With the first day of football practice inching closer -- three days, for those keeping count -- now is probably a good time to examine some of the biggest questions facing Iredell County teams entering the season.
Lake Norman
Who will take charge of the offense?
With what seems to be an improved, slightly bigger offensive line, the Wildcats need a few more athletes. Do-everything Tyler McRorie is gone, as is long-time quarterback Zach Connell. McRorie was an all-county wide receiver who could catch, run the jet sweep and throw -- he played QB at times. Lake Norman may rely a bit more on Eric Manser, a solid running back who hardly ever gets negative yardage. Jaquez Vanderburg can really run and should see an increased role.
Mooresville
Is this the year?
Expectations are always sky-high at Mooresville, and this season will be no different. After a few good-not-great years, the Blue Devils return a ton of players and a special senior class. The offense will miss the big-play threat of Jamel Allison and the underrated Tequilis Knox, but Jjshaun Pinkston should run the show. The Devils have enough on defense, despite losing some really good linebackers, to improve on last year's performance. After a loss in the first round of the playoffs to a tough T.C. Roberson team, Mooresville's fans (and players) are hoping for a deep playoff run.
North Iredell
How will the Raiders adjust to a new scheme?
North Iredell has run through a variety of schemes in recent years. Former coach Lee Linville brought in an I-Formation based offense three years ago. That slowly evolved into a shotgun, spread offense over two years and was whittled back down to the I-Form late last season. New coach Shannon Ashley will implement an option-based attack, which should be led by bulked up fullback Chris Knox. Both the offense and defense return some pieces, but moving the ball on the ground will determine whether or not North has a shot at the playoffs.
South Iredell
Who will lead the offense?
It's been a while since the Vikings didn't have Anthony Thwaites' blazing speed at their disposal. With offensive star Thwaites off to Lenoir-Rhyne College, South needs to find somebody to run the ball -- and a quarterback to get the ball to the outside. T.C. Rollings really stepped in and did a nice job last season after being converted from wide receiver to quarterback. I think everyone knows Rollings was a senior last year. But not everyone knows his backup, Bert Travis, was also a senior, and that's equally important. South will look at a pair of sophomores to take over at quarterback. Markevis Dalton and Tevin Ikard will be the best pair of wide receivers in the county, and Ikard may also take some carries as a running back.
Statesville
What's next?
Pretty simple here. The Greyhounds, in the midst of a big rebuilding project, surprised most of the county and finished 9-4 last season, a mark that included a trip to the second round of the playoffs. Statesville returns plenty of guys, although there's no question some of the big-time leaders are gone -- like William Marion, Trevor Greer, Adrian Sloan, Greg Samuels and Jarris Knox. I think how the Greyhounds handle these increased expectations will dictate how successful their season is.
West Iredell
How can the Warriors replace 25 seniors?
Losing 25 seniors is a blow to any program, especially when they include guys like Bobby Morrison, Patrick Moss and Jared Thompson. Head coach Mark Weycker said last year's group was the best senior class in school history, but there's still some talent left in the cupboard. No, Morrison won't be there to bail the Warriors out like he did so many times last year, but he might not have to. Wake Forest signee Quan Rucker will move from receiver to quarterback, which I think is a great move. With the best player on the team touching the ball every play, the Warriors still have playoff hopes.
Showing posts with label Iredell county. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iredell county. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
In the soccer spirit
I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I never played soccer growing up. I was strictly a basketball-baseball-backyard football child.
It's weird because youth soccer was really starting to pick up steam when I was a young'un, but I never played in my life until gym class in high school. And I was really bad. I have trouble walking upright without stumbling, so adding a ball into the mix is just a disaster in dexterity.
With that said, I've been on a huge soccer kick recently. I've watched a lot of the UEFA games and enjoyed them all. International soccer is always fun to watch, and I'm a sucker for any kind of tournament. I'd probably watch an international badminton tournament if one existed (and it might, I don't know).
In addition to that thought, I'd like to add that we have some really, really good soccer players in the area. The N.C. Soccer Coaches Association recently released its all-region teams, and Iredell County had 16 total players from all six county schools chosen.
That's pretty remarkable. And from my point of view, it made selecting the 11-member R&L All County team incredibly difficult.
Here's a list of our All-Region players, with All-County selections italicized, All-State members bold and our Player of the Year in all caps (you follow?).
