North earns first road win over East since 2014

Jordan Snow (15) is swarmed by Greyhound teammates after hitting the go-ahead home run against East Surry.

East Surry’s Rosie Craven chases down a pop fly against North Surry.

North Surry’s Sarah Mauldin connects for a line drive during the fifth inning.

Riley Pennington threw five strikeouts in five innings for the Cardinals against North Surry.

North Surry’s Trista Berrier finished with seven strikeouts, two walks, allowed three hits and two runs in seven innings in the mound.

Maegan Banks hits a hard ground ball for East Surry.

Carley Puckett scored two runs for North Surry in Monday’s 6-2 win over East Surry.

PILOT MOUNTAIN — A few minutes after signing her NCAA National Letter of Intent on February 10, North Surry senior Micah Felts laid out some goals for her final season of high school softball.

Amid the talks of potential conference championships and playoff runs, Felts emphasized that the team needed to play as a unit in order to achieve a common goal. She even said: “It doesn’t matter who we go against because we’ve got that grit: that Greyhound Grit.”

That Greyhound Grit was on display Monday as North Surry beat East Surry in Pilot Mountain for the first time in eight years.

The Lady Greyhounds came back from a 2-0 hole to beat the Cardinals 6-2. A 3-run home run hit by Jordan Snow gave North Surry its first lead of the game in the fifth inning, and an additional run scored by Sarah Sutphin in the sixth secured the road win for North.

The class of 2022 was in eighth grade when North Surry most recently beat East Surry in 2017, and that game was hosted by the Hounds. Before that, the class of 2022 was in elementary school when the Hounds last topped the Cardinals on Palmer Field.

Trista Berrier pitched a complete game for North Surry (3-4). The senior had seven strikeouts, two walks, allowed three hits and two runs in seven innings.

Riley Pennington started on the mound for East Surry and threw five innings. Pennington finished with five strikeouts and no walks, giving up seven hits and five runs. Elise Marion threw the final two innings and had three strikeouts, one walk, allowed one run and three hits.

The Cardinals (1-7) quickly loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning. Leadoff Rosie Craven reached first on a Greyhound fielding error, then moved to second on a single from Maegan Banks. The bases were loaded after Marion was hit by a pitch.

Berrier struck out the next two East Surry batters, but a Greyhound fielding error on a hit from Sara Scott scored Craven and Banks.

North Surry left runners on base in each of the first two innings, but finally crossed the plate in the third. Carley Puckett tripled on a deep shot right field as the Hounds’ leadoff in the inning. A hit from Bella Aparicio was mishandled by the Cardinals, allowing Puckett to score.

The Lady Hounds had a chance to add more runs after Sarah Mauldin crushed a hit to the center field fence. However, the umpires ruled that Mauldin was out after passing Aparicio between first and second base; Aparicio was waiting to tag up on the high-arching hit. Aparicio was then tagged out trying to go to third.

East Surry’s Marion singled in the bottom of the third, but courtesy runner Addy Sechrist was involved in double play later in the inning. Then, both teams left runners on base in the fourth inning.

Action picked back up in the top of the fifth with Puckett led with a single to left field. The Cards picked up an out, then Puckett moved to third and Mauldin reached second on an error. Another Cardinal error allowed Berrier to get on base while Puckett scored the game-tying run.

The tie lasted all of two pitches as Snow pummeled a home run over the center field fence to put North Surry up 5-2.

North added its final run in the top of the sixth after East went three-up three-down in the bottom of the fifth. Sutphin was walked to start the inning, then she moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a ground out hit by Puckett. Aparicio picked up her second RBI of the evening with a line drive to right field.

The Cardinals once again failed to put a runner on base in the sixth, so the Hounds had one final chance to pad their lead. East Surry forced two quick outs, then Sadie Montgomery and Felts hit back-to-back singles. Sutphin hit a grounder to short stop that resulted in Montgomery being called for offensive interference.

Scott began the bottom of the seventh with East Surry’s third hit of the night. Haley Chilton sent a grounder to first base, which North Surry used to quickly tag out Chilton at first before throwing to get Scott out at second on the double play. Berrier then threw her seventh strikeout to end the game.

Monday’s game served as the conference opener for both teams. The two teams will face off again on March 29.

Reach Cory on Twitter @MaNewsSports

County board opens remote speaking area for meeting

Jones Intermediate holds annual wax museum

Surry Homeschool senior Faith McClary officially signed her National Letter of Intent and will continue her academic and basketball careers at Bob Jones University College.

BJU currently competes in the National Christian College Athletic Association’s (NCCAA) Division, though the school was approved to provisionally join the NCAA’s Division III in 2020.

“Honestly, I just feel blessed to have made it this far,” McClary said. “None of this would’ve been possible without my family, wonderful coaches, and awesome teammates.”

McClary joins Sydney Bedsaul (class of 2015) and Hannah Tompkins (class of 2012) as recent graduates of Surry Homeschool to continue their basketball careers at Bob Jones. The most recent Runnin’ Patriot to sign an NLI was Krissa Hill (class of 2019), who signed with Gordon College.

On choosing BJU as her home for the next four years, McClary said: “One of their recruiters came up to my teammate and I at East Coast Nationals Tournament, and began talking with us. So, that spring we went to a recruit camp that they hosted, and I also went to their individual basketball camp that summer. Whenever I was there, I always felt welcomed and at home – kind of like when I came to the Patriots. So this encouraged me to consider them to further my education.”

Finding a school that reminded McClary of home was important for academic, athletic and religious reasons. Runnin’ Patriots basketball was a huge part of her life for so long, and being able to find a similar environment meant everything.

McClary started playing basketball at age six. However, it wasn’t until she joined the Surry Homeschool team that she truly appreciated the sport and the relationships built while playing it.

“I’ve played on several teams over the years, but none of them felt like family until I came to the Surry Runnin’ Patriots,” McClary said. “At the first practice I went to with them, I just felt so at home and welcomed by the team. Here I am, on my last year playing with them, and love it more than ever.”

McClary helped the Runnin’ Patriots to an overall record of 21-7 for the 2021-22 season. The varsity girls finished second in the N.C. Home Educators Athletic Commission West Division with a 4-2 record, and McClary received All-Conference Honors.

The Lady Pats also went on to compete in the Homeschool Basketball East Coast Nationals in Gatlinburg, where they finished fifth overall in the varsity girls’ top bracket.

McClary had many people to thank for helping her get to this point.

“I’d like to say thank you to all of my coaches over the years, but especially to my coaches the last few years: Todd and Delores Hill, Greg Williams, and Dwight Spence,” McClary said. “Thank you to all of my awesome and supportive teammates at the Surry Runnin’ Patriots as well.

“I would also like to say thank you to my Dad for being my lifetime basketball coach, and for always supporting me and believing in me. Thank you to my mom – my personal cheerleader – who has been at almost every game of my entire high school career, and for always driving me the long distances two and three times a week.

“Most of all, I would like to say thank you to God, my Savior, for giving me the ability to play basketball and for allowing me to play this sport for so long.

“Oh! I almost forgot, last but not least, a huge thank you to my two older brothers.”

DOBSON — Rarely is a softball game measured in anything other than innings, but Tuesday’s game between Surry Central and Wilkes Central can be divided into two distinct halves.

Through four innings, the Golden Eagles of Surry County and the Eagles of Wilkes County each recorded three hits and scored one run. Scoring opportunities were few and far between, and the game sped through thanks to quick outs. Surry Central pitcher Carlee Jones had two innings – the first and the fourth – where she didn’t reach double-digit pitches.

Everything changed in the fifth inning when Wilkes Central piled on three runs, then added an additional three in the sixth. Surry Central had late chances to cut into the deficit, but ended up falling short in the 7-2 loss.

Wilkes Central pitcher Isabelle Curry was a problem all night for the home team. Curry threw 12 strikeouts, walked one batter and gave up four hits.

Jones threw all seven innings for Surry Central and finished with two strikeouts, one base on balls and 12 hits allowed.

Even when the Golden Eagles struggled to get hits off Curry in the first four innings, Surry Central’s strong defense kept the score at 1-1. Of the 12 outs called on Wilkes Central through the first four innings, 10 were ground outs and two were fly outs.

Wilkes Central put quickly put two runners on base in the top of the fifth: Aurora Higginbotham was walked, and Kambriana Blackwell earned a single via Surry Central error. Sydney Ferguson scored Higginbotham with an RBI single, then a 2RBI single from Curry scored Blackwell and Ferguson.

Wilkes Central went back on the attack after Surry Central went three up, three down in the bottom of the fifth. Abby Underwood and Saleen Miller each singled to start the inning. Jones struck out two of the next three batters, but Eryn Ferguson hit an RBI double between the strikeouts. Sydney Ferguson added two more runs with a 2RBI single.

Surry Central began its comeback in the bottom of the sixth inning. Erica Coe singled up the middle with two outs, and then rounded the bases on a Kaylin Moody hit to the center field fence. Moody’s hit was dropped in the outfield, which allowed Coe to score and put Moody on third.

Despite only scoring one run in the sixth, Surry Central prevented any further damage by keeping Wilkes Central scoreless in the top of the seventh.

Jones was walked on four consecutive balls to begin the bottom of the seventh. A Wilkes Central fielding error on a hit from Kailea Zurita moved Cheyenne Rippey, who was running for Jones, to second base. Wilkes Central picked up outs over the next two batters with a strikeout and fielder’s choice, then the game ended with a Golden Eagle ground out.

Surry and Wilkes Central remain next to each other in the Foothills 2A Conference standings after Friday’s game. West Wilkes leads the conference at 4-1, followed by Forbush at 3-1, North Surry at 2-1, Wilkes Central at 3-2, Surry Central at 2-3, East Surry at 1-4 and North Wilkes at 0-3.

Reach Cory on Twitter @MaNewsSports

North Surry closed the month of March with a strong victory after droppings its previous four games.

After four very lightning-fast innings with just one combined run having been scored, Ashe County scored three times in the top of the fifth. North Surry responded in a big way the next two innings: the Hounds had 21 batters across the fifth and sixth innings, while the visiting Huskies were held scoreless in the same span.

The Greyhounds got back above .500 with the 10-3 win.

Jackson Smith got the win on the mound for North Surry. Smith started and threw six innings, striking out three batters, walking four, allowing three runs on five hits. Kolby Watson pitched the final inning, walking one batter and allowing one hit.

Ethan Edwards, Myles Draughn and Jake Beamer each had two hits for North Surry, and Edwards, Alec Singleton and Corbin Dollyhigh each scored twice. The highlight of the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning when Draughn, a.k.a. the birthday boy, crushed a 3-run home run over the fence in left-center field.

The celebrations of the sixth and seventh innings seemed like they might not make an appearance Wednesday when North found itself down two runs. Prior to the fifth inning, the only run by either team came in the bottom of the third when Dollyhigh crossed the plate thanks to a sacrifice bunt from Watson. Apart from that, neither team had more than four batters in an inning or advanced past second base until the fifth.

During its four-game skid, North Surry had been on the receiving end of a few multi-run innings that had a hand in the final result. The fifth inning of Wednesday’s game was a make-or-break situation for the Greyhounds if they wanted to stay above .500.

After a ground out by the North Surry leadoff, Edwards got the home team going with a stand-up double. A Watson hit to left field was dropped, moving Edwards to third, then Brodie Robertson scored Edwards with an RBI single. Watson added the game-tying run by scoring on a wild pitch thrown at Draughn.

James McCreary hit a hard ground ball down the third-base line to move Singleton – who was running for Robertson – to third with two outs. Beamer scored Singleton and put McCreary on second with a blooper to left field that triggered a pitching change.

Smith immediately ruined the new pitcher’s no-hitter by smacking a grounder to left field. The hit moved McCreary to third, but a fielding error allowed McCreary to round third and score the Greyhounds’ fifth run.

Ashe County hit a single and earned a base on balls in the top of the sixth, but both players were left on base after North forced a third out.

Dollyhigh led off in the bottom of the inning by hitting a single off the first pitch thrown his way. He was soon joined by Edwards and Watson to load the bases with no outs. Watson was called out at second on a Robertson hit, but it did allow Dollyhigh to score run No. 6. Three more runs were added when Draughn’s homer scored Edwards, Watson and himself.

Ashe County changed pitchers once again after Beamer singled and Keaton Hudson was walked. The new pitcher loaded the bases after walking Caleb Collins, then Beamer scored the 10th and final run on a wild pitch.

Reach Cory on Twitter @MaNewsSports

DOBSON — Things are coming together for the Surry Central girls soccer team.

The young Golden Eagles team posted back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Central defeated East Wilkes 2-0 on March 28, then topped North Wilkes 5-0 the following day. Surry Central’s mark of seven goals in those matches exceeds the amount of goals scored through its first 10 matches.

Central dominated play against North Wilkes and spent three-quarters of the match or more on offense. After struggling to find the back of the net in the first 20 minutes of play, the Golden Eagles (4-5-3) scored three times before halftime.

The first goal of the game was credited an own goal on North Wilkes. Yuri Ramirez took the second of back-to-back corner kicks in the 21st minute and sent a scorcher inside the six-yard box. The Viking keeper went to clear the ball out of North Wilkes’ defensive third, but unintentionally redirected it into the goal.

The Eagles added to the lead two minutes later on a left-footed shot from Estefany Avila. Her goal was assisted by Dafne Salgado-Perez. Ramirez made it 3-0 at halftime by finishing a cross from Ashley Santamaria in the 36th minute.

Karlie Robertson made it 4-0 with an unassisted goal in the 64th minute, and Wendy Cantor came in to score the Eagles’ final goal in the 70th minute.

“Both of those second half goals started with quality runs from the back and good passing to move the ball forward,” said Eagles coach Adan Garcia.

Garcia said the team has come a long way this season, especially the past two weeks. In addition to the wins over East and North Wilkes, Central tied Starmount and Ashe County 0-0, while falling to Forbush 3-0.

“Each of those games we were progressing,” Garcia said. “That’s what I’m looking for on this first round of conference games and with our nonconference games: progression.”

Garcia said the team’s effort against North Wilkes was a culmination of everything they’d worked on to this point.

“Those nonconference games don’t hurt our conference record, so can I feel more comfortable trying something different,” Garcia said. “That way, in case we do get into a big scenario with another team in conference or playoffs, we’ve had game experience doing that.”

Central used the games against Starmount, Ashe and East Wilkes to experiment with new formations, although this was done somewhat out of necessity with three Golden Eagle starters sidelined with injuries.

“[Former Surry Central soccer coach] Blake Roth has a lot of great quotes, and one those goes something like, ‘you’re a bad coach if you don’t mix it up,’ meaning a good coach knows how to manipulate his team to the scenario that’s going on,” Garcia said. “If I’m behind a goal with 10 minutes left, why am I still playing defensive? We’re already losing; what’s the difference between losing 2-1 or 3-1. Sometimes we need to ramp things up and push for a tie or the win depending on the situation.”

Garcia said his team has even responded well to its loss against Forbush.

“Roth would always tell me with the guys, ‘that’s what you call a good loss,” Garcia said. “We played them head on. I wasn’t playing all defensive like I was with Wilkes Central, and that was just because Wilkes Central is on another level. But Forbush, we played normal. They were very good, but we were able to get in some offense and run what we wanted to run. We just made three deadly mistakes and those cost us. We got a lot better because of that game, though.”

The win over North Wilkes is Surry Central’s first win in Foothills 2A Conference competition. The Eagles had a trial by fire to start conference play with matches against the teams that currently sit in first, second and third in the standings.

Central looks to continue its progress this season against North Surry on April 1.

Own goal scored by NW 21’, Estefany Avila (SC) 23’, Yuri Ramirez (SC) 36’, Karlie Robertson (SC) 64’, Wendy Cantor (SC) 70’

The Mount Airy and Surry Central tennis teams are making their names known statewide.

Both squads are ranked in the top 10 of their respective divisional polls conducted by the N.C. High School Tennis Coaches Association (NCHSTCA). The Granite Bears took down the previously top-ranked 1A team to ascend to the No. 2 spot, and Surry Central kept its undefeated season alive another week to enter the top 10 of the 2A poll at No. 9.

The NCHSTCA preseason 1A poll included three teams from the Northwest 1A Conference: Elkin at No. 1, East Wilkes at No. 2 and Mount Airy at No. 8. Bishop McGuinness, who is playing outside the NW1A Conference this season for the first time in more than a decade, was ranked No. 3.

All four of the aforementioned 1A teams kept their seeds through the first week of the season. Minor changes occurred in the week two poll when Bishop took the No. 2 spot, East Wilkes dropped to No. 4 and Mount Airy moved up to No. 7. A 7-2 Mount Airy victory over East Wilkes put the Bears at No. 4 for week three, and the Cardinals dropped to No. 7.

The Granite Bears went on the road on March 24 to face the top-seeded Elkin Buckin’ Elks. Elkin’s only prior loss was a 6-3 road match against Watauga, who is currently 8-0 in the 4A division.

Mount Airy won 4-of-6 singles matches, and all four wins came in straight sets. The Bears secured the 6-3 win over the Elks with wins in No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Due to this “upset” victory, Mount Airy now sits at No. 2 in 1A trailing only Bishop McGuinness.

Surry Central received votes for the NCHSTCA 2A poll in the preseason, week one and week two polls, but finished just outside the top 10 each time. After one week without any votes, week three, Central catapulted to the No. 9 spot for week four.

The Golden Eagles currently boast an overall record of 8-0, while leading the Foothills 2A Conference at 7-0. Of the 64 individual matches in which Central has competed, the Eagles have only lost twice: once in singles, and once in doubles.

Surry Central’s top wins have come against East Surry and Forbush.

Central defeated Forbush 9-0 on March 9. The Falcons became the first team all season to win a set against the Eagles, but Central still came away with the win in that match. Forbush currently sits at 9-2 overall and 5-2 in conference, with both losses coming against East Surry and Surry Central.

East Surry, currently 7-2 overall and 6-1 in conference, gave Surry Central its toughest test of the season so far. The Cardinals lost the match 7-2, but forced third-set tiebreakers in 4-of-6 singles matches. Other than the loss to Surry Central, East’s only other defeat on the season came against Mount Airy.

Mount Airy senior Zeb Stroup officially signed his NCAA National Letter of Intent and will continue his academic and football careers at Presbyterian College.

“To play college sports has always been the goal for me since I started playing sports, and it’s everything for me to get an opportunity like this one to go play at a great school with great coaches,” Stroup said.

Stroup’s role on Mount Airy’s football team changed year to year, and sometimes game to game. As the team’s Swiss army knife, Bears coach J.K. Adkins said he felt comfortable using Stroup just about anywhere on the field.

“Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out he’s an elite athlete,” Adkins said. “[He’s] probably the best all-around football player on our team. He did it all for us at some point it seems like.

