From staff reports
Tavis Bailey (A.L. Brown), who played in the 2010 East-West All-Star football contest and signed with Lenoir-Rhyne as an offensive lineman, has switched his athletic efforts to a career in track and field.
Bailey, who broke L-R throwing records as a freshman, is so proficient in the discus that he has transferred to Tennessee.
In June, Bailey placed fifth in the junior division of the men’s discus throw at the USA Track & Field Championships held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., with his best college throw — 178 feet, 3 inches.
Bailey won the discus in the 2010 3A state meet with a state-record effort of 185-1 (with a lighter discus than colleges use) and also placed second in the shot put.
Local athletes are performing well in the AAU Junior Olympic Games in New Orleans. The top eight finishers in each event get medals. There are 12,711 athletes competing.
Payton Russell medaled by placing fifth in the 400 final (1:00.14). She was third in the 200 prelim (26.38 seconds) in the midget girls division and finished 10th in the 100 prelim in 13.11.
Andrew Burgess won a medal with a seventh-place finish in the 3000 meter final (11:20.00) in the boys sub-midget division and was ninth in the 1500 final in 5:05.66.
In the youth girls division, Jaleesa Smoot was 17th in the 200 prelim (25.73) and 21st in the 100 prelim (12.77).
Alex Crook was 10th in the 800 prelim (2:11.74) in the boys sub-youth division.
Alisha Bradshaw was eighth in the discus final (128 feet, 9 inches) in the young women’s division.
Jabari Dalton was 20th in the 400 final for bantam boys (1:04.55). He was 32nd in the 200 prelim (28.94) and 54th in the 100 prelim (14.19).
College basketball
Davie County’s Drew Absher has earned a scholarship at VMI.
The No. 3 scorer in Davie history with 1,460 points, the 5-foot-10 guard played at The Gunnery, a Connecticut prep school, before going to VMI.
He got into 12 games as a freshman walk-on for the Keydets and averaged 2.8 points a game.
Absher’s biggest day came in a rout of Central Penn. He shot 6-for-7 from the floor and scored 18 points in that one.
He played in the first halves of games against Winthrop. VCU, Presbyterian and Longwood.
College football
A.L. Brown offensive lineman Sheldon Saddler, a Shrine Bowler, will play in California next season at Long Beach City College.
Prep basketball
Jim Young, former Davie and East Rowan basketball coach, will be at the helm of the South Davidson boys basketball team this year.
Young has inherited the talented Hatfield twins, Austin and Taylor, who combined to make 145 3-pointers as freshmen.
Young coached four straight winning teams at Davie from 1997-98 to 2001-02.
Pro baseball
The Seattle Mariners recalled infielder Kyle Seager (NW Cabarrus). He was batting .387 at Triple A Tacoma.
Jerry Sands (Catawba) hit his 19th homer, a three-run blast, for Albuquerque on Wednesday.
Lexington beat the Kannapolis Intimidators 5-1, although Rangel Ravelo continued his rampage for the Intimidators with three hits.
Ravelo, 19, hit .384 in 20 games for Bristol before being promoted and has batted .447 in his first 12 games with the Intimidators.
Daniel Wagner (South Rowan) went 2-for-2 and stole his 20th base for Winston-Salem in a 6-2 win against Wilmington on Wednesday.
Wood bat leagues
The Asheboro Copperheads made the eight-team Petitt Cup playoffs as the No. 5 seed.
John J. Tuttle (A.L. Brown) held High Point to one run in seven innings and struck out five in Asheboro’s 3-2 win in 11 innings on Tuesday, the last day of the regular season.
Noah Holmes (East Rowan) went 2-for-4 for the Copperheads and scored the deciding run. He also was 2-for-4 in a 12-5 win against Martinsville on Monday.
High Point’s J.J. Jankowski (Catawba) pitched a scoreless inning of relief in Tuesday’s game.
Asheboro plays in the first round of the playoffs tonight at McCrary Park against Forest City.
Local golf
Salisbury’s Frank Adams III shot 72 in the first round of the EGolf Tour’s Grand Harbor Open held in Ninety Six, S.C.
n Salisbury’s Alex Nianouris shot 74 in the first round of the North Carolina Amateur Match Play Championship held at Bermuda Run Country Club.
After today’s 18 holes, the field will be trimmed to 32 golfers for match play.
Other local scores were Johnny Kyger (76), Russ Adams (82) and Alex Lee (89).
The Corbin Hills Ladies Golf Association hosted its annual Invitational on Tuesday with eight clubs participating.
First place went to the team of Susan Morris, Sue Sturpe, Bev Cobb and Linnea Nichols.
Second place went to Kristi Laton, Joy Maughmer, Jayne Hubbard and Tammie Drew. Third place went to Toni Iossi, Jane Tanner, Treva Honeycutt and Shirley Baucom.
Becky Isenhour, Anna Robinson, BJ Caldwell, and Nancy Forsyth finished fourth, Phyllis Durland, Dot Henderson, Eileen Full and Sherri Lough finished fifth, and sixth went to Frankie Butler, Sharon Deal, Opal Walters and Pam Lasiter.
Youth baseball
A 10U tournament baseball team is forming in Kannapolis.
Tryouts will be Sunday at 4 p.m. at the new batting center on Mooresville Road.
If interested, email ktownnaturals@aol.com or call Mark Linton at 980-521-4973.