Taylor Branton, West Iredell
Amanda Comer, South Iredell
Brittney Dailey, Mooresville
Alicia Danenhower, Mooresville
Rachel Gibson, South Iredell
Tara Johnson, Lake Norman
Meghan Kos, Lake Norman
Ashley Lail, South Iredell
Caroline Moffett, Lake Norman
Katie Register, Statesville
Claudia Solis, South Iredell
COURTNEY SMITH, Mooresville
Sarah Tang, Lake Norman
Lauren Vawter, Lake Norman
Sarah Ann Waugh, Statesville
Tiffany Wilson, Mooresville
It's weird because youth soccer was really starting to pick up steam when I was a young'un, but I never played in my life until gym class in high school. And I was really bad. I have trouble walking upright without stumbling, so adding a ball into the mix is just a disaster in dexterity.
With that said, I've been on a huge soccer kick recently. I've watched a lot of the UEFA games and enjoyed them all. International soccer is always fun to watch, and I'm a sucker for any kind of tournament. I'd probably watch an international badminton tournament if one existed (and it might, I don't know).
In addition to that thought, I'd like to add that we have some really, really good soccer players in the area. The N.C. Soccer Coaches Association recently released its all-region teams, and Iredell County had 16 total players from all six county schools chosen.
That's pretty remarkable. And from my point of view, it made selecting the 11-member R&L All County team incredibly difficult.
Here's a list of our All-Region players, with All-County selections italicized, All-State members bold and our Player of the Year in all caps (you follow?).
Taylor Branton, West Iredell
Amanda Comer, South Iredell
Brittney Dailey, Mooresville
Alicia Danenhower, Mooresville
Rachel Gibson, South Iredell
Tara Johnson, Lake Norman
Meghan Kos, Lake Norman
Ashley Lail, South Iredell
Caroline Moffett, Lake Norman
Katie Register, Statesville
Claudia Solis, South Iredell
COURTNEY SMITH, Mooresville
Sarah Tang, Lake Norman
Lauren Vawter, Lake Norman
Sarah Ann Waugh, Statesville
Tiffany Wilson, Mooresville
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Realignment goes through
The North Carolina High School Athletic Association officially approved its new conference realignment, which will begin in 2009 and last through 2013. It was an expected move, but allows county teams to know for certain where they will end up for the next few years.
Here's a breakdown of the new conferences for Iredell schools (with attendance figures to the right) and a few thoughts on all three.
2A
Bandys 989
Bunker Hill 886
Draughn ----
East Burke 950
Maiden 824
Newton-Conover 771
South Iredell 991
West Caldwell 1,011
Thoughts: Rather than doing most of its traveling to Lincoln County, the Vikings will now be dispersed to the Hickory area on road trips. One of the first things that pops out to me is wrestling. South, with a great wrestling program, will get huge tests from Bandys and Newton-Conover, two state powers. Football will also be better, as will basketball, especially over at West Caldwell where Danny Anderson has the Warriors humming. Draughn has no attendance figures because it will not open until next season. Overall, this is a very tough, mostly balanced conference.
3A
Carson 1,078
East Rowan 1,246
North Iredell 1,248
South Rowan 1,103
Statesville 1,149
West Iredell 1,052
West Rowan 1,217
Thoughts: The former North Piedmont 3A will condense from 10 to seven schools, with Lake Norman, Mooresville and Northwest Cabarrus - the three largest schools - leaving. This should give the three Iredell teams more breathing room in scheduling non-conference games for all sports. West Rowan and Statesville, maybe even Carson, should be the contenders in football. Statesville's girls soccer program immediately becomes the class of the conference, and North Iredell's girls basketball team should be the favorite in 2009. Some good rivalries have emerged between Rowan and Iredell schools, and those should continue for years. West Iredell, with just a smidge over 1,000 students, is the smallest 3A school in the state and narrowly missed the cut-off of being a 2A school.
