KMHS volleyball
sweeps Ashbrook
in BSC 3A opener
Kings Mountain High’s volleyball teams opened Big South 3A Conference play last week with a sweep of the Ashbrook Lady Green Wave.
The JVs won 25-5, 25-9 and the varsity won 25-5, 25-6, 25-13. Both teams’ overall records are 1-0 in the conference and 5-1 overall.
Both teams got outstanding play from all play-ers.
For the JVs, Elyn Phongsa had three kills, three serve receptions, two digs and nine service points.
Elyn Phongsa had three kills, three serve recep-tions, two digs and nine service points and Jil-lian Patton had 16 assists and four service points.
For the varsity, Alexa Jones had 23 service points, five serve receptions, six kills and three digs.
Camden Pasour had 27 assists, four kills and a block.
Ruby Osborne had 11 service points and three kills and London Brown and Denet Houey had 11 and 7 kills, respectively.
The Lady Mountaineers were scheduled to host Hunter Huss in a BSC match Tuesday and will host East Gaston in a non-conference match Wednesday.
After that the teams will resume conference play with matches at North Gaston on Septem-ber 5 and Forestview on September 10. Their next home game will be against South Point on September 12. All matches begin at 6 p.m.
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Cox Mill here Friday for KM home opener

Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers will host 4A Cox Mill Friday at 7:30 p.m. non-conference game at John Gamble Stadium.
The Mountaineers as well as Cox Mill will be looking for their first win after dropping their season openers last week to Shelby  and a very strong Charlotte Christian private school.
Coach Breon Holmes will bring a big squad to town, in size and numbers.
“They’ve got some good athletes,” notes Mountaineer head coach Strait Herron. “Number four (wide receiver Jordan Cleaves), number five (wide receiver Marcus Sales) and number nine (running back Jermayne Franklin) look really good. We have to control the game and we have to run the ball better.”
The Mountaineer running game was completely shut down last week at Shelby. Herron and staff will be looking for a much better performance this week.
“We’re in like a catch 22,” Herron noted. “Do we bring JVs up? I hate to mess with them. If you take them up they’re going to struggle. It’s tough. We have to make some big decisions this week.”
Herron said his team played with effort last week, and he said the defensive line did a good job.
“We’ve got to get better in the secondary and the offensive line needs to get better and maintain their blocks.”
He said kicker Matt Rhom did a good job. “We just need to get better overall.
“Cox Mill has some good looking players and we can’t take them lightly.”
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KMHS Football Captains, L-R: Eli Lipscomb (34), Brayden Barnes (52), Antonio Armstrong (11), and Jayden Gash (1). See more photos inside. (Photo by Lizzie Ingram)

Mountaineers lose to Shelby 32-16 in opener

Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers opened their season Friday night in Shelby and fell to a strong Golden Lions eleven 32-16.
The Mountaineers led 10-7 at halftime but the Lions’ offense roared in the second half and the defense shut down KM’s running game.
“I thought we did some good things,” noted Mountaineer Coach Strait Herron. “We made some mistakes at the wrong time. We’re going to have to run the ball better and get some things fixed.”
The Mountaineers were held to just 28 yards rushing but were still in the game at 19-16 Shelby going into the fourth period.
Kings Mountain had losses other than on the scoreboard as some players were injured and may not be back soon.
“We lost a defensive tackle, maybe two, one with an ankle injury and one with a back injury,” Coach Herron noted. “We had already lost an offensive lineman and defensive back. We’re injured but we have to get through it and keep on going.”
The Mountaineers got off to a good start, driving the opening kickoff from their own 44 to the Shelby 14 before having to settle for a field goal.
Shelby answered with a touchdown for a 7-3 lead but the Mountaineers went 65 yards go up 10-7 on a touchdown reception by William Vaughn. That score stood until halftime but Shelby began taking control on the opening drive of the third quarter and took a 13-10 lead. Kings Mountain fumbled on the ensuing kickoff and Shelby recovered at the KM one yard line. A big sack by Eli Lipscomb pushed the Lions back to the 13 and they had to settle for a field goal for a 16-10 lead.
The Lions went up 19-10 with 4:15 left in the third period.
 A pass interception by Jahmere Canady put the Mountaineers in business at their own 40 and six plays later William Vaughn caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from Antonio Armstrong to cut the margin to 19-16.
The KM offense had a hard time getting anything going and Shelby scored with 6 ½ minutes remaining to go up 26-16.
The Lions put the game on ice after intercepting a pass at the KM 47. Five plays later Tristan Tate scored from 15 yards out to complete the scoring.
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Xavier Hutchens had a big night in KM JV’s 39-12 victory over Shelby last Thursday at Gamble Stadium. Photo by Charlie Smith

JV Mountaineers open season
with a 39-12 win over Shelby

Kings Mountain High’s JV football team opened its season in a big way Thursday with a 39-12 victory over the Shelby Golden Lions at John Gamble Stadium.
The Mountaineers got rolling late in the first quarter after freshman Jarrett Linder recovered a fumble at the Shelby 45. Five plays later Javion Hill caught a 16-yard pass for a 6-0 lead.
After the defense held Shelby to three and out, the Lions punted and KM’s Xavier Hutchens returned it from the KM 36 to the Shelby six. A penalty and rushing loss put them back to the 16 but quarterback KJ Bell hooked up with Hutchens for a 67-yard reception and run to make it 12-0.
After Cam Houser recovered a fumble at the Shelby 39, Isaiah Branch caught a 29-yard pass to set up a first down at the Shelby 10. After an illegal procedure penalty set the Mountaineers back to the 15, Hutchens caught a touchdown pass from Bell to make it 18-0.
Shelby rallied briefly to cut the difference to 18-6 at intermission.
Starting at their own 49 after another touchdown run by Hutchens was erased by a penalty, the Mountaineers got a six-yard reception by Hutchens and a pass to Isiah Branch resulted in a 45-yard touchdown. Daeshawn Camp’s two-point run ran the score to 26-6.
A fumble recovery by freshman AJ Parker stopped the Lions at the KM 44 on the last play of the third period. After a Shelby horse collar penalty and an eight-yard loss by the Mountaineers, Bell hit Hill for a four-yard pass and then then hit Hutchens for a 42 yard touchdown pass and a 32-6 lead.
With the Lions facing third and 13 from their own 36, they went to the air and Silas Tate intercepted the pass and took it to the house for the Mountaineers’ final TD at the 6:09 mark of the final chapter.
Shelby scored with 1:14 remaining to account for the final score.
The Mountaineer defense was led by Cam Houser, Christian Jarrett and Ayven Ingram limiting Shelby to 79 total yards through their first 10 possessions.
Bell completed 15 of 18 passes for 237 yards and five touchdowns. Hutchens had five catches for 133 yards and three touchdowns; Branch six receptions for 77 yards and a TD and Javion Hill two receptions for 21 yards and a TD.
The KM defense forced four turnovers and held Shelby to 139 total yards, including just 44 passing on four for 13. Shelby’s first four possessions were three and out with zero yards.
Jason Canady had two fumble recoveries, Cam Houser one and Silas Tate had an interception for a TD. Ayven Ingram forced a fumble and Daeshawn Camp forced a fumble and blocked a PAT.
“We played well overall,” said head coach Chris Cole. “We have to keep working hard and buying into KM football. The coordinators (Coach Jacob Lineberger and Nate Blanton) had their guys ready. Christian Jarrett set the tone on the opening kickoff.”
Kings Mountain will be on the road Thursday at Cox Mill. Game time is at 6:30. The Mountaineers go to Burns on September 5 for a 7 p.m. game that will end the non-conference schedule.
After a week off on September 12, the Mountaineers will open Big South play at 7 p.m. on September 19 at Hunter Huss. Their next home game is September 26 against Big South rival North Gaston.

KM volleyball sweeps
East Lincoln in opener

 Kings Mountain High’s women’s volleyball team opened its season last week with a sweep of non-conference foe East Lincoln.
The varsity won 25-15, 25-19, 25-8 after the JVs prevailed 25-14, 25-11.
Cambell Benton led the JVs with 12 kills, five digs and six service points. Avery Cruise had nine serve receptions, 17 digs and seven service points, Jillian Patton 13 assists and four digs and Elyn Phongsa three serve receptions, two digs, five kills and 16 service points.
Alexa Jones had 12 kills, nine serve receptions and 14 service points for the varsity. Camden Pasour dished out 27 assists to go with six service points, 13 digs and three kills. Denet Houey had eight kills and four blocks and Ruby Osborne had six kills and four blocks.
The Lady Mountaineers were scheduled to go to Highland Monday and will host Maiden August 22 and Sun Valley August 27. They will begin Big South Conference play August 29 at home against the Ashbrook Green Wave.
 
