From staff reports

RALEIGH — Livingstone’s football team picked up a CIAA road victory on Saturday, topping St. Augstine’s 12-7 in a defensive struggle.

Silas Cruse threw two touchdown passes for the Blue Bears (3-6, 2-5) in the game at the George Williams Athletic Complex.

Collin Guillory made 11 tackles for LC and had a 66-yard interception return.

Livingstone scored first when Cruse threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Lasirton  Bryant.

The Blue Bears took a 6-0 lead to halftime.

St. Augustine’s moved in front 7-6 in the third quarter on an 8-yard scoring run by Cameron Moore.

Livingstone scored the decisive points on Cruse’s 33-yard TD pass to Matthew Henry with 10:36 left to play.

Livingstone’s defense, which got 10 tackles from Ryan Hatter, did the rest.

Livingstone is home against Johnson C. Smith next week for the Commemorative Classic.

Winston-Salem State smacked the Golden Bulls 28-7 on Saturday.

Catawba football

WILSON — It’s tough to win a college football game without a quarterback, but Catawba took its best shot on Saturday afternoon.

Coach Curtis Walker’s Indians won time of possession for a change and actually took the lead in the third quarter of a South Atlantic Conference game at Barton’s Truist Stadium, but the Bulldogs finished stronger and took a 38-21 homecoming victory.

Barton (3-6, 2-5) stopped a five-game losing skid, while Catawba (1-8, 0-7) extended an eight-game slide.

With all of the program’s QBs hurt, receiver Kujuan Pryor took the snaps for the Indians. He was 3-for-9 passing for 18 yards. One of those completions was a 15-yard touchdown to Will Sheehan.

Catawba stayed in the game with  Daniel Parker (109 rushing yards) and  L.J. Turner (92 yards, 2 TDs) moving the ball on the ground behind a hard-working offensive line.

But Catawba had no answers for Barton’s standout back Jordan Terrell. He amassed 34 carries for 302 yards and four TDs.

It was an odd game, lots of defense in the first half and lots of offense in the second half.

Barton took a 10-0 lead at halftime on the strength of a field goal and a blocked punt for a touchdown.

When Barton opened the second half with a scoring march for 17-0 it appeared to be over, but Catawba’s ground attack got rolling in the third quarter, even when Barton knew every play would be a run.

Turner broke a 16-yard score to cut the deficit to 17-7. Pryor’s TD pass to Sheehan made it 17-14 with 13:17 left in the game.

Turner broke another one — 43 yards — for a 21-17 Catawba lead with 9:57 left on the clock.

Catawba had the momentum, but Barton hit its only big pass play of the day to get a critical drive going.

Terrell shouldered the load the last 10 minutes. He put the ball in the end zone three times down the stretch, including TD bursts of 68 and 53 yards.

Before it went into victory formation, Barton gave Terrell’s backup, former North Rowan standout Malcolm Wilson, a carry. Wilson rolled for 22 yards.

It was a satisfying win for former Catawba head coach Chip Hester, who got the Barton program started.

The Indians beat Barton 17-10 a year ago in Salisbury.

Catawba has two games remaining, home contests against Lenoir-Rhyne (1 p.m.) and Carson-Newman.

HS boys soccer

Salisbury and South Rowan are the only Rowan teams that made the 32-team playoff brackets.

The first round is set for Monday. Better seeds host.

The Hornets, seeded 24th in 2A, will take on Central Carolina Conference rival East Davidson, the No. 9 seed.

South Rowan is seeded  24th in 3A and will  travel to Monroe to play No. 9 seed CATA.

South officially finished second in the South Piedmont Conference after Central Cabarrus forfeited  some matches.

HS girls tennis

Salisbury’s doubles team of Millie Wymbs/Cora Wymbs won two matches in the individual 2A championships in Holly Spring, but lost in the semifinals.

Salisbury’s Kate Burton won a first-round match but lost in the quarterfinals.

Salisbury’s doubles team of Abbey Lawson/Lucy Barr lost a close match in the first round.

• Undefeated and top-seeded Salisbury returns to dual team playoff action on Monday with a third-round match at 4 p.m. against East Surry, which has only one loss.

East Surry’s Tara Martin/Evelyn Ruedisueli placed second as a doubles team in the individual state championships.

HS baseball

Carson lefty Mikey Beasley and West Rowan catcher Matthew Connolly announced commitments to Surry Community College’s program.

HS football

Playoff pairings and seeds were announced by the NCHSAA on Saturday.

First-round games are scheduled for Friday.

Salisbury, West Rowan and North Rowan got first-round home games, as expected, while Carson, A.L. Brown and Davie will be on the road.