4A
Hopewell 2,757
Mallard Creek 2,000
Mooresville 1,616
Lake Norman 1,918
North Mecklenburg 2,461
Vance 2,074
West Charlotte 2,209
Thoughts: This conference is all about the attendance figures. Mooresville actually made an official request to switch conferences, citing location and overall size. The school makes a few good points. Hopewell has 70 percent more students than Mooresville, meaning it will have a much larger pool from which to pull its athletes. That's a huge disparity, and Hopewell and North Meck may grow at an even higher rate than Mooresville and Lake Norman. This conference is loaded from top to bottom, in all sports, and boasts a few of the largest schools in the state. Here's another fascinating story line to me. For the past two years, several NPC coaches have bemoaned having to play Lake Norman and Mooresville, which were easily the two biggest schools in the conference. Now it's quite the opposite as the two Iredell schools are the smallest schools and will face what so many of their opponents did over the past two years: competing against schools with more resources.
Here's a breakdown of the new conferences for Iredell schools (with attendance figures to the right) and a few thoughts on all three.
2A
Bandys 989
Bunker Hill 886
Draughn ----
East Burke 950
Maiden 824
Newton-Conover 771
South Iredell 991
West Caldwell 1,011
Thoughts: Rather than doing most of its traveling to Lincoln County, the Vikings will now be dispersed to the Hickory area on road trips. One of the first things that pops out to me is wrestling. South, with a great wrestling program, will get huge tests from Bandys and Newton-Conover, two state powers. Football will also be better, as will basketball, especially over at West Caldwell where Danny Anderson has the Warriors humming. Draughn has no attendance figures because it will not open until next season. Overall, this is a very tough, mostly balanced conference.
3A
Carson 1,078
East Rowan 1,246
North Iredell 1,248
South Rowan 1,103
Statesville 1,149
West Iredell 1,052
West Rowan 1,217
Thoughts: The former North Piedmont 3A will condense from 10 to seven schools, with Lake Norman, Mooresville and Northwest Cabarrus - the three largest schools - leaving. This should give the three Iredell teams more breathing room in scheduling non-conference games for all sports. West Rowan and Statesville, maybe even Carson, should be the contenders in football. Statesville's girls soccer program immediately becomes the class of the conference, and North Iredell's girls basketball team should be the favorite in 2009. Some good rivalries have emerged between Rowan and Iredell schools, and those should continue for years. West Iredell, with just a smidge over 1,000 students, is the smallest 3A school in the state and narrowly missed the cut-off of being a 2A school.
4A
Hopewell 2,757
Mallard Creek 2,000
Mooresville 1,616
Lake Norman 1,918
North Mecklenburg 2,461
Vance 2,074
West Charlotte 2,209
Thoughts: This conference is all about the attendance figures. Mooresville actually made an official request to switch conferences, citing location and overall size. The school makes a few good points. Hopewell has 70 percent more students than Mooresville, meaning it will have a much larger pool from which to pull its athletes. That's a huge disparity, and Hopewell and North Meck may grow at an even higher rate than Mooresville and Lake Norman. This conference is loaded from top to bottom, in all sports, and boasts a few of the largest schools in the state. Here's another fascinating story line to me. For the past two years, several NPC coaches have bemoaned having to play Lake Norman and Mooresville, which were easily the two biggest schools in the conference. Now it's quite the opposite as the two Iredell schools are the smallest schools and will face what so many of their opponents did over the past two years: competing against schools with more resources.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Knee series
As promised in an earlier blog, here's the completed version of my series on ACL injuries. Make sure to check out the video and interactive components, too.
We spent nearly six weeks from start to finish on this series, and my hope is county leaders began to take some serious proactive solutions to help curb this disturbing trend.
I'd also like to thank the athletes, coaches and doctors I talked to for being incredibly helpful.
We spent nearly six weeks from start to finish on this series, and my hope is county leaders began to take some serious proactive solutions to help curb this disturbing trend.
I'd also like to thank the athletes, coaches and doctors I talked to for being incredibly helpful.
Monday, April 14, 2008
County thoughts
Thanks for hanging in there, folks. My two weeks working on the ACL-tear series turned into a solid month of work. I'm OK with that, though, because it's a huge subject with tons of different angles, and I think it's important to document everything correctly.
That series of stories will run April 20 and 21, and I'll make sure to post links here. In the meantime, I've gotten out of the office a little bit recently to check out some spring sports.
Mooresville baseball
Hands down the best baseball team in the county. The Blue Devils have supplemented their fantastic pitching with timely hits and are dangerous throughout the lineup. Ten wins in a row is no fluke, but Mooresville has a humongous week ahead with games against East Rowan (unbeaten in conference) and Northwest Cabarrus (beat Blue Devils in first meeting).
