From staff and wire reports
Salisburyís girls basketball team is ranked No. 1 in 2A in the first NCPreps.com media poll released on Monday.
The Hornets, who have won back-to-back state titles, edged Shelby for the top spot. Shelby, No. 3 North Surry and No. 6 Bunn are still undefeated. Salisbury (9-1) lost to Butler, the No. 1 team in 4A.
No. 4 East Bladen (15-1) received three first-place votes. CCC club Thomasville is ranked 10th. CCC teams East Davidson and Central Davidson received votes.
North Rowanís boys (9-3) are ranked eighth in the 1A poll. Top-ranked East Surry received eight of the 14 first-place votes that were cast. CCC club Albemarle received votes.
Concordís boys (13-1), who have topped 100 points in three straight outings, are ranked No. 1 in 3A. Concord and Asheville Erwin received five first-place votes each.
North Iredellís girls, who have lost only to Salisbury, garnered six first-place votes and are ranked No. 1 in 3A. The 3A classification appears wide open with no unbeatens left.
Unbeaten CPC club Reagan is No. 1 in the 4A ranks, while Mount Tabor of the CPC tied for third in the voting.
Chatham Central, a YVC team, is ranked eighth in the 1A girls poll.
Quality area teams that were unranked in the initial poll include the Salisbury, Davie and A.L. Brown boys and the Carson and West Rowan girls.
n Northís Hargrave honored
North Rowan senior defensive lineman Javon Hargrave was named to the NCPreps.com 1A All-State football team.
Albemarle linebacker Julius Williams, defensive back Tevin Collins and athlete Shontigo Parker made the team, along with West Montgomery QB Jaquil Capel, who was named as an athlete.
Murphy quarterback Seth Curtis was named 1A Offensive Player of the Year, while Wallace-Rose Hill linebacker Travian McKinzie received defensive honors.
Penderís Tom Eanes, who coached East Rowan from 2000-02, was named 1A Coach of the Year.
n Ivanovic honored
HILL, S.C. ó Catawbaís Milica Ivanovic was named the player of the week for SAC womenís basketball.
A senior guard from Serbia, Ivanovic scored all 14 of her points in the second half in a win against Wingate and hit six 3-pointers and scored 26 points in a win at Anderson.
n American Legion
Lexington Post 8 is the host for this yearís North Carolina American Legion Baseball Hall of Fame banquet on March 12.
The 2011 inductees will include Bill Bowen, Bob Cloninger, Jerry Hedrick, Bob Walston and Perry Snipes (posthumous).
Area players of the year Tyler Potter, Richard Campolong, Brandon Harrison (Kernersville) and Drew Reynolds will be recognized, along with Kernersvilleís state and Southeast Regional champions.
Bobby Richardson, second baseman for the New York Yankees from 1957-66, 1960 World Series MVP and former baseball coach at South Carolina, will be the keynote speaker.
The cost is $20. The social starts at 5 p.m., with dinner at 6 p.m.
Contact Area III commissioner Jim Lippard at 336-243-8600 or jlippard@clearwire.net for ticket information. Tickets must be purchased by March 1. Checks should be made out to American Legion Post 8.
n Catawba tennis camps
Catawba tennis summer camp dates are June 13-16 (full day), June 20-23 (half day), June 27-30 (half), July 18-21 (half), Aug. 1-4 (half) and Aug. 8-11 (half).
Spring Saturday and Sunday tennis clinics begin on the weekend of Feb. 8.
For questions or to register, contact coach Jeff Childress at 704-637-4265 or jchildre@catawba.edu.
n Blue Bears snowed out
The Livingstone menís and womenís basketball games scheduled for Monday at St. Paulís were postponed due to inclement weather and adverse travel conditions. No makeup date has been announced yet.
Both LC teams will be back in action at home on Thursday when CIAA rival Virginia State comes to Trent Gym. The doubleheader starts at 5:30 p.m.
n A&T falls to Wildcats
C.J. Reed scored 20 of his 24 points after halftime to help Bethune-Cookman rally from a 14-point deficit and beat North Carolina A&T 72-69 in Greensboro on Monday night.
Garrius Holloman added 17 points for the Wildcats (8-8, 3-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference), who trailed 36-25 at halftime and 48-34 with about 15 minutes left. But Bethune-Cookman went on an 18-3 run to take the lead, then took the lead for good on Mikel Trappís 3-pointer with 1:39 left.
Nic Simpson scored 25 points to lead N.C. A&T (7-9, 2-1), while Thomas Coleman added 22 points.
n N.C. Central gets victory
Landon Clement scored 24 points to lead North Carolina Central past Maryland-Eastern Shore 67-61 on Monday in Durham.
C.J. Wilkerson added 17 points and Nick Chasten had 13 for the Eagles (6-8). They shot 43 percent on 23 of 53 shooting to end a two-game losing streak.
The game was moved up 21/2 hours to mid-afternoon because a winter storm warning was issued for central North Carolina.
n Elon makes football hire
Elon has hired North Carolina State assistant Jason Swepson as its head football coach.
Swepson replaces Pete Lembo.
Swepson joins the Phoenix after four seasons coaching the Wolfpackís running backs. The former Boston College running back and wide receiver was on Tom OíBrienís staff with the Eagles from 1999-2006 and followed him when he took over at N.C. State before the 2007 season.
Elon athletic director Dave Blank said Swepson ěconvinced me that he was the right person for the job.î
Lembo left Elon to take over at Ball State on Dec. 19.
n Mountaineers fourth
Appalachian State was ranked fourth in the Sports Network/Fathead.com Football Championship Subdivision poll released on Monday.
Southern Conference rivals Georgia Southern and Wofford were ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in the poll.