From staff reports

SALISBURY — East Rowan wrapped up the North Piedmont Conference championship on Monday at McCanless.

Bryson Sprinkle was medalist with a 71 and is the NPC Golfer of the Year.

East’s other scores: Austin Miller (73), Colby Patterson (77), Alex Miller (78) and William Garland (79)).

Stone Dyson shot 72 and led South Iredell to second place.

Jake Carlton shot 80 for West Rowan, while Davis Tadlock shot 82. The Falcons placed third.

Zain Tucker shot 76 to lead Carson to fourth place.

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NPC golfers qualifying for the regional will compete at Greensboro National on April 30.

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The 18-hole Rowan County Championships will be held at McCanless at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Heart of a Champion

   CHAPEL HILL—Thirty-two student-athletes from NCHSAA schools were honored for their outstanding sportsmanship as winners of “Heart of a Champion” recognition on Saturday.

The honorees included West Rowan softball’s Parker Greene and Owen White, a baseball/basketball standout at Carson.

Prep golf

Cannon School’s Charlie Barr (of Salisbury) shot 72-73 to finish 1-over at the Jimmy Anderson Junior Golf Tournament and finished eighth.

Prep basketball

Carson guard Olivia Gabriel has committed to South Carolina State after a record-breaking career with the Cougars.

Prep soccer

Lauren Weisensel made 22 saves for East Rowan in a 3-0 North Piedmont Conference loss to North Iredell on Monday.

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LANDIS — Madison Henry scored five goals as South Rowan rolled to an 8-0 Central Carolina Conference win against Oak Grove on Monday.

Taylor Mauldin, Rhiannon Kimmer and Karigan Ford scored a goal each. Mauldin had three assists. Kimmer had two assists. Holiday Harvey and Raquel Landaverde had one each.

Michelle Rivera had the shutout in goal for the Raiders (13-3, 11-2).

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South Rowan’s Katelyn Goodman will be signing today with Piedmont International in Winston-Salem.

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LEXINGTON —  Salisbury stayed undefeated with a 3-0 CCC win at Central Davidson on Monday.

Piper Muire led the Hornets (15-0, 13-0) with two goals.

Caroline Cardelle scored the other goal for the Hornets.  Assists were credited to Clara Brown and Lillie Rusher.

The back line of Bethanie Stauffer, Elle Kennedy, Olivia Dagenhart  and Rusher was outstanding in front of goalkeeper Emily Mann, who recorded four saves for the shutout.

Both teams battled  cold and a persistent wind in the late evening match.

Next up for the Hornets is a  CCC matchup against Oak Grove on Wednesday.

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Carson lost at South Iredell on  Monday, 4-1, the first NPC setback for the Cougars. South Iredell stayed unbeaten in the league.

   

Prep track

Salisbury Speedsters Elite, coached by Tim Dunlap, competed in the Aggie Invitational on Saturday.

NC A&T signee Cambrea Sturgis competed in the 100 (11.76) and 200 (24.24). Appalachian State signee Araybian Lilly competed in the 200 (25.63) and 400 (58.64) and Carson’s Mikaila Gadson competed in the 200 (25.67) and 400 (58.45).

Prep tennis

SALISBURY — Senior Day tennis for Salisbury meant another CCC win on Monday, but the main story was senior Garrett Shermer, who got a chance to start at No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles.

Shermer lost a close singles match but he and Jander Rodas-Palacios won their doubles match, 8-3.

The Hornets (17-0) won  against North Davidson, 8-1, and will finish the regular season at South Rowan.

Ethan McGee, Roarke Burton, Rodas-Palacios, senior Adam Drye and Sean Archer won singles matches.

Drye/Burton and McGee/Archer won in doubles.

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East Rowan plays a key North Piedmont Conference match at Carson today.

Both teams are 5-3 in the league and are in the running, along with West Rowan, for second place.

South Iredell has wrapped up first place.

  

College football

Redshirt freshman Zion DeBose (North Rowan) had  a sack and another tackle in Virginia Tech’s Spring Game and earned praise from co-defensive coordinator Bud Foster and defensive line coach Charley Wiles.

DeBose (6-1, 247) is expected to be in the mix for playing time this fall at defensive end.

College softball

Junior Hunter Gibbons (West Rowan) has hit nine homers for Western Carolina this season and 26 for her career.

The school record is 29.

College track

N.C. A&T’s Payton Russell (North Rowan) ran 55.98 in the 400 for ninth place in the Aggie Invitational.

College golf

UNC Pembroke’s Alexandria Bare (South Rowan) shot 75-78-79 in the Peach Belt Championships.

Bare tied for second,  her highest college finish.

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Catawba’s women are 10th after two rounds of the South Atlantic Conference Championships.

The three-day tournament concludes today at Woodcreek.

Catawba has a 676 two-round total.  Wingate pulled away to a 19-shot lead entering the final round.

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The  CIAA   Golf Championships will be held in New Kent, Va., on April 19-20. Eight teams will compete for the title, including Livingstone. The Blue Bears already have won the Southern and  Northern Division tournaments.

   

Minor leagues

The Kannapolis Intimidators won at Augusta, 4-2, on Monday.

Evan Skoug and Laz Rivera homered for the Intimidators. Justin Yurchak had three hits to back the strong pitching of Kade McClure.

SAC

The Highland Cavaliers of Virginia-Wise will  begin SAC competition in the 2019-2020 academic year.

Virginia-Wise competes in 13 sports and started a football program in 2015.

The Virginia-Wise men’s basketball coaching staff includes Drew Absher and Davis Absher, sons of Davie  boys basketball coach Mike Absher.

UVa-Wise has competed in the Mountain East Conference since it moved to NCAA Division II in 2015.