North Iredell soccer
Some good talent, as always, but a little thin this year. Head coach Tim Watson has 22 total players in the program, which means - like this year's boys season - he can't field a JV team. Injuries have hit the Raiders hard, though. Midfielder Jana Bell, perhaps the best player on the team, is out for the season with a torn ACL and North also has a few injuries on defense. Goalkeeper Kawoni Revels has been superb at times, and North should still contend for a playoff spot.
Mooresville soccer
Fantastic team, especially offensively. Freshmen Courtney Smith and Hannah Mack can flat-out play, but it's the senior leadership of girls like Anna Dwiggins, Brittney Dailey, Emmie Tyson and Tiffany Wilson that has the Blue Devils ranked No. 4 in the state among 3A teams.
South Iredell baseball
Slowly improving, but must learn how to win close games. Sophomore Chris Dula hurled a no-hitter in his starting pitching debut at the varsity level, so let's see how that translates into potential wins.
THE WEEK AHEAD
I'm looking forward to going to the county track meet Tuesday. Hopefully the weather will cooperate - I can tolerate being a bit chilly so long as the sun is out. Mooresville's boys, the defending 3A state champions, are certainly the favorite and it might take an act of God for them to lose.
The girls' side should be a bit more balanced out, but the Blue Devils and Statesville have to be the favorites. Don't sleep on North Iredell, though. The Raiders are small, but have great athletes. South Iredell's girls team isn't big enough to seriously challenge for the meet title, I don't think, but they could win at least four events.
That series of stories will run April 20 and 21, and I'll make sure to post links here. In the meantime, I've gotten out of the office a little bit recently to check out some spring sports.
Mooresville baseball
Hands down the best baseball team in the county. The Blue Devils have supplemented their fantastic pitching with timely hits and are dangerous throughout the lineup. Ten wins in a row is no fluke, but Mooresville has a humongous week ahead with games against East Rowan (unbeaten in conference) and Northwest Cabarrus (beat Blue Devils in first meeting).
North Iredell soccer
Some good talent, as always, but a little thin this year. Head coach Tim Watson has 22 total players in the program, which means - like this year's boys season - he can't field a JV team. Injuries have hit the Raiders hard, though. Midfielder Jana Bell, perhaps the best player on the team, is out for the season with a torn ACL and North also has a few injuries on defense. Goalkeeper Kawoni Revels has been superb at times, and North should still contend for a playoff spot.
Mooresville soccer
Fantastic team, especially offensively. Freshmen Courtney Smith and Hannah Mack can flat-out play, but it's the senior leadership of girls like Anna Dwiggins, Brittney Dailey, Emmie Tyson and Tiffany Wilson that has the Blue Devils ranked No. 4 in the state among 3A teams.
South Iredell baseball
Slowly improving, but must learn how to win close games. Sophomore Chris Dula hurled a no-hitter in his starting pitching debut at the varsity level, so let's see how that translates into potential wins.
THE WEEK AHEAD
I'm looking forward to going to the county track meet Tuesday. Hopefully the weather will cooperate - I can tolerate being a bit chilly so long as the sun is out. Mooresville's boys, the defending 3A state champions, are certainly the favorite and it might take an act of God for them to lose.
The girls' side should be a bit more balanced out, but the Blue Devils and Statesville have to be the favorites. Don't sleep on North Iredell, though. The Raiders are small, but have great athletes. South Iredell's girls team isn't big enough to seriously challenge for the meet title, I don't think, but they could win at least four events.
Monday, February 25, 2008
State wrestling thoughts
This was the second year in a row I've covered Iredell County athletes at the state wrestling championships in Winston-Salem, and the event is one of my favorites to cover. The state tournament had 672 wrestlers and 1,218 matches in three different classifications, which always makes for plenty of storylines.
My story that ran Sunday is here, and my follow-up notebook of information I didn't have room for the previous day is here.
I never wrestled growing up - unless you count the occasional trampoline match with my buddies - and wasn't too familiar with the sport until I began writing for newspapers out of college.