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Josiah Hill heading for a touchdown in Kings Mountain's win in Cleveland County Jamboree at Burns High School. (Photo by Zach Smith)
Mountaineers open football season
this week against longest rival Shelby
The Kings Mountain High School football teams will begin another exciting season this week against their longest rival Shelby.
The JVs will host the Lions Thursday at 7 p.m. at John Gamble Stadium and the varsity will travel to Shelby Friday night for a 7:30 kickoff.
The Mountaineers and Lions have gone through a hot summer workout season and last Friday competed in the annual Cleveland County Jamboree at Burns High School.
The Mountaineers faced the South Mecklenburg Sabres and came away with a 7-2 victory in what amounted to about a half game.
“I was pleased with how we played,” noted Coach Strait Herron. “But I was kind of frustrated for us not doing some things we think we can do. We worked them hard on Wednesday and Thursday and maybe we worked them too hard. We hope we’ll play better this Friday.”
Shelby also left Burns with a win and Herron said the Lions are impressive.
“They look very good and won their game by ten points,” he noted. “They were basic and I’m sure they will do more than what they showed. We just want to get ready to do what we do.
“We ran the ball better than we threw it,” he said of the Mountaineers’ win over a good South Meck team. “I’m not really sure where we are at quarterback right now but we’ll give both of them (Darreon Dixon and TJ Armstrong) a shot in practice and make a decision on Friday.
“We had nothing on South Mecklenburg and went in blind,” he added. “What they ran was nothing like what we expected.”
The Mountaineers lost one of their top returning linemen, Dom Davis, to a knee injury in practice recently and Herron said he will probably be out at least two weeks if not more.
Looking to Friday’s game at Shelby, Herron said it will be a tough challenge.
“They didn’t run a lot of stuff offensively, but they have good athletes in every spot,” he noted. “We have to get ready to play and fix some things on both sides. This should be a very good game. Our kids are working hard and we’ll do the best we can.”
Herron said longtime assistant Shane Cole will take over as head coach of the JV team, replacing longtime head coach Diron Bell who will be working with the varsity defensive backs.
After this week’s game the varsity Mountaineers will have a three-game home stand with Cox Mill coming to town on August 30 and Burns on September 6. After a bye week on Friday, Sept. 13 the Mountaineers will begin Big South Conference play at home against the Hunter Huss Huskies on September 20.

 
Learn More

Fall Sports Preview  - See August 14, 2024  - B Section

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Coach Strait Herron

Mountaineers open
regular season football
August 23 against their
longest rival Shelby

Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers will face a tough pre-season and Big South 3A Conference schedule this season as numerous Cleveland and Gaston County teams have exceptional talent.
Coach Strait Herron and his coaches and players will be trying to improve on last year’s 10-2 season. They will get their first test against an opponent Friday when they travel to Burns to face South Mecklenburg at 7 p.m. in the annual Cleveland County Jamboree. Other games there will be at 6, 8 and 9 p.m.
Regular season action begins on Friday, August 23 when the Mountaineers travel to Shelby to continue one of the state’s oldest rivalries which began in the 1920s. Their first home game is August 30 against Cox Mill.
After completing the non-conference schedule against Burns at Gamble Stadium on September 6, the Mountaineers will have a week off before beginning Big South Conference play against Hunter Huss at home on September 20.
A lot of starting positions are still up for grabs.
“Quarterback is still not decided,” Coach Herron noted. “We’re working with Darreon Dixon, a senior, and T.J. Armstrong, a junior, who was a backup to Kandon Zollo last year.”
Junior Josiah Hill returns as a starter at running back. He and Robert Kendrick, who graduated, were the top runners last season.
Jayden Williams will be a running back and also start on defense.
Brayden Barnes, a senior, returns at center and Herron said “he will be a leader up front.”
Of course, the success of those players will be a result of the men on the offensive line which the coaches hope will be strong.
“Guard Samarion Dawkins is a sophomore who played some last year,” Herron noted. “Dom Davis brings a lot to the table, too.
Other guys fighting it out up front include Sam Bryson, transfer Grayson Hill, Jamel Lee, Caleb Bumgardner, Adrian Banner and Weston Randall.
The wide receivers are William (Tex) Vaughn, freshman Xavier Hutchens and Jayden Gash, who is a returning starter and one of the top receivers last season.
Defensively, Antonio Armstrong returns at linebacker along with Eli Lipscomb. “They’re doing good in practice and will be fun to watch,” Herron said.
Herron said there are a lot of younger guys up front “but they are working hard.”
“Semaj Odums looks good at defensive end and Wiley Rainey at defensive tackle will be a huge help. Thomas Fair returns at defensive tackle and Keedon Linney is back at defensive end and also plays in the backfield. They’re doing good.”
The secondary includes Tyler McIntyre and Dakota Smith at safety. Jayden Gash, Jayden Williams and Barry Moore will be at the corners and Lathan Feemster at linebacker.
Looking to the season, Coach Herron said the Mountaineers are worried about Shelby right now and will take the entire season game-by-game.
As for the Big South Conference, he said “Crest has good athletes and will be tough as always. South Point is always tough and Ashbrook and Hunter Huss are going to be much better this year. We’ll just to take it week by week and do our very best.”
Kings Mountain’s two losses last season were to Crest in the Big South championship game, and to AC Reynolds in the state playoffs.
“We’re basically covering all the bases,” he noted. “Our offense and defense are pretty much installed. We’re just trying to get it done as a whole unit and get it down to a science.
“I think Ashbrook and Huss are much better this year. We’re young and we just have work hard and get better every day. Our biggest concern is not making mistakes.”
Learn More
Scenes from KM Elite 2nd Annual Golf Tournament
The Kings Mountain Elite 2nd Annual Golf tournament was held on August 2 at KM Country Club. All proceeds will go  towards building the new Community Enhancement Center on Oak Grove Rd.

(All photos by Lizzie Ingram)

 
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Pictured are first place winners: Al Woods, Anthony Solan, Paul Ingram, Jimmy Brown.
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 Maurice Tate, Executive Director of KM Elite.
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Rob Wagner, Mayor of Kings Mountain.
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Alex Goff
Goff to make
pro golf debut
After finishing up his time at the University of Kentucky, Alex Goff will make his PGA Tour debut at Keene Trace Golf Club.
The ISCO Championship will be played on July 11-14 at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky.
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The Y: Adventure Starts Here

Summer is a time for kids to explore and expand the limits of their imagination. The Davidson Association and Mt. Zion Baptist Church at 220 N. Watterson Street, have partnered with the Kings Mountain YMCA to increase their Summer Camp accessibility across our community at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. Our trained Summer Camp staff will guide the campers through their  day with:
• Devotions
• Games
• Songs
• Arts & Crafts
• Activities
• A day of swimming at the Kings Mountain Family YMCA pool
Lunch and morning snacks will be provided for all participants. All registered participants will receive a camp t-shirt.
Registering for our Summer Camp is as easy as scanning the QR code. Scan the QR code or visit the Kings Mountain Family YMCA, whose Mission Statement is to help all people reach their God-given potential in Spirit, Mind, and body. They look forward to welcoming your child to their Summer Camp at Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

YMCA KM United Soccer Club won the Impact Crossroads Classic Tournament

It was a perfect weekend for both Kings Mountain United Soccer teams in May. The Club, which was started last year in affiliation with the Kings Mountain Family YMCA, sent two teams to Statesville, NC, to play in a tournament featuring over 75 different teams. Both teams left undefeated on Saturday, May 18, sitting at the top of their group ahead of Championship Sunday in the tournament.
The Kings Mountain United U12 team had what some described as the “most exciting tournament game I’ve ever seen,” That weekend saw an explosive offensive performance from the team and goals by several different names, including those who scored their first club soccer goals ever (Evan Moree, Darwin Cardenas, Lucas Hensley, and Holden Brittain).
The team scored 17 goals in regulation in this tournament and was led by star strikers Xander Taylor and Emerson Bishop. While the offensive output was very prevalent, it is worth noting that the team only allowed four goals all weekend because of Captain and Goalkeeper Mathias Tabares and his defense of Cyrus Smith, Chase Phillips, and Lucas Hensley.
The team battled adversity having to play a man down due to a red card given in the first half but found a way to stay in the game at halftime tied at 1-1. The team would drop another goal and be down 2-1 until the final minute of the game where Cyrus Smith would put in a left footed shot to tie the game as the regulation whistle blew.
The teams would go to penalty kicks after a 0-0 double overtime session. Captain Mathias Tabares would make a critical save in the second round of penalty kicks to set up the winning penalty kick that would be taken by Deacon Jackson in sudden death to lead this team to their first-ever tournament championship victory. After the game, Coach Moree said, “I’m so proud of these boys and the way they battled adversity; this was their moment and their story to finish, and they did just that.”
The Kings Mountain United U10 team, led by captain Ty Weeks, capped off Sunday with their second-ever tournament championship. Coach Jay summed it up well in the post-game, “I couldn’t be more proud of these boys and their effort. They truly played as a team and for each other and earned this championship.” The team, of course, needed an entire team effort in the championship, skimming out a 4-3 victory after having a 4-1 lead to hoist their second trophy of the year. Goals also came from Juan-Jose, Carson Alley, and Jake Saenz, and a strong defensive performance from Kai Kadar, Paxton Ingle, and Blake Shelton led this team to a well-deserved victory. This team has yet to drop a game in the Spring, with a perfect record of 7-0 going into the Summer Break.
Kings Mountain United will be holding tryouts for the 2024-2025 season and soccer camps with the Kings Mountain Family YMCA this summer.
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YMCA KM United Soccer Club U10 team: Ty Weeks, Juan Jose, Braxton Skibo, Carson Alley, Brycen Alley, Jake Saenz, Austin Lewis, Blake Shelton, Tyler Wease, Paxton Ingle, and Kai Kadar. Coaches Stephen Moree, Jay Palmer, and Davin Price.