“He’s a good enough player that we snuck him down into the box some nights, we put him on the other team’s best player some nights, then other nights his job was to take the top off the defenses and score. Whatever we asked him to do, that’s what he was willing to do. He’s just a great competitor with a strong will to win, and that characteristic bled off on everybody around him.”

Offensively, Zeb graduates with more than 1,000 yards passing (1,186), just under 1,000 yards receiving (965) and more than 500 yards rushing (512). He also scored 16 offensive touchdowns and ran in three 2-point conversions.

Defensively, Stroup scored two touchdowns on fumble recoveries, grabbed eight interceptions, defensed 11 passes and racked up 153 total tackles. He also served on the return team and took a kickoff to the house his senior year.

Zeb was named to the Northwest 1A All-Conference squad twice. As a senior, Mount Airy finished 13-1 and won the NW1A Championship. The 2021-22 Granite Bears also set a school record with nine shutout victories, only giving up 46 points all year while scoring 680.

What makes Stroup’s resume even more impressive is the fact that his senior football season was just the sixth school season of his career.

“I actually didn’t start playing football until seventh grade, and before that basketball was my first love,” Stroup said. “I always thought of myself as a better basketball player than football, but after playing football for a few seasons I quickly realized that it was the sport for me.”

Now Division-I bound, Adkins said that – above all Zeb’s physical gifts and high football IQ that helped the team in all three phases – what really separated Stroup from the pack was his competitive nature.

“The biggest attribute that he brought to the table was that he was an extreme competitor,” Adkins said. “His competitive nature elevated how we practiced and how we played. He’s a big part of the puzzle that we have to figure out how to replace next season.”

“I was extremely blessed to play at Mount Airy all four years, and be a part of such successful teams,” Stroup said. “Playing at Mount Airy has helped me develop the mindset that losing isn’t really an option, and that’s the mindset I plan to carry with me into college. All of my high school coaches expected the best and pushed every single one of us day in and day out, and that rubbed off on me: always striving to be the best.”

In addition to his coaches, Stroup expressed gratitude to his mother, Angela, for helping him achieve his dream.

“I would really like to thank my mom for everything,” he said. “Growing up with two other brothers that played sports as well, she never missed a game, always got us to and from practice and loves sports just as much as I do. She truly has been in my corner through this entire process and has given me wisdom and her thoughts, but never being overbearing and I can never thank her enough for that.”

With high school football and basketball seasons now over, Zeb turns his attention to becoming a Division-I student-athlete at his home for the next four years.

“Presbyterian just seems to be the right fit for me,” Stroup said. “With an entirely new coaching staff, I know there won’t be any favoritism and I’m gonna get my shot, but what really attracted me to it was the relationships between my recruiters and I. They made me feel wanted and pursued me relentlessly for months, and in the end it just feels like home.”

PILOT MOUNTAIN — Two tennis teams riding mini win streaks met Monday in Foothills 2A Conference Competition.

East Surry won back-to-back matches after suffering its only conference loss of the season, and North Surry won consecutive FH2A matches after starting the season 0-5.

East held on to its second place standing in the FH2A Conference with a 9-0 win over North. The Cardinals improve to 6-1 in conference play, while the Hounds drop to 2-5.

The Cardinals (7-2) won all six singles matches in straight sets. Cooper Motsinger had the only double bagel victory, doing so at the No. 1 spot. Motsinger improved to 7-1 in the top spot with a 6-0, 6-0 win over North’s Holdin Hall.

Levi Watson remained undefeated at the No. 2 spot with a win over North’s Nathan Lattimore. Lattimore battled back to cut the first set to 5-3 before Watson won the next game, then Watson ran away with the second set 6-1.

The Cards only dropped a combined four games in the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 singles matches. Kade Talton defeated Colby Calloway 6-1, 6-1 on court No. 3, Lupe Chavez topped Jordan Inman 6-0, 6-1 on court No. 4 and Noah Hopkins bested Ryan Woodruff 6-1, 6-0 on court No. 5.

Freshmen Hayden Douglas and Ty Richardson faced off on court No. 6. Like Lattimore on court No. 2, North’s Richardson cut the first-set lead to 5-3 before Douglas won the next game. Douglas then won the second set 6-1 to secure the victory.

In doubles: Motsinger and Watson defeated Hall and Lattimore 8-1 on court No. 1, Talton and Nick Lowery defeated Inman and Woodruff on court No. 2, and Hopkins and Douglas defeated Calloway and Richardson 8-3 on court No. 3.

Mount Airy softball broke into the win column on March 25 with a 7-1 win over North Stokes.

North Stokes won all 23 matchups against Mount Airy during the 2010s: a decade in which the Lady Vikings won two state championships and finished state runner-up once. Since then, the Bears and Vikings have gone back-and-forth. Mount Airy topped the North Stokes 6-5 in their first of three games in 2021, but North won the next two before Mount Airy won their most recent meeting.

Sydney Seagraves had a strong performance on the mound for the Bears with 15 strikeouts. The senior only gave up four hits, one walk and one earned run.

The Granite Bear trio of Seagraves, Skylar Partin and Sofia Stafford combined for six hits and six runs.

Partin singled in the first inning, then scored on an RBI double from Seagraves. Stafford had a double of her own that scored Seagraves, and an RBI single from Isabella Beck scored the third run.

After North Stokes scored its only run in the top of the second, neither team scored again until Mount Airy piled on four runs in the bottom of the fifth.

Partin tripled with just one out on the board. The bases were loaded after Seagraves was walked and Chloe Potts singled, and a 2RBI single from Stafford increased the Bears’ lead to 5-1.

Potts and Stafford scored the remaining two runs for the Bears win.

PILOT MOUNTAIN — A pitching duel in Pilot Mountain ended with East Surry keeping its undefeated season alive.

When East and North Surry faced off on March 22 in Toast, the Cardinals put up 10 runs in the first five innings to defeat the Greyhounds. When the teams met at Barry Hall Field three days later, East and North Surry’s pitchers combined for 21 strikeouts, and the Cardinals held on for the 2-1 win.

East Surry, ranked No. 1 in the 2A West, improves to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play by sweeping the series against North.

East had three of its six total hits in the third inning of Friday’s game. The Cards capitalized on the burst of offense to score two runs, but wouldn’t advance past second base for the remainder of the game.

North Surry had four total hits to East’s six, but the Greyhounds (5-4, 2-2 FH2A) had seven players get on base that were either walked or hit by a pitch. The Hounds loaded the bases three times after scoring their only run in the fourth, but never could get back to the plate.

Cardinal pitcher Folger Boaz got the win on the mound with 11 strikeouts, three walks and three hit batters in six innings, while also giving up two hits and one run. Anthony Ayers came in for the save in the seventh inning; he threw one strikeout and gave up one hit during his time on the mound.

Ethan Edwards pitched a complete game for the visiting Greyhounds by throwing all six innings. Edwards struck out nine batters while walking none, and he gave up six hits and two runs.

The Cardinals’ game-changing third inning began with Brett Clayton reaching first after a hit to right-center field. Tristen Mason laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Clayton to second, then Luke Bowman singled to put Clayton on third. Both runners crossed the plate on a 2RBI single hit by Boaz.

East Surry’s two other scoring opportunities came in the fourth and fifth innings. Caden Lasley singled in the bottom of the fourth, then stole second base before being stranded. Trey Armstrong added a single in the bottom of the fifth, but his hit came with two outs on the board and the next Cardinal flied out.

Cam Taylor had North Surry’s only hit of the first three innings. The junior singled to right field to leadoff in the top of the second, and even stole second base. However, he was left on base after the next three batters flied out, struck out and struck out.

Kolby Watson singled to start the top of the fourth inning. Watson attempted to steal second, but had to return to first when Brodie Robertson was called for interference at the plate. Watson eventually advanced to second, then went to third on a wild pitch. Taylor joined him on base after being walked. Watson scored and made it 2-1 after a Cardinal fielding error on a hit by James McCreary.

Taylor and McCreary went to second and third, respectively, after a wild pitch, and Miles Draughn was walked to load the bases with just one out. The Cardinals prevented further damage by forcing a fly out and a strikeout.

North Surry found itself in a similar situation in the fifth inning, although the ending to the inning was anything but ordinary. Corbin Dollyhigh was on third, Watson was on second and a courtesy runner for Robertson was on first with just one out.

Taylor struck out for the second out, and Cardinal catcher Luke Bowman quickly made a throw to third to try and get Dollyhigh out after the third strike. Bowman’s throw ricocheted off Dollyhigh’s foot and rolled toward short. With Dollyhigh down after the throw, the other two retreated back to their bases. The Cardinals were too late to get Watson out, but made the throw to first in time to tag the courtesy runner.

The bases were loaded for the Hounds once again in the top of the seventh. Dollyhigh and Edwards led with back-to-back singles, Watson grounded out and Robertson was intentionally walked. The Cardinals picked up the final two outs after Ayers struck out Taylor and McCreary flied out to Matthew Keener in right field.

PILOT MOUNTAIN — Mount Airy and East Surry went back and forth for 80 minutes exchanging haymaker after haymaker.

Neither team held an advantage for very long as one opponent was always eager to one-up the other. Everything balanced out in the end, and the teams walked away with a 2-2 tie.

The Bears and Cards have now tied in back-to-back seasons after tying only once from 2012-2019.

Early goals set the tone for what looked destined to be a high-scoring affair. East Surry’s Morgan Bryant scored the opening goal for the Cardinals, but Mount Airy’s Lily Morris quickly tied the match at 1-1 with a goal in the 14th minute. Bryant netted her second goal to put the Cards back on top in the 35th minute, but a goal from the Bears’ Kate Deaton 100 seconds later left the teams tied up once again.

The Bears wasted little time pushing into Cardinal territory in the second half. Mount Airy’s Jayden McKeithan put a shot on goal just 24 seconds after the opening whistle, and it was saved by East’s Katie Collins. Alex Rose was then set up with one player to beat in the 45th minute, but Cardinal defender Evelyn Ruedisueli made the stand to prevent the shot. A few minutes later, Karyme Bueno and Rose each put shots on frame that were both saved by Collins.

Following Mount Airy’s flurry of offense, East’s Samantha Blose found herself with an open look at the Bears’ goal in the 50th minute. Blose kept her shot grounded as she aimed for the near post, and a diving save by Mount Airy keeper Mackenzie Hudson gave East Surry a corner kick. Liannette Chavez’s corner sailed into the 18-yard box before Mount Airy’s Grey Moore booted it out.

Chavez had a 25-yard shot saved by Hudson in the 52nd minute, then put in the legwork for another shot in the 56th minute by carving up the midfield and centering to Joanna Parker. Parker found herself one-on-one with Hudson, but Moore slid in to prevent the potential goal. Blose created a shot off Moore’s slide that was saved by Hudson.

Each team started the second half with three shots and three saves. After Blose’s shot was saved, Mount Airy would attempted the next five shots in the game. Deaton (twice), Bueno, Rose and Paola Ramirez combined to put four of the five shots on target, but none made it past Collins.

The Cardinals’ final bit of offense came in the 38th minute when Blose sent a through ball to Ember Midkiff. Midkiff made it past a defender to have just Hudson standing between her and the goal, but Aliyah Flores sped back on defense to clear the ball out for a corner kick.

Chavez took the corner kick with less than 90 seconds remaining. Goins redirected the corner at the goal, but her shot was saved by Hudson.

Mount Airy charged into the Cardinals’ defensive third with time winding down. The Bears weren’t able to get a shot off before a foul was called on Mount Airy, and East let time expire before taking the free kick.

Morgan Bryant (ES), Lily Morris (MA) 14’, Morgan Bryant (ES) 35’, Kate Deaton (MA) 37’

North Surry High School has selected the man that will head the varsity football program moving forward.

“I am pleased to announce that Jackson Smith will be the next head football coach at North Surry High School,” said Principal Dr. Paige Badgett. “He is energetic and passionate about our program. Coach Smith sets high expectations for himself and those around him. He brings a vision that will develop student-athletes into good citizens through accountability and believing in something more than themselves. I believe Coach Smith’s leadership will propel our program into winning championships.”

Smith is a 2017 graduate of Mount Airy High School, played collegiate football at Lenoir-Rhyne University then transferred to Appalachian State University where he would graduate in 2021. He served as a position coach at both Surry Central and North Surry High Schools prior to this position.

“Today is a day I have dreamed of for the entirety of my life,” Smith said. “I heard a quote that stuck with me for a very long time my freshman year of college: ‘you don’t choose to coach; you are called to coach.’ I think a lot of coaches in here would vouch for that, and I feel as if I’ve been called to take this role on.”

“I’m excited for Jackson and North Surry athletics,” said Greyhound Athletic Director Chris Butler. “He brings energy and a vision for what North Surry football can become. His ability to build and maintain relationships with players, a strong growth mindset, strong communication skills and a contagious enthusiasm will be invaluable to building and maintaining a football program that year in and year out competes for conference championships and playoff victories.”

North Surry began its search for a new head coach in mid-February after then-coach Patrick Taylor stepped down. Taylor coached for 20 years, with 12 of those coming at North Surry. He served as head coach for three seasons from 2019-2021.

Smith joined the Greyhound family prior to the fall 2021 season as a member of Taylor’s staff.

“Thank you to coach Patrick Taylor,” Smith said. “Our program is thankful for his contributions and class throughout his 12 years here with North Surry football. I wouldn’t be here without him today. He took a chance on me last summer, brought me in on his staff, and I haven’t looked back. I’m very thankful for him.”

Following the announcement on Friday, Smith addressed members of the community, members of the Surry County Schools Board of Education, the staff of North Surry and many more in the school’s media center. He also took questions from members of the media.

“I’m on cloud nine,” he said. “I’m still a little bit shell-shocked, but I’m so grateful and humbled and blessed to be in the position I’m in today. This program has so much rich tradition and history, I’m so glad I have my ability to add another chapter to it. I’m just ready to get to work; I’m so excited.

“My goal as the next head football coach at North Surry High School is to mold our student-athletes into productive young men and win football games in the process,” Smith said. “North Surry Football will enable student-athletes to compete at a high level while developing skills that will equip them to be successful in their next chapter of life. I believe that this investment into our athletes will make North Surry Football a premier program in North Carolina.”

Smith pointed out that North Surry will not be rebuilding, but rather restructuring thanks to the “fantastic foundation” on which to build.

The Greyhounds return all four of its offensive All-Conference selections, 4-of-6 defensive selections and both Honorable Mentions. Many in the class of 2023 have been starters or key role players most of their high school career.

“I think there are so many pivotal pieces here that the community can get excited about,” Smith said. “Jahreece Lynch is a phenomenal athlete coming off two years of All-Conference play. Jake Simmons is another name that is going to be on the radars of a lot of teams. There are a lot of people that I think people don’t know about yet that we’re going to put into positions to really showcase their abilities.”

Jared Hiatt, James McCreary, Eli Ramey and D’Marcus France were among the players Smith expects to have big offseasons for the Greyhounds.

Smith comes into the head coaching job having worked with some of Surry County’s finest. He played varsity football for Kelly Holder, and coached under Taylor as well as Surry Central coach Monty Southern. Smith extended thanks to the aforementioned men, as well as Levi Goins, Darren Taylor, Michael Johns, Tyler Bentley and many more, for “unselfishly mentoring” him along the way.

“I would not be in this position without you, your guidance and your support in this process,” Smith said.

“I want to thank Dr. Badgett, Mr. Chris Butler and others for their faith in me. We share the same vision of creating the best student-athlete experience possible, all while competing at the highest level here at North Surry High School. Both are vital in the progression of our football program. Both, being former coaches and athletes, understand the importance for efficiency through management, accountability and discipline. These three things will be the pillars of our program moving forward.”

Golf season is in full swing for local high schools.

The Northwest 1A Conference has played one conference match, and the Foothills 2A Conference recently completed its third conference match.

Mount Airy tied South Stokes in the NW1A opening match held at Hemlock Golf Course in Walnut Cove. The Bears and Sauras each finished with four-player team scores of 165 strokes. Elkin wasn’t far behind at 168, and the Elks were followed by East Wilkes at 179, Starmount at 200, North Stokes at 215 and Alleghany at 232.

Elkin’s James Owings was the medalist for the meet with a nine-hole score of 35 strokes. Mount Airy’s Brooks Sizemore and South Stokes’ Larsen Gallimore tied for second at 37.

The top four scores for each school contributed to the team score.

The FH2A Conference held meets on back-to-back days. The conference competed at Yadkinville Country Club on March 21, then traveled to Silo Run Golf Course on March 22.

East Surry won both meets, and had the medalist in each as well.

Chase Harris was the medalist at Yadkinville with a 37, and East Surry won with a team score of 163. Bradley Davis was the medalist at Silo Run with a 32, and the Cardinals won by 12 strokes with a score of 141.

Forbush came in second at Silo Run with a team score of 153, followed by Surry Central at 162, North Surry at 173, West Wilkes at 197, North Wilkes at 2013 and Wilkes Central at 204.

Results for Surry County teams and the top individual performances at Silo Run are included below:

T-10. Reece Hanson (SC) 4o

Joined by his friends, family, coaches and a five-foot tall Eagle, Surry Central senior Avery Wilmoth signed his NCAA National Letter of Intent to play football at Ferrum College.

“It means a lot to me,” Wilmoth said. “I’ve always enjoyed football so much. It’s crazy to think I get four more years of it.”

First impressions are important, and that’s part of the reason Avery chose Ferrum as the next stop on his academic and athletic journeys. The school turned out to be a perfect fit for him.

“I was immediately attracted to the school more than the other schools that were interested,” he said. “The coaching staff there is amazing, and they stay in great contact with me. They have helped me in setting up everything to get prepared for Ferrum. They also check in on me and my family weekly.

“I also love the layout of the college as it’s smaller and around some beautiful land.”

Much like Ferrum, Wilmoth said he was in love with football “from day one.”

“This has been a dream ever since I could remember. I have always been so intrigued with football, and it brings me so much happiness,” he said. “Most of the guys I played with my senior year were out there with me in first grade…we haven’t left each other’s side since then.”

“I’m excited for him,” said Central football coach Monty Southern. “We’re gonna miss him, and not just his performance on the field. He’s a great kid to have in your program. The level of self-motivation he has is fairly uncommon for people his age, and I know he’s gonna be successful at Ferrum and in whatever he does later in life.”

Wilmoth’s varsity football experience didn’t start off like he’d planned. His junior season was pushed back from the fall of 2020 to the spring of 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Not only was the team limited in the amount/type of preseason workouts they could participate in, but the regular season was limited to just seven games.

The already-shortened season was cut down even more when Wilmoth suffered an injury in the team’s third game.

“The timing was just awful because he was going to get valuable reps in that Atkins game and the Carver game right after,” Southern said. “He came back and played in our last game of the season, but that was more because it was the end of the season and he only played a limited amount. Truthfully, he probably had 2.5 games where he was 100%.”