The one thing I like about wrestling is that a match is never over - unless, of course, someone gets pinned or the match is stopped due to a technical fall. But I've seen kids losing 13-0 get a pin out of nowhere and win the match with 10 seconds remaining. That's not possible in other sports. In basketball, if you're down 80-65 with 20 seconds remaining, you aren't going to win.
The athletes are incredibly invested in their matches as well. If you lose a match, most of the time it's because you got outworked, you did something you shouldn't have done or you didn't do something you should have. And it's all on you.
True story: In the depths of the LJVM Coliseum, the warm-up area consists of several mats put together.
This is one of my favorite areas to observe. Kids warm up with others they've never met, talk with teammates and curl up and sleep. I stepped over three sleeping heavyweights to get back upstairs, and I can't say I blame them. The tournament is a grueling two-day event, so some of those guys asleep had been at the Coliseum for at least 12 hours.
When I got over the mat to go upstairs, I noticed one wrestler as far away as possible from the crowd, singlet pulled down and absolutely bawling over what must have been a tough loss. \\
So I went to the concourse, ate some pizza (surprising, I know) and walked back down about 20 minutes later.
The same wrestler, still crying, hadn't moved an inch.
My story that ran Sunday is here, and my follow-up notebook of information I didn't have room for the previous day is here.
I never wrestled growing up - unless you count the occasional trampoline match with my buddies - and wasn't too familiar with the sport until I began writing for newspapers out of college.
The one thing I like about wrestling is that a match is never over - unless, of course, someone gets pinned or the match is stopped due to a technical fall. But I've seen kids losing 13-0 get a pin out of nowhere and win the match with 10 seconds remaining. That's not possible in other sports. In basketball, if you're down 80-65 with 20 seconds remaining, you aren't going to win.
The athletes are incredibly invested in their matches as well. If you lose a match, most of the time it's because you got outworked, you did something you shouldn't have done or you didn't do something you should have. And it's all on you.
True story: In the depths of the LJVM Coliseum, the warm-up area consists of several mats put together.
This is one of my favorite areas to observe. Kids warm up with others they've never met, talk with teammates and curl up and sleep. I stepped over three sleeping heavyweights to get back upstairs, and I can't say I blame them. The tournament is a grueling two-day event, so some of those guys asleep had been at the Coliseum for at least 12 hours.
When I got over the mat to go upstairs, I noticed one wrestler as far away as possible from the crowd, singlet pulled down and absolutely bawling over what must have been a tough loss. \\
So I went to the concourse, ate some pizza (surprising, I know) and walked back down about 20 minutes later.
The same wrestler, still crying, hadn't moved an inch.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
A little self promotion
Readers - you can click here to see a video story on free throw shooting in Iredell County. Our Web producer, Jess Norman, and I went to different high schools to talk to players about their free throw form.
We'll do more video stories in the future. Make sure you give the video time to load.
I'm going to start posting a weekly link to The Sports Show as well.
We'll do more video stories in the future. Make sure you give the video time to load.
I'm going to start posting a weekly link to The Sports Show as well.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Quick hits
Here's a few quick thoughts on the sports world, both local in Iredell County and nationally. Make sure you check out the post below and watch our first "Sports Show."
Before the baseball season started, I threw out a few predictions for the playoffs. To recap: my division winners were Boston, Detroit, Oakland, New York Mets, St. Louis and Arizona with the Angels and Braves earning the wild cards. Some hits and misses. I said I wasn't ready to pick Milwaukee - or the Cubs - to win the division, when it was the Cardinals who had a big drop-off. I can at least defend the Oakland pick in that I just read the book "Money Ball" and loved it so much I became an A's homer. If I had a re-do? Right now, I'd go with Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles and the Mariners (barely over the Indians for the wild card) in the AL and New York, Chicago (homer!) and the surprising Diamondbacks (my best pick) with the Braves still in the wild card. World Series? I'd begrudgingly take Boston and Atlanta.
It's almost fantasy football time, and my self-promise of being in only one league this year didn't last through July. As of now, I am in three - including a college fantasy football league, something I've never done before. Despite my terrible No. 1 overall selection of Shaun Alexander and my platoon of Joseph Addai, Reggie Bush and Maurice Jones-Drew, I somehow made the championship game of our league last season. My best drafting advice for this year? Draft running backs in the first two rounds no matter what. Don't feel pressured to take a quarterback early. NEVER draft a kicker until the last round. And try to draft a top tight end, if possible.