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YMCA KM United Soccer Club U12 team: Emerson Bishop, Xander Taylor, Darwin Cardenas, Chase Brittain, Holden Brittain, Mathias Tabares, Doni Lara-Torres, Lucas Hensley, Cyrus Smith, Evan Moree, Chase Phillips, Drake Wright, Wyatt Canipe, and Deacon Jackson. Coaches Stephen Moree and Kevin Cardenas. Photos by KM Family YMCA

PAC to host
NC S3DA Archery State Championship

Pinnacle Classical Academy will host the North Carolina Scholastic 3-D Archery (S3DA) State Championship on Saturday, June 8, at its grade 4-12 campus on Joes Lake Rd. in Shelby.
Check-in begins at 7:30 AM, with an 8:30 safety meeting and a 9:00 AM shotgun start. Concessions, including various food items, will be available during breakfast and lunch hours.
The North Carolina S3DA State Championship is open to the public with free admission. Members of the community are invited to cheer on the PCA Thunderbirds -- whose archers have won multiple state and national championships -- as well as talented archers from other teams.
Pinnacle Classical Academy is a free public charter school in Shelby that attracts 1,165 students from five counties. PCA's elementary school, middle school, and high school are all ranked among America's best schools by U.S. News & World Report.

KM softball falls to South
Brunswick in state championship

 Kings Mountain High’s women’s softball team was swept by South Brunswick in the best-of-three state championship series last week.
Home runs by Kina Davis and Ty Cummings spelled a 2-0 victory for South Brunswick in the series opener Friday evening at the Duke University women’s softball stadium.
In Saturday’s game South Brunswick won the championship in the bottom of the seventh on a walk-off single by Tabatha Martin that scored Kendra Goodwin from second base for a 2-1 win.
Goodwin led off the winning inning with a single to left-center. She was sacrificed to second on a bunt. KM pitcher Maddie Huffman struck out the next batter before Martin came to bat and got the winning hit.
Huffman hit a solo home run off the flag pole behind the left field fence in the top of the fifth to give the Lady Mountaineers a 1-0 lead.
South Brunswick tied it in the sixth when Davis doubled to right-center. She scored on Carly Clewis’ single to right.
Kings Mountain managed just three hits.  Cheyanne Reynolds and Kayla McSwain had the other hits. Seven different players had a hit for South Brunswick.
This was Kings Mountain’s first appearance in the state championship game since 2006 when the Lady Mountaineers won their second straight championship.
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Gary Smart

Gary Smart, Sr. receives

Paris Yelton Memorial Award
The Fellowship of Christian Athletes honored photographer Gary Smart, Sr., with the Paris Yelton Memorial Award 2024 for his hard work, dedication, and the countless hours spent photographing Kings Mountain Athletics and events. The award reads, “In appreciation for exceptional
contributions and service to athletics in Cleveland County.”
 Congratulations, Gary!
Photo by Stacey Godfrey Smart
Mountaineers edge Wildcats
to remain tied for first in BSC
Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers kept their Big South 3A Conference record spotless last week with a 4-2 victory over the North Gaston Wildcats.
KM jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning but the Wildcats put two runs across the plate in the fourth to take the lead. KM tied it in the fifth and wrapped up the victory with a pair in the sixth.
Braeden Patrick worked the first six innings to get the win. He gave up just three hits and struck out 14. Aidan Taylor pitched the final inning, allowing no hits and fanning one.
Aidan Taylor led the hitting with 2-for-3. Kandan Zollo homered in a 1-for-2 performance and Jason Melton was 1-for-3 with a run batted in. Tucker Cash, Wesley Turner and Colton Mayes also had hits.
The teams were scheduled for a makeup game Monday and the Mountaineers were scheduled to host Forestview yesterday. The Mountaineers will travel to Forestview Friday and South Point next Tuesday. The Raiders will come to KM’s Lancaster Field on Friday.
Kings Mountain will play its final regular season home game Tuesday against Crest and will go to Crest on
May 3.

KM softball takes down Crest
for first place in Big South 3A

Kings Mountain High’s women’s softball team posted big victories over Crest and North Gaston last week and now is alone in first place in the Big South 3A Conference.
The Lady Mountaineers ended Crest’s long conference winning streak in front of a packed Mountaineer field Wednesday night 1-0, and followed that Monday with an 11-0 waltz past North Gaston.
Paige Fleming doubled in Maddie Huffman with the walkoff winner in the bottom of the seventh against Crest.
The pitching was strong on both sides as Maddie Huffman struck out 17 Chargers and Aidan Ledbetter struck out 13 Mountaineers.
Kalie Weaver got the win on the mound in Monday night’s victory over North Gaston on the Mountaineers’ field.
Weaver also had a big night at bat going 3-for-3 with one RBI.
Kandance Whitaker went 1-for-3 with two runs batted in. Zaniah Field and Anna Wooten collected multiple hits for the Mountaineers who had 12 hits on the night.
Kings Mountain was scheduled to go to Stuart Cramer last night and will travel to Burns for a non-conference game tonight. They play at Forestview on April 19 and at Ashbrook on April 23. The Lady Mountaineers’ final regular season home game will be against South Point on April 26.

Hillman, Cheshire, Young,
basketball team to be inducted
into Hall of Fame on May 18

The Kings Mountain Sports Hall of Fame will induct three individuals and a team at its annual banquet and induction ceremony Saturday, May 18 at Central Methodist Church.
Honorees include the 1967-68 Kings Mountain High men’s basketball team that finished 24-1 overall, losing to Kannalpolis A.L. Brown in the Western North Carolina High Schools Activities Association championship game; Darron Hillman who was the co-state champion wrestler in 1986-87; Lyn Cheshire, an all-star offensive lineman on the 1963 and ’64 KMHS football teams that won back-to-back Southwestern Conference championships and compiled an overall record of 19-1-1; and Cedric Young, KMHS diver who won two state championships.
Receiving special recognition awards will be the 2023 KMHS women’s volleyball team that won the NCHSAA state championship, and wrestler Jaelan Culp who also won the state championship.
Distinguished Service Awards will go to Bernard Jeffries and Anzell Hunter who organized the successful KM Wolfpack sports program which preceded the present KM Elite.
Advance tickets may be purchased at Paul Ingram’s Barber Shop on Battleground Avenue. Tickets will also be available at the door on the night of the ceremony.
KMHS golfers second at Lincoln CC
Kings Mountain High’s golfers finished second to Stuart Cramer in last week’s match at Lincoln Country Club. North Gaston was the host team.
Cramer shot a 271 to KM’s 306. Crest finished third at 309 followed by South Point 316, Forestview 338, North Gaston 427, Ashbrook 434 and Hunter Huss 458.
Rich Willis of Stuart Cramer was the medalist with a 65.
Will Spicer led the Mountaineers with a 69. Caleb Marr shot 76, Thomas Spicer 80, Baylor Benton 81 and Josh Gillespie 83.
The Mountaineers and other Big South Conference teams will play at Cramer Mountain today. South Point will be the host team.
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Pressley Signs with Pfeiffer

Kings Mountain High’s Karlie Pressley signs to continue her soccer career at Pfeiffer University. Front row, left to right, Karlie’s mother Dana Pressley, Karlie, her father Matt Pressley and grandmother Joyce Pressley. Back row, left to right, KMHS athletic director Matt Bridges, KMHS coaches Jason Myers and Craig Meglii and KMHS principal Dr. Dustin Morehead.
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Evans signs with CCC

Kings Mountain High’s Carley Evans signed yesterday to continue her track and cross country career at Cleveland Community College. She is pictured in the front row with her parents, Charles and Jennifer Evans. Back row, KMHS athletic director Matt Bridges, CCC coach Steve McCachren, KMHS coach Hailey Raza-Spearman and KMHS assistant principal Melissa Wilson.