Wilmoth had a quick turnaround for his senior season in the fall, so he and Southern didn’t waste any time. Avery was expected to be the Golden Eagles’ starting quarterback for week one, and he was dedicated to doing everything on his part to make sure that happened.

“We tried to throw a lot that summer, and he struggled some in the beginning but really came around,” Southern said. “More than anything, I attribute his success to his drive and self-motivation. He wants to be successful and will figure out a way to get there. He’s a hard worker and is very intelligent.

“Avery really is part of a dying breed. He pushes himself, he’s hard on himself and, if he feels like he hasn’t done as well as he thought he should, he gets on himself. Some people do that and will get in a funk, but he doesn’t.”

“Our group worked very hard over the summer and was ready for the season,” Wilmoth said. “My senior year was very memorable. We had a great time with each other, and I wouldn’t trade that season for anything else. The community surrounding us is amazing. We had so much support behind us every Friday night, and being in a small town it’s hard not to know anyone.”

Surry Central won six games during the fall 2021 season, tied for second in the Foothills 2A Conference standings and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Southern said he loved having Avery at quarterback because of his flexibility. He could throw when the Eagles needed to move through the air, and he could barrel through defenders when the team needed to move the chains on the ground.

“He’s a powerful kid,” Southern said. “He wasn’t receiving many blows; most of the time he was giving them. We could run him a lot. Then if we needed two or three hard yards, he got it. Lots of teams have a running back or two that can do that, but not everybody can say that about their QB.”

As big as Avery’s impact was on the field, Southern said his influence as a team leader really helped set the Eagles up for success.

“He gets along with everybody,” Southern said. “It doesn’t matter if he’s talking with a senior starter like Karson Crouse, or a young kid that doesn’t play a lot, he treats them all the same. He’s very mature. A really positive kid on and off the field.

“He’s a great big brother too, making sure his brother is doing what he needs to do and not cutting corners. He’s just a good kid overall; the type of kid you pull for.”

Knowing he didn’t get this far on his own, Avery extended his thanks to some of the people that helped him along the way.

“I want to thank my mother for supporting me all these years,” he said. “She always made sure I had everything I needed, and made sure I was at practice every day when I was younger.

“I would also like to thank that group of 17 seniors. Those guys shaped me into what I am today. From knocking the wind out of each other in practice to pushing each other to our limits, I wouldn’t want to play beside anyone else.”

DOBSON — Surry Central shook off a slow start against Starmount on Tuesday, but it wasn’t enough to lift the Eagles to victory.

Neither squad scored in the 80 minutes of non-conference action. The Eagles came alive and controlled possession in the latter 20 minutes of each half, but struggled to find the back of the net against the Rams.

The 0-0 tie moves Surry Central to 2-4-2 on the season.

“Starmount came out completely different,” said Central coach Adan Garcia, referencing the Eagles’ March 14 game against the Rams in Boonville. Surry Central won that game 4-0 behind Wendy Cantor’s first-half hat trick.

“They were a little bit more organized and their spirits were lifted, so they gave us a little run for our money. That’s always good because it pushes us and makes us question what do we need to do to get better. That’s what you do when you face a good opponent.”

Garcia described the Eagles start to the season as “patchy.” Central opened the season with a 1-0 win over East Wilkes, then dropped its home opener to West Stokes 1-0.

“We didn’t have a lot of time together as a unit since some of the girls came in later than others because of winter sports,” Garcia said. “It’s no fault of their own, it’s just the way certain sports cross over and how playoffs affect things.”

Getting as much as time together as possible was key for a young Surry Central team that has just two seniors ,as well as three freshmen starters. The Golden Eagles didn’t have a full roster the next week either due to spring break, and lost to Elkin and tied Ashe County.

Following the Starmount win on March 14, Central dropped back-to-back conference matches to West Wilkes and Wilkes Central.

“There were definitely areas of improvement, but I also saw a lot of positives in those first few games,” Garcia said. “Even if it’s a bad game you have to take the positives with it. We’re just trying to find some consistency.”

Speaking to the team’s consistency, Garcia said Surry Central’s performances in the first 20 minutes of each match against Starmount were complete opposites.

“In that first part of the first half we were too slow for my liking,” he said. “We progressed as the game went on, but coming out flat really hurt us.”

Central’s strong back line kept their goal protected even during the slow start. The offense began to pick up in the 18th minute, and Dafne Salgado-Perez put a shot on frame that could’ve opened the game up.

Salgado-Perez’s shot from 30 yards was deflected by the Starmount keeper and hit the crossbar. Central’s Karlie Robertson beat the Rams to the rebound, but her shot sailed wide of the frame.

Yuri Ramirez and the Golden Eagle midfield kept Central on Starmount’s half of the field for most of the half. Ramirez, Salgado-Perez, Cantor and Abigail Hernandez each had breakaways, but none could set up a scoring opportunity.

Starmount managed to push into Central territory with six minutes remaining in the first half, but a Golden Eagle counter resulting from this push nearly resulted in a goal. Ramirez stole the ball near midfield, then sent a through ball up the right sideline to Rubi Cortes. Cortes cut in toward the goal and sent a lead pass to Cantor in the center.

Cantor chased after the pass while running shoulder-to-shoulder with a Starmount defender. Cantor got a touch on the ball to get past the charging keeper, but the touch was just strong enough to roll wide of the goal before she could chase it down for a redirect.

The Eagles picked up their intensity late in the game to try and set up the decisive strike. Center back Lillian Orozco pushed up on an attack to give the Eagles numbers, then Ashley Santamaria also took a spot on the front line as the Eagles dropped to just three defenders. Despite this, the score remained 0-0.

Cantor broke free of the Starmount defense on a swift counter with just three minutes remaining. Cantor dribbled all the way from the center circle to just outside the 18-yard box when she was fouled. Brittany Frausto attempted a shot on the 25-yard free kick, but it sailed north of the crossbar.

Central had one final chance as the scoreboard clock went below 60 seconds. Miranda Calderon took a quick throw-in on the Eagles’ sideline and found Ramirez at the top of the 18. Ramirez was able to turn toward the goal and set up a shot on her right foot, but a Starmount player was a step faster than Ramirez and cleared the ball before a shot could be taken.

Although he was glad Central avoided the loss, Garcia said it was tough not getting a win when he knows his team could have.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how we progress,” Garcia said. “Every game I do see some positives and negatives. We could have the best game of our lives, and I’d still find little things to take care of. But like [Blake] Roth always said: ‘You have to take it game by game, so don’t starting thinking about the next one until you finish the one you’re on.’

“Right now we’re focused on us and what we can do to get better to face Ashe County.”

DOBSON — Some might confuse two schools in the Foothills 2A Conference given their similar names and mascots.

What wasn’t in doubt on Tuesday was which of those teams reigned supreme on the baseball diamond.

The Surry Central Golden Eagles won their third consecutive game by defeating the Wilkes Central Eagles 7-0.

Brady Edmonds got the win on the mound for Surry Central. The senior pitched the first 5.2 innings and had 11 strikeouts, two walks, and allowed no runs on three hits. Justin Reeves closed the sixth inning with one walk and one strikeout, and Dakota Mills had two strikeouts, one walk and allowed one hit in the seventh.

Wilkes Central used three pitchers, but couldn’t seem to slow the Golden Eagles down. Camdyn Key threw three innings and had four strikeouts, one walk, and allowed three runs on three hits; Gus Keener threw one inning and had no strikeouts, two walks, and allowed four runs on three hits; Jacob Demeny pitched two innings, had one strikeout and allowed one hit.

Surry Central’s leadoff got on base in each of the first five innings. The only time the leadoff got on base but did not score was in the bottom of the first inning. Leadoff Dakota Mills opened the game with a double, moved to third on a ground out but was left on base.

After Edmonds struck out three consecutive batters in the top of the second, Max Lambert was hit by a pitch to begin the bottom of the inning. Lambert stole second, then advanced to third on a Wilkes Central error. Mason Jewell struck out for the second out, but a dropped third strike allowed Jewell to safely reach first and Lambert to score the game’s opening run.

Surry Central got in its groove in the third inning and scored two runs in each of the next three innings.

Clay Whitaker singled to begin the bottom of the third. Whitaker stole second, moved to third on a ground out by Edmonds then scored on a double hit Lucas Johnson. Lambert, who was walked just before Johnson’s hit, also scored on the double.

Mills was able to score in the fourth inning after being stranded in the first. Spencer LeClair opened with a double before successfully stealing third. A Mills hit put the senior on base and scored LeClair, and a fielding error by Wilkes Central allowed Mills to get all the way to third. This set Mills up to steal home and increase the Golden Eagles’ lead to 5-0.

Surry Central’s lone fielding error of the game put a runner on base in the top of the fifth inning. Another Wilkes Central player was walked, then both stole to advance to scoring position. Surry Central forced three outs on three consecutive batters, including two Edmonds strikeouts, to keep the visitors scoreless.

Kade Norman took the second pitch of the bottom of the fifth inning and smashed it over the center field fence. Surry Central’s final run was scored by Lambert, who returned home all three times he batted. Lambert was walked, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, then scored on a ground out hit by Jewell.

Surry Central improves to 6-2 overall with its second shutout of the season. The Golden Eagles have already matched their win total from the shortened 2020-21 season and still have 15 regular season games remaining.

The Surry Eagles and Wilkes Eagles will face off again on March 25.

With winter sports all wrapped up, The News is recognizing the local student-athletes that were presented with All-Conference Honors for their respective sports.

East Surry, North Surry and Surry Central all compete in the Foothills 2A Conference (FH2A), Millennium Charter Academy competes in the Northwest Piedmont 1A Conference (NWPC) and Mount Airy competes in the Northwest 1A Conference (NW1A).

Any athlete that earned All-Conference Honors in multiple events will have the number of events following their name.

East Surry – Haley Joyce (4), Claire Hull (4), Aby Caro (2), Elise Marion, Savannah Raths

Millennium Charter – did not field a girls swim team in 2021-22

Mount Airy – Laura Livengood (2), Jessica Sawyers (3), Eleanor Edwards (2), Emma Bowman (3)

North Surry – Gwendolyn Bode, Cassidy Hull (4), Kara Bryant (4), Baley Hawks (2), Kalei Mauldin

Surry Central – Mallory Cave (3), Joanna Arroyo, Kayli Grizzell, Audrey Poindexter

East Surry finished third in the team competition at the FH2A Championship.

The following Cardinals finished in the top six of the 1A/2A Central Regional Swim Meet and qualified for the State Championship: Joyce, Caro, Yard and Claire Hull in 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay; Claire Hull in 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke; Caro in 100 butterfly; Joyce in 500 freestyle and 100 backstroke.

No East Surry girls competed in the championship race (top eight) at the State Championship.

Mount Airy finished second in the team competition at the NW1A Championship.

The following Bears qualified for the State Championship: Sawyers in 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke.

No Mount Airy girls competed in the championship race (top eight) at the State Championship.

North Surry’s girls won the Foothills 2A Conference Championship, Cassidy Hull was named Female Swimmer of the Year and Susan Bryant was named Girls Coach of the Year.

The following Greyhounds qualified for the State Championship: Cassidy Hull in 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle; Kara Bryant in 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke; Cassidy Hull, Kara Bryant, Hawks and Mauldin in 400 freestyle relay.

Cassidy Hull and Kara Bryant competed in championship races at the State Championship. Cassidy finished sixth in the 200 individual medley, while Bryant finished fourth in the 100 butterfly and seventh in 100 backstroke.

Surry Central’s girls finished second overall at the FH2A Championship.

The following Golden Eagles qualified for the State Championship: Cave in 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle; Arroyo in 100 butterfly.

Cave competed in two championship races at the State Championship. The Golden Eagle finished fifth in 200 freestyle and sixth in 500 freestyle.

East Surry – Aiden Richardson (3), Colby Goins (4), Andrew Needham (4), Vann Kipple, Jonathan Parker (2), Derek Freeman (3), Gavin Atkins (2)

Millennium Charter – did not field a boys swim team in 2021-22

Mount Airy – Noah Moore (2), Collin Phillips (2), Matheson Williams (4), Hayden Bender (2), Martin Cooke (3), Peter Cooke (2)

North Surry – Kinston Nichols, Konnor Mauldin (2), Jackson Graves (3), Alec Singleton (4), Jordan Inman (2)

Surry Central – no male swimmers named All-Conference

East Surry’s boys won the FH2A Championship, Needham was named Male Swimmer of the Year and coach Krista Cox was named Coach of the Year.

The following Cardinals qualified for the State Championship: Colby Goins in 200 individual medley; Needham in 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke; Goins and Richardson in 500 freestyle; Goins, Freeman, Atkins and Needham in 200 freestyle relay; Goins, Richardson, Atkins and Needham in 400 freestyle relay.

Needham was the only Cardinal to compete in the championship race (top eight) at the State Championship. He finished sixth in 100 butterfly.

Mount Airy finished second in the team competition at the NW1A Championship. Jay Williams was named NW1A Boys Coach of the Year

The following Bears qualified for the State Championship: Martin Cooke in 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke; Matheson Williams in 200 individual medley and 100 backstroke; Matheson Williams, Peter Cooke, Bender and Martin Cooke in 200 freestyle relay; Matheson Williams, Peter Cooke, Moore and Martin Cooke in 400 freestyle.

Matheson Williams was the only Granite Bear to compete in the championship race (top eight) as an individual. He won the 1A/2A State Title in 100 backstroke, and finished eighth in the 200 individual medley. The 400 freestyle relay team of Matheson Williams, Peter Cooke, Martin Cooke and Moore finished eighth at the state championship.

North Surry finished fourth as a team at the FH2A Championship.

The following Greyhounds qualified for the State Championship: Graves in 100 backstroke.

No North Surry boys competed in the championship round at the State Championship.

Surry Central’s boys finished third overall at the FH2A Championship. No Golden Eagle boys qualified for the regional or state competitions.

PILOT MOUNTAIN — The only two tennis teams still unbeaten in the Foothills 2A Conference met Monday with the conference’s top spot on the line.

East Surry and Surry Central are both on a crusade for their first conference championship in more than a decade. Both the Cardinals and Golden Eagles were 4-0 in conference play prior to the March 21 match, but only one could remain undefeated moving forward.

The Golden Eagles emerged victorious by a score of 7-2, but the lopsided final score doesn’t tell the full story. Five of the six singles matches were decided by third-set tiebreakers, and two of those tiebreakers ended with one side winning by the two-point minimum.

Surry Central didn’t drop an individual match through its first five team victories of the season. Prior to the match against the Cardinals, the Eagles (6-0, 5-0 FH2A) had only lost a combined one set, 42 singles games and eight doubles games. East Surry alone took four sets, 49 singles games and 11 doubles games on Monday, but even that wasn’t enough to take down Central.

The only two singles matches that didn’t involve a tiebreaker were held on court No. 3 and court No. 5. Surry Central’s Michael Tucker defeated Kade Talton 6-3, 6-3 in No. 3 singles, and the Eagles’ Maddox Martin topped Noah Hopkins 6-3, 6-1 in No. 5 singles.

East Surry (4-2, 4-1 FH2A) won the first set of the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 6 matches, but lost the first set of No. 2 singles. Coincidentally, Surry Central went on to win the second set and tiebreakers of the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 6 matches, while East came away the victor in No. 2 singles.

The Cardinals lone singles win was earned by Levi Watson. Central’s Jacob Edmonds took the first set of No. 2 singles 6-2, but Watson won the second set 6-3 and the tiebreaker 10-8.

Court No. 1 featured East Surry’s Cooper Motsinger, the 2021 Northwest 1A Conference Player of the Year, taking on Surry Central’s Josh Pardue, the 2021 Western Piedmont 2A Conference Singles Champion. Both came into Monday’s match undefeated in 2022.

Motsinger took the first set 7-5, but Pardue won the second 6-2. A late surge in the tiebreaker kept Pardue’s undefeated streak alive with a 10-6 win.

Lupe Chavez won the first set of the No. 4 singles match 6-0 against Central’s Tripp McMillen. McMillen stormed back to win the second set 7-5, then put the match away with a 10-8 win in the tiebreaker.

East’s Hayden Douglas won the first set of No. 6 singles 7-5. Central’s Isaac Eller forced a third set tiebreaker in the battle of the freshmen by taking the second set 6-4, then won the match by besting Douglas 10-5 in the tiebreaker.

East Surry’s Motsinger and Nick Lowery became the first duo to defeat Central in doubles by taking down Tucker and McMillen 8-5 on court No. 2. The Eagles won the two remaining doubles matches: Pardue and Edmonds defeated Talton and Chavez 8-2 in No. 1 doubles, and Martin and Eller defeated Watson and Douglas 8-4 in No. 3 doubles.

The rivalry between East and Central will continue for years to come. Of the 13 players to compete in singles and/or doubles, there are: three seniors, two juniors, five sophomores and three freshmen.

PILOT MOUNTAIN — A few minutes after signing her NCAA National Letter of Intent on February 10, North Surry senior Micah Felts laid out some goals for her final season of high school softball.

Amid the talks of potential conference championships and playoff runs, Felts emphasized that the team needed to play as a unit in order to achieve a common goal. She even said: “It doesn’t matter who we go against because we’ve got that grit: that Greyhound Grit.”

That Greyhound Grit was on display Monday as North Surry beat East Surry in Pilot Mountain for the first time in eight years.

The Lady Greyhounds came back from a 2-0 hole to beat the Cardinals 6-2. A 3-run home run hit by Jordan Snow gave North Surry its first lead of the game in the fifth inning, and an additional run scored by Sarah Sutphin in the sixth secured the road win for North.

The class of 2022 was in eighth grade when North Surry most recently beat East Surry in 2017, and that game was hosted by the Hounds. Before that, the class of 2022 was in elementary school when the Hounds last topped the Cardinals on Palmer Field.

Trista Berrier pitched a complete game for North Surry (3-4). The senior had seven strikeouts, two walks, allowed three hits and two runs in seven innings.

Riley Pennington started on the mound for East Surry and threw five innings. Pennington finished with five strikeouts and no walks, giving up seven hits and five runs. Elise Marion threw the final two innings and had three strikeouts, one walk, allowed one run and three hits.

The Cardinals (1-7) quickly loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning. Leadoff Rosie Craven reached first on a Greyhound fielding error, then moved to second on a single from Maegan Banks. The bases were loaded after Marion was hit by a pitch.

Berrier struck out the next two East Surry batters, but a Greyhound fielding error on a hit from Sara Scott scored Craven and Banks.

North Surry left runners on base in each of the first two innings, but finally crossed the plate in the third. Carley Puckett tripled on a deep shot right field as the Hounds’ leadoff in the inning. A hit from Bella Aparicio was mishandled by the Cardinals, allowing Puckett to score.