I'll be at the South Iredell-Lake Norman football game Friday night and the Mooresville-North Iredell soccer match on Monday. Some of my thoughts on the South Iredell-Lake Norman game can be found on The Sports Show Web cast, but to expound on them a little bit, this is a fascinating matchup in my eyes. I know some of you readers don't live near Iredell County, so to sort of put it in perspective, this would be like Texas Tech (Lake Norman) against Navy (South Iredell), the air attack versus the ground game. I picked South Iredell, and my predicted score would be 17-14 or something along those lines.
So, is the Little League World Series the next "big" thing? I don't mind that the games are on T.V., and I might decide to put them on in the background if I'm bored, but all-day showings complete with highlights on SportsCenter? Is this a bit much?
Before the baseball season started, I threw out a few predictions for the playoffs. To recap: my division winners were Boston, Detroit, Oakland, New York Mets, St. Louis and Arizona with the Angels and Braves earning the wild cards. Some hits and misses. I said I wasn't ready to pick Milwaukee - or the Cubs - to win the division, when it was the Cardinals who had a big drop-off. I can at least defend the Oakland pick in that I just read the book "Money Ball" and loved it so much I became an A's homer. If I had a re-do? Right now, I'd go with Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles and the Mariners (barely over the Indians for the wild card) in the AL and New York, Chicago (homer!) and the surprising Diamondbacks (my best pick) with the Braves still in the wild card. World Series? I'd begrudgingly take Boston and Atlanta.
It's almost fantasy football time, and my self-promise of being in only one league this year didn't last through July. As of now, I am in three - including a college fantasy football league, something I've never done before. Despite my terrible No. 1 overall selection of Shaun Alexander and my platoon of Joseph Addai, Reggie Bush and Maurice Jones-Drew, I somehow made the championship game of our league last season. My best drafting advice for this year? Draft running backs in the first two rounds no matter what. Don't feel pressured to take a quarterback early. NEVER draft a kicker until the last round. And try to draft a top tight end, if possible.
I'll be at the South Iredell-Lake Norman football game Friday night and the Mooresville-North Iredell soccer match on Monday. Some of my thoughts on the South Iredell-Lake Norman game can be found on The Sports Show Web cast, but to expound on them a little bit, this is a fascinating matchup in my eyes. I know some of you readers don't live near Iredell County, so to sort of put it in perspective, this would be like Texas Tech (Lake Norman) against Navy (South Iredell), the air attack versus the ground game. I picked South Iredell, and my predicted score would be 17-14 or something along those lines.
So, is the Little League World Series the next "big" thing? I don't mind that the games are on T.V., and I might decide to put them on in the background if I'm bored, but all-day showings complete with highlights on SportsCenter? Is this a bit much?
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Good start for Iredell football
It couldn't have gone any better for Iredell County on opening night.
South and North Iredell played a close-until-the-end game, and three other county schools picked up victories.
South handed North a 21-10 loss after scoring a touchdown in the final few minutes to pull away, which was a good start to the Ed Masterton era.
Mooresville went on the road and beat a very good - albeit understaffed - Bandys squad. The Blue Devils' 22-0 win was a bit of payback from last year's 35-7 loss, and it was an important win. I think they still would have won even if Bandys' stud running back Lequan McCorkle was playing (he sat with an injury).
West Iredell running back Bobby Morrison ran for a school-record 274 yards on only 16 carries and the Warriors pasted Forbush 51-0.
And Lake Norman, a 1-10 team last season, picked up a 28-13 win over a decent North Lincoln squad.
Only three county teams play this week when Lake Norman visits South Iredell and Statesville travels to 3A power Hickory.
South and North Iredell played a close-until-the-end game, and three other county schools picked up victories.
South handed North a 21-10 loss after scoring a touchdown in the final few minutes to pull away, which was a good start to the Ed Masterton era.
Mooresville went on the road and beat a very good - albeit understaffed - Bandys squad. The Blue Devils' 22-0 win was a bit of payback from last year's 35-7 loss, and it was an important win. I think they still would have won even if Bandys' stud running back Lequan McCorkle was playing (he sat with an injury).
West Iredell running back Bobby Morrison ran for a school-record 274 yards on only 16 carries and the Warriors pasted Forbush 51-0.