Mountaineers finish second
in Shelby’s Easter tourney

Kings Mountain High’s Mountaineers finished second to defending state 2A champion Burns in last week’s Easter Tournament at Shelby High School
Burns led 3-1 after five innings but the Mountaineers scored three runs in the sixth to take a 4-3 lead. The Bulldogs came up with two in the bottom of the seventh to claim the title.
Colton Mayes went six innings for the Mountaineers and scattered nine hits. Wesley Turner hurled the final inning.
Aidan Taylor led the KM plate attack with 2-for-4. Brayden Patrick had a double and scored two runs, Lawson Kennedy was 1-for-2 with two RBI. Tucker Cash and Kandan Zollo each had a hit.
In earlier games, the Mountaineers defeated South Caldwell 8-3 and Chase 2-1.
Zollo led the hitting against Chase with 4-for-4 and one RBI. Aidan Taylor and Luke Heavner went 2-for-4 each with an RBI. Braeden Patrick, Colton Mayes and Wesley Turner each had one hit and one RBI, and Jason Melton had a hit.
Patrick went five innings to get the win. He struck out 10.
KM swiped six bases with Anderson getting three and Melton, Taylor and Heavner one apiece.
KM Middle School tennis team
closing in on
undefeated season
Kings Mountain Middle School’s tennis team won three matches before spring break to run its record to 8-0.
The Patriots will face Burns today and Shelby on April 15 in their final regular season games.
The Patriots began their final week before spring break with an 8-1 victory over Crest.
Seanna Simon lost the #1 singles match to Caleb Pless but the Patriots swept the remaining matches.
Singles victories were led by Dominic Allen, Alice Frye, Lancon Webster, Camden Morris and Cindy Tipton.
KM swept all three doubles matches.
The Patriots swept Shelby on Wednesday 9-0. They got excellent play in the singles with #1 Seanna Simon winning 8-2.
Dominic Allen won his match 8-1, Alice Frye won 8-1 and Lancon Webster 8-3. Camden Morris won 8-0 and Cindy Tipton won 8-1.
In doubles play, Simon and Allen won 8-0, Frye and Webster 8-0 and Tipton and Morris 8-0.
The Patriots hosted last year’s championship team, Thomas Jefferson, in their final match before break.
Seanna Simon lost to Abbey Crawford, Dominic Allen won 8-1, Alice Frye won 8-1, Landon Webster won 8-5, Camden Morris lost 8-3 and Cindy Tipton lost 8-2.
After singles play the score was tied at 3-all. KM needed to win two matches to defeat the past champion and take the conference lead. Simon and Allen lost to Crawford and Burges 8-3, Frye and Webster defeated Lench and Brown 8-4, and Morris and Tipton secured the victory with an 8-0 win over Lamettas and Sousa.
Kings Mountain players feel good about their chances to go undefeated since they defeated both Burns and Shelby earlier.
If they do finish first, they will have a pass to the conference championship playoffs.
“We have had great success and support from all players who were not starters but played hard and won many exhibition matches,” said Coach Ed Guy. “Many parents have also given their support with snacks, drinks and the occasional cleaning of leaves from the courts.
“A special thanks to Jason Bridges, KMMS athletic director for his support and Adam Guy, assistant coach, who have helped me for many years. Also, Ryan Webster who has volunteered as a coach and high school players like Coby Brown, Katherine Frye, Melissa Brooks and Manoah Allen who have been a part of helping to develop this team,” Coach Guy added.
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Gastonia Baseball Club’s season opener is on April 25 at CaroMont Health Park. Photo by gogastonnc.gov

Gastonia Baseball Club’s
season opener April 25

Zawyer Sports & Entertainment announced that it has become the new management group for CaroMont Health Park. It owns and operates a new professional baseball team that will compete in the Atlantic League beginning in late April for the 2024 season.
The name of the new professional baseball team for this season is Gastonia Baseball Club. The new team is slated to open the upcoming 2024 season on April 25.
Zawyer Sports & Entertainment owns and operates several sports franchises including the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen, Savannah Ghost Pirates, Atlanta Gladiators, Allen Americans and the Tahoe Knight Monsters. Zawyer Sports & Entertainment also owns and operates ice facilities in Savannah, GA, and Jacksonville, FL, which includes the Community First Igloo, which is the official training facility of the Jacksonville Icemen. Zawyer Sports also owns and operates 32 Degrees Marketing, which offers next-level marketing guidance, support, brand building, apparel, and promotional products.
“We are excited to provide Gastonia with family-fun entertainment while also being an active community partner,” said Zawyer Sports & Entertainment CEO Andy Kaufmann. “We would like to thank the City of Gastonia for the opportunity to usher in a new era of professional baseball in the region and grow it into a product the community will enjoy for years to come.” 
   “We are excited to welcome Zawyer to our city,” said Mayor Richard Franks. “This is a new chapter for our ballpark, and we look forward to a new season of sports and entertainment to begin.”
“We are delighted to welcome Zawyer Sports to the league as the operator of the new Gastonia Baseball Club,” said Rick White, President of the Atlantic League. “Andy Kaufmann and the entire Zawyer organization are 100 percent committed to the community of Gastonia and its residents.”
Health Park is in the heart of Gastonia and a part of the Franklin Urban Sports and Entertainment (FUSE) District’s redevelopment plan. The multi-purpose stadium is the home of the Gastonia Baseball Club, with a seating capacity of 5,000.
KMHS baseball undefeated
in Big South Conference
Kings Mountain High’s baseball team remained undefeated in the Big South 3A Conference last week with big wins over the Hunter Huss Huskies.
The Mountaineers shut out the Huskies 16-0 Tuesday at Lancaster Field and took them down 17-2 Thursday at Hunter Huss. The two wins were the Mountaineers’ most lop-sided of the season thus far.
Brayden Patrick continued his early-season success on the mound by striking out 16 Huskies in six innings of work.
He also carried a big stick, getting on base in all five of his at-bats and scoring three runs.
Ky’lei Anderson went 1-for-1, scored twice and stole four bases.
Wesley Turner went 1-for-3, scored twice and stole a base.
The Mountaineers were rolling again in their final pre-Easter game Thursday at Hunter Huss, running their record to 6-0 in the Big South and 9-3 overall with a 17-8 victory.
Wesley Turner started and pitched 1 1/3 innings. Colton Mayes finished up, limiting Huss to just two hits and fanning nine over the final 3 2/3 innings.
Kings Mountain got on the board quickly with five runs in the top of the first. Huss scored both of its runs in the bottom of the inning.
Kings Mountain led 5-2 after the first inning, 8-2 after two, 10-2 after three and 17-2 after four. The game was called in the fifth on the 10-run rule.
Kings Mountain collected 13 hits. Aidan Taylor went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in. Brayden Paterick was 2-for-2 with five RBIs and Wesley Turner was 2-for3. Tucker Cash, Colton Mayes and Kandon Zollo added a hit apiece.
Kings Mountain was scheduled to host South Caldwell Monday night and will face a tough Big South rival North Gaston April 9 in Dallas and April 11 at Lancaster Field.

Taylor fans 16 in KM victory

Kings Mountain shutout Ashbrook 7-0 in a Big South Conference baseball game Monday at Lancaster Field.
Aidan Taylor went the distance on the mound, allowing just two hits and striking out 16.
Kandon Zollo led the hitting with two hits. Brayden Patrick, Tucker Cash, Wesley Turner and Jason Melton had a hit apiece.
KMHS men, women track teams
win shortened meet
Kings Mountain High’s track and field teams defeated Shelby and Davidson Day School in a three-team meet last week that ended after the fourth running event because of lightning.
The Mountaineers compiled 47 points to Shelby’s 29 and Davidson Day’s five.
The KM women edged Shelby 39-31 with Davidson Day third with 10.
The Lady Mountaineers were led by Alanna Snelson with a first place finish in the high jump and pole vault and Janiya Hunt with a first place in the 100 meter dash.
The Mountaineers were led by Kamari Houze with a victory in the 100 meter dash and high jump. Rodney Unnasch won the 100 high hurdles and Hunter Cruise won the pole vault.

KM golf second, Spicer shoots 68

Stuart Cramer edged Kings Mountain by two shots to win Monday’s Big South Conference golf match at Kings Mountain Country Club.
Cramer shot a 297 to KM’s 299. Crest was third at 317 followed by South Point 327, Forestview 336, North Gaston 418, host Ashbrook 424 and Hunter Huss 486.
KM’s Will Spicer was medalist with a four-under 68. Josh Gillespie shot 76, Thomas Spicer 77, Caleb Marr 78, and Baylor Benton 80.
The BSC teams will play at Lincoln Country Club Tuesday. North Gaston will be the host.

Mountaineers post 104-70 win over Forestview

  Kings Mountain High’s men’s basketball team had a game the players will remember for years Friday night when the Mountaineers slammed Forestview 104-70 in a Big South Conference bout in Gastonia.
Ten different Mountaineers took part in the scoring and six of them hit double figures.
Caleb Nixon led the way with 26 points. Bradley and Jordan Floyd scored 14 points apiece, Tucker Robinette and Kee’don Linney 11 each and Emmanuelle Toms 10. Toms’ three-pointer put the Mountaineers up 100-67 and his final field goal accounted for the final score. Bradley Floyd dished out 11 assists and pulled down eight rebounds to go with his 14 points.
The Mountaineers led all the way except for an early 2-2 tie. They were up 24-10 after the first quarter, 50-30 at the half and 74-54 going into the fourth period.
Kings Mountain’s girls weren’t as fortunate as they fell to a good Forestview team 73-46. The Forestview ladies jumped out to a 20-8 lead in the first period, extended it to 46-22 at the half and led 59-36 going into the fourth quarter.
Aaliyah Miller led the Lady Mountaineers with 14 points.
GIRLS GAME
KM (46) – Miller 14, Martin 5, Pettis 12, Byrd 7, A. Bridges 3, M. Bridges 2, Williams 1, Dixon-Velez 2.
FV (73) – Phillips 13, Baker 15, Neely 10, Iyevbele 2, Forgan 12, Thompson 6, Manning 9, Riley 6
BOYS GAME
KM (104) – Nixon 26, B. Floyd 14, J. Floyd 14, Robinette 11, Linney 11, Toms 10, Lindsay 4, Foster 8, Huskey 4, Cole 2.

