Kings Mountain High’s golf team for the spring 2022 season has won numerous matches and is in the running for the Big South Conference championship.  Front row, left to right, Josh Gillespie, Cooper Putnam, Caleb Marr and Alex Browning. Back row, left to right, Michael King, Bruce Brown, Gabe Short, Baylor Benton, Will Spicer, Thomas Spicer and Coach Kevin Moss.                                                                                                                                                Photos by Gary Smart
 

Kings Mountain senior right hander Charlie Melton pitched three innings of perfect baseball and the Mountaineers hit what is believed to be an all-time single game record two grand slam home runs in a 3 and ½ inning 22-0 victory over the Hunter Huss Huskies Friday night at KM’s Lancaster Field.
It was actually the Huskies’ home game as their field was not playable. With KM up 14-0 at the end of three innings the coaches and umpires gathered at home plate to discuss whether or not to end the game. With the Huskies due to bat again in the bottom of the fourth, they elected to continue but after the rains became harder and the pitcher’s rubber dangerously slick the umpires decided to end it after KM scored eight runs in the top of the fourth to account for the final margin.
Melton struck out the first seven Huss batters before their Edward Roberts grounded to third. Melton then fanned ninth place hitter Isaiah Adair to complete the ‘perfecto.’ Although his pitching was perfect, he would not have been credited with a perfect game if it had continued because his father and head coach Brad Melton planned to send Zane Brockman to the mound in the bottom of the fourth.
After scoring just one run in the top of the first on Jacob Hamrick’s triple and RBI groundout by Brockman, the Mountaineer bats would not be silenced by Huss starter Zack Kimmell and his replacement Joe Harmatage.
Kings Mountain sent all nine men to the plate in the top of the second and scored five more runs to go up 6-0. The big blow was Caleb Broome’s grand slam home run.
Cole Irby’s leadoff home run over the dead centerfield fence sparked an eight-run rally in the third to make it 14-0. Melton followed with the second of his three hits for the night, a double to left. He stole third and scored an out later on a single by Hunter Ellis. After a hit batsman and a walk loaded the bases, Jacob Hamrick hit a grand slam.
The Mountaineers added eight more in their final at-bat. Coach Melton was working in all of his players and the reserves helped out an eight-run assault that finished the game. Brayden Patrick had a single and three-run home run, Melton a three-run homer, Marty Lovingood and Ethan Guy doubles, and Jack Toney and Babay Moore singles.

Kings Mountain High’s track teams opened their spring ’22 season Thursday at home with a double victory in their annual Mountaineer Relays.
Both KM teams finished far ahead of their closest competitor in a race that involved four other area high schools.
In boys action, the Mountaineers piled up 103 points to far out distance Shelby with 66.5, Cherryville 64.5, Ashbrook 35 and Stuart Cramer 32.
In girls action, the Lady Mountaineers dominated as well, leaving their county rival Shelby in the dust, 106-67. Stuart Cramer ran third with 45 points followed by Cherryville with 34 and Gastonia Ashbrook with 27.
The Kings Mountain men recorded five first place finishes. Andre Willis was first in the 110 high hurdles in 15.65, Parker Key won the 3200 meters in 10:42, Alex Jackson took the shot put with a throw of 45’3”, D’Andre Hoyle won the triple jump with a leap of 38’1”, and Nicolas Harrison was first in the pole vault, clearing the bar at an even ten feet.
The KM ladies also recorded five first place finishes.
Divinity Ervin won the 3200 meter run in 14:04, followed closely by her teammate Sindy Ulloa in 15:27. Both are juniors.
Sophomore Alathia Willis finished second to Ally Hollifield of Shelby in the 100 meter hurdles. Hollifield won with a 19.68 to Willis’s 20.29 and KM’s Taniya Brown and Nicole Poston at 20.93 and 21.74, respectively.
KM’s 4x100 relay team ran fourth behind Shelby, Ashbrook and Cherryville. Lady Mountaineers crossing the line in 56.90 were Nevaeh Brown, Lawren Thomas, Nyadria Phillips and Janiya Hunt.
Kings Mountain’s A team won the throwers relay in 1:04.31. They were Ashley Blanton, Nydria Watkins, Jailen Moore and Rayna Brown.
KM’s Thaliah Kushman, Divinity Irvin, Sindy Ulloa and Carley Evans won the 4x800 relay in 12:52.53. Parker Wilson, Kinley Putnam, Ashley Gural and Kushman finished second in the 4x400 relay.
Kings Mountain was fourth in the sprint medley in 2:16.41. Members of the team were Nevaeh Brown, Nyadria Phillips, Janiya Hunt and Lawren Thomas.
Divinity Ervin, Parker Wilson, Cary Evans and Thalia Kushman finished second to Shelby in the distance medley. Their time was 16:01.81.
Sophomore Alexis Jackson was third in the high jump with a jump of 4’6”.
Kings Mountain swept the pole vault. Senior Rayna Brown and freshman Kinley Putnam led the way, both clearing 6’6”. They were followed by juniors Ashley Blanton and Aaliyah Black who cleared 6 and 5 feet, respectively.
Sophomores Janiya Hunt and Alexis Jackson finished second and third, respectively in the long jump. Hunt cleared 15’3” and Jackson 13’11W. Sophomore Alathia Willis was fifth with a jump of 13’3”.
Jackson won the triple jump, going 29’1”.
Taylor Smith threw the shot 26’5” to finish in third place. Jailen Moore was fifth at 24’8.50.
Taylor Smith was fourth in the discus with a throw o

