YMCA KM United Soccer Club won the Impact Crossroads Classic Tournament

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.

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

 

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.

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.

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.

 

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.”

Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers resumed Big South 3A Conference basketball action last week with wins over Hunter Huss 66-52 and North Gaston 80-54.
The Mountaineers were scheduled to host the Forestview Jaguars last night and will travel to South Point on Friday. They face West Charlotte at 12:30 p.m. Saturday in the Hopewell Invitational Tournament and will host current BSC leader Crest on Tuesday, Jan. 23.
The Mountaineers basically held the lead all night against last week’s opponents.
They went up 21-17 over Huss in the first quarter before the Huskies rebounded and took a 36-35 lead into the halftime break. KM came back to lead 45-42 after the third period and outscored the Huskies 21-10 in the fourth to win going away.
J’Mun Huskey led the Mountaineers with 17 points and Bradley Floyd added 12. Trimmell Dunlap led the Huskies with 17.
The Mountaineers had three men in double figures and nine different players to score in their rout of North Gaston.
Bradley Floyd led the way with 23 points. Caleb Nixon added 18 and Kee’donn Linney 14 as the Mountaineers ran their record to 3-1 in the Big South and 9-3 overall. Heading into last night’s action the Mountaineers were tied with Ashbrook for second place. Crest leads the race with a perfect 4-0 BSC record and 9-1 overall mark.
The Lady Mountaineers saw their record drop to 0-4 in the BSC and 0-10 overall with losses of 45-36 to North Gaston and 58-14 at Huss.
The powerful Huss ladies stormed to a 16-2 first quarter lead and were up 37-6 at the half and 53-11 going into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Mountaineers played probably their best game of the year against North Gaston. They trailed by just 14-12 after the first period, 18-16 at the half and 33-29 going into the fourth period. Bridges led the scoring with 11 points and Martin had 10.
It was North Gaston’s first conference win.
BOYS GAMES
KM (80) – B. Floyd 23, Nixon 18, Linney 14, Cole 7, Lindsay 5, Foster 4, J. Floyd 4, Robinette 3, Huskey 2.
NG (54) – Carothers 16, Lattimore 15, Howard 10, Hill 7, Burris 2, Guerrero 2, Huggins 2.
KM (66) – Huskey 17, B. Floyd 12, Robinette 9, Linney 8, Nixon 6, J. Floyd 6, Lindsay 5, Foster 3.
HH (52) – Dunlap 17, Gladden 9, Pattis 6, Duff 6, Phillips 6, Barnette 5, Falls 3.
GIRLS GAMES
KM (36) – Martin 10, A. Bridges 11, Wooten 9, Williams 2, Dixon-Velez 1, Fleming 2, Ford 1.
NG (45) – Arrowood 7, Thomas 2, Littlejohn 19, Brown 17.
KM (14) – Martin 2, Wooten 5, Williams 5, Dixon-Velez 2.
HH (58) – Harris 8, Swann 11, Hoover 27, Camp 7, Love 4.

By Alan Hodge

Last Saturday, January 13, 2024, saw Cleveland Community College celebrate the grand opening of its newly renovated Yetis gym with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The atmosphere inside the gleaming gym was electric with excitement. In addition to the ribbon cutting, two thrilling basketball games took place that saw the CCC Yetis men’s and women’s teams take on the Bryant & Stratton College (Va) Bobcats. The Yetis women fell 55-84 and the men won 100-79.
The ribbon cutting took place between the games. The ribbon cutting was the culmination of work that has transformed the gym from a ho-hum space to a state of the art athletic and other activities edifice.
Extensive work was completed in the gym last year, most notably the installation of new hardwood flooring featuring the Yeti head. In addition, new locker rooms were built for both home and visitor teams, new flooring was installed on the walking track and a new Yeti Club room was constructed.
Much of the work was done by CCC’s maintenance staff with help from a few contractors.
CCC public relations/media spokesperson Paula Vess woman explained the evolution of the gym.
“In 2021, the first phase of the Yeti Athletics Complex was completed with the construction of a new baseball field. A new softball field was completed a little more than a year later. The softball field was finished during the off-season in 2022, and we held a grand opening in February 2023.
The Board of Trustees approved adding volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball in May 2022, which created the need to completely renovate the gym. At the time, the gym floor was covered in carpet, there were no bleachers, and although there were men’s and women’s locker rooms next to the gym, they weren’t equipped to meet the needs of competitive teams and there was no visitor locker room.”
Key spaces in the gym are named in honor of key CCC personalities and loved ones.
The named spaces in the gym are: The Chloe and Gracie Langley Scoreboard was named by Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Allen Langley to honor his daughters. The Joe and Terri King Scoreboard was named by Trustee Wayne King to honor his parents. The King Family Locker Room (home team locker room) was named by Trustee Wayne King to honor his family. The Berry Family Yeti Club Room was named by Trustee Tony Berry to honor his family. The Charles Carrigan Memorial Wall was named by Trustee Betty Carrigan in memory of her husband.
Several dignitaries shared their thoughts on the new gym project. Remarks were rendered by CCC President Dr. Jason Hurst, Board of Trustees’ Chair Bill Turpish, Cleveland Community College Foundation Board of Directors Chair Steve Padgett, and the donors who named several features in the gym.
 “This journey began in spring 2022 when the Board of Trustees approved adding women’s volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball, along with track and field and eSports,” said Hurst. “A year ago, this gym looked drastically different, Now, the gym is filled with athletes, excitement and cheering fans. It brings new life to our campus. Today, we celebrate an historical occasion with the gym’s grand opening.”
Padgett thanked those who contributed to the gym project.
“It was the great generosity of the donors who made this possible,” he said.
Langley spoke about the impact the new gym will have.
“This is an investment in all of our students,” he said.
King added his thoughts on the forward thinking that made the gym happen.
“It’s amazing what happens when people have a vision,” he said. “The sky is the limit for this institution.”
Overall, the day was an upbeat milestone in the ever-evolving growth of CCC and the positive impact it has on our region.