KM Middle runs table in division,
in Tri-County playoffs this week

Kings Mountain Middle School’s boys basketball team finished the regular season undefeated last week with a 50-12 win over county rival Burns.
The Patriots took their perfect 12-0 record into a first round Tri-County Conference playoff game against the Crest Dragons Monday at KMMS.
The perfect season in the division was the Patriots’ third in the past five years.
Kings Mountain led from the beginning and posted 21 points before Burns scored.
Carlos Boyce got the rout going with nine first quarter points. Silas Tate and KJ Bell added four apiece and Xavier Hutchens had six assists and three steals.
KM kept up its scoring pace in the second period. Hutchens and Christian Jarrett scored five points each as the  Pats extended their lead to 39-7 at the the half.
The third quarter saw KM score nine points with Hutchens and KJ Bell scoring eight
Kings Mountain’s bench got into the action in the fourth period. Ashtun Hall scored the final two points to account for the final score.
All of the Patriots had a good game. Bell finished with 13 points and four rebounds. Carlos Boyce had 12 points, three rebounds and two steals.
Hutchens finished with nine points, four offensive rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
Christian Jarrett had seven points, six rebounds including five on offense, and blocked five shots.
Silas Tate had seven points and two steals and Ashtun Hall had two points.
KM created 20 turnovers and had only six team turnovers. The Patriots had 13 assists and 13 steals.
Offensive Player of the Week was KJ Bell with 26 points including four threes, four rebounds, four assists and four steals.
Defensive Player of the Week was Christian Jarrett with 11 blocked shots and three steals.
Sixth Man of the Week was Carlos Boyce with 18 points on 8 for 11 shooting, six rebounds, four assists and four steals.


 
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KMHS Wrestling team won the NCHSAA 3A Western Regional Championship. See more photos on page 3B

KMHS wrestlers
win 3A Regional,
at State this week

Kings Mountain High School’s wrestlers won the NCHSAA 3A Western Regional championship over the weekend at Pisgah High School in Canton.
It was the first time in over 20 years that the Mountaineers won the Western title.
Jalen Culp won his weight division and was named the Regional’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. He tied the all-time KMHS single season record with an unbeaten record of 55-0. He will have a shot at setting a new career single season record this week in the State Tournament.
Second place finishers for the Mountaineers were Luis Davis, Will Varner and Elihu Lipscomb.
Javier Currie finished third and Emmanuel Ortiz fourth.
All of the above-mentioned Mountaineers will be competing in the state championship this weekend in Greensboro.

Swim Regionals and state finals

On Saturday February 3 several of Kings Mountain’s swimmers participated in the Western Regional Championship. To qualify a swimmer had to post a time in the top 24 swimmers in their region. Kings Mountain had 3 individual swimmers and 5 relays qualify.
Mason Demetro qualified for the 200 yard freestyle and the 100 yard butterfly. Callie Stimpson qualified for the 200 yard individual medley and the 100 yard butterfly. Thomas Spicer qualified for the 100 yard breaststroke.
The women’s 200 yard medley relay was made up of a team consisting of Naomi Houston, Noel George, Kallie Hope and Madisin Goble. The women also competed I the 400 freestyle relay with a team of Callie Stimpson, Madisin Goble, Naomi Houston and Noel George.
For the men the first relay was the 200 yard medley relay. Jamari Vines-Nolan, Thomas Spicer, Wynn McConaghy and Bernardo Hernandez made up the relay. The men also competed in both the 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay with a team made up of Jamari Vines-Nolan, Thomas Spicer, Mason Demetro and Bernardo Hernandez.
Two swimmers qualified to compete in the State Championship on Thursday February 8. Mason Demetro competed in both the 200 yard freestyle and the 100 yard butterfly. Thomas Spicer qualified and competed in the 100 yard breaststroke. Demetro also qualified to compete in the State finals later that evening finishing 10th overall. 
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Thomas Spicer participating in the 100 yard breaststroke at the state meet. See photo on page 2B.

KM’s Max Thompson second,
Zaniah Hill third in 3A state meet

Nine Kings Mountain High athletes qualified for the State Indoor Track and Field Championship and fared well in last week’s run.
Max Thompson raced stride for stride against Andrew Wahlgren from Croatan High School and came out in second place by .07 of a second.
“It was a true photo finish and a race that no one will forget for quite a while,” said Mountaineer head coach Rayvis Key. “Max set three new indoor school records this season.”
A huge surprise for the women’s team was Zaniah Field, who had an amazing 17’3.25” long jump that placed her third in the state. Her time set a new KMHS indoor record.
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MAX THOMPSON

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ZANIAH FIELD

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BAT BOYS AND GIRLS NEEDED FOR ALWS– Applicants must be 10-12 years of age. The deadline to apply is April 15, 2024. The tournament is scheduled for Aug. 15-20.

ALWS 2024 needs
bat boys and bat girls

The American Legion World Series Executive Committee is seeking qualified students to serve as official bat boys and bat girls for the 2024 ALWS. Applicants must be 10-12 years of age. The deadline to apply is April 15, 2024. The tournament is scheduled for Aug. 15-20 at Shelby High School’s Keeter Stadium. Applications are on the American Legion World Series website and Facebook page
All applicants are required to be currently playing (2024) in an organized baseball or softball program (Little League, Dixie, City Parks and Recreation program, etc.).
Jean and Chris Horne coordinate the bat boys, bat girls and shaggers each year. Bat boys and bat girls are determined by a drawing; shaggers usually are boys and girls who have previously served as bat boys and bat girls. The Hornes contact them separately from the applicants for bat boys and bat girls.
Jean Horne says their experience is as memorable as the experiences of the boys and girls. “It’s a joy to work with people who support the ALWS cause, who are not afraid of work and who LOVE baseball.  “The players become like big brothers to some of the bat boys/girls and continue contact through social media. We hope some of these players will make it to the big leagues and that many of the bat boys’/girls’ dreams will be realized as well.”
A Bat Boy or Bat Girl has a responsibility to assist the players and coaches, and, ultimately, help speed up the game. Responsibilities include retrieving bats left in the dugout or on the field; gathering arm and shin guards that batters drop; and participating in team pregame warmups at the discretion of the coach.
The application for bat boys and bat girls is on the ALWS website: www.americanlegionworldseries.com and on the ALWS Facebook page. Questions can be directed to the ALWS office at 704-466-3103 900 AM – 5:00 PM weekdays.

KMHS tennis tryouts begin February 14

Kings Mountain High School tennis tryouts begin Wednesday, Feb. 14 from 4:30-6 p.m.
All participants need to have an updated physical on file before participating in any practices.
For more information contact Coach Rick Henderson2@duke-energy.com or text 704-460-8066.
 

Kings Mountain High’s indoor track and field team concluded its regular season at Polk County High School last week.
The men’s team was led by Barry Moore’s second place finish in the 300 meter dash and Tyler McIntyre’s second place finish in the triple jump.
KM’s Zaniah Field finished second in the long jump.
A highlight for the women’s team was Alanna Snelson’s nine-foot pole vault which not only qualified her for the state meet but was also a KMHS indoor track and field record.
The following students qualified for the 3A State Indoor Track and Field championship that will be held Saturday, Feb. 10:
Senior Zaniah Field, long jump.
Junior Alanna Snelson, pole vault.
Senior Hunter Cruise, pole vault and 800 relay.
Junior Isaiah Watts, 4x800 relay.
Junior Barry Moore, 300 meter dash.
Junior Tyler McIntyre, 55 meter hurdles.
Junior Max Thompson, 1,000 meter run and 1600 meter run.
Freshman David Johnson, 4x800 relay.
Freshman Luke Howell, 4x800 relay.

KMHS indoor track standouts
going to state meet Saturday

KMMS Patriots rout West Lincoln,
begin Tri-County playoffs this week

 Kings Mountain Middle School’s Patriots hit eight of their first 12 shots enroute to a 21-3 first quarter lead and went on to defeat the Chiefs of West Lincoln 53-11 for their 10th straight victory last week.
The Patriots, 8-0 in division play, were scheduled to host East Lincoln Monday and will face a yet to be determined opponent in the first game of the Tri-County Conference playoffs later in the week.
Silas Tate and Xavier Hutchens combined for 15 points and KJ Bell added four in the first period to get the rout going.
Hutchens kept his hot-shooting night as he scored seven more points for a game high 18. Christian Jarrett’s stellar defensive play which included six rebounds and three blocks helped the Patriots to a 37-8 halftime lead.
In the second half Braylon Brown, Tristian McCorkle and AJ Parker controlled the tempo as KM built a lead of 45-11 heading into the final quarter. Cam Houser led the Pats with four points in the fourth period and Ashtun Hall stood out on defense to help complete the rout.
Hutchens finished with 18 points on seven for eight shooting and had four rebounds and two assists.
Cam Houser had six points, two assists and two steals.
Christian Jarrett had six points, 10 rebounds, five blocked shots, two assists and two steals.
KJ Bell had four points, six rebounds and four steals.
Nemo Hogue had three points and a blocked shot.
CJ Emory, Braylin Abrams and Brylon Brown had two points apiece, Asthun Hall had an assist, Amir Parker a steal and AJ Parker three rebounds.
Tristian McCorkle had two rebounds and an assist and King Moore had two rebounds and a steal.
Kings Mountain shot 47 percent from the arc and a season-high 37 rebounds including 20 on offense.
The Patriots had 20 steals, caused 25 turnovers and had a season-low seven team turnovers. All 15 KM players have scored this year.
Offensive Player of the Week was Xavier Hutchens with 33 points on 14 for 19 shooting. He also had nine rebounds and blocked three shots; and Silas Tate who contributed 18 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
Defensive Players of the Week were Christian Jarrett with 17 rebounds, six steals and six blocked shots; KJ Bell with 13 rebounds, seven steals and one blocked shot; and Cam Houser with four rebounds, two assists and four steals.
Sixth Men of the Week were Braylon Brown with four points, five rebounds and four assists, AJ Parker with two points and three rebounds and Nemo Hughes with six points.
Kings Mountain was scheduled to host East Lincoln Monday and will host a semifinal playoff game later in the week. Game time is 5 p.m.