The Lady Hounds had a chance to add more runs after Sarah Mauldin crushed a hit to the center field fence. However, the umpires ruled that Mauldin was out after passing Aparicio between first and second base; Aparicio was waiting to tag up on the high-arching hit. Aparicio was then tagged out trying to go to third.

East Surry’s Marion singled in the bottom of the third, but courtesy runner Addy Sechrist was involved in double play later in the inning. Then, both teams left runners on base in the fourth inning.

Action picked back up in the top of the fifth with Puckett led with a single to left field. The Cards picked up an out, then Puckett moved to third and Mauldin reached second on an error. Another Cardinal error allowed Berrier to get on base while Puckett scored the game-tying run.

The tie lasted all of two pitches as Snow pummeled a home run over the center field fence to put North Surry up 5-2.

North added its final run in the top of the sixth after East went three-up three-down in the bottom of the fifth. Sutphin was walked to start the inning, then she moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a ground out hit by Puckett. Aparicio picked up her second RBI of the evening with a line drive to right field.

The Cardinals once again failed to put a runner on base in the sixth, so the Hounds had one final chance to pad their lead. East Surry forced two quick outs, then Sadie Montgomery and Felts hit back-to-back singles. Sutphin hit a grounder to short stop that resulted in Montgomery being called for offensive interference.

Scott began the bottom of the seventh with East Surry’s third hit of the night. Haley Chilton sent a grounder to first base, which North Surry used to quickly tag out Chilton at first before throwing to get Scott out at second on the double play. Berrier then threw her seventh strikeout to end the game.

Monday’s game served as the conference opener for both teams. The two teams will face off again on March 29.

PILOT MOUNTAIN — Two championship contenders in a star-studded conference began league play with a two-game series this past week.

The Foothills 2A Conference series marks just the fourth and fifth meetings between East Surry and Forbush since 2008, with the Falcons having won in 2008, 2009 and 2018.

The Cardinals came away victorious in two close games: East won 5-3 in East Bend on March 15, then defended Barry Hall Field with a 4-3 victory on March 18. East Surry improves to 6-0 on the season and 2-0 in conference play, while Forbush drops to 2-5 overall and 0-2 in conference.

The two baseball powerhouses spent years atop their respective conferences before both joining the FH2A.

East Surry came into the 2022 season having won four consecutive Northwest 1A Conference Championships. The 2021 Cardinals won the school’s fourth West Regional Championship and earned the State Runner-up trophy for the fourth time as well.

Forbush won the Western Piedmont 2A Conference Championship in four consecutive seasons from 2016-2019, then finished second in 2021 after no conference champion was crowned in 2020. The 2021 Falcons reached the 2A West Regional Championship and finished runner-up.

Folger Boaz got the win on the mound for East Surry on Friday. In six innings, the junior had 10 strikeouts, six walks and hit one batter. He allowed two hits and two runs; one of which was earned.

Matthew Keener came in for the save in the seventh inning, hitting one batter, allowing two hits and one run.

The Falcons used two pitchers as well. Thomas Conrad threw the first four innings and had five strikeouts, one walk and hit one batter. Conrad gave up five hits and four runs.

Will Summers pitched the final two innings and held East Surry hitless. Summers tossed six strikeouts and walked one batter.

Forbush got on the board first just as they did in their first meeting earlier in the week. After the Falcons left a runner on base in the first and second innings, Holden Moxley and Logan Beane were walked to begin the top of the third. Moxley later scored on a fielder’s choice hit by Cannon Doub.

The Cardinals countered in the bottom of the inning. Luke Bowman reached first after hitting a fielder’s choice that saw Tristen Mason called out at second base, then Trey Armstrong joined Bowman on base after being walked with a full count. Boaz scored both his Cardinal teammates with a 3-run home run.

The Falcons cut the lead to 3-2 by capitalizing on a Cardinal error in the top of the fourth. Dawson Graham was on second with two outs when CJ Boyd hit a hard grounder between first and second, which sent Graham to third. Hesitation by the fielders led to a wild throw to first that gave Graham time to round third and score.

East Surry had a runner on second in the bottom of the fourth, but a double play ended the inning before the Cards could add another run. A fourth run did come in the fifth inning though. Mason led with a single, then stole second with Bowman up to bat. Bowman scored Mason with an RBI single to force a pitching change. Bowman made it all the way to third, and Boaz – who was intentionally walked – made it to second before a pair of Summers strikeouts ended the inning.

Forbush loaded the bases in the top of the sixth with only one out on the board. Graham attempted to steal home on a wild pitch, but Cardinal catcher Bowman chased down the pitch and flipped it to Boaz for the tag. Boaz struck the next batter out to keep the two-run lead intact.

The Falcons’ made the Cards sweat in the top of the seventh. East Surry picked up two quick outs in which Keener and Anthony Ayers chased down grounders and made the throws to Brown at first, but then Doub was hit by a pitch. Doub moved to second on a balk called on Keener, then Conrad hit a line drive to center field to score Doub and cut the lead to 4-3.

Graham followed with a single that moved Conrad to second. Chase Smitherman also got hit bat on the ball, but hit a grounder right to Ayers at third to make an easy force out.

East Surry is just the second team since the 2016 season to hand Forbush multiple conference losses in the same season. The only other instance of this was when West Stokes beat the Falcons twice in 2021.

The Cardinals have now won 19 consecutive regular season games.

PILOT MOUNTAIN — Forbush erupted for 13 runs on 11 hits to defeat East Surry 13-2 on Friday.

The teams met earlier in the week in East Bend in a much tighter affair. The game on March 15, which served as the Foothills 2A Conference opener for both teams, also went the way of the Falcons 6-5.

Forbush’s Carley Joyner pitched all six innings of Friday’s game. The junior struck out six batters, walked one, allowed three hits and two runs.

Three different Cardinals spent time on the mound for East Surry. Elise Marion, Riley Pennington and Maegan Banks combined to pitch six innings and threw three strikeouts, three walks, allowed 11 hits and 13 runs. The Lady Cards also committed eight errors as a team.

Leadoff Korbyn Brown started the game with a single for the Falcons. Brown stole second base, then went to third on a passed ball. A sacrifice fly from Virginia Crews scored Brown for the first run of the game.

Despite putting runners on second and third later in the inning, Forbush’s only run of the first two innings was scored by Brown. East Surry’s Riley Pennington singled to start the bottom half of the second inning, but she was the only Cardinal to get on base during that time.

Forbush opened the game up with four runs in the top of the third. Brown once again led with a hit, this time a double hit to right field. Crews scored Brown with an RBI single, then a 2RBI triple from Kiki Wall scored Crews and the recently walked Aria Wilson.

East Surry went three-up three-down in the third and fourth innings, allowing Forbush to build on its lead in the fifth. Wilson led off with a single, Wall was walked and then Kasey Matthews hit an RBI double to score Wilson. Arden Finney got on base after a Cardinal fielding error that also allowed Wall to score. Brooke Davis later scored Matthews after hitting an RBI single to make it 8-0.

The Cardinals battled back in the bottom of the fifth when Clara Willard crushed a home run over the left-field fence. Kenzie Shoffner was walked with two outs in the inning, but never advanced past first.

A pair of Cardinal fielding errors led to three quick runs in the top of the sixth. Banks, now pitching for East Surry, threw a strikeout after a Forbush fly-out to get the inning’s penultimate out, but the Falcons weren’t done scoring yet. Three fielding errors were committed during the next four batters allowing for two more Falcon runs to be scored, increasing the lead to 13-1.

East Surry continued to fight in the sixth inning. Banks singled with one out, then rounded the bases on a Pennington hit that was dropped near the left-field fence. The late flurry wasn’t enough to keep the game going, however, and the night ended after six innings due to Forbush’s 11-run advantage.

Forbush improves to 4-3 overall and 2-0 in the FH2A Conference, while East Surry drops to 1-6 on the season and 0-2 in conference play.

A strong start propelled North Surry over Mount Airy in the teams’ first meeting in more than two years.

The visiting Greyhounds seemed destined for a blowout win after putting up six unanswered runs in the first three innings. The Bears battled back with three runs in the bottom of the third, all with two outs on the board, to find new life. North Surry regrouped and added two runs for cushion, going on to win the game 8-3.

A lot changed in the two years since the Bears and Hounds last faced off on March 11, 2020. Both teams were primed for historic runs that season, with many of the players in that game either on collegiate rosters, signed to play in college or projected top-10 picks in the 2022 MLB draft.

The 2020 game between the two schools, which North won 6-1, turned out to be the final high school baseball game for either school that year. The COVID-19 pandemic shut down high school sports less than 48 hours later.

The 2022 battle between Mount Airy and North Surry, which took place 737 days later, featured an almost entirely new slate of players as well as new head coaches in each dugout.

North Surry (5-1) picked up where it left off more than two years earlier by scoring six quick runs. The Hounds’ first three batters each circled the bases to score in the top of the first: Kolby Watson, Ethan Edwards and Miles Draughn. Four first-inning hits led to three runs before Mount Airy (5-3) even had an opportunity to bat.

The Greyhounds’ attack continued in the second inning when Jake Beamer led off with a single. Corbin Dollyhigh scored Beamer on a double, then crossed home plate himself when Draughn doubled later in the inning. North then added its sixth run in the third inning when James McCreary reached first on a fielder’s choice, stole second and third base, then made it to the plate on a single from Beamer.

Edwards, who pitched all seven innings for North Surry, went three up three down in each of the first two innings. A Mount Airy ground out and strikeout to start the bottom of the third didn’t look promising for the Bears, but the home team found life after Ashton Gwyn became the team’s first baserunner of the evening.

Rylan Venable moved Gwyn to third with a single to right field. Cameryn Wilson faced a full count before being walked to load the bases, then Logan Dowell was hit by a pitch to score Mount Airy’s first run.

Tennessee Tech-commit Reece McDuffie crushed a 2RBI double to score Venable and Wilson, while moving Dowell to third. Dowell took off for the plate on a wild pitch, but was caught stealing.

North Surry responded in the make-or-break fourth inning. Edwards led off by taking Gwyn’s first pitch and hitting into left field for a double. Singles from Draughn and Brodie Robertson scored Edwards, and Draughn scored while Mount Airy executed a double play: Reece Deaton fielded the grounder hit by Cam Taylor, tossed to Dowell for the force play at second, then Dowell fired a throw to Kamden Hawks at first.

McCreary rounded the bases once again with two outs, but Gwyn threw a strikeout to end the inning before more damage could be done.

North Surry put a runner on second in each of the three remaining innings, but none advanced any farther than that. Mount Airy put runners in scoring position in the fifth and sixth innings, but never could make it back to the plate.

Edwards finished with nine strikeouts, three walks, allowed four hits and three runs.

Gwyn pitched the first 5.0 innings for the Bears and had three strikeouts, two walks, allowed 13 hits and 8 runs. Landon Gallimore threw the next 1.2 innings and had two strikeouts, one base on balls and gave up one hit, and Ian Gallimore was on the mound for the final out of the game.

North Surry has now won its 11 consecutive meetings against Mount Airy.

Mount Airy and North Surry collided in girls soccer Thursday in just the second match between the two in the past three seasons.

An early goal set the tone for Mount Airy, then goals continued to pile in for the Granite Bears until the final minute of play. The Lady Bears ended a two-match winning streak in the rivalry for North Surry by topping the Greyhounds 5-0.

Mount Airy is off to a 4-0-1 start, which is the program’s best start since the 2015 team began 5-0-1.

“This is the best it’s been in a long time,” said Mount Airy coach Will Hurley. “These girls work really hard, and they get along great.”

Hurley praised his three seniors – Grey Moore, Morgan Hiatt and Mackenzie Hudson – for their contributions as both players and leaders so far this season.

“The three seniors, who have all been with me four years now, are all doing really well,” Hurley said. “They’re really good leaders, and never ask the girls to do something they wouldn’t do. A lot of those girls really look up to them.”

Alex Rose and Kate Deaton each scored twice in the victory over the Greyhounds, and Moore added one. Rose used her speed, which North Surry coach Eric Jessup said she certainly did not get from her father (who is Jessup’s cousin), to chase down a pass from Kylie James and put the Bears on the board before hardly any time ran off the clock.

Deaton scored her first goal in the 24th minute, and the Bears carried the 2-0 lead into halftime. North Surry’s Callie Allen and Cynthia Chaire each had shots on target in the opening half, but neither could get past Mount Airy’s Hudson.

Even with the two first-half goals, Jessup applauded his defense for their effort against a skilled Mount Airy offense with multiple weapons. Keeper Haley Smith put her body on the line to intercept Granite Bear through balls, and the back line had to contend with a lot of speed from Mount Airy, Jessup said.

The Hounds felt good after some scoring opportunities early in the second half, but a series of injuries derailed that momentum.

“Man, we started the season out hot against Starmount; beat them 7-0 with our full roster,” Jessup said. “Then we ran into Wilkes Central, who’s just on a different level than everyone else in 1A or 2A, so that wasn’t a great measuring stick of our progress. We played really competitive with Mount Airy, then injuries just started piling up. It was nothing that Mount Airy was doing, things just went wrong for us one after another.”

Among the injured players were Chaire, the team’s leading scorer the past two seasons, starting defensive mid Kim Elias and Smith in goal. Neither Chaire nor Elias played in North Surry’s game against East Surry the following night. Smith, although she was able to suit up and get time on the pitch, wasn’t able to play keeper against the Cardinals.

Deaton added her second goal in the 55th minute on a penalty kick. The Bears put a quick shot on frame following Deaton’s PK, but it was saved by Hudson. Three minutes later, Hudson saved a Greyhound penalty kick taken by Anna Escobar.

The Hounds continued to fight and earned a corner kick in the 61st minute. Escobar’s corner sailed into the 6-yard box where Nydia Cabrera redirected a shot at the goal, but it was saved by Hudson.

Rose netted her second goal in the 67th minute by scoring off an assist from Karyme Bueno. Moore floated a free kick into the back of the net with less than a minute remaining to round out the 5-0 score.

Thursday’s win marks Mount Airy’s fourth shutout of the season. The only goal the Bears have surrendered in 2022 was earlier in the week in a 1-1 tie at West Stokes.

“If we could’ve got one days practice in I think we could’ve beat West,” Hurley said. “We didn’t practice for a week and three days, then the time change happened so we weren’t very good during that first half back. But, the girls regrouped and scored the equalizer.”

Moving forward, Hurley said the goal is to keep getting better each match. As a coach, he said his job is to keep the team pumped up and working as a whole.

Jessup had a similar message, saying the season didn’t stop for the Hounds despite a few injuries.

“When your two best goal-scorers go down it’s hard to get on the board, but the season’s not over because of that so we just keep pressing on,” Jessup said. “We hope to get everybody back and healthy, but we’ve got a lot of talented girls ready to get on the field when their number is called.”

With winter sports all wrapped up, The News is recognizing the local student-athletes that were presented with All-Conference Honors for their respective sports.

East Surry, North Surry and Surry Central all compete in the Foothills 2A Conference (FH2A), Millennium Charter Academy competes in the Northwest Piedmont 1A Conference (NWPC) and Mount Airy competes in the Northwest 1A Conference (NW1A).

Any athlete that earned All-Conference Honors in multiple events will have the number of events following their name.

East Surry – Faith Braithwaite (2), Ember Midkiff, Madeline Dayton (2), Clara Willard

Millennium Charter – Savannah Allen (3), Ava Hiatt (1), Ruby Hoerter (4), Clara Minix (2), Ava Utt (3)

Mount Airy – Ella Brant, Gracie Butcher (2), Kylie James, Audrey Marion (2), Carrie Marion (2), Lily Morris, Kancie Tate, Greer Tidd

North Surry – Isabel Delfin (2), Bella Aparicio (2), Ella Riggs (2), Carly Puckett, Sarah Sutphin, Ashley Jackson, Erin Moore, Anna Escobar

Surry Central – Lanie Fitzgerald (4), Lillian Orozio (2), Rubi Cortes-Rosas (4), Abigail Hernandez (2), Andrea Gonzalez (3), Ella Priddy (2), Wendy Cantor (2), Claire Marion

East Surry’s girls finished second in the FH2A team standings.

Dayton won the conference title in long jump, while also finishing second in triple jump. Braithwaite had two second-place finishes in the 55 and 300 meters, Midkiff won silver in high jump and Willard was runner-up in shot put.

Millennium finished second in NWPC team standings. Utt won the conference title in high jump, then went on to finish fourth in the event at the 1A/2A State Championship Meet.

Utt, Hoerter, Allen and Minix were named All-Conference as a relay team in the 4×400 and 4×800 relays. The Lions won gold in the 4×400 and silver in the 4×800. Hoerter was also named All-Conference after finishing second in the 1600 and 3200 meters, while Hiatt and Allen won took first and second in shot put.

The Mount Airy girls won the NW1A team championship, and coach Ron Snow was named NW1A Coach of the Year.

Butcher set the conference records in both the long jump and triple jump, and competed in both events at the 1A/2A State Championship. She finished ninth in long jump and 10th in the girls triple jump at the state championship.

Brant, Tate, Audrey and Carrie Marion earned All-Conference Honors as the Bears’ 4×200 relay team. As individuals: Carrie Marion won the 55 hurdles, Morris won the high jump, Audrey Marion took second in the high jump, Tidd finished second in the long jump and James won silver in shot put.

The Lady Greyhounds finished fifth in the team competition. The team won three individual gold medals: Aparicio won the 55 meters, Delfin won the 500 meters and Riggs won shot put. Aparicio and Riggs qualified for the state championship and finished fourth in their respective events.

Delfin, Sutphin, Puckett and Aparicio made up the 4×200 relay team that finished second, and the 4×400 team of Jackson, Moore, Escobar and Riggs also won a silver medal.

Surry Central’s girls won the FH2A Conference Championship, and Fitzgerald was named Female Athlete of the Championship Meet. Individually, two Eagles won conference titles: Cortes-Rosas finished first in the 1000 meters, and Fitzgerald won the 1600 and 3200 meters.

Three relay teams also won gold at the conference championship: Priddy, Cantor, Orozio and Marion in the 4×200; Priddy, Cantor, Cortes-Rosas and Gonzalez in the 4×400, and Fitzgerald, Hernandez, Gonzalez and Cortes-Rosas in the 4×800. All three relay teams qualified for the state championship and had the following finishes: the 4×400 team finished fifth, the 4×800 team took sixth and the 4×200 team finished eighth.

Five Surry Central girls finished second in their respective events: Gonzalez in the 500 meters, Hernandez in the 1600 meters, Cortes-Rosas in the 3200 meters, Orozio in the 55 hurdles, and Fitzgerald in the pole vault.

