From staff reports
East Rowan’s girls tennis team topped North Iredell 8-1 on Thursday and finished in a tie for first place in the NPC with Statesville.
The teams will meet Monday at West Rowan to determine the No. 1 seed for the dual team state playoffs.
Brittany Honeycutt, Devan Corpening, Megan Bullins, Kayela Wilson, Katie Cassady and Hannah Presley won in singles. Honeycutt-Corpening and Bullins-Wilson won in doubles.
Both Corpening and Cassady went 12-0 in NPC matches.
n Livingstone athletics
Livingstone’s men’s and women’s basketball teams were picked to finish fifth in the CIAA’s Western Division at Thursday’s preseason press conference.
Livingstone senior guard Calvin Gunning was named to the preseason All-CIAA team as was LC’s Brittany Wright, a junior, guard on the women’s team. Wright averaged 13.4 points and 8.3 rebounds last season.
J.C. Smith and Virginia Union were picked as divisional winners on the men’s side, with Bowie State and J.C. Smith getting the nod as favorites in the women’s ranks.
n Livingstone’s volleyball team ended a four-game losing streak with a 3-1 win against J.C. Smith on Thursday.
Freshman middle hitter Lakitta Hicks led the Blue Bears (11-6, 7-5 CIAA) with 18 kills.
n Jayvee football
A strong defensive effort sparked by safety Tion McCain, linebacker Terrance McElrath and lineman Sam Humble sparked Salisbury to a 12-0 win against West Davidson on Thursday.
QB Brian Bauk had a 28-yard run on the option for a TD in the second quarter, and Nolan Meyerhoeffer scored in the fourth quarter on a 4-yard run. B.J. Woods had a big punt return to set up a TD for the Hornets (4-2, 1-0).
n A.L. Brown led 32-0 at halftime and breezed past SPC foe Cox Mill 45-12. J.P. Lott broke scoring runs of 50 and 34 yards, while Tevin Jones returned an interception for a TD.
Demetrius Jackson, Keenan Medley, Omar Ray and Caleb Jackson scored a TD each for the Wonders (6-0).
Brown rushed for 152 yards and was 4-for-4 passing for 84.
n West Rowan defeated Carson 44-6 on Thursday.
n Middle schools
North Rowan’s eighth-grade football team topped West Rowan 8-0 in a battle for first place.
Jaquan Boyd scored on a 12-yard run with 1:25 left for the Mavericks (5-0). Michael Connor added a two-point conversion.
West (4-1) drove to the North 25 as time expired. North was led on defense by Boyd, Chad Campbell, Shaquille Dunn, Jai Winchester and Cecil McCaulley. The North offense was led by Boyd, Connor, Xavier Robinson and Keshawn Coney.
West was paced on defense by Zeke Blackwood, Tyler Kennedy and Derrick Fortson.
North clinched the Rowan County Conference championship with the win. West plays at Erwin on Wednesday, while North travels to Corriher-Lipe.
n Erwin’s eighth-graders beat Corriher-Lipe 36-6 on Wednesday.
Calvin Edwards had scoring runs of 52 and 48 yards. Derrick Blackwell scored on a 25-yard run, Chris Patterson had a 35-yard scoring burst and Donte Means had a 1-yard scoring run.
Michael Caldwell caught a conversion pass from Means. Noah Drye ran for a PAT and threw a pass to Caldwell for another PAT.
Other standouts for Erwin included Chase Brown and Bailey Modlin and Tommy Dang on offense and Dock Corpening, Austin Hill, Sheldon Kaminsky, Skyler Rabon and Dang on defense.
n Southeast’s eighth-graders beat China Grove 20-14 on Wednesday.
Interceptions by Dayshaun Mason and Tyrese Paul keyed the Patriots.
Scoring TDs for Southeast were Najee Tucker and MyQuon Stout. Austin McNeil scored a two-point conversion. Cody Dale led the defense.
For China Grove, Will Zentmeyer scored on a run of 12 yards and added a PAT, while David Comer scored the other TD on a 2-yard run.