Big fourth quarter lifts KM
over Hunter Huss 71-66
 

Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers came from behind in the fourth quarter to defeat the Hunter Huss Huskies 71-66 Friday at Donald L. Parker Gymnasium and maintain their second place tie with Ashbrook in the Big South 3A Conference.
With victories in their remaining games the Mountaineers could move up to sole possession of second place in the league and improve their chances of having some home games in the post-season playoffs. Heading into last night’s action against North Gaston the Mountaineers and Ashbrook were 7-3 in in the BSC and two games behind first place Crest at 9-1.
The Huskies held the upper hand most of the first half, though not by much. They were up 21-16 after the first quarter and went into halftime with a 33-30 advantage.
Huss led 51-45 heading into the final quarter but the Mountaineers were hot on offense and very stingy on defense. They outscored the Huskies 26-15.
KM was down 54-53 with just under five minutes remaining when Coach Andrew Fann called time. When the Mountaineers returned to the floor sophomore guard Tucker Robinette canned a three-pointer to give the Mountaineers a 56-54 lead and they were never headed.
A Bradley Floyd field goal and free throw put the home team up 61-56 but Huss answered at the three-minute mark to get within 61-59. The Huskies were still within striking distance at 64-61 with 1:35 remaining. Trailing 66-61 with 42 seconds left, the Huskies were forced into a fouling situation. KM was able to extend its lead to 71-64 and Huss scored at the buzzer to account for the final margin.
Floyd finished with 23 points, hitting 9 of 14 field goals for 64 percent accuracy. He hit two of three three-point attempts. Robinette hit 7 of 11 field goals, also 64 percent. The Mountaineers also turned in an outstanding defensive effort against a strong Huss offense. Floyd had 12 rebounds and Nixon six.
Kings Mountain hit eight of 20 shots from three-point range, led by Robinette with 3 of 6 and Floyd with 2 of 3.
Hunter Huss won the girls game 72-19. Avery Bridges led the Lady Mountaineers with nine points.
Kings Mountain has two remaining regular season home games – Wednesday against non-conference foe Shelby and February 13 against BSC rival South Point. KM goes to Forestview on February 9 and Crest for the final regular season game on February 16.
GIRLS GAME
KM (19) – Martin 2, Pettis 4, Byrd 2, A. Bridges 9, M. Bridges 2.
Huss (72) – Graham 6, Harris 11, Griffin 9, Swann 16, Hoover 18, Love 4, Camp 6, Sanders 2.
BOYS GAME
KM (71) – Robinette 19, Lindsay 2, Nixon 18, B. Floyd 23, Linney 4, Huskey 2, J. Floyd 3.
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Aliyah Robertson with a two-point jump shot. (Photo wwKM Family YMCA)
KM Family YMCA Winter Basketball Week 5 scores
By Heath Walker

Kings Mountain Family YMCA finished its fifth week of basketball games and posted the following scores:

February 3, 2024

5-6 Co-Ed Division
Team Campbell 22 vs Team Trull 34
Team Campbell – Korrie Gilles 2 points
Team Trull – Braxton Oliver 8 points

Team Bridges 24 vs Team Higley 24
Team Bridges – Prince Shipp 8 points
Team Higley –Landen Price 22 points

7-8 Boys Division
Team Burgess 40 vs Team McLeymore 14
Team Burgess – Kolton Beaver 6 points
Team McLeymore – Jayden Lamb 12 points

Team Mo 10 vs Team Campbell 14
Team Mo – Charlie Clark 4 points
Team Campbell – Kayden Jones 2 points

7-9 Girls Division
Team Robertson 22 vs Ruby C Hunt 26
Team Robertson – Emma Saenz 6 points

9-10 Boys Division
Team Halk 14 vs Team Benedict 13
Team Halk – Jaxon Thompson 3 points
Team Benedict –Darryl Lewis III 2 points

Team Campbell 18 vs Team Price 20
Team Campbell – Jackson 7 points
Team Price –Know Toney 9 points

10-12 Girls Division
Team Surratt 37 vs Ruby C Hunt 3
Team Surratt – Maliyah Surratt 4 points

11-12 Boys Division
Team Bridges 15 vs Team Gaines 35
Team Bridges – Easton Wade 8 points
Team Gaines –Cheyann Cannedy 8 points

Team Villegas 7 vs Team Wright 36
Team Villegas – Jose Tinoco 4 points
Team Wright – Dylan Holland 6 points

13-15 Boys Division
Team Thacker 21 vs Team Villegas 24
Team Thacker – Javan Erwin 9 points
Team Villegas – Will Bridges 7 points

Team Mo 31 vs Team Bell 35
Team Mo – Skylar Garner 6 points
Team Bell –Jaylen Tate 15 points

16-18 Boys
Team Campbell 77 vs Team Mo 76
Team Campbell – Will Spicer 17 points
Team Mo – Jayden Byers 17 points

 

KM Middle closing in on division championship

Kings Mountain Middle School’s boys basketball team opened  a two-game lead in the chase for the Tri-County East Division title last week with an impressive 56-28 victory over second place Lincolnton.
The win gave the Patriots a 6-0 division record and 8-0 overall mark heading into their last four regular season games. They are almost assured of first place in their division heading into the post-season championship playoffs.
The Patriots were scheduled to host North Lincoln Monday.
Veteran KM coach Shane Cole called the first half of the Lincolnton game “one for the ages.”
The Patriots came out flat as they turned the ball over on their first two possessions to go down 5-0. After a time out, the Patriots rallied with six straight points. KJ Bell’s first of five three-point goals gave the Pats a 6-5 lead.
The quarter ended 8-all.
The second quarter was a see-saw battle as neither team could pull away. With the Wildcats up 12-8, Bell continued his hot shooting from deep as he connected on three more threes to keep the game tied at 19-all at intermission.
After halftime the Patriots turned it up on defense and caused seven turnovers, and their offense also got going. Xavier Hutchens hit the first of two and ones in the quarter and Silas Tate made three threes to help build a 36-21 lead in the first 2 ½ minutes and the Patriots never looked back. Christian Jarrett had five rebounds and Hutchens had there assists as KM outscored Lincolnton 23-3 to take a 42-22 lead into the final period.
Hutchens, Bell and Tate combined for 13 points to help seal the deal for the KM five as they outscored Lincolnton 23-3 in the final period. The defense limited Lincolnton to just nine second half points.
Tate finished with 16 points on 6 for 10 shooting. He hit three three-point shots, dished out three assists and had four steals on defense.
KJ Bell hit five of 10 threes and finished with 15 points and three rebounds.
Xavier Hutchens had 12 points on 5 for 7 shooting. He had four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Christian Jarrett hit 3 of 5 shots for six points and also had six rebounds and three steals.
Cam Houser had four points and three assists, Braylon Brown two points and one assist and Carlos Boyce one point and three rebounds.
KM hit 50 percent (14 of 28) of their shots from inside the arc and was 8 for 17 from three-point range.
The Patriots had 12 assists and 4 steals, caused 21 turnovers and committed only 10 turnovers.
Offensive Players of the Week:
-Silas Tate, 32 points, hitting 12 of 20 shots from the field and eight steals on defense.
-Xavier Hutchens, 20 points on 9 for 12 shooting from the field and 9 for 10 inside the arc; nine assists and seven steals.
-KJ Bell, 21 points with five threes made, eight rebounds and seven steals.
Defensive Player of the Week was Cam Houser with five assists and three steals.
Sixth Men of the Week were Carlos Boyce with seven points and Braylon Brown with five.

Patriots rout Burns to remain undefeated

Kings Mountain Middle School’s Patriots jumped on the Burns Eagles early in a 54-19 win last week to run their record to 5-0 in the conference and 7-0 overall.
Led by Carlos Boyce with four points, Xavier Hutchens with four and Silas Tate with five, the Patriots ran out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter. Six different players scored during the period.
After an eight-point run by the visiting team to cut the difference to 14, KM’s Cam Houser hit four points and a suffocating defense held Burns as the Patriots took a 38-10 lead into halftime.
KM turned up the defensive pressure in the third quarter and held the Eagles scoreless. KJ Bell contributed four points as the Patriots increased their lead to 47-10.
The fourth period saw Tate score seven of his team high 16 points. He hit six of 10 shots and had four steals.
Cam Houser added 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting and had two assists and two steals.
Xavier Hutchens hit four of five shots for eight points to go with five assists and four steals.
KJ Bell had six points, five rebounds and six steals.
Carlos Boyce scored six points on 3-for-4 shooting.
Christian Jarrett had three points and two assists, Braylon Brown three points and Amir Parker two points.
KM hit 15 for 23 shots for a 65 percent shooting night inside the paint.
The Patriots had 20 steals with Hutchens and Tate combining for 13 of them. The Patriots also had 14 assists and caused 26 turnovers.