East Surry – Sam Whitt, Gabriel Harpe, Matthew Keener, Isaiah Arrington, Cooper Motsinger (2), Tristan Hernandez, Layton Allen (4), Lindann Fleming, Brett Clayton (2), Kyle Zinn

Millennium Charter – Calvin Devore (3), Hartley Devore (2), Ford Holmes, Brody Krackenberg, Nick Johnson, Diego Gomez

Mount Airy – Blake Hawks (2), Mason Hill, Steven Johnson, Caden Ratcliff (2),

North Surry – Talan Vernon (2), Jared Hiatt (4), Chuck Powers, Jake Simmons, Derek Vannieuwkoop (2), Alejando Guerrero-Rodriguez, Owen McMillian, Jair Gonzalez

Surry Central – Charlie Hernandez, Ignacio Morales (4), Chris Nava, Sebastian Sanchez, Brangly Mazariegos, Luke Creed

East Surry won the FH2A Championship as a team and had eight athletes named All-Conference.

The Cardinals’ 4×200 team of Allen, Fleming, Clayton and Zinn won gold, as did the 4×400 team of Allen, Clayton, Arrington and Keener. Allen added two individual silvers in the 55 and 300 meters, and Motsinger did so in the 1600 and 3200 meters. Harpe and Parker tied for second in the high jump, Hernandez finished second in the 55 hurdles and Whitt finished second in shot put.

The Millennium men finished second as a team in the NWPC Championship. Calvin Devore won the conference title in the 1000 meters, then went on to finish ninth in the event at the 1A/2A State Championship.

The Lions’ 4×800 team of Holmes, Krackenberg, Calvin Devore and Hartley Devore, won gold in the conference championship, and the team of the Devores, Johnson and Gomez finished second in the 4×400 relay.

Mount Airy’s boys finished third in the NW1A team standings at the conference championship. Hawks and Ratcliff each set new NW1A records for the boys.

Hawks’ top performance came in the triple jump, and he also won the conference title in the long jump with a jump of 19-05.00 feet. He competed in both events at the state championship, finishing third in triple jump and fourth in long jump.

Ratcliff’s record-setting performance came in the 1000 meters, then he added a second-place finish in the 3200 meters. Hill and Johnson took first and second in shot put.

North Surry’s Jared Hiatt was named FH2A Male Athlete of the Championship Meet with four All-Conference performances. Hiatt won gold in the long jump, triple jump and high jump, while taking silver in 4×400 relay with Vernon, Powers and Simmons. Hiatt qualified for the 1A/2A State Championship in all three jumping events. He went on to win the Long Jump State Championship, finish third in high jump and fifth in triple jump.

Vernon had the Hounds’ other conference championship in the 55 meters, while Vannieuwkoop finished second in triple jump. In addition to North Surry’s 4×400 silver medal, the 4×200 team of Guerrero-Rodriguez, McMillian, Gonzalez and Vannieuwkoop finished as runner-up.

Surry Central’s boys finished second in the team competition. Morales won three gold medals at the conference championship in the 1000, 1600 and 3200 meters. He went on to the state championship in the 3200 meters and finished seventh.

Hernandez added an individual conference title for the Golden Eagle boys by winning the 500 meters, and Creed took second in the pole vault. The 4×800 relay team of Morales, Nava, Sanchez and Mazariegos finished second.

Mount Airy tennis won its third consecutive match after starting the season 0-3.

The Bears opened the season with four matches in the span of seven days. Not only were all four matches away, but they were also against teams in higher divisions: two in the 2A division and two in the 4A division.

The Granite Bears lost 6-3 to 4A Reynolds, 2A West Stokes and 4A Davie. Davie (3-0) and West Stokes (5-0) are still undefeated on the season.

Mount Airy broke into the win column on March 8 with a 9-0 victory over East Surry, which also served as East’s first loss. The Bears followed that match up with a 9-0 home victory over North Surry.

Mount Airy began conference play on March 15 in a home match against East Wilkes. The N.C. High School Tennis Coaches Association ranked East Wilkes No. 2 and Mount Airy No. 8 in the 1A preseason poll, while fellow Northwest 1A Conference team Elkin was the preseason No. 1.

The Bears’ took a 3-0 lead with victories in the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 5 singles match.

Top-seeded Georgie Kriek was the first player to finish with back-to-back 6-1 set victories over Cole Macemore. Mount Airy’s Connor Sechrist wasn’t far behind with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Luke Macemore in No. 4 singles, then Granite Bear Kieran Slate defeated James Cook 6-0, 6-3 in No. 5 singles. No. 3 John Juno brought Mount Airy within one win of clinching the overall match by defeating Nathaniel Burchette.

Mount Airy’s Martin Cooke and East Wilkes’ Owen Combs traded powerful serves down the stretch of the No. 6 singles match. Cooke eventually pulled away from Combs, winning 6-4, 6-4 in straight sets to secure the team victory.

Granite Bear junior Carson Hill battled Cardinal junior Braxton Long in the No. 2 singles match. The duo has a number of long rallies: so much so that the No. 1 singles match was completed by the time the No. 2 singles match was starting its second set.

Long picked up East Wilkes’ only singles win by a score of 6-4, 6-4.

Long was also part of the Cardinals’ only doubles win. He teamed with Burchette to defeat Mount Airy’s Juno and Slate 8-6 in No. 2 doubles.

The No. 1 and No. 3 doubles matches went the way of the Bears. Kriek and Hill defeated the Macemore duo 8-2 in No. 1 doubles, and Cooke and Jared Pinto defeated East Wilkes’ Cook and Combs 8-1.

DOBSON — A squirrel bolting across the infield, the same truck getting hit by back-to-back foul balls and a casual 15 strikeouts thrown by one player made for an exciting Tuesday night at Surry Central’s baseball diamond.

The Golden Eagles hosted the North Wilkes Vikings in the conference opener for both teams. Surry Central scored three runs early, then added three more over the course of the game while holding North Wilkes scoreless.

Surry Central moves to 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the Foothills 2A Conference with Tuesday’s 6-0 win.

Max Lambert threw a complete game for the Golden Eagles. In seven innings: Lambert threw a career-high 15 strikeouts, didn’t walk a single batter, allowed two hits and no runs. North Wilkes’ only hits were singles in the first and fourth innings, but neither runner advanced past second base.

Dakota Mills, who led the Eagles with three hits and three runs, led the game off with a single. He stole second, then moved to third on a single from Clay Whitaker. Whitaker stole second before Brady Edmonds took his place, scoring both Mills and Whitaker with a 2RBI double.

Edmonds advanced to third on a wild pitch thrown at Kade Norman. After repeated foul balls hit at the same red truck, Norman popped one up in the outfield that allowed Edmonds to tag up and score run No. 3.

Mills found himself in the batter’s box once again in the bottom of the second inning. The Golden Eagle senior singled with a ground ball to left field, then stole second for a second time. Mills went to steal third when the catcher’s throw rolled into the left field grass. This allowed Mills to round third and advance to the plate for Surry Central’s fourth run.

The Eagles didn’t score again until the bottom of the fifth. Mills led off in the inning with a powerful triple to left-center field, then scored on a ground out hit by Whitaker. Norman picked up a single later in the inning, but was left on base.

North Wilkes pitcher Anthony Welborn, who finished with six strikeouts for the Vikings, surrendered his only base on balls by walking Lucas Johnson to begin the bottom of the sixth inning. Mason Jewell moved his fellow freshman to third with a double hit down the left field line, and a sacrifice fly from Kendall White allowed Johnson to trot across the plate for the sixth and final run.

Surry Central continues FH2A play on Friday by traveling to North Wilkes (2-4).

PILOT MOUNTAIN — Seven Foothills 2A Conference golf teams competed at Pilot Knob Park Country Club on Monday.

The first FH2A meet of the 2022 boys season saw the 2021 1A State Runner-up East Surry win by 12 strokes. The Cardinals had five golfers finish in the top six.

East Surry won the meet with a four-player team score of 157. Surry Central was second at 159, followed by Forbush at 184, North Surry at 191, Wilkes Central at 211, North Wilkes at 222 and West Wilkes at 223.

Cardinal senior Bradley Davis was the medalist for the meet with a nine-hole score of 38 strokes. The top seven individual scores were all within three strokes, and the top 12 within six strokes.

*Only surnames were provided for Wilkes Central golfers

The N.C. Basketball Coaches Association (NCBCA) has announced the 2021-2022 All-District Teams and Awards as voted on by the members of each district.

The NCBCA has over 900 members and it’s schools are divided into 12 districts. Only active members can nominate and vote for All-District honors.

Districts are divided geographically, but not by division (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A). Local athletes from Surry, Stokes, Wilkes and Yadkin Counties were grouped with District 11.

All-District selections from the aforementioned counties are listed below and formatted as NAME, GRADE, SCHOOL.

BARRY HAIRSTON JR., 10, SOUTH STOKES

CHAPEL HILL – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) and the North Carolina State Board of Education (SBOE) have both approved and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will allow the Association to continue to oversee the governance of high school athletics in the state for the next four years.

The agreement comes after the passage of HB 91 by the NC General Assembly in November, which required the two parties to have a formalized relationship.

Additionally, the member schools of the NCHSAA voted on and approved suspension of the Association’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws that are in conflict with the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding. This vote was approved via electronic ballot and satisfied NCHSAA Bylaw VII which requires three-quarters affirmative votes of the total ballot distributed.

“We are glad to be able to continue to govern and lead in the area of education-based athletics for the member high schools of our state,” said NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker. “Further, our Board of Directors and I firmly believe that the NCHSAA is the best organization in our state for the governance and continued flourishing of high school athletics here in North Carolina. We believe the history and track record of the Association demonstrates the NCHSAA has the best interest of its schools and students at heart, and it will always remain at the center of what we do.”

According to the law passed by the General Assembly in November, the NCHSAA and SBOE had until March 15, 2022, to sign the formal Memorandum of Understanding.

PILOT MOUNTAIN — East Surry softball made its 2022 debut at Jack Palmer Field on March 14 after opening the season with four away games.

East faced undefeated South Stokes with hopes of redeeming a loss seven days prior – and nearly did just that.

The Cardinals held a 3-1 lead heading into the seventh inning having held the Sauras to just four hits. However, South rattled off four more hits in just the seventh inning to score five runs. South Stokes pitcher Madison Wilson capped off a strong overall performance with three strikeouts in the bottom of the inning to secure the 6-3 victory.

Emily Mitchell threw the first 2.1 innings for the Sauras before Wilson came to the mound. A Cardinal rally in the bottom of the third, which resulted in all three of East’s runs, led to the pitching change.

East Surry (1-4) put two runners on base in the first two innings, but neither was the result of a hit; one was a base on balls and the error via a South fielding error. Sara Scott changed that in the bottom of the third with a double down the left field line. Leadoff Rosie Craven bunted to move Scott to third while beating the throw to first herself.

The Cardinals scored their first run on an RBI single hit by Elise Marion. Addy Sechrist, running for Marion, stole second with Riley Pennington at the plate, then Pennington scored Craven and Sechrist with a 2RBI double.

Wilson took Mitchell’s spot on the mound and struck out back-to-back batters to end the inning. Wilson faced 14 batters in her 4.2 innings, and only two put the ball into play: Craven flied out in the bottom of the fifth, and Clara Willard grounded out in the bottom of the sixth. Wilson struck out the other 12 batters to bring South’s total strikeout count to 14.

The Sauras (6-0) scored their first run early in the game. Sydney Patterson singled with two outs in the first inning, then Mitchell scored her teammate with an RBI double. South wouldn’t get past second base again until there were two outs in the top of the seventh inning.

Pennington pitched all seven innings for East Surry, throwing six strikeouts, zero base on balls and allowing one run through the first six innings. Then in the seventh inning, Pennington threw her first walk but it was sandwiched between two ground outs.

With the game on the line, Mackenzie Smith hit an RBI single to left-center to cut East Surry’s lead to 3-2. Smith advanced to second on a Wilson single, then a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Another wild pitch allowed Smith to score the tying run, then Rebecca Amos followed it up with an RBI single that scored Wilson.

Patterson hit an RBI double to the right field fence to score Amos and make it 5-3 South. A Cardinal fielding error on a ground ball hit by Mitchell scored the game’s final run, then Pennington threw her seventh strikeout.

Wilson sent all three Cardinal batters back to the dugout in the bottom of the seventh to keep the Sauras’ undefeated season alive.

DOBSON — Surry Central hosted its portion of the 2022 Cook’s Sports Spring Break Tournament on March 10.

The tournament featured games at North Surry, East Surry and Surry Central, and featured six baseball teams: Statesville, West Stokes, South Stokes and the three host schools.

The Golden Eagles caught an unlucky break in their first tournament game against West Stokes, held March 8 at North Surry. After Central scoring a run in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings tied 5-5, West Stokes scored seven runs in just the top of the eighth inning to win 12-5. This was Central’s first loss of the season after starting 3-0.

Surry Central returned home on March 10 to play their third Stokes Co. opponent this season: South Stokes. The Eagles and Sauras combined for just one run through five innings, with South scoring in the top of the first inning and holding the slight advantage most of the game. The Sauras got hot in the sixth inning and piled on six additional runs to win the game 7-0.

Max Lambert and Brady Edmonds were the Eagles’ two pitchers against the Sauras. Lambert started and threw nine strikeouts, walked one player, gave up two hits and one run. Edmonds came in for the sixth and seventh innings and threw two strikeouts, walked one batter, gave up five hits and six runs.

Fielding errors proved costly for the Golden Eagles. The opening South Stokes run resulted from a Central error, as did more than one of South’s sixth-inning runs. The Eagles finished with six errors to the Sauras’ one.

Central had chances to score despite only recording two hits. Dakota Mills earned a base on balls to begin the game, but was picked off trying to take a lead. Clay Whitaker responded by bombing a hit to right center field and earning a double, but was then tagged out trying to go for third.

Lambert was walked to begin the bottom of the second inning and quickly moved to second on a wild pitch, then to third on a ground out. Mason Jewell even joined him on base, but the inning ended with back-to-back strikeouts before the Eagles could put runs on the board.

Lambert held South Stokes to just one hit through five innings. He struck out all three batters in the third inning, two each in the second and fourth, and one in first and fifth innings.

Momentum began to shift in the bottom of the fifth after Surry Central left three runners on base. Kendall White led with a single, then moved to third after a pair of wild pitches. South struck out the next two Central batters, then walked the following two to load the bases. South pitcher Connor Young tossed his seventh and final strikeout of the game to kept the Saura 1-0 lead alive.

After stopping Central, South’s offense went on a rampage and capitalized on its opponents mistakes. Each of the first six batters in the inning would round the bases and return home to score.

Surry Central, meanwhile, only put one man on base in the final two innings.

With the final round of the Spring Break Tournament cancelled due to inclement weather, Surry Central looks to bounce back when it begins conference play on March 15. The Eagles are back at home and will host North Wilkes.

PILOT MOUNTAIN — The North Surry baseball team is off to a 4-0 start for the first time in well over a decade.

The Greyhounds added a pair of big wins this past week in the 2022 Cook’s Sports Spring Break Tournament. The tournament featured games at North Surry, East Surry and Surry Central, and included six baseball teams: Statesville, West Stokes, South Stokes and the three host schools.

North Surry first defeated Statesville 11-2 on March 8 in Toast. The next round of the tournament saw the Greyhounds travel to Pilot Mountain to face South Stokes at East Surry’s Barry Hall Field.

North started hot and never really cooled off in a 9-4 win over South Stokes.

Four different pitchers spent time on the mound for the Hounds in Friday’s win. Myles Draughn threw four innings and struck out one batter, allowed four bases on balls, gave up one hit and three runs. Caleb Collins, Cam Taylor and Ethan Edwards combined to throw three innings and had four strikeouts, three walks, allowed two hits and one run.

Eight different Greyhound players combined to record 10 hits. Draughn and Brodie Robertson each hit twice, and the following players had one hit: Edwards, Taylor, Kolby Watson, Corbin Dollyhigh, Keaton Hudson and James McCreary.

The game began with each of North Surry’s first six batters getting on base. Hudson had a double, Watson, Edwards, and Draughn had singles, Dollyhigh was hit by a pitch and Robertson reached on a fielder’s choice as the Hounds piled on three first-inning runs.

Fast-forward to the top of the third and Draughn and Robertson are once again on base. Taylor hits the gap between the right and center fielders to score both teammates on a 2RBI double.

South Stokes mounted a comeback in the bottom of the fifth. North prevented a run by making a fielder’s choice at the plate, but runs would score later in the inning after two wild pitches and walk with loaded bases.

South never got within a run of North Surry thanks to a pair of scores in the top of the sixth. McCreary was walked and Watson hit by a pitch to begin the inning. Another walk added Edwards to the mix and loaded the bases, and Draughn picked up his second and third RBIs with a single.

North Surry added two runs in the top of the seventh for good measure. Taylor and Trevor Isaacs were each walked, advanced to scoring position after a passed ball, then took advantage of a Saura fielding error on a Watson hit to score runs No. 8 and No. 9.

North Surry looks to stay undefeated with a three-game week coming up. The Greyhounds travel to West Stokes (2-3) on March 15, go to Mount Airy (4-2) on March 16 and host West Stokes on March 18.

North Surry softball broke into the win column with a dominant performance against Mount Airy on Friday.

Mount Airy hosted North in just the second meeting between the teams since 2019. Just like their most recent meeting – which coincidentally was also played on March 11 – the Greyhounds ran away with the win.

North Surry went to another level following a slow first two innings, piling on eight runs over its next two at-bats. Another scoring surge in the sixth allowed the Hounds to defeat the Bears 14-2 in six innings.

Jordan Snow and Trista Berrier combined to throw 12 strikeouts for the Lady Hounds. Snow started the game and struck out four batters, allowed one hit and walked one Granite Bear in three innings. Berrier took over for the final three innings and threw eight strikeouts, allowed four hits and two runs.

Skylar Partin started on the mound for the Bears. Partin struck out one batter, walked one Greyhound, allowed 11 hits and nine runs in 3.1 innings. Sydney Seagraves pitched the final 2.2 innings and had four strikeouts, two base on balls and allowed five runs on four hits.

The teams combined for just two hits through the first two innings and kept the scoreboard clean with big plays on defense. The Bears and Hounds both left a runner on base in the first inning, but North was able to break the 0-0 tie in the top of the second.

Jordan Snow led with a triple down the right field line, and Micah Felts was hit by a pitch after that. Felts tried to steal second as a distraction while Snow made a run for the plate, but the Bears countered and tagged Snow out at the plate. Felts did make it to second and later third on steals while Carley Puckett was at the plate, then she scored on a sacrifice fly from Puckett.

Mount Airy’s Sofia Stafford was walked in the bottom of the inning, so the Bears tried to move her into scoring position. Instead, Mount Airy suffered back-to-back strikeouts before North’s Sara Bledsoe ran down a fly ball.

The Greyhounds got into a groove in the third inning. Bella Aparicio singled, then made her way around the bases to score thanks to a Sarah Mauldin sacrifice bunt. Kadie Fulk and Sadie Montgomery singled, then both scored on a Snow double. Kyra Stanley, running for Snow, crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly from Felts to increase the lead to 5-0.