Kings Mountain Middle School’s men’s basketball team got its 2024 season off to a great start last week by sweeping the Cleveland County Tournament championship.
The Patriots got off to a roaring start, defeating Crest 53-27 in the opening round.
Christian Jarrett’s offensive put back on the Patriots’ first possession and a bank three-pointer by KJ Bell sparked a 12-0 run and the Patriots never looked back. Silas Tate scored six points in the quarter as the Patriots took a 20-3 lead after the first period.
During the second period the Patriots cooled down just a bit. Tristan McCorkle hit a three and Cam Houser added a free throw to keep the lead at 17 points. KM took a 28-11 lead into halftime.
The Patriots doubled the score in the third quarter. KJ Bell and Silas Tate both hit threes during that stretch.
The fourth quarter saw the Patriots score the first 10 points to take their biggest lead at 50-20. Amir Parker, Nemo Hogue and Ashtun Hall got into the scoring act to account for the final 53-27 score.
KM had 10 players to score and reserves scored 16 points.
KJ Bell led the Patriots with 13 points and Silas Tate added 10. Carlos Boyce and Christian Jarrett scored six points each, Xavier Hutchens five, Cam House three, Tristan McCorkle three, Amir Parker three, Ashtun Hall two and Nemo Hogue two.
The Patriots had only one turnover in the first half.
The Patriots defeated the Shelby Blue Devils 48-21 in the championship game.
With the game tied at 3-3 midway of the first quarter, the Patriots went to a half-court trap and caused five turnovers in a row for an 8-0 run. They ended the quarter up 11-3 as KJ Bell and Carlos Boyce scored four points apiece.
KM kept up its defensive tempo in the second half. Xavier Hutchens, Cam Houser and Silas Tate got in on the scoring action to extend the Patriots’ lead to 17-6 going into the halftime break.
KM got hot offensively in the third period, outscoring Shelby 19-4. Boyce scored eight points and Tate six and the KM defense gave up just two field goals through three periods of action.
KM finished the game strong to win its first ever Cleveland County basketball championship. AJ Parker, Tristan McCorkle and Bryson Brown finished off the team scoring.
KM had nine players to score and got 24 points from the bench. The Patriots hit 22 of 30 shots from two-point range.
Silas Tate and KJ Bell, who scored 20 and 19 points respectively, were named Offensive Players of the Week.
Defensive Players of the Week were Christin Jarrett, who had several rebounds and blocked shots, and Cam Houser who had several steals and provided overall energy.
Sixth Men of the Week were Carlos Boyce, who scored 21 points off the bench, and Tristan McCorkle who provided solid leadership and play off the bench.
KM was scheduled to play Lincolnton Monday afternoon. The Patriots will go to North Lincoln Thursday and will host West Lincoln at 4:15 on January 16.

Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers defeated three strong opponents to win their annual holiday tournament last week at Donald L. Parker Gymnasium.
Their toughest battle came in the championship game when they edged the Providence Day Chargers 51-50 after defeating Palisades 69-61 in Wednesday’s opener and Gaston Day 86-79 in Thursday’s semi-finals.
The visitors jumped out to a 20-15 lead after the first period and took a 30-23 lead into halftime. The Mountaineers outscored the Chargers 19-13 in the third quarter to cut the margin to trail by just one point (43-42) after three and ended the fourth quarter on a 9-7 run to wrap up the title.
Bradley Floyd led three double-digit KM scorers with 18 points. Caleb Nixon added 12 by hitting four of seven threes and Kee’donn Linney added 11.
J’mun Huskey pulled down 11 rebounds.
The Mountaineers advanced to the championship game on Thursday night with a tough 67-48 win over Gaston Day School.
The Mountaineers jumped out to a 15-10 lead in the first period but Gaston Day kept it close and went into the break down by 31-26. A hot third quarter basically sealed the win as the Mountaineers outscored Gaston Day 23-8 to take a 54-34 lead into the final chapter.
Bradley Floyd led the KM attack with 27 points and Robinette added 14.
The Mountaineers edged a good Palisades team 69-61 in Wednesday’s opening round. KM led 17-11 after the first period, 39-24 at the break and 58-42 going into the fourth quarter.
Kings Mountain had three double-digit scorers and just missed having five. Robinette led the way with 17 points, Caleb Nixon added 12 and Bradley Floyd 10. Charlie Foster and J’mun Huskey scored nine apiece.
The Mountaineers will resume regular season play tonight at Weddington. Big South Conference play resumes on Tuesday, Jan. 9 at Hunter Huss. JV action
See WIN, Page 2B
From Page 1B
 begins at 4 p.m. with varsity games beginning at approximately 6 and 7:30.
Kings Mountain will stay on the road on Friday, Jan. 12 at North Gaston. The next home games are against Forestview on Tuesday, Jan. 16.
 KM 69, Palisades 61
KM – Robinette 17, Lindsay 2, Nixon 12, B. Floyd 10, Linney 8, J. Floyd 2, Foster 9, Huskey 9.
KM 67, GASTON DAY 48
KM – Robinette 14, Nixon 5, B. Floyd 27, Linney 2, J. Floyd 7, Foster 2, Huskey 6, Cole 4.
GD – Putnam 2, Self 5, Ka. Surratt 8, Norris 10, Johnson 5, Clay 12, Ke. Surratt 2, Beam 4.
KM 51, PROVIDENCE DAY 50
KM – Robinette 1, C. Nixon 12, B. Floyd, 18, Linney 11, Foster 3, Huskey 6.