From staff reportsScotty Robinson (Salisbury) will be listed as the backup defensive right end for East Carolina when the Pirates clash with Kentucky in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2.
The junior has had a concussion and a wrist injury this season, but he’s played in nine games and started against Southern Miss.
Robinson, 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, is credited with 10 solo tackles, seven assists and contributed a sack against Virginia Tech.
n Raeshon McNeil (Davie) made four tackles and broke up a pass as Notre Dame routed Hawaii 49-21 in the Hawaii Bowl.
n Sophomore Jonathan Mayfield (Davie) was a member of coach Mike London’s FCS championship team at Richmond.
n Tristan Dorty (West Rowan) participated for a couple of plays in Wake Forest’s EagleBank Bowl victory against Navy.
n Safety Billy Riddle (Davie) started three games for Appalachian State this season and was in on 42 tackles. He had two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
n Gordy Witte (Salisbury) played in 12 games and was in on eight tackles for ASU, including a sack.
n Anthony “Whopper” Williams (NW Cabarrus) had 13 solo stops, 42 assisted tackles, 41/2 tackles for loss, three sacks, four QB hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for the Mountaineers.
n Virginia Union linebacker Hurley Hemphill (NW Cabarrus) made 75 tackles, fourth in the CIAA, and was named to All-CIAA second team.
Steven Tilghman (NW Cabarrus) made two interceptions for Virginia Union.
Also on the VU roster were offensive linemen John Noble (West) and Trumaine Watson (A.L. Brown) and defensive lineman Michael Green (NW Cabarrus).
n College track
Appalachian State’s Mark Sturgis (North Rowan) won the triple jump in the Appalachian Invitational with an effort of 49 feet, 91/4 inches.
Sturgis was fourth in the long jump with a leap of 22-93/4.
n Phil Bush (North) was sixth in the 200 (22.33), 10th in the long jump (22-3/4) and 14th in the 55 meters (6.63) in the Appalachian Invitational.
n Charlotte’s Makenzie Mullinax (South Rowan) cleared 10 feet in the pole vault and finished 10th in the Appalachian Invitational.
n Western Carolina’s Ryan Pless (East Rowan) was seventh in the shot put in the Appalachian Invitational (48-103/4) and 14th in the weight throw.
n Western’s Wayne Parker (East) was 15th in the pole vault (13-1/4) in the ASU Invitational.
n Western’s Daniel Joseph (NW Cabarrus) was seventh in the triple jump (47-13/4) at the ASU meet.
n College baseball
Whit Merrifield (Davie) will be counted on as one of the leaders for South Carolina this season.
Merrifield made the All-SEC Freshman team last season and was second nationally with 24 sac bunts.
Merrifield batted .326 with three homers, 25 RBIs and 58 run scored.
n South Rowan rising junior Maverick Miles visited East Carolina this fall.
n Charlotte junior first baseman Rob Lyerly was named to the Louisville Slugger preseason second-team All-America squad.
Lyerly’s parents, Robert and Sandy, are Rowan natives. Robert played baseball at Pfeiffer.
Lyerly led the Atlantic 10 in slugging, doubles, RBIs and sacrifice flies last season. He enjoyed a 6-for-6 game with three homers against Massachusetts last April and won the Northwoods League batting title last summer.
Lyerly was earlier named to the Wallace Player of the Year Watch List.
Charlotte, whose roster includes East Rowan catcher Ross Steedley and infielder Justin Roland, opens the 2009 season on the road at Clemson on Feb. 20.
n Kyle Seager (NW Cabarrus) was 4-for-4 in UNC’s final Fall World Series game and is one of four Tar Heels named to the Louisville Slugger preseason All-America squad.
Seager, a junior, is on the third team, along with pitcher Adam Warren.
First baseman/outfielder Dustin Ackley and pitcher Alex White were first-team picks.
Seager played second base last season and batted .347 with 75 RBIs and a school-record 30 doubles.
Seager said he will likely play third base this season. He has been the subject of psychological and personality tests from 20-plus Major League Baseball teams in the offseason, a good problem to have. He could be drafted in the early rounds in June.
n Women’s basketball
N.C. State senior Shayla Fields (Salisbury) leads the ACC in minutes played with 37 per game and ranks third in scoring with 18.8 points a game.
Fields is sixth in 3-pointers made with 21 and 14th with two steals per game.
n Hall of Fame women’s basketball coach Kay Yow intends to return to North Carolina State’s bench after she missed her team’s most recent game.
N.C. State said in a statement earlier this week that Yow sat out the Wolfpack’s 78-58 victory at Columbia on Monday because of cold temperatures during her five-day road trip in New York.
The 66-year-old coach was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1987. She said the frigid weather made her normally tolerable symptoms worse.
Yow said she plans to lead N.C. State during its next game Dec. 29 against Jacksonville State, saying that “I feel better now that we are back home (in Raleigh) and have every intention of coaching (that game), Lord willing.”
n Catawba returns to action at Wingate on Jan. 7.
n Minor leagues
Baseball America ranks Bobby Parnell (East Rowan) No. 5 on its list of New York Mets prospects.
n Brett Bartles (A.L. Brown) was released by the Cincinnati Reds in the offseason and was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The most likely destination for Bartles to start the 2009 season is the West Virginia Power, a South Atlantic League club.
That would give Bartles several chances to play against the Intimidators in Kannapolis.
n Prep wrestling
East Rowan’s Aaron Plyler finished second at 130 pounds in the 37-team King of the Mat Tournament at North Davidson.
Plyler lost to Lake Norman’s Aaron Smith 4-2 in the finals.
South Rowan’s Thomas Lowe finished second at 189, falling to Lake Norman’s Harrison Honeycutt 7-4 in the finals.
A.L. Brown’s Morgan McDaniel lost to Parkland’s Marcus Cain 5-2 in the finals.
Parkland won the event.
South finished 13th, Brown 27th and East 28th.
n Prep basketball
The Sam Moir Christmas Classic begins Saturday at Catawba.
The 18-game slate includes six games daily on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday.
Both Salisbury teams are defending champs. Salisbury’s girls and West Rowan’s boys, both undefeated, enter the tournament as No. 1 seeds. A preview of all 14 teams will be in Saturday’s Post.
n The Statesville R&L Holiday Tournament involving four NPC schools begins today, along with with The NewBridge Classic that involves most of the CCC squads.