And Lake Norman, a 1-10 team last season, picked up a 28-13 win over a decent North Lincoln squad.
Only three county teams play this week when Lake Norman visits South Iredell and Statesville travels to 3A power Hickory.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Finally - an update
I apologize for the lack of updates recently. I took a week-long trip to the beach with my family as sort of a last-gasp vacation before the sports season started again, and now I'm back in the swing of things.
A couple of things to espect from us at the R&L this fall.
We've tweaked our coverage a little bit as it relates to high school. I'll handle stories from Mooresville, North Iredell and South Iredell while Brian Meadows writes about Lake Norman, Statesville and West Iredell.
The 2007 high school football tab comes out this Friday - hard to believe it's already game time. Each team is profiled, and we'll have a video preview of each team on the Web site as well. I'll make sure to post that link once it becomes available.
We'll have a sports portal that will keep track of all football stats for the six county teams. So now fans and players can compare statistics as the season progresses.
A weekly video show will air on the Web. We don't have it completely ironed out, but the show will include me, Brian and our sports editor Jason Bullard. We'll discuss the happenings in Iredell County sports, and will also make predictions for Friday's football games. This may be your one and only chance to ever see me on video.
I'll blog about more specific national and local topics later this week as well, but here's a very good read from ESPN's ombudsman.
A couple of things to espect from us at the R&L this fall.
We've tweaked our coverage a little bit as it relates to high school. I'll handle stories from Mooresville, North Iredell and South Iredell while Brian Meadows writes about Lake Norman, Statesville and West Iredell.
The 2007 high school football tab comes out this Friday - hard to believe it's already game time. Each team is profiled, and we'll have a video preview of each team on the Web site as well. I'll make sure to post that link once it becomes available.
We'll have a sports portal that will keep track of all football stats for the six county teams. So now fans and players can compare statistics as the season progresses.
A weekly video show will air on the Web. We don't have it completely ironed out, but the show will include me, Brian and our sports editor Jason Bullard. We'll discuss the happenings in Iredell County sports, and will also make predictions for Friday's football games. This may be your one and only chance to ever see me on video.
I'll blog about more specific national and local topics later this week as well, but here's a very good read from ESPN's ombudsman.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
2007 Iredell County Track & Field Championships
Mooresville won the boys county track meet, and it was hardly a surprise.
Loaded with exceptional distance runners, sprinters and field athletes, the Blue Devils scored 250 points. To put that in perspective, Statesville finished second with 95 and West Iredell was third with 87.5.
There are plenty of reasons why the Blue Devils won convincingly, and have won every meet they've been in this year.
Members of the 2006 cross country championship team now run distance for Mooresville. The Blue Devils also have Jamel Allison, who won a state title in the triple jump last year. He's a mortal lock to win all three jumps - long, triple and high - in the conference meets.
But the No. 1 reason for Mooresville's dominance is the middle school program. Basically, the Blue Devils have a middle school feeder - no other county school does.
That's two extra, crucial years to teach the fundamentals of the sport. And it's paying off.
You can click here to read about the Mooresville boys track team, and click here to read Brian Meadows' story on the girls event, which Mooresville also won.
Also, our R&L Game of the Week video footage is available at the top of this page.
Regan Hill and Jess Norman both took some really good pictures, available here in a slideshow.
I'll have a recap of South Iredell's performance in Thursday's R&L. The Vikings did quite well for being the only 2A school at the six-team meet.
Loaded with exceptional distance runners, sprinters and field athletes, the Blue Devils scored 250 points. To put that in perspective, Statesville finished second with 95 and West Iredell was third with 87.5.
There are plenty of reasons why the Blue Devils won convincingly, and have won every meet they've been in this year.
Members of the 2006 cross country championship team now run distance for Mooresville. The Blue Devils also have Jamel Allison, who won a state title in the triple jump last year. He's a mortal lock to win all three jumps - long, triple and high - in the conference meets.
But the No. 1 reason for Mooresville's dominance is the middle school program. Basically, the Blue Devils have a middle school feeder - no other county school does.
That's two extra, crucial years to teach the fundamentals of the sport. And it's paying off.
You can click here to read about the Mooresville boys track team, and click here to read Brian Meadows' story on the girls event, which Mooresville also won.
Also, our R&L Game of the Week video footage is available at the top of this page.