Kings Mountain sent 15 men to the plate in the fourth inning and scored nine runs to put away the Hunter Huss Huskies 11-0 on the mercy rule in the two teams’ Big South Conference opener Tuesday night at Lancaster Field.
Mountaineer pitchers Jack Toney, Colton Mayes and Brayden Patrick combined for a two-hitter, allowing just an infield single to Ben Kimmell in the second and a single to right by Kimmell in the fourth. The KM hurlers combined for 11 strikeouts.
The Mountaineers scored the only run they would need in the third inning when Hunter Ellis doubled and scored on a single to right by Maddox Brown.
Peyton Fisher put the Mountaineers up 2-0 in the third inning when he singled to center, stole second and came all the way home from second on a wild pitch.
The floodgates opened in the bottom of the fourth when Hunter Ellis reached base on an error. Hamrick, Charlie Melton and Kenyon Moore had the only hits during that uprising but the Mountaineers also took advantage of six walks, three stolen bases, three errors, two hit batsmen and a sacrifice fly by Colton Mayes.

Kings Mountain’s Mountaineers, wearing their throw-back 1989 state championship black and gold uniforms, opened the home portion of their ’22 season Thursday night with a 4-0 victory over the Shelby Golden Lions.
Charlie Melton started and pitched five strong innings, giving up just a first inning double to the Lions’ Stephen Pack while striking out nine. Overall, KM pitchers recorded 14 strikeouts.
Jack Toney pitched the sixth inning and struck out three of the four batters he faced. The other reached base on an error.
Brayden Patrick worked the final inning and fanned two.
Kings Mountain’s offense wasn’t that explosive as Shelby pitchers combined for eight strikeouts while giving up just two hits.
The Mountaineers scored what turned out to be the winning run in the bottom of the first when Caleb Broome walked and gained second, third and home on Shelby errors.
KM added another pair in the third, sending seven men to the plate and getting their only hits from Jacob Hamrick and Peyton Fisher.
Hamrick got things going with one out with a hard smash just inside the foul line at third base. One run scored on an error and the other on a sacrifice fly to center by Cole Irby.
Maddox Brown, who was hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the fourth, scored the final run on an error.
The Mountaineers opened their season the previous Tuesday with a 6-2 loss to the Burns Bulldogs in Lawndale. The Mountaineers managed just two hits, but one was a monster home run by Fisher. KM’s only other hit was a single by Broome.
Wyatt Davis started and pitched four strong innings. The Bulldogs pulled away later in the game.
“It was a very cold night,” noted Coach Brad Melton. “Wyatt did a good job. I just don’t like to pitch someone an entire game when it’s that cold.”
Kings Mountain dropped a 4-3, eight-inning decision to a traditionally powerful 2A East Rutherford team Friday night at Lancaster Field.
East grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the second and the Mountaineers came back with three in the sixth to tie things up. East scored the winning run in the top of the eighth and held off the Mountaineers in the bottom of the inning.
Fisher and Davis shared pitching duties for the Mountaineers and Isaac Lee and Avery Strange pitched for the Cavaliers.
Kings Mountain was scheduled to travel to Blacksburg, SC Tuesday for a non-conference game and will go to Gaffney, SC tonight before hosting Enka Friday at 7 p.m. The Mountaineers will begin Big South Conference play Tues., March 15 at home against the Hunter Huss Huskies.