KM falls to Crest,
defeats Cramer

Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers suffered a tough 79-78 loss to first place Crest but rebounded with a 69-39 win over Stuart Cramer last week.
The Mountaineers led the Chargers 36-33 at halftime but a 23-15 run by the Chargers gave them some breathing room before the Mountaineers came back to outscore them 29-23 in the final eight minutes to almost pull off the victory.
The Mountaineers placed four players in double figures with sophomore Bradley Floyd leading the way with 24 points. Tucker Robinette and Caleb Nixon added 15 apiece and Kee’don Linney 13.
Floyd had nine rebounds and Linney and Nixon had eight each.
Crest won the girls game 57-21.
The Mountaineers dominated Stuart Cramer from the opening tip, 68-39.
Bradley Floyd had his typical all-around great game with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Caleb Nixon added 14 points and Tucker Robinette 10. Ten different Mountaineers got in on the scoring.
The Mountaineers were just as powerful on defense as they held every Cramer player under double digits. Makhi Brown led the Storm with eight points.
The Mountaineers were scheduled to face a hot  Gastonia Ashbrook five last night and will host Hunter Huss Friday and North Gaston Tuesday.
GIRLS GAME
 Crest (57) – Allen 4, Blackwell 24, Freeman 2, Faulkner 2, Hayes 12, Smith 3, Davis 10.
KM (21) - Martin 2, Pettis 2, Byrd 2, A. Bridges 7, M. Bridges 4, Williams 2, Ford 2.

BOYS GAME
KM (78) – Robinette 15, Nixon 15, B. Floyd 24, Linney 13, J. Floyd 9, Foster 2.
GIRLS GAME
SC (76) – McDowery 4, Hall 6, Womack 7, Holland 47, McGinnis 4, Humphrey 4, Floyd 4.
KM (19) – Miller 3, Martin 2, Pettis 2, Wooten 2, M. Bridges 6, Ford 4.
BOYS GAME
KM (68) – Robinette 10, Lindsay 1, Nixon 14, Floyd 23, Linney 4, J. Floyd 3, Toms 3, Foster 6, Huskey 2, Cole 2.
SC (39) – Jordan 5, Robbs 2, Littlejohn 7, Fortenberry 1, Alexander 2, Cross 3, Stowe 4, Sykes 7, Brown 8.

 
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Kings Mountain High’s McKenzie Taylor has signed to continue cheerleading at Mars Hill University. She is pictured in the front row with her father Stuart Taylor, mother Jennifer Taylor and nieces and nephews. Back row, assistant principal Trey Robinson, her brother Aidan Taylor, sister Alyssa Smith, coach Sara McComas and athletic director Matt Bridges.

McKenzie Taylor signs to continue cheerleading at Mars Hill

Kings Mountain High’s McKenzie Taylor has signed to continue cheerleading at Mars Hill University. She is pictured in the front row with her father Stuart Taylor, mother Jennifer Taylor and nieces and nephews. Back row, assistant principal Trey Robinson, her brother Aidan Taylor, sister Alyssa Smith, coach Sara McComas and athletic director Matt Bridges.

2024 Conference
swim meet Finals

The Big South Conference championship was held Friday at Kings Mountain’s Neisler Natatorium. Forestview took the top spot with a combined team score of 593. South Point finished second with a score of 510 and Kings Mountain took third place with a combined score of 309. The rest of the combined team scoring was: Stuart Cramer 284, Crest 195, Hunter Huss 142, North Gaston 101 and Ashbrook 46.
Conference swimmers of the year were also rewarded. On the girls’ side, Arden Pallozzi and Ila Turner, both from South Point, shared the award. On the boys’ side three Forestview swimmers were awarded swimmer of the year, Andrew Taylor, William Peyton and Beckett Tabor.
Kings Mountain was well represented in the meet. Mason Demetro received all-conference  honors for finishing second in both the 200 Freestyle with a time of 1:54.98 and the 100 Butterfly with a time of 56.00. For the ladies, Callie Stimpson won the 100 Yard Butterfly with a time of 1:14.51 which also earned her All-Conference honors.
Medals were given to the top three finishers in each event. Medalist for Kings Mountain were, Demetro for 200 free and 100 butterfly, Stimpson for the 100 butterfly and the 200 yard freestyle, and Thomas Spicer for the 100 yard breaststroke.
Kings Mountain has four senior swimmers who swam their last home meet. Callie Stimpson, Mason Demetro, Caleb Marr and Turner Brown all had good performances.
While the season is over for most swimmers, there are several who have qualified for the West Regional swim meet this Saturday at the Mecklenburg Aquatic Center in Charlotte. Mason Demetro will compete in the 100 yard Butterfly and the 200 Yard Freestyle. Callie Stimpson will be competing in the 100 Yard Butterfly and Thomas Spicer has earned an automatic bid to the 100 Yard Breaststroke. The boys team also earned automatic bids for the 200 Yard Medley Relay, the 200 Yard freestyle Relay and the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay. The ladies have also qualified for the 400 Relay.
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KMHS swimmer Mason Demetro (left) received his medal for the 100 Fly. William Peyton (center) and James Gunter (right), both from Forestview.

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KMHS SENIOR SWIMMERS L-R: Caleb Marr, Mason Demetro, Turner Brown and Callie Stimpson.

KM men beat Jaguars but lose at South Point

 Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers split a pair of Big South 3A Conference games last week, defeating Forestview 93-43 Tuesday at Parker Gym and losing to South Point 84-81 Friday in Belmont.
 The locals were scheduled to host Crest last night in their final Big South first round games. Shelby will be here Wednesday and Stuart Cramer Friday and KM goes to Gastonia Ashbrook on Tuesday, Jan. 30.
 Bradley Floyd led the Mountaineers in last week’s contest, hitting 17 in the win over Forestview and 24 in the loss at South Point.
Three other Mountaineers – Tucker Robinette with 13, Charlie Foster with 12 and Jordan Floyd with 10 – also hit double figures as the Mountaineers improved their Big South record to 4-1 and overall mark to 10-3.
 They ran into a hot South Point squad in Belmont and dropped to 4-2 in the league heading into a game last night at home against first place Crest. They host Shelby in a non-conference battle Wednesday and Stuart Cramer comes to town Friday. The locals hit the road again January 30 at Gastonia Ashbrook and will be back in Parker Gym Tuesday, Feb. 6 against North Gaston’s Wildcats.
 The Lady Mountaineers lost both of their games last week, falling to Forestview 63-19 and South Point 61-20.
 Mia Bridges scored 10 to lead the scoring against South Point. The Lady Raiders led 20-4 after the first period, 40-16 at the half and 55-16 going into the fourth period.

BOYS GAMES
 KM (81) – Floyd 24, Robinette 19, Linney 16, Nixon 10, J. Floyd 6, Huskey 2, Foster 2, Lindsay 2.
 SP (84) – Bradley 22, Kines 16, Williams 14, Harris 12, Petty 10, Woods 6, Hunt 2.
KM (93) – B. Floyd 17, Robinette 17, Foster 12, Floyd 10, Linney 9, Huskey 8, Lindsay 8, Toms 7, Nixon 5, Maddox 2, Cole 2.
FV (43) – Helton 19, Aguiliar 9, Crisp 6, Young 5, Kendrick 2. Thompson 2.

GIRLS GAMES
 KM (20) – Martin 2, Pettis 4, A. Bridges 4, M. Bridges 10.
 SP (61) – M. Frank 10, Birtwhistle 6, C. Frank 15, Wallace 4, Hube 6, French 9, Risk 2, Graham 8, Kelly 1.
 KM (19) – Miller 3, Pettis 3, Byrd 6, Williams 1, Symonds 1, Dixon-Velez 1, Fleming 2, Ford 2.
 FV (63) – Phillips 10, Baker 5, Neely 11, Dunch 2, Ivevbele 3, Ferguson 14, Thompson 6, Johnson 2, Anthaony 2, Springs 4, Riley 4.
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Bernardo Hernandez and Maynor Lopez