1A WEST

North Rowan (6-4) is seeded 13th and will host No. 20 Winston-Salem Carver  in the first round.

Carver (3-7)  beat Winston-Salem Prep last week to stop a three-game losing streak.

Thomasville got the No. 3 seed, while South Davidson got in at No. 22.

2A WEST

Salisbury has won nine in a row and came out a little better than projections with a No. 6 seed.

The Hornets (9-1) will host No. 27 Brevard (5-5).  A win would keep the Hornets at home against the Pine Lake Prep-West Stokes winner.  Brevard won four its last six and beat Polk County on Friday.

East Davidson got in as the No. 20 seed. Mount Pleasant is seeded 21st.

3A WEST

Seeded 15th, West Rowan (8-2) is home against No. 18 Franklin (6-4). Franklin finished fourth in its conference but had a nice win against T.C. Roberson to close the regular season.

Carson (5-5) is seeded 26th and will travel to Asheville  to play No. 7 Erwin (5-5).

Erwin was a fourth-place finisher in its conference, but it’s a split 3A/4A conference, and Erwin was the top 3A team, so Erwin is seeded as a conference champ. They’ll still be underdogs, but it’s about as favorable a draw as the Cougars could have hoped for.

South Piedmont Conference champ Northwest Cabarrus got the No. 5 seed.

4A WEST

Five Central Piedmont Conference teams made the 32-team bracket.

Davie (4-6) is the No. 32 seed but it did get in and will play in Greensboro at No. 1 seed Grimsley (10-0).

CPC champ East Forsyth is the No. 4 seed and hosts No. 29 West Forsyth.

(16) Reagan and (20) Mount Tabor also made the bracket.

The Greater Metro Conference had six of its seven teams qualify for the playoff field.

A.L. Brown (6-4) is seeded 26th and will travel to Asheville to take on No. 7  A.C. Reynolds (9-1).

  The only loss for A.C. Reynolds was to a Georgia team.

Greater Metro champ Mooresville (9-1) is seeded second and will be at home against No. 31 Southwest Guilford (5-5).

Also getting in were (30) South Iredell, (22) Lake Norman, (18) Hickory Ridge and (11) Cox Mill.

Cox Mill will host Lake Norman in the first round.

HS basketball

Salisbury’s girls will play in the prestigious John Wall Family Foundation Holiday Invitational on December 27-30.

  •••

Salisbury junior guard Juke Harris, who is being heavily recruited, announced via social media that he will list a final 12 schools on Monday.

•••

Official practice gets started for winter sports on Monday.

College men’s soccer

Catawba’s fifth-seeded soccer team (9-6-2) lost 4-1 at Lenoir-Rhyne in the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament on Saturday.

College women’s soccer

Playing at home, Catawba’s second-seeded soccer team (15-2-2) won 4-1 against Tusculum in the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament on Saturday.

Sydney Jimmo, Kelly Havens, Hannah Dunn and Callie Hammond scored goals for the Indians.

Lillie Rusher (Salisbury)  Lejla Mehmedovic (West Rowan), Sharion Mayes and Helen Summerell had assists.

Semifinals are in Charlotte on Friday.

College women’s cross country

Pfeiffer’s Madison Lowery (South Rowan) won the USA South Conference championship on Saturday in Rocky Mount.

Lowery ran a PR 22:28 for the 6K race.

Pfeiffer was third in the team scoring.

College volleyball 

Lenoir-Rhyne swept Catawba Friday on Catawba’s Senior Night.

Braelyn Faust (West Rowan) had nine kills and four solo blocks for the Bears. Jaden Vaughn (Carson) had two aces and four digs.

Kary Hales (Carson) had 12 digs for the Indians.  Kelcie Love (West Rowan) had eight kills.

Local golf

GARS members played the ourth round of the annual ABCD  Tournament at Lexington Golf Club.

‘A’ Flight handicap winner was Ted Weant with a net of 63.06. ‘A’ Flight scratch winner was John Struzick with a 76.

‘B’ Flight handicap winner was Ed Lockhart with a net of 65.28. ‘B’ Flight scratch winner was Nelson Earnhardt with an 80.

‘C’Flight handicap winner was Bill Reid with a 59.27. ‘C’ Flight  scratch winner was Ken Anderson with an 81. ‘D’ Flight handicap winner was Norman Schenk with a 60.86. ‘D’ Flight scratch winner was Steve Kale with an 88.

Ralph Luther was the Super Senior winner with a net of 65.36. Weant was the low gross winner with a 73. Struzick, 76,  shot a 76, while Lockhart, 84, shot an 81. Anderson eagled the par-5 No. 14 hole.