Leading the defense for China Grove were Comer and Zentmeyer with fumble recoveries. Max Lear forced a fumble and Andrew Mauldin had two pass deflections.
n China Grove’s seventh-graders defeated Southeast 36-8 on Tuesday. Anthony McCurry scored on a 35-yard run, threw a 5-yard TD pass to Brandon Sloop and added a PAT run.
Sloop also scored on a 14-yard run and had a PAT run. Josh Barlow scored on a 4-yard run and ran for a PAT. Matt McCraven scored on a 4-yard run.
Sloop and McCurry had fumble recoveries for the Red Devils, while McCurry added an interception.
Other defensive standouts included Herman Freeman, Cody Brown, Alex Lyles and Brylan Weeks.
Softball
Erwin topped Southeast 4-0 to split the season series with the Patriots. Kennedy Lambert had three hits, while Kaleigh Troutman had two to lead the Eagles (9-1).
Katie Kepley struck out seven, walked four and pitched a two-hitter for Erwin.
Mariah Morgan, Josie McNeely, Jaysa Jordan and Kepley made key defensive plays.
Tennis
Erwin beat Southeast 9-0. See Scoreboard.
n YFL football
The West Rowan Falcons 5th-6th grade team beat the South Rowan Raiders 12-0.
Jalen Sanders scored both touchdowns on runs of 45 and 35 yards. Offensive-line leaders were Jeremy Fortson, Matt Bath and Miller Graham. Defensive leaders for West were Noah Williams, Dearius Phillips and Juwan Houston.
J.T. Sanders recovered an onside kick to begin the game. Special teams were sparked by Avery Allen, Ryan Younce and Devon Morrison.
YFL teams play this week at West Rowan High on Saturday and there are three games at North Rowan Middle on Sunday, starting at 2:15 p.m.
n NCHSAA
Davis Whitfield was selected as the next executive director of the NCHSAA.
Whitfield, 39, will succeed Charlie Adams, who has been executive director of the organization since 1984. Adams has set his retirement date as the end of January. Whitfield, 39, is currently the associate commissioner of the ACC.
n North Hills
North Hills swept Mooresville Christian in jayvee volleyball. Abbey Cody, Taylor Foster, Sara Parks and Dana Salmon led the Eagles.
n Salisbury Academy
Salisbury Academy recently competed in the first CCISAA Conference Cross Country Meet.
SA’s Samantha Wright won the girls division in 18:17. Madeline Hoskins was fifth in 19:42.
SA’s boys team finished second. Phillip Simons (13:51), John Latimer (14:47) and Coleman Bergsma (15:41) improved their times over the course of the season.
n Salisbury Academy’s jayvee soccer team won 3-1 against Covenant.
Carter Cook scored twice. Matt Washko had a goal. Sam McNeely had a strong gme in goal, while Jonathan Barbee sparked the defense.
n Salisbury Academy’s volleyball team won 2-1 against Covenant. Grace Yatawara, Emily Capito, Juliana Anderson, Jordan McCall, Ruth Clement and Jenny Kribbs were standouts for the Jaguars.
n Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart’s soccer team tied Statesville Christian 1-1.
Bobby Cardelle scored for the Dolphins. Banks Fisher and Christian Hester were in goal.
n In a 5-0 victory against Concordia Lutheran, Cardelle had two goals.
Steven Mazur, Eric Edwards and Nick Greene had one each.
Fisher had two assists. Thomas McPherson, Maggie Habeeb, Reilly Gokey and Greene led the defense, with Hester and Cardelle in goal.
n In a 3-2 win against Hickory Christian, Mazur, Cardelle and Fisher had the goals.
Kate Sullivan, Chandler Blackwell, Greene, Mazur and Habeeb led the defense, with Hester in goal.
n Catawba tennis
Both of Catawba’s tennis teams lost to Queens on Wednesday, with the Royals taking the men’s match 8-1 and the women’s match 9-0.