Three consecutive hits in the top of the fourth added three Greyhound runs. Marissa Casstevens and Bledsoe each singled, then Aparicio hit a line drive to center field. A fielding error on Aparicio’s hit allowed Casstevens and Bledsoe to score, but the future Queens College Knight didn’t stop there. Aparicio sped around the diamond like the Road Runner and made it back to the plate on the same play.

A ninth Greyhound run went on the board when Fulk hit an RBI single to score Mauldin.

Neither squad scored in the fifth inning, but North loaded the bases on its first three batters of the sixth inning. This set Berrier up for a 2RBI double, then Sarah Sutphin crushed a 3RBI hit to right field to make it 14-0.

Mount Airy continued to fight and put two runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Chloe Potts led off with a double to left field. Then Seagraves singled to move Potts to third, and a Greyhound fielding error scored Potts and moved Seagraves to second.

Stafford kept the Bears momentum going with a single that moved Seagraves to third, then the bases were loaded when Savannah Horne was hit by a pitch. Seagraves added Mount Airy’s second run by scoring on a passed ball.

Mount Airy (0-3) begins conference play on March 15 by traveling to East Wilkes (2-0). North Surry (1-2) will continue its nonconference schedule by hosting West Stokes on March 14.

DOBSON — A dynamite start to a game against North Wilkes wasn’t enough to propel Millennium Charter to a victory.

The Lions took a 3-0 lead out of the gate on March 10, and held the visiting Vikings to just two run through four innings. North Wilkes scored two quick runs in the fifth to tie things up, then costly errors by Millennium gave North the opportunity to run away with the lead and win 8-3.

Millennium’s hot start began with freshman pitcher Phillip Byrd striking out North Wilkes’ leadoff. Byrd went on to pitch four innings, strike out six batters and allow four hits.

The Lions’ 2-3-4 batters piled on back-to-back-to-back hits. Calvin Devore hit a single, and was moved to third after Ethan Holladay crushed a double. Landon Martin stepped up to the plate and smashed Millennium’s first home run of the season clear over the fence at Fisher River Park.

After the first inning, no Lion player got on base until the bottom of the third. Millennium wanted to counter North Wilkes’ first run that was scored in the top of the inning, and were headed that way when Hartley Devore hit a grounder along the third-base line. However, he attempted to steal second base and caught, and two Lion strikeouts ended the inning.

North Wilkes’ Jacob Faw safely bunted in the top of the fourth, then was joined on base by Blaine Shell when the latter was struck by a pitch. Byrd threw his fifth and sixth strikeouts of the game in the fourth inning, but gave up one final hit that scored Faw and cut the lead to 3-2.

Millennium had another runner get on base in the bottom of the fourth when Martin was walked, but he too was picked off trying to steal.

MCA swapped Tristan Shockley on to the mound when Byrd reached a pitch count limit. A pair of Viking hits tied the game at 3-3, then Martin took the mound for the Lions. Martin pitched the final three innings of the game and struck out five batters, gave up four hits as well as five runs.

A few errors by Millennium in the sixth inning helped North Wilkes’ accumulate five more runs in the sixth inning. The Lions, meanwhile, had hits in fifth, sixth and seventh innings, but could never advance past second base before the third out.

The Lions (1-3) have a chance for redemption when they travel to North Wilkes (2-3) on March 17. Millennium jumps into conference play the following week by hosting Bethany on March 22.

PILOT MOUNTAIN — A pair of wins in the 2022 Cook’s Sports Spring Break Tournament has East Surry 4-0 on the season.

The tournament featured games at North Surry, East Surry and Surry Central, and included six baseball teams: Statesville, West Stokes, South Stokes and the three host schools.

The Cardinals competed in their first tournament game on March 11 against Statesville. After facing an 0-3 deficit out of the gate, East Surry scored 16 unanswered runs to come away with the win.

East Surry’s first tournament game was held at Surry Central in the afternoon. The next night, the Cards made their 2022 debut at Barry Hall Field in the primetime game. A strong defensive effort by the Cardinals led to a 4-1 win.

Cardinal pitchers Folger Boaz and Luke Brown combined for 16 strikeouts against the Wildcats (2-3). Boaz got the start and threw 11 strikeouts, four walks, allowed two hits and one run in four innings. Brown threw the final three innings and struck out five batters, walked three, and allowed no hits or runs.

Even when West Stokes managed to get on base, the Cards worked themselves out of a few sticky situations. After the Cats scored their only run of the game in the top of the fourth, Boaz threw his 11th strikeout and left three runners stranded on base.

When Brown took over on the mound in the fifth, he struck out his first two batters but walked the next three. Faced with loaded bases once again, West Stokes’ Dylan Gastley hammered a hit to left field. East Surry’s Gabriel Harpe ran down the fly ball to save at least two potential runs from scoring.

Strong defensive play was complimented by timely hits allowed East to take the lead in the bottom of the third. Prior to the third, Cardinals Luke Bowman, Matthew Keener and Brett Clayton each reached scoring position but were left on base.

Bowman, East’s leadoff, was walked to begin the bottom of the third. Trey Armstrong got on base after a West Stokes fielding error, then Boaz smacked a 2RBI single to break the 0-0 tie. Keener hit an RBI single later in the inning to put run No. 3 on the board.

West Stokes scored its only run in the top of the fourth, then East cancelled it out with one in the bottom of the same inning. Clayton was walked to start the inning, then was joined by Bowman after he too earned a base on balls. A wild pitch thrown at Armstrong moved Clayton to third.

A short hit from Armstrong sent Clayton to the plate. The Wildcats fielded the hit and made a quick throw to home, but Clayton dodged the tag and scored the fourth run.

Luke Brown had East Surry’s only hit for the rest of the game by hitting a double in the bottom of the fifth.

The Cardinals begin Foothills 2A Conference play next week with a star-studded series against the Forbush Falcons. East Surry won the 1A West Regional Championship in 2021, and Forbush finished 2A West Regional Runner-up the same season.

East Surry travels to East Bend to face Forbush on March 15, then hosts the Falcons on March 18.

GATLINBURG, Tenn. — The Surry Heat 9U basketball team concluded its winter season by bringing home the gold in a nationwide tournament.

The Heat, coached by Jonathan Gardner and assisted by Danta McLeod, represented Surry County in the Fifth Annual Gatlinburg Hardwood Classic presented by Teammate Basketball. The team competed in – and won – the Third Grade Boys Bracket, which featured 11 teams from five states: Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina. More than 100 teams traveled to the Rocky Top Sports World to compete in the tournament on February 26-27.

Team members include: Silas Hiatt, Kannon Gardner, Taeveon McLeod, Preston McLeod, Griffin Key, Pryce Taylor, Nixon Willard and Myles Moore.

The tournament began with pool play. The Heat defeated 865 Elite (TN) 44-13 on Saturday morning, then topped the TN Grizzlies (TN) 24-22 that afternoon.

On Sunday, the Surry Heat had a first round BYE and faced Team Heat Elite Black (NC) in the semifinals of the Gold Division Bracket. A 28-27 win sent the Surry Heat to the championship to face a familiar opponent: the TN Grizzlies.

The Heat ran away with the victory in the championship, winning 34-23.

The first-place tournament finish in the Gatlinburg Hardwood Classic was Surry’s eighth tournament win of the winter season, which runs November-February. The Heat also had two silver finishes, and only one non-medal weekend when the team played in a fifth-grade tournament.

DOBSON — Surry Central senior Claire Marion will continue her academic and athletic careers at Emory & Henry College.

Marion, who will compete in track and field in college, made things official by signing her NCAA National Letter of Intent while surrounded by her family and friends.

“I am excited to continue running in college and happy that I get the opportunity to keep on doing what I love,” Marion said.

When asked what attracted her to Emory & Henry, Marion said: “I liked that the size of the school was smaller, it has my major I am interested in, and, when I met with the coach at the school, he was very welcoming and I feel like I will fit in with the team well.”

Competing in cross country and indoor track was originally just a way for Claire to stay in shape for other sports. It wasn’t until she was an upperclassman that she shifted her focus.

“I started thinking about running track in college my junior year,” she said. “My freshman and sophomore year I started running track to get faster and stronger for soccer, but ended up loving track and taking it more seriously.”

Jason Bryant is one of Marion’s high school coaches that has seen her progression across all three running seasons: cross country in the fall, indoor track in the winter and outdoor track in the spring.

Marion competed in indoor track for three seasons (no season was held in 2020-21 due to COVID-19), cross country for three seasons and is currently in her third season of outdoor track.

“Claire possesses great persistence; she consistently asks for aspects to improve on her running form and training,” Bryant said. “I was excited to see her be a scoring team member on our girls 2A Midwest Regional Champion team last spring, as well scoring for conference championships in 2021 outdoor and 2022 indoor track.”

As Bryant mentioned, the Lady Eagles track teams have been on fire since the spring 2020 outdoor and winter 2020-21 indoor seasons were cancelled due to the pandemic.

Marion helped the 2020-21 outdoor track team win the Western Piedmont 2A Conference and 2A Midwest Regional Championships by earning points in each event as a member of the 4×200-meter relay team. She also scored in the high jump at the conference championship.

The Eagles then won the Foothills 2A Conference Championship as a team for the 2021-22 indoor season. Here, Marion was part of the Eagles’ 4×200-meter relay team that won an individual conference title and finished No. 8 at the 1A/2A State Championship.

“I have really appreciated Claire’s team commitment and focus,” Bryant said. “She is constantly available and supportive as a teammate. This attribute speaks both of Claire’s athletic personality and her character in general. Claire has been such a positive part of Surry Central track for these years.

“I’m look forward to the opportunities that being a member of the Emory & Henry track team will provide to Claire.”

Marion hopes to add another conference title and get back to the state championship in her senior outdoor track season.

“I would like to thank my family, friends and coaches for pushing me to always do my best, and to never quit or give up,” Marion said.

DOBSON — Even though it was a chilly day on the courts, no amount of high winds and low temperatures could preventSurry Central from its hottest start in nearly a decade.

The Golden Eagles moved to 3-0 on the season Wednesday after defeating previously undefeated Forbush 9-0. Central’s three-match winning streak to kick off the season is the program’s best start since the 2013 team was 5-0.

The Eagles haven’t just been winning: they’ve dominated. Surry Central’s has blanked opponents 9-0 in all three matches this season.

Central set the tone for their 2022 campaign with the most lopsided victory possible on February 28. The Eagles traveled to West Wilkes and didn’t lose a single game. The following players earned double-bagel victories of 6-0, 6-0 in singles (listed in descending order by seed): Josh Pardue, Jacob Edmonds, Michael Tucker, Maddox Martin, Tripp McMillen and Isaac Eller.

Pardue and Edmonds swept No. 1 doubles, while Tucker and Martin did at No. 2, and Chris Hall and Eduardo Romero-Rondin did at No. 3.

Wilkes Central traveled to Dobson for Surry Central’s home opener on March 8. Wilkes Central won a combined 10 games in all of singles, and no player from the visitors won more than two games in a set. The top six remained the same for Surry Central, with McMillen and Martin switched in No. 4 and No. 5 singles.

The Golden Eagles did hold Wilkes Central winless in doubles by winning all 24 games in doubles. Pardue and Edmonds once again led the way at No. 1 doubles, followed by Tucker and McMillen in the No. 2 spot, and Martin and Eller at No. 3.

Surry Central played its second match of a back-to-back on March 9. This time, the Golden Eagles welcomed the 4-0 Forbush Falcons.

Pardue (No. 1) and McMillen (No. 4) each won 6-0, 6-0 in singles. Pardue, who is defending his singles conference championship from the 2021 season, hasn’t dropped a singles game in 2022.

Surry Central’s Martin was pushed in the first set of the No. 5 singles match, but still came out on top 6-4. He swept the next set 6-0.

Tucker faced a similar situation on court No. 3. He overcame his opponent in a close first set 6-4, then took the second set 6-1. Edmonds wrapped up his match around the same time as Tucker, winning 6-1, 6-2 in No. 2 singles.

Eller won the first set of the No. 6 singles match 7-5, but dropped the second set 2-6. The pair went to a third-set tiebreaker that nearly outlasted some doubles matches. Eller won the tiebreaker 10-8 to remain undefeated on the year.

Doubles also heavily favored the Golden Eagles. Pardue and Edmonds won 8-2 on court No. 1, Tucker and McMillen won 8-3 on court No. 2, and Martin and Eller dominated on court No. 3 to win 8-0.

With the Forbush loss, only two teams remain undefeated in Foothills 2A Conference play: Surry Central at 3-0 and East Surry at 2-0.

The Golden Eagles return to the courts on March 14 to host North Wilkes (1-2).

The 427 member schools of the N.C. High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) are being called upon to vote on the future of high school athletics.

The NCHSAA’s administration of interscholastic athletics was challenged with the introduction of the “Accountability and Fair Play in Athletics” bill, or House Bill 91, in July 2021. Early versions of bill called for the removal of the NCHSAA, though that has been altered to now require oversight of the association.

The NCHSAA stated in a Nov. 16 press release that despite believing the legislation was “unnecessary,” the association advocated for changes to the bill to “best serve the needs of student-athletes.” As stated in the aforementioned release, the revised legislation allows the State Board of Education to reach a memorandum of understanding with a designated organization for that organization to administer high school athletics.

Later in November, the revised bill passed in both the State Senate and House of Representatives before being signed by Gov. Roy Cooper. It stated that any non-profit organization administering high school athletics for public schools in the state, including the NCHSAA, must sign a memorandum of understanding with the State Board of Education and meet all criteria required by the board.

The NCHSAA Board of Directors voted to approve the MOU on March 7, however, a number of items in the MOU counter current NCHSAA articles of incorporation and bylaws. Changing the bylaws can only be done with votes of approval from three-fourths of the 427 member schools, which would be 321 schools.

The NCHSAA sent an electronic ballot to member schools on March 7 asking for members to vote “yes” or “no” to suspend the relevant articles of incorporation and bylaws. Schools have until noon on Friday, March 11 to submit their votes because the NCHSAA must sign the memorandum of understanding by March 15. This date is set by the new state law.

This vote is considered an emergency vote by the membership due to the deadline, and any non-vote counts as “no.”

If the emergency vote does not receive the necessary number of votes to pass, the Department of Public Instruction will take over the duties of the NCHSAA at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.

East Surry earned its first win of the season in nearly perfect fashion.

The Cardinals’ offense scored 13 runs on 15 hits, while the defense held Mount Airy to just one hit in the 13-0 win.

East Surry pitcher Riley Pennington struck out 10-of-16 Granite Bear batters in the five-inning game. Of the six non-strikeouts, there was one flyout, three groundouts, one base on balls and one hit allowed.

Mount Airy’s lone hit was a blooper that sailed into center field, allowing Isabella Beck to reach first base in the bottom of the second inning. The only other Granite Bear to get on base was Chloe Potts when she was walked in the bottom of the fourth.

East Surry’s Rosie Craven was a home run away from hitting for the cycle. The Cardinal senior hit two singles, a double and a triple, as well as three RBIs. Pennington had three hits for East Surry, and Bella Hutchens and Elise Marion added two each.

Craven led the game off with a single, and was joined on base by Marion. Pennington scored Craven with a single of her own, then Addy Sechrist – running for Marion – and Pennington would score later in the inning to make it 3-0.

Seagraves tossed her first strikeout in the second inning, but it was followed by a hit from Sara Scott. Though originally a single, fielding errors allowed Scott to reach prime scoring position at third base. Craven then scored Scott with a triple, then Maegan Banks paid it forward by scoring Craven. Banks herself later scored on a wild pitch to go up 6-0 through two innings.

East Surry loaded the bases after Clara Willard was walked, but a Seagraves strikeout and forced flyout by the Bears prevented further scoring in the inning.

East picked back up with its scoring in the third inning. Craven hit her third RBI with a double that scored Scott, and Marion hit a double that scored Craven.

The Cards’ advantage grew to double digits with three runs in the fourth inning. Each of the first three batters scored: Hutchens, Lilly Brinkley and Tegan Minor. The first two batters of the fifth inning scored the final two runs, those being Willard and Hutchens.

East Surry’s win gets the Cards in the win column for the first time this season. The Lady Cardinals previously dropped games to Davie, West Stokes and South Stokes.

Mount Airy drops to 0-2, with the Bears’ only previous game being a loss to Reagan.

Mount Airy returns to the diamond on March 11 to host North Surry, and East Surry is off until its rematch with South Stokes on March 14.

With most of winter sports already completed, The News is recognizing the local student-athletes that were presented with All-Conference Honors for their respective sports.

East Surry, North Surry and Surry Central all compete in the Foothills 2A Conference (FH2A), Millennium Charter Academy competes in the Northwest Piedmont 1A Conference (NWPC) and Mount Airy competes in the Northwest 1A Conference (NW1A).

All-Conference Honorable Mentions will include “HM” before their name. Following each name will be the wrestler’s weight class in the conference tournament.

East Surry – Eli Becker (182)*, Trace Tilley (170), Daniel Villasenor (195), HM Lucas East (220)

Millennium Charter – did not field a wrestling team in 2021-22

Mount Airy – Franklin Bennett (152)*, Traven Thompson (160)*, Connor Medvar (170)*, Edwin Agabo (195)*, Sao Lennon (220)*, Jack Martin (106), Brison George (126), Alex Cox (132), John Martin (138), Luke Leonard (182), HM Hope Horan (113), HM Avery Poindexter (145)

North Surry – Caleb Utt (126), Garrett Shore (170), Adam Slate (182), HM Isaac Tate (106), HM Will Brickell (120), HM William France (138), HM Jase Hernandez (195), HM Ty Gwyn (285)

Surry Central – Jacob Price (145)*, Jeremiah Price (152)*, Karson Crouse (160)*, Spencer LeClair (170)*, Ayden Norman (106), Wyatt Wall (138), Enoch Lopez (220), HM Alex Kinton (126), HM Cole Butcher (182)

East Surry finished 13-15 overall and 1-5 in conference competition. The Cardinals did not qualify for the 2A Dual Team State Tournament.

Individually, Eli Becker won the 2A Midwest 182 Regional Championship and was State Runner-up in his class with a final record of 27-1. Daniel Villasenor finished third at regionals in the 195 bracket, then finished fourth at the state competition.

Mount Airy finished 17-2 overall and 6-0 in conference play. The Granite Bears won the NW1A Regular Season Championship for the eighth time in nine years, as well as the NW1A Tournament Championship for the ninth consecutive season. Mount Airy reached the Elite Eight 1A Dual Team State Playoffs before losing to the eventual state champion.

Individually, Connor Medvar was named NW1A Conference Wrestler of the Year, won the 1A West Regional 170 Championship and 1A 170 State Championship with a 34-1 record. Edwin Agabo was Regional Runner-up and State Runner-up in the 195 class, and Franklin Bennett was Regional Champion and State Bronze Medalist at 152. Alex Cox finished fourth in the 132 regional bracket and was a state qualifier.

