Wallace wins title
Victor Wallace won the Country Club of Salisbury Senior Club Championship (age 55 and over) with a 36-hole score of 154.
Bob Ingram finished in second place. He also shot 154.
Wallace won a playoff on the fourth extra hole with a par.
Richard Everson won the Super Senior division (over 65) with a two-day total of 163. Harold Buchanan and Wib Manuel finish second with 165s.
– Legion golf tourney
American Legion Post No. 342 held its golf tournament at Corbin Hills.
The winner of the First Flight with a score of 54 was Ronnie Eidson, Susan Morris, Wayne Bostian and Wayne Kennerly.
Tied for second place in the First Flight at 57 were Stan Honeycutt, Dave Sachs, Bill Haynes and Steve Newton as well as Tyler Mulkey, Terry Mulkey, Eric Mulkey and David Dorsett.
Mulkey-Dorsett won a scorecard playoff.
Jay Duke, David Duke, Jay A. Duke and Gene Auten shot 61 and tied for first place in the Second Flight with the team of Kevin Auten, Sam Towne, Tim Wyrick and Brad Bebber and the team of Harold Earnhardt, Dan Crosby, Bucky Bradley and Jim Burris.
Kevin Auten’s team won a scorecard playoff, with the Duke team coming in second.
Shooting 67 to win the Third Flight were Mike McCowan, Chris McCowan, Mike McCowan Jr. and Terry House.
Brad Farrah, Jimmy Linn, Bob Bost and Donald Bost shot 68 for second place.
Towne had the longest putt on No. 9. Fred Thomas was closest to the pin on No. 2, and Jerry White was closest on No. 13.
– Eidson wins again
Salisbury golfer Ronnie Eidson added the Dugan Aycock Davidson County Amateur Championship to his recent run of victories.
Eidson shot rounds of 66-68 ó 134 at Lexington Golf Club and topped Kevin Atkins by one shot.
– GARS tournament
Fifty-nine GARS members played at Lexington Golf Club.
Low ‘A’ flight player was Winsten Mahaffey with a net of 60.38.
Low ‘B’ flight player was Harry DeVlieger with a net of 63.40.
Low ‘C’ player was Glenn Deal with a net of 60.81.
Low ‘D’ player was Julian Altman with a net of 64.28.
– Minor leagues
Jerry Sands (Catawba) ended a drought with a two-run homer to left-center on Sunday, and the blast helped the Gulf Coast Dodgers beat the Marlins 5-4.
It was Sands’ sixth homer.
– Intimidators results
The Kannapolis Intimidators dropped a pair of games to Lakewood on Monday. Lakewood won the opener 7-4 and then prevailed 1-0 in eight innings.
Kannapolis shortstop Eduardo Escobar had two hits in each contest. His fielding error with two outs and the bases loaded in the eighth inning of the nightcap allowed the winning run to score.
Johnnie Lowe threw six shutout innings for Kannapolis.
– Shive sharp
Corbin Shive (East Rowan) pitched a four-hitter with three strikeouts to lead the South Charlotte Panthers to an 8-0 victory over the East Cobb (Ga.) Saints in the Impact World Series.
Shive is 7-0 this summer.
– Wood bat leagues
Craige Lyerly (East Rowan, Catawba) is batting .397 with four homers and 28 RBIs in 40 games for the Morganton Aggies of the Southern Collegiate Baseball League.
Kevin McMillan (North Rowan, Catawba) is batting .245 with a homer and 12 RBIs for the Aggies.
* Nick Daniels (NW Cabarrus) has enjoyed a sensational SCBL season for the Lake Norman Copperheads. He is 4-0 with a 1.64 ERA in 16 outings.
* Wilson Tobs catcher Ross Steedley (East Rowan) will miss the rest of the Coastal Plain League season with a knee injury. Steedley will undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
– Softball addition
The shortstop for the Rowan Rage 14-under softball team is Sarah Perrine.
Her name was left out of an earlier brief about the Rage team that was second in the AAU nationals and third in the NSA World Series.
– North Hills physicals
Sports physicals for North Hills Christian School athletes will be given Aug. 4-5. Call athletics director Brian Cook at extension 210 for more details.
– East fall league
East Rowan Little League fall baseball and softball signups are Aug. 3 from 2-4 p.m. at Faith Picnic Shelter behind Faith School.
Cost is $30 per player.
Divisions will include Coach Pitch, Minors, Majors and Juniors (no T-ball division).
Parents can also obtain a registration form at www.erll.org and mail in their registration. Registration deadline is Aug. 8.
Call (704) 633-0311 for info.
– West soccer
For anyone interested in playing boys soccer at West Rowan, there will be a sign-up meeting on Friday at 7 p.m. at the school.
Tryouts will begin Monday at 7 a.m. on the practice field, followed by a second practice at 3 p.m. The same schedule will follow Aug. 5-6, with the rest of the practices TBD.
– Carson volleyball
The Carson High volleyball team will begin tryouts Aug. 4 from 3-7 p.m. All girls interested need to have a current physical, and there will be a parent meeting at 6:30 that evening as well.
Contact coach Trish Hester at (704) 855-7297 with any questions.
– AAU baseball
The East Rowan Red Sox 11-under AAU team will hold tryouts Saturday at 10 a.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at Faith Field.
Players cannot turn 12 before May 11, 2009, and they should attend both tryouts. For more info, call Brian Ritchie at (704) 305-3012 or Barry Justus at (704) 642-2324.