Kings Mountain High’s women’s softball team had their bats booming in a 19-0 victory over the Shelby Lady Lions Friday night in Shelby.
Alayna Patrick, Saniya Wilson and Austyn Dixon all had multiple hit games and Dixon slammed a two-run homer in the top of the second inning.
Kali Weaver took care of Shelby on the mound, allowing just two hits while striking out 10.
The Lady Mountaineers opened their regular season last week with a 3-0 loss to Chase on the road.
Weaver surrendered just  one earned run. She gave up only three hits and struck out five.
Weaver, Patrick and Dixon led the KM hitting.
The Lady Mountaineers were scheduled to open the home portion of their season last night against East Rutherford’s Lady Cavaliers.
Kings Mountain will open Big South 3A Conference play on March 15 at home against the Hunter Huss Huskies. Action begins at 6 p.m.

Kings Mountain High’s men’s and women’s varsity basketball teams ended their regular season last week with second place finishes in the annual Big South 3A Conference tournament and are playing in the state 3A tournament this week.
Both local teams were scheduled to open post-season play last night at home.  The women, ranked #16, were to face #17 Canton Pisgah with the winner advancing to a Thursday bout against the winner of the #1 Jesse Carson vs. #32 West Charlotte game;  and the men, ranked #14, were to battle 19th seed Southern Guilford with the winner advancing to the winner of the #3 Crest vs. #30 Ashe County contest.
The Lady Mountaineers, who tied with Ashbrook for the regular season conference championship, dropped a tough rubber-match decision to the Lady Green Wave 62-61 in the conference tournament finale Friday at Crest High School.
The Mountaineers, who finished a strong second to Crest in the men’s race, lost to the mighty Chargers again in the tournament finals, 69-59.
Like their two regular season games, the women’s tournament finale was a barn-burner. Ashbrook jumped out to a big 24-15 lead in the first quarter and was on top 37-27 at the half and 52-47 going into the fourth quarter. But, the KM ladies made it interesting at the end.
A Saniya Wilson layup with under a minute to play tied the game at 60-60. Ashbrook threw the ball out of bounds with 22 seconds left. Wilson was able to take a baseline inbounds pass from Alayna Patrick the length of the floor and was fouled with nine seconds left.
She hit one of the two free throws to give the Lady Mountaineers the lead, but Ashbrook’s Kennette Bess was able to get to the free throw line with 4.5 seconds to play and hit both ends of a one-and-one to give the Lady Green Wave their victory margin. Wilson missed a buzzer beater from just beyond the arc as time expired.
Wilson finished with another spectacular night with 34 points, giving her a record 1,672 in four years on the KM varsity. She also had six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.
Khalia King had 13 points and three rebounds, Tyasya Bell seven points and four rebounds, Alayna Patrick four points, nine rebounds and four assists, CoRey Simpson three points and five rebounds, Austyn Dixon nine rebounds and Jacie Jarvis three rebounds.
The Crest men basically led wire to wire in the nightcap. The Chargers were on top 16-12 after the first quarter, 40-25 at the break and 47-40 going into the fourth quarter.
Kings Mountain put up a good fight in the fourth, scoring the first six points and cutting the margin to 47-46 on a three-pointer by Zeke Cannedy with six minutes left. Crest widened the margin again but Kofi Boakye’s free throw brought the margin to within 59-56. With time running out the Mountaineers were forced into a fouling situation and the Chargers iced the win at the charity stripe.
In semi-finals action Wednesday night, the KM ladies beat a very good Hunter Huss team 59-49 and the men eliminated a good Stuart Cramer team 72-61.
The Lady Mountaineers placed three players in double figures, led by Wilson with 24. Simpson scored 11 and King 10. Wilson also had six rebounds, three assists and five steals, Simpson 15 rebounds and King two rebounds.
Jacie Jarvis had five points and two rebounds, Alayna Patrick four points, five rebounds and five steals, Tyasya Bell four points, nine rebounds and two steals, and Austyn Dixon one point, 10 rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The Mountaineers advanced to the championship game by defeating a good Stuart Cramer team, 72-61.
Cannedy and James were a strong 1-2 punch for the Mountaineers with 23 and 22 points, respectively. Zavian Smith had nine points, Curtis Simpson seven, Bryson Brown and Jaqualyn Sanders two each and Priest Wilson one.
Cannedy had 11 rebounds and five assists, James seven boards and six assists, Simpson 14 rebounds and two blocks and Sanders four steals.
The Mountaineers broke away from a 39-all tie late in the second period to lead 52-41 going into the fourth period.