Though falling just short of her second appearance in the NCHSAA 1A State Championship Tournament, Mount Airy’s Hope Horan got her moment in the spotlight by becoming the 114-pound Women’s Wrestling Invitational Champion.

Mount Airy coach Cody Atkins was named NW1A Coach of the Year.

North Surry finished 15-6 overall and 3-3 in conference play. The Greyhounds did not qualify for the 2A Dual Team State Tournament.

Individually, Garrett Shore became the first North Surry wrestler in three years to qualify for the 2A State Championship by finishing fourth in the 2A Midwest 170 bracket. He went on to the state tournament, but fell short of medaling.

Surry Central finished 15-1 overall and 6-0 in conference play. The Golden Eagles qualified for the 2A West Dual Team State Touranment, but fell to West Lincoln in the opening round. Central did win the school’s first regional team championship at the 2A Midwest Regional Competition.

Both Jeremiah Price and Jacob Price went on to win regional and state championships. Jacob captured his first state title in the 145 bracket, finishing with a record of 32-2 record. Jeremiah won his third state title by winning the 152 bracket, doing so with a perfect 42-0 record.

Surry Central’s Xavier Salazar, Karson Crouse, Spencer LeClair and Enoch Lopez all finished Regional Runners-up and qualified for the state tournament.

Crouse (160) and LeClair (170) each finished fifth in their respective brackets, while Salazar (106) and Lopez (195) fell short of medaling.

Surry Central coach Stephen Priddy was named FH2A Coach of the Year, Jeremiah Price was named FH2A Wrestler of the Year and Jacob Price was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the FH2A Championship.

Jeremiah was also named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the 2A State Championship.

North Surry senior Micah Felts officially signed her NCAA National Letter of Intent and will continue her academic and softball careers at Pfeiffer University.

“I feel really good,” Felts said. “I’ve been working towards this for a long time, so it feels good to finally sign and put it away.”

Call it a passion, a lifestyle or even a part of her identity, but don’t tell Micah that softball is just sport. She’s been involved in multiple sports her entire life, but the dream was always to continue her softball career as long as possible.

“It was always softball,” Felts said. “I don’t know, it just clicked more than the other ones. Basketball more kept me in shape, and volleyball, I loved that, but nothing like softball. I put in so much time and effort, and it’s not like I get tired of it. It’s something I love to do.”

She said she started playing softball when she was seven, and that’s it’s “just never got old.” Softball is even on her mind when it’s not in season.

“On an offseason or when I have a long break, I keep telling my dad: ‘I just want to practice. Can we go outside and hit? Can we throw?’ and he’s like, ‘Yeah Micah, we can.’ I just can’t sit still. I have to be doing something.”

When she was 16, Felts realized her dream could actually become a reality. She joined the Carolina Cardinals travel organization, which includes softball players from as far south as Charlotte and areas into South Carolina.

The regional team Felts is a part of is coached by Harry Jonas.

“When I got really serious about it was when I started going to showcases and talking to coaches,” Felts said. “They surround themselves with colleges with the goal of getting players there. I think that’s really when it set in. I went with Harry Jonas and Mike Blackmon, and they put so much time and effort into getting their kids to the college level. It really meant a lot.

“It was crazy to be emailing a coach and realize, ‘Oh crap! I’m talking to a college coach!’ It was just so cool.”

Micah managed to find her perfect fit despite starting her recruiting process later than most. Recruiting was also complicated by the pandemic.

Despite the obstacles, she still managed to come across Pfeiffer.

“When I went to Pfeiffer it just felt like home,” Felts said. “I never wanted to go to a big school; I just couldn’t do it, I don’t think. When I went to Pfeiffer it felt like here. So, I just felt comfortable. I think I’ll enjoy it.”

Micah thanked her coaches, friends, parents and teachers for helping her reach this point in her life.

“I want to thank all my coaches, because each one of them gives me something to take in. So, I just put it all together, and that’s made me the player I am, “Felts said. “My friends, if I have a problem they’re like, ‘Micah, you’re good enough. Shut up.’ They encourage me.

“My parents: they push me to be the best I can be as an individual and a player. And my teachers do too. My coach, Coach J, he called himself my dad at school. He would pull me out and ask, ‘What are you making in this class,’ and I’m like, ‘An A!’ and he’s like, ‘Okay, I was just wondering.’ They’re all like my family.”

Felts joins Marissa Casstevens and Bella Aparicio as Greyhound seniors that have signed to play collegiate softball. But their job isn’t done yet, as the girls still have a lot they want to accomplish in high school.

“I think we’re aiming just to have a really successful year and play as a unit,” Felts said. “I think sometimes teams tend to play separate, but you gotta realize you’re a unit and you’re all working together to achieve one goal. We have a great group of girls, and I think we will do great this year.

“It doesn’t matter who we go against because we’ve got that grit. That Greyhound Grit.“

GREENSBORO — North Surry incredible playoff run came to an end Saturday as the Greyhounds fell 79-62 to Robinson.

Nine first-half lead changes left the No. 4 Greyhounds and No. 6 Bulldogs tied up 34-34 at halftime of the 2A West Regional Final. Robinson took advantage of North Surry turnovers and second-chance opportunities in the third quarter to slowly gain a double-digit lead, then kept building the lead to as many as 22 in the fourth quarter.

“I was proud of the way our guys fought tonight, even though it wasn’t the outcome we wanted,” said North Surry coach Tyler Bentley. “We knew they were going to be big, strong and athletic, and we held our own in the first half. Our guys battled the whole game, but then they got that 8-10 point lead and kind of stretched us to get out of our zone and have to match up with them.

“They’re a tough, strong and physical team, so we’ve got to get tougher, stronger and more physical on our end.”

Robinson came into Saturday’s West Regional Final 26-3. Like the Hounds, the Bulldogs won their conference with a 12-0 record and won 12-straight to reach the Final Four.

Nine players on Robinson’s 13-man roster were listed at 6’0” or taller, with junior forward Daevin Hobbs leading the way at 6’6”. Bentley compared Robinson’s athleticism to that of East Forsyth and Mount Tabor, who North Surry played in the Frank Spencer Classic earlier this season.

“Top to bottom, they may be the most athletic team we’ve faced.”

The Greyhounds went basket-for-basket with the Bulldogs in the first half. Similar to their Elite Eight game against West Caldwell, North knocked down three 3-pointers in the first quarter. This included triples from James McCreary and Cam Taylor on back-to-back possessions.

Robinson did most of its scoring in the paint, and its offense really came alive in the second half. Hobbs broke the 34-34 tie 14 seconds into the third quarter. Hobbs and fellow forward Jermaine Gray combined for 17 in the quarter, while also bringing down seven rebounds – more than North Surry’s as a whole in the third.

Robinson won the rebounding battle 45-29. Hobbs, who tied for the most points in the game with 23, also grabbed 16 rebounds.

Once Robinson led by 10 at the end of the third quarter, the Greyhounds knew it was going to be a tough mountain to climb. The Bulldogs tight defense made this even more difficult by forcing four turnovers in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, and turning those into seven points on the other end.

North Surry finishes the season 23-5 overall. Prior to Saturday’s loss, the Hounds had won nine consecutive games and 15 of their past 16. This included finishing 12-0 in the Foothills 2A Conference, then winning back-to-back games to win the conference tournament.

“We had goals of winning the conference and making a run in the playoffs,” Bentley said. “Our guys latched on to that in the beginning of the season, and it allowed us to make this run. We ended up playing our best basketball at the very end of the season, which is every coach’s dream. Doing that allowed us to get to this point today.”

The Greyhounds’ trip to the Final Four comes after three seasons without a playoff win.

“These guys have a ton to be proud of with what they have accomplished this year and what they’ve given this community,” Bentley said. “We had the community come out to home and away games and these guys gave them something to cheer on.

“This is our first real away game in about a month. We get here and look up in the stands – and this is a big gym – packed with blue shirts. That’s really special. I’m so thankful for everyone’s support this entire season.”

Jahreece Lynch led the Greyhounds with eight assists and tied Ryan Simmons and Cam Taylor with five rebounds. Lynch was also the team’s leader in steals with four.

RN: Daevin Hobbs 23, Jaylen Jackson 23, Jermaine Gray 14, Zi’ Kei Wheeler 9, Andrew Jordan 4, Brian Rowe 2, Jamari Brooks 2

NS: James McCreary 18, Jahreece Lynch 17, Cam Taylor 11, Kolby Watson 10, Jackson Smith 4, Ryan Simmons 2

Mount Airy hosted East Surry Friday in what was the first-ever nonconference meeting between the schools in girls soccer.

An hour-long 0-0 stalemate was broken by a Mount Airy goal in the 60th minute, then the Bears added a safety net nine minutes later to win 2-0.

“This was a really good experience for us,” said Bears coach Will Hurley. “He’s got a great team, and they’re very well-coached so I knew we were in for a challenge. [William] Hart always does a great job.”

Mount Airy finishes week one of the season undefeated at 3-0. With two wins over North Wilkes earlier in the week, the Lady Bears have now outscored opponents 18-0. Karyme Bueno and Kate Deaton each scored in the win over the Cardinals.

East Surry drops its first match of the season to finish week one 1-1-1. The Cardinals opened the season with a 2-2 tie against Elkin, with Morgan Bryant and Liannette Chavez each scoring against the Buckin’ Elks. Bryant netted two goals in a 5-1 win over Starmount, as did Ember Midkiff, and Addison Goins scored once.

“The girls had a hard week, but we are better now than we were five days ago,” Hart said.

Both defenses had strong showings on Friday, keeping most of the action between 18-yard boxes. Attempts to bypass the opposing back line were unsuccessful more often than not with two veteran keepers – Mount Airy senior Mackenzie Hudson and East Surry junior Katie Collins – willing to leave their lines.

The Granite Bear defense recorded its third shutout of the season. After making some lineup changes, Hurley wasn’t sure how efficient everything on defense would be when the Cardinals came to town.

“I learned that our back line is true,” Hurley said. “I really didn’t know that going into this thing, because we moved our striker to the back line to play sweeper and she’s done a phenomenal job. We actually moved one of our center backs up to striker, and she played an awesome game too. She didn’t score, but still did a lot for us.”

East Surry finally broke through the back line in the 29th minute. Midkiff and Chavez executed give-and-go passes through the midfield, then Midkiff found Bryant inside Mount Airy’s 18. Bryant made the Bears’ sweat before Mount Airy could send the ball over the end line for a corner kick.

A short pass from the corner gave Chavez a better angle for a cross. The senior’s pass sailed over the defense and landed near the far post, where Goins was just a step late of connecting for a shot on goal.

Four of Mount Airy’s five first-half shots were placed on frame but saved by Collins. In the second half, Deaton sparked a counterattack and sent a through ball to Alex Rose at striker, however her shot went just outside of the left post.

Mount Airy’s presence in East Surry’s defensive half midway through the second half led to the Bears’ first goal. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to penetrate the back line, Deaton finally put a through ball ahead to Paola Ramirez in the 60th minute. Collins prevented a shot by charging Ramirez, but Bueno swooped in to clean up the leftovers of the collision.

Nine minutes later, Mount Airy’s Grey Moore lined up for a free kick to the left of East Surry’s 18-yard box. After having an earlier free kick from a similar spot saved when she attempted a direct shot, Moore placed her kick near the six-yard line for Bueno.

Bueno was swarmed by Cardinal defenders, but Deaton was there to finish things off.

East Surry had two late chances to get back in the game. Kynsley Penney, who had a big game for the Cards at right back, pressed up when East was inside Mount Airy’s defensive third. A Granite Bear clearance came right to Penney, setting her up for a 40-yard shot that went right at the goal. Hudson kept the scoreboard clean by snatching the shot after one bounce.

The second opportunity came when Midkiff made a run up the Bears’ sideline. The sophomore cut into the box before firing a shot in the 71st minute, and it was saved by Hudson.

Mount Airy controlled possession down the stretch to secure the 2-0 win.

“It’s was a tough game from the beginning to end,” Hart said. “I’m proud of the effort my girls gave. We know what we want to accomplish, and we just have to put in the work to get there and play to our full potential.”

Hurley echoed Hart’s sentiment for his own team.

“This is one of the better girls teams I’ve ever had, from top to bottom,” Hurley said. “We’ve got potential, there are just things we have to keep working at. We have to work on our midfield; that’s no secret. Everybody can see that. But we’re just starting to bloom. We’ve got three really good seniors, and they’re doing a great job leading this team.

“This team really doesn’t have that much drama. They all get along with each other. When somebody scores, and it doesn’t matter who it is, they all go and celebrate.

Both Mount Airy and East Surry will take next week off for Spring Break. The Bears return to the pitch March 14 to face West Stokes on the road, and the Cardinals will host North Wilkes on March 15.

Karyme Bueno (MA) 60’, Kate Deaton (MA) 69’

Josh Penn’s charisma and infectious personality made people want to be around him throughout football season, but it was just the opposite for Mount Airy’s opponents whenever Penn’s received a handoff.

Described by coach J.K Adkins as the player that, “brought the thunder to our backfield tandem,” Penn quickly gained a reputation as one of the most difficult players around to tackle. The 5’11”, 215 pound running back made life miserable for opposing varsity squads, and he hopes to continue that trend when he suits up for collegiate football this fall.

Surrounded by his friends and family, Penn signed his NCAA National Letter of Intent to play football for The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, or UVA Wise.

“It’s exciting,” Penn said. “I’ve been dreaming about this since I started playing football, and everybody helped me through it. I’m kind of nervous to go start my first year and play with a whole new team.”

Penn started playing football at age 7, but really got serious with the sport in eighth grade.

“I started playing with different people and going against bigger teams,” he said. “I got in the weight room more, got bigger and was able to just run people over. That’s when I was like ‘I think I can do it. I think I can play college football now.’”

Penn originally played receiver when he joined the varsity football team his junior year, but moved to running back ahead of his senior season.

“He actually approached me about playing running back,” Adkins said. “And I told him ‘with your size, your ability and your speed, we’re going to give you a shot at it. If you win the job, you win the job’…and he won the job early.”

Penn’s move to the backfield was a welcome one as the Bears transitioned from a pass-dominant offense to a run-heavy option.

In his first game at the position, Penn carried the ball eight times for a game-high 105 yards rushing as well as a touchdown. He was one of two players to record at least 100 yards rushing in the game, which helped Mount Airy total 272 yards on the ground as a team – a total that the previous season’s team only surpassed once.

“He’s a hard kid to bring to the ground,” Adkins said. “I always joked about Josh appearing to be 32 years old. He looks like grown man. I think people that we played felt like that too. You look at a 16-year-old kid that’s 170 pounds playing linebacker, and it’s a hard ask to tell that kid to try and take down a kid that looks like Josh does.”

Through Mount Airy’s first five games, Penn found the end zone five times and averaged more than 10 yards per carry. The Granite Bears outscored opponents 264-12 in that stretch.

An injury took Penn out for a good chunk of the season after this, but he was determined to return.

“I just kept telling myself that I was going to come back before playoffs,” Penn said. “All these colleges were still hitting me up, wanting me to come up for visits, so that’s what helped me through. The coaches helped me through it, and our athletic trainer helped me get ready to come back.

“I want to thank my family, coaches, teammates, and athletic trainer Patrick O’Neal for helping me through all my injuries.”

Penn made a partial return to the field in the regular season finale to get back in the rotation. He only carried the ball twice in the Bears’ playoff opener the following week, but did so for 89 yards and a touchdown. He was able to fully integrate back into Mount Airy’s offense later in the playoffs and helped the team reach the 1A West Regional Semifinal.

Penn finished the season with 52 carries for 578 yards and eight touchdowns.

“His stats would’ve been eye-popping had he not been hurt and missed half the season,” Adkins said. “He’s a great kid, a hard worker and a tremendous player that is extremely coachable.

“We’re going to miss him,” continued Adkins. “He always brought the energy. Even when he was hurt, he was a leader on the sidelines. He’s a pleasure to have around and has a great personality. I’m really proud of him.”

Mount Airy finished the 2021-22 season 13-1 overall. The Bears also finished 6-0 in conference play to help the seniors – Penn included – go out as the Northwest 1A Conference Champions.

”Playing at Mount Airy was like a brotherhood between all the players and the coaches. I feel like I can trust everybody here, ” Penn said. “Thank you to everybody at Mount Airy for helping me and supporting me.”

A tightly-contested game snowballed out of control Wednesday as East Surry defeated Mount Airy 15-0.

Originally a 2-0 game through four innings, East Surry capitalized on Mount Airy errors to double its lead in the fifth inning. The Cardinals got hot in the sixth and had 14 batters in the top of the inning. A grand slam from Folger Boaz scored the game’s final four runs, then the Bears went three up, three down in the bottom of the inning so the game was ended via mercy rule.

The game against East was Mount Airy’s second in two days. The Bears won their season opener, hitting a walk-off to defeat Reidsville 10-9. The victory was the team’s first under new head coach Josh Wilson.

Wednesday’s win was the 2021-22 opener for the Cardinals, who are one season removed from winning the 1A West Regional Championship. Folger Boaz and Luke Brown combined to throw a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts. Boaz started on the mound and threw nine strikeouts in 4.1 innings, and Brown struck out a pair of batters in the remaining 1.2 innings.

The Granite Bears made the first scoring threat of the night after its defense sent each of the Cardinals’ first three batters back to the bench. Rylan Venable and Logan Dowell were each walked with a strikeout in-between, then both players advanced to scoring position on a double steal.

Boaz kept the scoreboard clear with back-to-back strikeouts.

Venable threw his first two of seven strikeouts in the top of the second as the Cards once again went three up, three down. Boaz struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the inning, but Josh Penn made it to first on a Cardinal fielding error. Penn was tagged out when he got caught in a pickle.

East’s Brett Clayton was walked to begin the third inning, giving the Cards their first baserunner of the season. Tristen Mason bunted and reached first while also moving Clayton to third. Venable stuck out Gabriel Harpe, then the Bears intentionally walked Boaz to bring Armstrong to the plate.

With bases loaded, Armstrong bit the bullet and hit a grounder to the second baseman. Though out at first, it allowed Clayton to give East a 1-0 lead.

East Surry’s advantage increased to two runs in the fourth. Clayton led off once again, and he and Mason were walked while both having a full count. A wild pitch moved Clayton to third before Harpe approached the plate for his second plate appearance.

With runners on the corners, Mason took off for second base. A Granite Bear error on the play allowed Clayton to score again and make it a 2-0 game.

Dowell was walked to start the bottom of the inning, but was called out when Reece Deaton got on base via a fielder’s choice. Deaton made it to second in the inning, but was left on the bag as the Bears remained scoreless.