KMHS swim team wins BIG at
Cleveland County Annual Swim meet

On Friday January 16, Kings Mountain hosted the annual Cleveland County Swim meet. All four county schools participated. All four schools were well represented and each had standouts in different events, however, Kings Mountain came out the big winner on the night edging out Shelby with a combined team score of 478 to 474. Final scores for the boys’ teams were KM-285, Shelby -273, Crest 69.5 and Burns 67.5. On the ladies side Crest was the winner with a score of 298. Shelby finished second with a 201, Kings Mountain finished with a 193 and Burns finished with a 106.
The night got started with the 200 yard medley relay. Shelby’s ladies, consisting of Ella Hensley, Abby Haydon, Addie Walker and Leanne McDowell, won the event with a time of 2:20.86. Crest finished second and KM finished Third.
In the boys medley relay KM finished strong with a 2:00.83 to take the victory. KM team members included Turner Brown, Thomas Spicer, Mason Demetro and Caleb Marr. Shelby finished second in the event.
Reese Gettys from Crest won the 200 freestyle event for the girls with a time of 2:22.0 and Mason Demetro from KM won the boys event with a time of 2:03.88.
The 200 yard individual medley was won by Kateley Canipe from Crest and Garrett Urash from Shelby.
The 50 yard freestyle saw defending state champion Alexandra Tysinger from Burns turn in a time of 25.03 to take the top spot. Turner Brown from Kings Mountain won the boys race with a time of 27.99.
The 100 Yard butterfly was also won by Burn’s Tysinger followed closely by Callie Stimpson from KM. On the boy’s side Miles Gragg from Shelby took the top spot just ahead of Demetro from KM.
Addie McMurry from Crest and Nick Sanchez from Crest won the 100 yard freestyle in their respected classes.
In the 500 yard freestyle Addie Walker from Shelby came in first with Tianna Kaiser, Kallie Hope and Katherine Frye from KM all turning in good times. On the boys’ side Trey Goforth from Shelby took the top spot ahead of Hunter Ruppe and Wynn McConaghy from KM. Maynor Lopez from Km finished fifth.
The KM boys once again showed their dominance ion the relays by winning the 200 yard Freestyle Relay. Marr, Spicer, Brown and Demetro turned in a time of 1:52.01 for the win. On the girls’ side Crest finished first, Shelby second and KM third.
The 100 yard backstroke had Shelby girls taking the top 2 spots in Addie Walker and Ella Hensley. For the boys Troy Spangler from Burns finished first followed by Turner Brown and Caleb Marr from KM.
The 100 yard Breaststroke was taken by Abby Haydon from Shelby followed by Callie Stimpson from KM. Miles Gragg and Garrett Urash from Shelby took the top spots followed by Thomas Spicer from KM in the boys’ race.
The last race of the night was the 400 yard freestyle relay. Shelby took both the girls and boys races with a time of 4:44.27 and 4:18.41. Kings Mountain boys finished second with a team consisting of Bernardo Hernandez, Hunter Ruppe, Wynn McConaghy and Maynor Lopez.
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KMHS WRESTLING TEAM

KM second, Culp MVP in Big South wrestling tournament

Kings Mountain High’s wrestling team finished second to North Gaston in the individual conference championship tournament Saturday.
The Wildcats compiled 173.5 points to KM’s 173.
KM’s Jaelen Culp was named the most outstanding wrestler.
Kings Mountain got first place finishes from Luis Davis, Will Barner, Jaelen Culp and Ja Currie.
Lucas Davis finished second and Braedon Jones, Kamari Coleman, Chance Habel and Donovan Cavender were third.
Kings Mountain will be wrestling in the first and second rounds of the dual team state tournament on Saturday.
The Western Regional individual tournament will be February 9-10 at Pisgah High School and the individual state championship will be February 15-17 at the Greensboro Coliseum.
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Coach Shane Cole

KM Middle defeats West Lincoln
to give Coach Shane Cole 100 wins

Kings Mountain Middle School’s Patriots rolled over West Lincoln 58-18 last week to give head coach Shane Cole his 100th victory.
The Patriots jumped all over West 13-2 and never looked back in posting their fifth straight win of the season.
Christian Jarrett led the way with eight points during the first quarter as the Patriots rolled to a 21-4 advantage.
The second quarter saw the Patriots pick up the defensive tempo. KJ Bell and Xavier Hutchens combined for several steals and Silas Tate pitched in with seven of his game-high 16 points for a 41-12 halftime lead.
KM’s offense stalled a bit in the third as the home team only scored six points, but the Patriots kept up their defensive intensity by limiting West to four.
King Moore and Ashtun Hall got in on the scoring to pace the KM squad with a combined four points in the fourth period as the Patriots completed the blowout.
Silas Tate finished with 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting and also had two steals. Christian Jarrett hit five of nine shots for 10 points and hauled down three rebounds.
Xavier Huchens had nine points on 3 for 4 shooting, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
KJ Bell scored seven points, grabbed four rebounds and had five steals.
King Moore scored four points and had three rebounds. Ashtun Hall had four points on 2-for-2 shooting, Brylon Brown three points and three assists, Amir Parker three points, Cam Houser two points and AJ Parker three rebounds, one assist and a steal.
KM shot 18 of 34 (53 percent) inside the arc and had 16 steals. The defense caused 26 turnovers while the KM offense had just seven turnovers. The KM bench scored 16 points.

 
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Erik Solberg

Solberg appointed head coach
for women's soccer at GWU

Gardner-Webb President Dr. William M. Downs has named Erik Solberg the next head coach of the GWU women’s soccer program, the Department of Athletics announced on Friday, Jan. 12. Solberg joins GWU after four seasons as the head coach at the University of Arkansas Pine-Bluff (UAPB).
“Our Women’s Soccer team deserves a leader who is committed to sharpening the competitive skills of each and every student-athlete, and Coach Erik Solberg has demonstrated his dedication to player development throughout his entire career,” praised Downs. “When we interviewed Solberg for the position, I heard three important pledges: first, he promised to outwork anyone; second, he promised to leverage GWU’s facilities and resources to ensure that his teams compete at the very top of the Big South Conference on a yearly basis; and, third, he dared to envision leading his Runnin’ Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Exceptional effort, unquestioned integrity, and limitless ambition … those are the qualities that distinguish Erik Solberg and that made him our top choice.”
   At UAPB (2020-2023), Solberg steadied a program after being named the Golden Lions’ sixth different head coach in an eight-year span. By his third season in Pine Bluff, Solberg led UAPB to a 9-11 overall record, its best season since 2016, and a 4-4-1 conference record, the program’s best record in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play since 2015. The 2022 season opened with a 1-0 victory over Arkansas State University, the program’s first win over a Division I foe outside of conference play since 2011.
In 2023, the Golden Lions again finished with nine wins, completing the program’s best two-year stretch since 2010-2011. This past season, Solberg’s Golden Lions led the SWAC in scoring, finishing 18th-nationally in total goals (49) and 20th-nationally in goals per game (2.33).
   During his tenure at UAPB, Solberg coached 12 all-conference players, including a SWAC Offensive Player of the Year (2022), Defensive Player of the Year (2023), and Freshman of the Year (2022), with eight SWAC Player of the Week recognitions.
Solberg is the only head coach in UAPB history to lead his team to four consecutive SWAC Tournament appearances. In each of Solberg’s four seasons at UAPB, the Golden Lions outperformed their preseason ranking.
“Erik is a highly respected Division I head coach, and an incredibly hard worker, with a positive can-do attitude that will inspire our team and unite our community behind this women’s soccer program,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Andrew T. Goodrich.
   Prior to Pine Bluff, Solberg was the head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State University for one season (2019), where he led the Rangers to a 7-10-1 record, doubling their win total from the previous season and posting the program’s highest win total since becoming a full NCAA Division II member. Four of Solberg’s players earned all-conference recognition, including the Newcomer of the Year, as Northwestern Oklahoma posted its highest point total in conference play since 2004.
Solberg brings eight years of head coaching experience to Boiling Springs, having previously spent three seasons at Division III East Texas Baptist University (2016-2018), where he went 27-21-7. In 2017, Solberg led the Tigers to a program-record 13 wins, including an upset victory over NCAA Division I Alcorn State University. Under his leadership, two Tigers earned all-region honors and 17 players were named all-conference selections, including the American Southwestern Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.
   Prior to his time at East Texas, Solberg was an assistant coach at East Central University (2014-2015). He also served one season as a volunteer assistant at Nicholls State University (2013).
A native of Arlington Heights, Ill., Solberg was a student-athlete at the University of Mississippi, competing at the varsity level on the track and field and cross-country teams and scoring for the Rebels at the 2009 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Cross Country Championships. He was named to the SEC Honor Roll for the 2009-10 season and, during a season of graduate eligibility at Southeastern Louisiana University, was named to the Southland Conference Honor Roll.
“I’m truly honored and blessed to be named the head women’s soccer coach at Gardner-Webb University,” Solberg asserted. “I’d first like to thank President Downs, Dr. Goodrich, and Coach Scott Wells for entrusting me with the privilege of leading this program. It was immediately apparent in the interview process that Gardner-Webb is a special, tight-knit place with a clear vision for success and deep investment in athletics, academics, and spiritual life such that I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I’d also like to say thank you to my family, especially my wife, Shelby, for their steadfast support, sacrifice, and encouragement.”
He continued, “Lastly, I want to express my gratitude to Chris Peterson, Chris Robinson, and the rest of the UAPB administration for giving me the opportunity to lead that program, as I’m tremendously proud of what we built together.”
Solberg takes over as the seventh head coach in Gardner-Webb program history. He holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Ole Miss (’12) and a Master’s of Education with a concentration in sports administration from East Central (’15). Solberg and his wife Shelby have two sons, Hayes and Harris. “My family and I are excited to be part of the Cleveland County community, and usher in a new era of Bulldog Women’s Soccer,” Solberg pledged. “I believe there is no limit to what we can accomplish together.”