 

Peyton Fisher’s all-around performance on the football field during the fall earned the Kings Mountain High senior the team’s most valuable player trophy at Thursday’s annual awards presentation at B.N. Barnes Auditorium.
Fisher, an All-Big South Conference performer, seldom came off the field. When he did it was early in the season when the Mountaineers had their opponents blown out and the coaches were working reserves into the game.
“We had a lot of excellent players,” Mountaineer coach Greg Lloyd said, “and Peyton stood out in everything he did. He could have been All-Conference at four different positions.”
Fisher was not just an outstanding receiver with 342 yards on 30 catches, and an outstanding punter with a 40-plus yard average, but he was an excellent defensive player with a huge number of tackles and quarterback sacks. And, no doubt, he will probably be best remembered when he took a pass interception to the house to clinch a very important victory at South Point, which head coach Greg Lloyd noted was the first KM win over South Point in Belmont in many years.
“He was a hard worker and a great leader,” Coach Lloyd said. “He had a lot of big touchdowns, big catches and big sacks.”
Prior to the trophy presentations, Lloyd recognized players that made post-season all-star teams, including:
All-Big South – Seth Neal, AJ Richardson, Jaden Ellis, Peyton Fisher, Isaiah Eskridge, Jake Lloyd, D’Andre Hoyle and Tykel Smith. All of them also made the All-Area team.
Hoyle and Smith were named All-State.
Other awards presented included:
Outstanding defensive lineman award – Seth Neal. Coach Michael Kennedy said he was privileged to have a “very young group with a lot of talent.”
Neal, who transferred in to KMHS, was a tackling machine, registering 54 solo tackles, including 18 for loss and 12 quarterback sacks.
“He was one of those every day, team-first guys,” Kennedy pointed out. “We had a lot of guys like that that played many different roles.”
Defensive back awards – D’Andre Hoyle and Jake Lloyd.
Hoyle, an outstanding two-way player, was also the team’s leading receiver with 29 catches for 659 yards. He had a team-leading six pass interceptions. “He was the spark of the team,” Kennedy noted. “He made big plays in crucial situations.”
Lloyd was another player that stood out on both offense and defense.
On defense, he led the team in tackles with 98, including three tackles for loss and an interception. He also had several blocked punts, including two for touchdowns.
“He had a knack for the ball,” Coach Kennedy said. “He was always a step ahead of the offense.”
Jeff Putnam Linebacker of the Year – Micah Ward.
“He gave his heart and soul, just like Coach Putnam did,” Coach Wilson said. “He was a hard worker and he was tough.”
Wilson pointed out that Ward had 81 tackles and two interception, “and the best thing about him is that he is a junior and will be back in the fall.”
Wilson also presented the Defensive Coaches Award to sophomore standout Zavian Smith.
“He always played his best,” Wilson said. “He can play any position. He loves to be challenged. He’s special and we expect good things from him for two more years.”
The defensive MVP award was presented to junior standout AJ Richardson, who was a monster on defense and was also called