East Surry’s Luke Bowman and Armstrong each got on base to start the fifth inning. Anthony Ayers put the ball in play in the infield, and a Granite Bear fielding error allowed Ayers to safely reach first while also allowing both Bowman and Armstrong to score.

Mount Airy’s final scoring chance came in the bottom of the fifth. Ian Gallimore was walked to start the inning, then moved to second on a wild pitch. Brown took the mound for East after the first out, and a single via error by Ashton Gwyn moved Gallimore to third with only one out.

East Surry kept the shutout alive with two quick outs. Gwyn was thrown out at second by Bowman with Venable at bat, then Venable grounded out.

Bowman then increased the Cardinal lead to 5-0 in the top of the sixth by scoring off an RBI single from Armstrong. Boaz was walked by Gwyn, then crushed a double to score run No. 6. A wild pitch thrown to Brown scored Boaz, then a Mount Airy fielding error put Brown on first and scored Ayers to make it 8-0.

The Bears got the second out of the evening on a fly-out, but then East loaded the bases. Harpe connected for a hit and safely reached first on an error that also allowed the Cards to score two runs.

Deaton took over on the mound after Peyton Inscore was walked to load the bases. Zach Edwards was awarded a base on balls to score run No. 11 and load the bases again, then Boaz hit his grand slam.

Two Mount Airy players flied out and one struck out in the bottom of the sixth inning, ending the game via mercy rule.

Mount Airy goes on the road for the first time this season to face Mount Tabor on February 4, and East Surry faces Polk County on Feb. 5.

SALISBURY — This wasn’t a typical shock-and-awe outing for the Salisbury girls basketball team, but the Hornets got past North Surry 68-59 in Tuesday’s regional semifinal.

North Surry pressed more than the Hornets anticipated and were more rugged than what the Hornets had seen on film, but Salisbury answered the bell and did what it needed to do to advance.

“They were really physical,” Salisbury senior Rachel McCullough. “They surprised us. It was a very tough game.”

Sixth-seeded North Surry (19-6) took it to the second-seeded Hornets for a stretch of about eight minutes, turning an 8-2 deficit into a 24-19 lead by locking up Salisbury’s scoring leaders McCullough and Kyla Bryant,.

Bryant was scoreless in the first quarter and had only four points at halftime.

“Definitely a game of runs and North Surry came to play,” Salisbury head coach Lakai Brice said. “We had to keep our composure.”

With the Hornets stagnant on offense, reserve forward MaKayla Noble bailed them out with an explosive offensive burst and got them going. She scored eight points in the second quarter. Twelve of Salisbury’s 18 second-quarter points came off the bench. Besides Noble, the Hornets got buckets from Icesis Nwafor and Haley Dalton.

“We came back by playing as a team, with a lot of energy and we had good ball movement,” Noble said.

Salisbury (26-1) made it to halftime with a 29-28 lead and was able to regroup from there.

The Hornets picked it up on both ends of the floor in the first few minutes of the second half.

“We were playing zone, but we were able to create some havoc by being aggressive in the zone,” Brice said. “We’ve got some long people in there, and they were getting their hands on passes. That led to some transition offense.”

Bryant connected on a soft jumper off the dribble to open the half. Then a fierce three-point play by Jamecia Huntley triggered a technical foul on the visitors. After McCullough cashed in the technical free throws, it had gone from 29-28 to 36-28 in a hurry. Then Huntley made a step-back 3-pointer — accidentally banking it — and the lead was 11.

Huntley, who scored 11 in the third quarter, swished a 3-pointer to put the Hornets up 51-34.

“We picked up the defensive intensity — that’s what changed,” Bryant said. “”We got after them in the zone, and we got layups.”

That run early in the third quarter provided the separation that would carry the Hornets through the rest of the night.

Salisbury had a 29-point third quarter and led by as many as 23 points before North Surry started fighting back again.

North Surry had to overcome a second technical foul — and a player ejection for throwing a punch.

North Surry could have been blown out, but the visitors kept making shots, kept fighting and the Hornets contributed some stretches of sloppiness.

With the lead down to 13 points with 4:34 left, the Hornets got a timeout and refocused.

Bryant made a driving scoop out of that timeout, Jaleiah Gibson fought for a bucket, and the Hornets were able to finish and take their 25th decision in a row.

Sadie Badgett kept making 3-pointers and scored 22 for the Greyhounds. Callie Allen had 21.

Huntley scored 17, Bryant had 14, and Noble and McCullough scored 12 each for the Hornets.

It was a well-balanced win, with four in double figures and 20 points off the bench.

“Our defense during that run in the third quarter was the key,” Brice said. “That’s why we work so hard on defense in practice. I know these girls can put the ball in the hoop. But this far along in the playoffs, it comes down to getting stops.”

The NCHSAA has tweaked its format for Saturday’s regional basketball championship games. Instead of the games being playing on the home court of the higher seed, as the association indicated in February, the NCHSAA will choose one regional site for both the boys and girls games in each classification.

In the regional final, Salisbury will play defending champion Shelby, a winner over Randleman on Tuesday. The game will be contested at Greensboro’s Grimsley High School at noon, with the 2A boys regional final to follow.

N. SURRY — Badgett 22, Allen 21, Tompkins 6, Phillips 3, Chaire 3, Mauldin 2, Bennett 2.

SALISBURY — Huntley 17, Bryant 14, McCullough 12, Noble 12, Gibson 5, Walker 4, Nwafor 2, Dalton 2.

The line to gain admittance into Ron King Gymnasium started forming two hours before tipoff on Tuesday.

Even with the North Surry fanbase split between Toast and Salisbury – where the varsity girls competed in the Elite Eight at 6:00 – every seat was filled to see the 2021-22 Greyhound boys compete at home one last time. Fans knew that West Caldwell, fresh off a win over the No. 1 ranked team in the state, was the only thing standing between North Surry and a trip to the 2A West Regional Final.

The Greyhounds overcame a second-quarter deficit to lead by double digits at halftime. North Surry’s advantage increased to as many as 23 points in the second half, securing the Hounds’ win by a score of 84-73.

North Surry (23-4) will compete in its first Final Four since the 2016-17 season.

“I feel incredible,” said head coach Tyler Bentley, who is in his fourth season with the Greyhounds. “I honestly don’t have the words right now. The guys fought for 32 minutes, and you have to give them all the credit for what they’ve accomplished.”

One of the players that personified the school’s trademark “Greyhound Grit” was junior James McCreary, or “Stone Cold” as he’s colloquially known in the Dawg Pound. McCreary matched a career-high 31 points, a record set just two days prior, and did all his scoring in the first three quarters. He also tallied seven rebounds, four steals, four assists and a block.

A 9-2 run by West Caldwell (21-10) gave the Warriors a 25-19 advantage two minutes into the second quarter. Things went from bad to worse when McCreary took a shot to the eye and had to leave the game.

Jahreece Lynch picked up the slack and scored all eight points of an 8-0 North Surry run, which led to the game’s final lead change. Bentley said it was the team’s changes on defense and emphasis on keeping their composure that lead to the second-quarter surge.

The Hounds continued to draw fouls and build the lead at the line, going 14-of-16 from the stripe in the second quarter to lead 44-34 at halftime.

“We knew that if we just stayed the course that we could score, ” he said. “It was about getting stops on the defensive end.”

McCreary emerged from the locker room, to a thunderous reaction no less, and played the final few minutes of the second quarter. He made his biggest impact in the third quarter when he hit shot 4-for-4 from 3-point range and scored 18 points, while West Caldwell was held to just 19 as a team.

“James, being the competitor that he is, I knew he was going to come back out and give us 100%; that’s just who he is,” Bentley said. “Honestly, coming back from that might’ve helped him play better tonight.”

Kolby Watson added seven of his 13 total points in the third as well, with Lynch and Cam Taylor each scoring as well to give North Surry 29 third-quarter points. On a night when the crowd was electric from tipoff to the final buzzer, perhaps the loudest reaction of the night came when Taylor threw down a two-handed slam to put the Hounds up 16.

After two made free throws from the Warriors, North went on a 9-0 run over a period of 102 seconds. West Caldwell finally ended their drought with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to make it 73-53.

Lynch knocked down a 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter, and Jackson Smith scored his first of three field goals in the quarter to make it a 25-point game. North Surry finally slowed its offense down and played it safe the rest of the way. The Hounds were outscored 13-2 as the game winded down, but North never looked worried and still won by 11.

North Surry finished shooting 9-of-15 (60%) from beyond the arc and 19-of-25 (76%) from the foul line. West Caldwell went 4-of-17 (24%) from 3-point range and 11-of-18 (61%) from the stripe.

McCreary was North Surry’s leading scorer and rebounder with 31 points and seven boards, and he and Taylor each had a block. Lynch wasn’t far behind in the rebounding category with seven, and he dished out a team-high seven assists. Watson grabbed five steals for the Hounds in addition to his five assists and four rebounds.

The Greyhounds have now won nine consecutive games and 15 of their past 16. North Surry has only trailed for a combined 90 seconds during the second half of playoff games.

“We played ‘good’ basketball throughout the season, but they understand what the goal is and that dialed-in focus started just before the conference tournament,” Bentley said. “They knew what we wanted to achieve, and they’ve been locked in and focused every day in practice and every game. We’re playing our best basketball at the right time, and that’s what every coach wants at the end of February and early March.”

Bentley also expressed his gratitude for the North Surry students and fans that made Ron King Gymnasium an awesome environment all season, especially since the Hounds only allowed 25 fans per game during the 2020-21 season.

“Our fanbase and our community have been top notch,” Bentley said. “They’ve been that way all season really. Our fans, students and community packed in the gym…there’s nothing like it.”

The Hounds finish the year 14-1 at home.

No. 4 North Surry will face No. 6 Robinson (26-3) on Saturday, March 5, in the 2A West Regional Championship. The game will be held at Greensboro’s Grimsley High School at 2:00 p.m.

Robinson won the Yadkin Valley 1A/2A Conference with an undefeated 12-0 record. The Bulldogs have won 11-straight games, all by double digits, and are undefeated in the 2A division.

The only opponent shared by North Surry and Robinson is Forbush. Robinson defeated Forbush 84-63 in the Sweet 16, and North Surry defeated Forbush 99-91, 78-71 and 93-76 this season.

Robinson reached the West Regional Final with the following wins: 77-52 vs. No. 27 Burns, 89-62 vs. No. 11 Hendersonville, 84-63 vs. No. 14 Forbush, 49-45 vs. No. 7 Monroe.

Updated playoff brackets can be found at https://t.maxpreps.com/3M0OsJa

WC: Malek Patterson 17, Quinton Ford 15, Kayvin Felder 14, Mason Anthony 12, Jordan Patterson 6, Truitt Mckinney 5, Kalen Bowers 4

NS: James McCreary 31, Jahreece Lynch 19, Kolby Watson 13, Cam Taylor 11, Jackson Smith 8, Ryan Simmons 2

Millennium Charter Academy is hosting a youth football camp on March 12.

Coaches for Millennium’s first-ever middle school football team are putting the camp on for any current fourth-eighth grade students. The camp is free to attend.

In addition to MCA coaches, as well as middle and high school coaches from the triad, young athletes will be instructed by current professional players from the Carolina Cobras Arena Football Team and former Carolina Panthers. Campers will participate in football skills and drills.

The camp will be held at the Millennium Charter Academy soccer field, located at 500 Old Springs Rd in Mount Airy.

For more information or questions, email mcalionsfootball@gmail.com

Mia McMillen’s impact on Surry Central sports began as soon as she walked in as a freshman in 2018.

She has represented the Golden Eagles during every athletic season of her four years in high school, and has received All-Conference recognition in each one as well. The question regarding her future in collegiate athletics was never ‘if’ she would make it, but rather ‘which sport will she choose?’

After signing her NCAA National Letter of Intent, that question has been answered: Mia McMillen will continue her academic and volleyball careers at Limestone University upon graduation.

“I have put a lot of effort into my athletics,” McMillen said. “I love that my work is paying off, and am really excited about opportunities and experiences I will have at the collegiate level.”

Mia is one of three Golden Eagle seniors continuing their volleyball careers in college. McMillen signed with Limestone, Jaylyn Templeton signed with Greensboro College and Katelyn Patterson signed with Meredith College.

“They were our solid three for years. Kate in the back, Jaylyn to put the ball up and Mia to put it back down,” said Carrie Bruce, who served as head volleyball coach the past two seasons. “It was a triple threat on the court for us. They really were our glue and our foundation. They were great leaders for our team this past year, and we’re definitely going to miss them.”

McMillen served as outside hitter for Surry Central and received All-Conference Honors all four years. Her 340 kills this season were No. 6 in the 2A Division and tied for No. 28 among all public school classifications. She was also No. 19 in the 2A Division with 316 digs.

“Mia has pretty much been our rock; our go-to player on the court,” Bruce said. “She has been a force to be reckoned with. She got her 1,000th dig this season, and I’m so extremely proud of her for that. Her hitting percentage was off the charts, and she did very well in the hitting and defensive aspects of the game. She will be an asset in anything they need her to do.”

In McMillen’s four years with the volleyball team, the Golden Eagles amassed an overall record of 64-32, a conference record of 40-12 and a playoff record of 4-4.

Even with the shortened 2020-21 season, Mia graduates with 877 kills, 1,297 digs, 208 aces and 53 blocks.

“I was very fortunate to be on a high school team which competed hard each night and made playoff runs each year,” McMillen said. “I have been blessed with great coaches at SCHS, Coach Tolbert and Coach Bruce, and also with my Twins travel team, Coach Brandon and Coach Gilley. I am grateful for supportive teammates and parents who push me to do my best.”

Of all the sports in which she competes, volleyball was actually the sport McMillen picked up the latest.

“I didn’t start volleyball until the eighth grade, but immediately fell in love with the sport,” Mia said. “I just have so much fun on the court hitting the ball and playing defense. I love the celebrations after a big point and competing with my teammates.”

In addition to volleyball, McMillen is a four-year member of the varsity basketball and track and field teams.

In basketball, Mia went from being an All-Conference Honorable Mention as a freshman – the only freshman to play significant minutes on a 24-6 team with four senior starters – to winning Conference Co-Player of the Year as a senior. McMillen averaged 21.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 5.2 steals and 0.5 blocks this past season. She led Surry Central in all five categories as a senior and as a sophomore, while leading 4-of-5 as a junior.

Mia is also a two-time state silver medalist in track. She won individual conference championships in the 100-meter hurdles, 300-meter hurdles and long jump her freshman year, while also finishing second in the 100-meter dash. She went on to become the 2A Midwest Regional Champion in 300 hurdles, earned All-Region Honors in the 100 hurdles before becoming 2A State Runner-up in the event.

After no sophomore season due to COVID-19, Mia won four conference championships and was named Conference Female Athlete of the Year as a junior. She went on to win regional championships in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 300 hurdles, was regional runner-up in the long jump and helped Surry Central win the Regional Team Championship. Mia was State Runner-up in the 300 hurdles, and finished in the top six of the 100 and 200 meters at the 2021 championship meet.

McMillen holds the Surry Central and Surry County outdoor track and field school records for the 300-meter hurdles, 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump.

Joined by his friends and family, East Surry senior Layton Allen signed his NCAA National Letter of Intent to play college football at Lenoir-Rhyne University.

“It’s something I’ve always looked forward to and it’s always been a dream for me, so to sign is a dream come true,” Allen said. “As soon as I started playing football, I wanted to make it to the next level and just show how good I am.”

Allen spent a lot of his high school career doing whatever was asked of him as he waited for his number to called. When the circumstances finally allowed for him to be unleashed, Layton built a legacy as one of the top receivers in Surry County history.

“He’s one that has worked for every inch that he’s earned,” said East Surry coach Trent Lowman. “He’s worked his craft: whether running cone drills and working in the weight room by himself. He has tried to perfect everything about being a wide receiver, and it really paid off this year.”

Allen spent most of his sophomore season on the JV team, but that was because of the impressive roster of upperclassmen above him on the depth chart. East Surry finished 15-0 in 2019, won the 1AA State Championship and had the third-most single-season yards passing (4,686) in North Carolina history.

“As a sophomore, he probably could’ve started as a varsity receiver at any of the surrounding schools,” Lowman said. “He was really sharp, and could’ve started for us if we didn’t have four guys that are now on ACC rosters. It’s kind of unheard of. He was already good then, but he’s gotten a lot better.

“I think it just speaks to the work ethic and intrinsic motivation he has, and should carry forward over his next four years at Lenoir-Rhyne.

Layton got his first taste of being a varsity starter as a junior, though the circumstances were less than ideal for the receiver.

“That season was just something else,” Lowman said. “It was already weird playing a seven-game schedule in the spring, but we had a sophomore quarterback in Folger [Boaz] – and he even battled an ankle injury for a lot of the season so weren’t able to open up the passing game as much as we wanted – as well as a lot of new guys on the OL and a few great running backs.

“This was really the first year that he got to be ‘that guy’ for us as a receiver.”

As a senior, Allen led the 2A division in receptions (83) and yards receiving (1,294). He was fifth and sixth in the state in those categories, respectively, among all classifications. His 12 receiving touchdowns tied for fifth in the 2A division.

According to East Surry’s football record book, Layton graduates as the program’s all-time leader in career receptions (123) and single-season receptions (83 in 2021), and is in the top five of every receiving category.

On breaking Stephen Gosnell’s single-season reception mark, Allen said: “It means a lot. Stephen Gosnell, I know he was a great receiver here and I practiced with him so much. He helped me a lot. To break one of his records…that means a lot to me too.”

Allen is the seventh Surry County football player from the past decade to surpass 2,000 career yards receiving, joining: Mount Airy’s Donavon Greene, North Surry’s Colton Acord and Nick Badgett, and East Surry’s Blake Marion, Landon Stevens and Stephen Gosnell.

“Layton wasn’t surrounded by two or three other guys going to play division I football, either,” Lowman said. “All four staring receivers from that 2019 team are now on D-I rosters; Layton wasn’t in that same situation. We had good players out there this year, but it wasn’t the same. There was a little bit more focus on him from defenses, as well.”

He also served as one of the go-to guys whenever East Surry needed a big play.

“There were a few games this year where we weren’t doing so hot in times and we would throw a short pass to Layton, ” Lowman said. “He would break a tackle and pick up 10 or 12 yards to give us that spark.”

Allen expressed his gratitude to the East Surry coaching staff and his teammates for helping him get to this point.

“Personally, East Surry has been a home for me since the minute I got here,” Allen said. “My brother came here and played football. All my friends have been here. I’ve had great coaches, great teammates. It’s been awesome.”

Layton also thanked God and his parents for making his football career possible.

In addition to his accomplishments on the field, Lowman said that Allen is an excellent student, as well as a loving brother and son.

“He’s surely done it right,” Lowman said. “He’s the person you want him to be outside of school, inside the school and on the football field. He’s worked hard and he’s earned this.

© 2018 The Mount Airy News