From staff reports
Aundrae Allison (A.L. Brown, East Carolina) has been signed by the New York Jets.
Allison, 23, is a potential kick returner who will compete for playing time at wide receiver. The former fifth-round pick was waived by the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday after they couldn’t work out a trade with other NFL clubs.
Allison has 18 career NFL catches for 231 yards. He set a Vikings record as a rookie with the longest play in team history, a 104-yard kickoff return touchdown against Detroit.
– College baseball
Catcher Jonathon Basinger (South Rowan) is joining the baseball program at Virginia Intermont, an NAIA school in Bristol.
Basinger was a good player on South American Legion teams from 2005-07, hitting nine homers and driving in 54 runs.
He batted .295 as a South Rowan senior in 2006, then signed with Surry Community College.
He hit .271 in 16 games for Surry in 2007 before seeing limited action for the Knights in 2008.
Basinger was a volunteer coach at Carson last spring. His brother, Joseph, plays for the Cougars.
Basinger hasn’t played baseball for a year, but he hopes to make a comeback and complete his education at Virginia Intermont so he can become a teacher and coach.
* Third baseman Justin Mock (North Rowan) is joining the baseball program at Bryan College, an NAIA school in Dayton, Tenn.
“We are excited to have Justin as part of our program,” Bryan coach Taylor Hasty said. “He is a solid young man who will fit in very well with the positive changes we are making here both on and off the field.”
Mock batted .351 for the Rowan County American Legion team in 2007-08. He had three homers, 15 doubles and 39 RBIs in 151 at-bats.
Mock also had a good career at North. He batted .333 with two homers and 17 RBIs as a junior and had three homers, 22 RBIs and a .337 batting average as a senior.
Mock helped coach the Rowan Junior Legion team this summer. He was part of the program at Pfeiffer since graduating from North but is making a move that should provide more playing time.
– North Rowan football
North Rowan will play host to Wheatmore, a new school in Trinity, in a scrimmage on Aug. 13 at 6:30 p.m. Season passes and reserve seating will be on sale at the scrimmage.
Starting Aug. 18, fans will also be able to buy passes and seating at the school front office.
– College volleyball
Wingate was picked to win the SAC race by the SAC coaches. The Bulldogs received eight of nine first-place votes. Carson-Newman, Lincoln Memorial and Catawba were next in the voting.
Catawba’s Mai Zoua Lo was a preseason All-SAC second team selection.
– Intimidators win
Jon Gilmore hit his first homer in over two months to cap a late rally that gave the Kannapolis Intimidators a 5-3 win at West Virginia.
The Intimidators won their 60th game.
– Minor leagues
Jerry Sands (Catawba) had a two-run triple for Ogden on Wednesday. Sands is among the Pioneer League leaders with 37 RBIs.
* Kyle Seager (NW Cabarrus, UNC) ended a dry spell with a two-run double on Wednesday. He’s batting .295 in 16 games with Clinton in the Midwest League.
– Local golf
The Club at Irish Creek held its Junior Club Championship on Aug. 4-5. Alex Austin was overall champion.
Davis Tadlock shot 116 to win the 9-under division. Joel Marburger shot 119 for second place. Stephen Carroll shot 88 to win the 10-year-old division. Aman Gupta shot 100. Jacob Tuttle shot 124.
The winner in the 11-12 division with a 94 was Walker Cress.
Winning the 13-14 division with a 164 total for 36 holes was Austin. Justin Westveer shot 172.
* Salisbury resident Frank Adams shot 4-under 67 in the first round of the eGolf Professional Tour’s $300,000 Columbia (W. Va.) Championship and was tied for ninth.
* The Dogwood State Junior Championship continued with Wednesday’s second round at Cabarrus Country Club.
Salisbury’s Alex Nianouris is at 77-77 ó 154 and stands ninth in the boys 14-15 division. Salisbury’s Roy Dixon is at 76-74 ó 150 and is tied for 27th in the 16-18 division.
Salisbury’s Allison Lee shot 85-84 ó 169 in the girls 16-18 division and did not make the cut.
– Strongman practice
Official practice will be on the Aug. 12-14 at 6 p.m at the Hurley YMCA for the upcoming Strongman Contest.
Athletes must be officially registered to practice. Events in the contest are the bus pull, tire flip, shuttle run, dead lift and farmer’s walk. Most people have never been harnessed to a bus or flipped a 700-pound tire so practice is highly recommended.
The contest is Saturday. Aug. 15 at 1 p.m. in back of the Hurley Y on Jake Alexander Blvd.
Weight classes are 200-under, 201-275 and 276-plus, with $250 going to the winner in each division. Entry fee is $25. Call Kenny Seagle at 704-636-0111 for info.
– East Rowan Y
East Rowan YMCA is now taking registrations through Sept. 5 for fall soccer, fall T-Ball and Mighty Kickers programs.
Practice starts Sept. 14.
Mighty Kickers is an introductory soccer program for ages 3-4.
Fall soccer offers an introduction to the game, plus values and principles, for K-8.
Fall T-Ball teaches boys and girls sportsmanship and principles of baseball and is for K-1.
Volunteer coaches are needed. Contact Joe Finney at (704) 279-1742.