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upon anytime the Mountaineers needed tough rushing yards on offense.
“He is very determined to be successful,” Wilson said. “He has an infectious energy and leads by example. He always plays hard and wants to make the big plays.
“Late in the year he was injured, but he was still important to us as he was always on the sidelines talking to the players and helping them give their best. He’s a player coach.”
Junior placekicker Jaden Ellis received one of the Special Teams MVP awards from assistant coach Mike Harris.
“He had two huge field goals that gave us leads in two big games,” Harris pointed out.
Jake Lloyd received the other Special Teams MVP Award.
“You could count on him every game to return punts and kickoffs,” Harris said. “He led us in special teams tackles and also blocked two punts for TDs that broke open close games.”
First-year varsity quarterback Lamont Littlejohn Jr. received the Outstanding Offensive Back Award.
Littlejohn, whose father Lamont Littlejohn Sr. also played quarterback for the Mountaineers, quarterbacked the JVs to a 4-0 record during a COVID-shortened spring season. Those four wins were over Shelby, Burns, South Point and Crest.
He stepped into the varsity QB role in the fall and improved each week to become one of the best quarterbacks in the area.
He had a 95.2 quarterback rating.
“He’s a student of the game,” Coach Lloyd pointed out. “He’s always calm and prepared to lead the team. He made some really big plays for us in the playoff games.”
Assistant Coach Diron Bell presented the Outstanding Wide Receiver Award to D’Andre Hoyle.
“We had five good receivers who were always making plays,” Bell said. “He put in his time and led our receivers in yards and touchdowns.”
Line Coach Kevin Cruise presented the Blocking Award to Isaiah Eskridge.
“It was a very tough choice because we’ve been very balanced the last couple of years,” he said. “This year our offensive line paved the way for over 2,000 rushing yards and 2,000 passing yards. Every one of our linemen had a tremendous work ethic and great attitude.
“We have several that will be playing at the next level. Isaiah has a very bright future. He has the size, the strength and the footwork.”
The first annual Brent Bagwell Offensive Coach’s Award went to Bryson Brown.
Coach Cruise called Brown “an excellent student who comes to work every day committed to be second to none.
“He made some big time catches,” Cruise noted. “He scored the first touchdown in the Franklin playoff game, and the last one to win the game.” That one, came in the final seconds after the Mountaineers drove 99 yards with just over a minute remaining that allowed the team to go three rounds in the state playoffs before being eliminated by the eventual state champion Greensboro Dudley eleven.
Making the blocks to achieve such success as the above-mentioned nail-biter were a host of good offensive linemen. And, it was fitting that the Offensive Most Valuable Player Award went to All-State lineman Tykel Smith.
“He was a dominant blocker and a great leader,” Cruise said. “He plays the game the right way – in practice and games. He has a great attitude in every situation.”
The Weightlifter of the Year Award was presented by Coach Ted Trahan to senior Jonah Patrick.
“This is a prestigious award,” Trahan noted. “He came in as a freshman and spent a lot of time becoming a good varsity player. He worked extremely hard.”
The Tough Man of the Year Award, given in memory of longtime sideline manager Donnie Mace, went to offensive lineman Micah Lubas.
Coach Cruise pointed out that in previous years Lubas had some ailments that would keep a lot of people away but he “worked hard and was one of the strongest and best linemen out there.”
The Career Achievement Award went to running back Rashaard Brooks, who broke his leg during the spring season and had to have an operation that prevented him from playing in the fall.
“When you lose your senior season it takes a mature individual to work hard to recover,” Coach Lloyd said. “He was tough inside and out. He was a fantastic running back – small but with a big heart. He played his best in big games and he will be missed.”

Kings Mountain High’s varsity basketball teams swept the South Point Red Raiders in Big South 3A Conference action last Tuesday at Donald L. Parker Gymnasium.
The Lady Mountaineers remained atop the conference standings with a sound effort from all players, 70-37, and the Mountaineers held on to their strong second place standing in the nightcap, 78-65.
The ladies led by just 11-8 after the first period but they quickly took charge in the second quarter and won easily. In the second quarter, the Lady Mountaineers got a big lift from Khalia King and Saniya Wilson on offense and all of their players on defense to allow the Lady Red Raiders just one point until the two minute mark. By that time the locals were up 30-9 and had the game in hand by halftime, 34-15.
Coach Nick Inman’s team placed four players in double figures and every player performed well on defense, most notably CoRey Simpson who pulled down a career high 18 rebounds to go with her three points.
King led the scoring attack with 16 points, with 12 of them coming on a 4-for-5 shooting performance from three-point land. She also had three rebounds.
Senior standout Saniya Wilson once again had a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists. She also pulled down five rebounds and had three steals.
Alayna Patrick had one of, if not the best game of her career with 11 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Her points and rebounds were both career highs on the varsity level.
Jacie Jarvis also had career highs of 11 points and eight rebounds.
Tyasya Bell scored eight points to go along with three rebounds and two steals, Austyn Dixon had six points and five boards and Myracle Davis had four points, five rebounds and three assists.
Lexi Birtwistle led the Lady Raiders with 11 points and Maddie Frank added 10. Toney Melton and Claire Huv scored six apiece and Leah Cha and Lily Gregory two each.
In JV action, Kings Mountain improved to 5-1 with a 12-8 win over the Lady Raiders. Mia Bridges had six points, Maggie Honeycutt four and Desirae Thombs two.
Although the final score may not indicate it, the men’s game was also a blowout as the Mountaineers led by 24 points (76-52) with three minutes left when Coach Grayson Pierce took all starters out of the game. Even before that, many starters were being taken out from time to time to work everyone into the game.
The game was tied in the opening minute after KM’s Zeke Cannedy and SP’s Jackson Blee traded buckets. But by the end of the first quarter KM was up 22-7 and the game was basically in hand.
Cannedy’s free throw put the Mountaineers up 39-19 at halftime. He scored 18 of his game-high 41 points in the first half.
The Raiders scored the first six points of the third quarter to get the margin down to 39-25, and rallied again later in the period to cut it to 55-38 but the Mountaineers rallied to take a 61-42 lead into the final eight minutes.
With KM up 78-54 after a lay-in by Keedon Linney with 2:25 left in the game, the Raiders scored the last 11 points of the game to make it more respectable.