From staff reports

Romar Morris (Salisbury, UNC) is close to making it back from the torn Achilles tendon he suffered during the Canadian Football League playoffs last season.

Morris, who has been rehabbing diligently, returned to the  practice field with the Calgry Stampeders for the first time this season on Sunday.

Morris is still officially on the injured list and won’t play Thursday when Calgary takes on Ottawa, but he’s made a lot of progress.

“The kid’s amazing,” Calgary head coach Dave Dickenson said. “He works so hard. I’m shocked he’s as close as he is coming off an Achilles (injury) in  November, but he’s put in all the work himself and he’s motivated and he’s doing well.”

HS football

Services were held on Friday for John “Butch” Willett, who passed away on Sunday, July 14.

Willett, 72, was a South Rowan graduate who came back to the high school from which he graduated (in 1965)  to teach history and coach football.

A graduate of N.C. State, Willett was a long-time assistant coach at South from 1974 until the mid-1990s and was part of some of South’s most successful teams while working under head coaches Reid Bradshaw and Larry Deal.

Willett served as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator for many years.

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Salisbury rising sophomore linebacker Jalon Walker has received scholarship offers from UNC and Duke and has more camps coming up this summer.

Walker (6-3, 185) is the son of Catawba head coach Curtis Walker.

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West Rowan linebacker Baiden Suddarth in 3A and North Rowan LB Jordan Goodine in 1A made HighSchoolOT.com’s  lists for the state’s top 10 returning tacklers. Suddarth averaged almost 14 tackles per game, while Goodine averaged 10 tackles.

North also has the No. 3 returning rusher in 1A in Malcolm Wilson.

Legion baseball

Randolph County 6, Davidson County 4 in Area III championship game.

Harris Jackson went 4-for-4 for Randolph and homered. Winning pitcher Trevor Marsh hit a three-run homer.

Both teams will be in the state tournament that starts on Friday in Cherryville.

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Catawba’s Robbie Cowie has starred for Cherryville    this summer.

Junior Legion

HIGH POINT — South Rowan’s Junior Legion baseball team scored nine runs in the top of the first inning and romped to a 17-0 victory against West Carteret (Morehead City) in a state tournament pool play game on Sunday afternoon at Wesleyan Christian Academy.

South  used four pitchers and got a combined shutout from Jackson Deal, Chandler Oddie, Colton Fisher and Devin Arnette. They allowed five hits.

South got huge offensive games from Patrick Holden, who went 4-for-4 with five RBIs, and Kane Kepley, who had three hits and five RBIs. Deal scored three runs.

South went 2-1 in pool play and advanced to the tournament’s final four.

HS basketball

North Rowan head coach Jason Causby announced that recent North  graduate Derrick Page will continue his basketball career and education with the Catawba Indians.

Legion softball

Post 112 infielder Mac Misenheimer (East Rowan) won the Base Race in All-Star Game skills competition.

Summer baseball

Catawba’s   Jackson Raper hit two homers for the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks on Saturday.

Raper has four homers and 26 RBIs and is batting .321.

Catawba’s Bryan Ketchie (West Rowan) pitches for the Sharks and struck out nine batters in six innings on Friday.

China Grove fall ball

Sign-ups for  China Grove Youth Sports Fall Baseball/Softball will be held at  Dale’s Sporting Goods until Aug. 25.

The cost is $50 for all age groups.

Call  704-857-8412 for information.