Regan Hill and Jess Norman both took some really good pictures, available here in a slideshow.
I'll have a recap of South Iredell's performance in Thursday's R&L. The Vikings did quite well for being the only 2A school at the six-team meet.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Stories worth telling
I spent a lot of time the past two weeks working on a feature story about Miriam Lewis, a North Iredell soccer player battling cancer.
If you haven't read it yet, check out both Part one and Part two.
I've never done such a personal story. I'm grateful to Miriam for being so helpful during our hour-long interview and with the 15 follow-up e-mails.
Part of the reason this is such a compelling story is how the enormity of the situation, a high school player diagnosed with cancer, challenges and nearly takes away something so simple.
Playing soccer.
This is where I need your help.
There are all sorts of stories - tragic, heroic, heartbreaking, courageous - involving athletes in Iredell County.
Help us at the R&L find them.
Please post or e-mail me (simply click here).
In other notes:
This week's R&L Game of the Week, a baseball game between South Iredell and West Iredell, was postponed due to rain. I know it was in the 70s and sunny all day, so I'm guessing yesterday's downpour really soggied up the field.
There should be some intriguing matchups next week. North Iredell baseball will face Statesville (Tuesday) and Lake Norman (Friday) in two big North Piedmont 3A games. Friday's game against the Wildcats is particularly important in the playoff race.
North Iredell soccer will have a chance to make amends for an embarrassing 12-0 drilling at the hands Lake Norman. The two squads will meet Wednesday.
The county track meet is Tuesday at West Iredell, and it should be interesting. My best guess? Mooresville's boys and girls each take home the title.
Although this has nothing to do with sports, I found this Washington Post story to be completely fascinating. It's a long read, but well worth it.
If you haven't read it yet, check out both Part one and Part two.
I've never done such a personal story. I'm grateful to Miriam for being so helpful during our hour-long interview and with the 15 follow-up e-mails.
Part of the reason this is such a compelling story is how the enormity of the situation, a high school player diagnosed with cancer, challenges and nearly takes away something so simple.
Playing soccer.
This is where I need your help.
There are all sorts of stories - tragic, heroic, heartbreaking, courageous - involving athletes in Iredell County.
Help us at the R&L find them.
Please post or e-mail me (simply click here).
In other notes:
This week's R&L Game of the Week, a baseball game between South Iredell and West Iredell, was postponed due to rain. I know it was in the 70s and sunny all day, so I'm guessing yesterday's downpour really soggied up the field.
There should be some intriguing matchups next week. North Iredell baseball will face Statesville (Tuesday) and Lake Norman (Friday) in two big North Piedmont 3A games. Friday's game against the Wildcats is particularly important in the playoff race.
North Iredell soccer will have a chance to make amends for an embarrassing 12-0 drilling at the hands Lake Norman. The two squads will meet Wednesday.
The county track meet is Tuesday at West Iredell, and it should be interesting. My best guess? Mooresville's boys and girls each take home the title.
Although this has nothing to do with sports, I found this Washington Post story to be completely fascinating. It's a long read, but well worth it.
Friday, April 6, 2007
Kudos, coaches
Area coaches announced on Thursday that the annual county track meet will take place April 17.
A few coaches around Iredell County didn't think a county meet would happen this year, and I had my doubts as well.
When we collected schedules to print in the newspaper at the beginning of the spring season, only South had any mention of when the meet might be.
South Iredell and West Iredell are in the midst of construction on their respective tracks, forcing one of the other county schools to volunteer as the host.
That school was Lake Norman.
Although five of the six Iredell high schools are members of the North Piedmont 3A, this is the only time members of the South Iredell track team can compete against their friends at other county schools.
Kudos to the track coaches and athletic directors for finding a day - and place - to make it happen.
A few coaches around Iredell County didn't think a county meet would happen this year, and I had my doubts as well.
When we collected schedules to print in the newspaper at the beginning of the spring season, only South had any mention of when the meet might be.
South Iredell and West Iredell are in the midst of construction on their respective tracks, forcing one of the other county schools to volunteer as the host.
That school was Lake Norman.
Although five of the six Iredell high schools are members of the North Piedmont 3A, this is the only time members of the South Iredell track team can compete against their friends at other county schools.
Kudos to the track coaches and athletic directors for finding a day - and place - to make it happen.
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