Football and Fall Sports Preview 2010

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

and Fall Sports Preview2010

BY CHARLIE BERGMANNSpecial to The Pilot

Pinecrest football coach Chris Metzgerrefers to the unit thatwill try to stop oppos-ing offenses this season as the no-namedefense. His offense begins the seasonwith a new quarterback in Travis Scalesand a completely new offensive line.The Patriots had 33 seniors and 15 play-

ers who earned all-conference first teamor honorable mention recognition on the2009 team that went 10-3 inMetzger’s thirdyear as head coach. Count the coaches ofthe Southeastern Conference that pickedthe Patriots fifth out of six teams in arecent informal poll among those whothink repeating last year’s success is a tallorder.“We definitely use the KISS theory —

keep it simple,” the coach said before arecent practice. “We have great kids andthey want to be great. I’ve been blessed inyears one, two and three to havegreat lead-ers. This year is no exception.“There’s a tradition, a foundation, and

they want to keep it. They know aboutexpectations. They know about desire,playing with fire and having some juice inthe tank.”The inexperienced Patriotswill enjoy the

support of home fans at least seven timesthis season, starting with Friday’s openeragainst Enloe. If the Patriots can matchlast season’s success, they might earn acouple of additional home dates in the stateplayoffs.

Defense Features QuicknessIf last Thursday’s scrimmages at

Pinecrest in the morning and atFayetteville State in the evening are anyindication, the defense will be an under-sized unit that flies to the ball and createsturnovers.Returnees include 5-foot-6, 165-pound

senior inside linebacker Adam McDuffie,who was credited with 67 total tackles lastseason. Next to him will be David Smith,who opted to gainmore playing experiencewith the jayvee team last season ratherthan playing behind the graduated TrentFredericks and McDuffie.“We’re not the biggest defense, but I

think overall we’re going to be one of thefastest out there,” Smith, one of the playersMetzger calls a leader, said.Junior Julius Steele is another one of the

inside linebackers, and seniors MarinoGillis, Chris Robinson andTerryMarsh areon the outside.Seniors Dylan Gaffney and Travis

Bonner are the two incumbents from lastyear’s rotation of defensive linemen.Metzger plans to rotate nine players.Senior Chris Zinky has moved over fromthe offense to provide some size to the unit,which also includes seniors ChristoBounthanom, Garrett Parks, junior NickKilgore and sophomores James Harrisonand Luke Fetla.Senior safety Hunter Ocheltree (66 tack-

les) and cornerback D.J. Simpson bringexperience to the defensive backfield.Senior Dannie Monroe has adapted well tothe safety position after quarterbackingthe jayvee team last year. Senior JohnBrown has been the other starting cornerin the preseason, with Javonte Alston andsophomore Nick Lacey among those readyto contribute.“What has helped us a lot is just every-

body having the mentality to get better allthe time,” Ocheltree said. “The unity isthere with different guys. I think we’ll be

just as good as we were last year.”

Running Game Shows PromiseOn the other side of the ball, Scales will

hopefully bring the playmaking ability heshowed on defense last year as an outsidelinebacker (61 tackles, team-high sevensacks) to the quarterback position. At 6-

feet and 200 pounds, he’s a threat to runand has a strong arm.“Travis has done a great job leading and

working hard,”Metzger said. “He’s gettingbetter every day, and that’s what has tohappen.”

PAGE 2 THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2010

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New Pinecrest quarterback Travis Scales lines up behind a completely rebuilt offensive line in 2010.

see PINECREST, page 16

Date Opponent Site8/20 Enloe Away8/27 Union Pines Home9/03 Overhills Home9/10 West Johnson Away9/17 Western Harnett Away9/24 St.Pauls Home10/08 Lumberton Home10/15 Scotland Home10/22 Purnell Swett Away10/29 Richmond Senior Away11/05 Hoke County Home

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Playoffs or BustMaking the Postseason IsUnion Pines’ Goal for 2010

PHILIP TAYLOR/The Pilot

Quarterback Taylor O’Neil has returned for his senior season bigger and stronger.

BY F.W. MANNING IISpecial to The Pilot

The mood within the Union Pines footballcamp is one of anticipation and excitement,as the Vikings prepare to open the seasonFriday in a home game against Red Springsat WoodrowWilhoit Stadium.Coming off a 2009 campaign that saw the

Vikes fail to qualify for the postseason,Union Pines finished 4-7 overall and 1-5 inCapeFearValley 3AConference play underfirst-year coach Ryan Riggan.As Riggan readies for his second year on

the sidelines as the Vikings’ head coach, hedoes sowith a strong feeling about the stateof Union Pines football.“I feel like this football program is going

in the right direction,” he said. “The presea-son has gone great with our guys maintain-ing a great collective attitude. Despite somescorching temperatures here of late, theguys have kept their spirits up and contin-ued towork hard to do the thingsweneed tobecome better prepared for the season.”Union Pines had approximately 80 ath-

letes dressed out during the final week ofthe preseason, including varsity and juniorvarsity players. As of last Sunday, Riggananticipated another 10 to 15 freshmen to hitthe practice fieldwhen school began, bring-ing that total close to the 100mark.The team has set the playoffs as its pri-

mary goal, and Riggan promises UnionPines football will do all it can to make thatgoal come to life.“We just have to believe in what we’re

doing and play together,” he said. “I thinkthis team is really different from last sea-son’s team in terms of mindset coming in.”Union Pines lost a sizable number of sen-

iors from its team last season and returnsonly six players who competed as juniorslast year. However, the Vikings do have agroup of players from last year’s successfulJV team that displayed strong promisethrough their season-long strides and on-field performance.“Even though those guyswere playing JV

last year, they had a chance to play withsome of the best programs in the state andcompeted well with them,” Riggan said.“Now they are juniors, and the game isplayed at a faster, more physical level uphere.“When things don’t go the way they did

for them on Thursday nights, they cannot

get discouraged. Instead, they have to keepcoming to work every day, strive to alwaysimprove and continue to iron out thosesmall details thatmake a huge difference inthe big picture.”The Vikes competed in two scrimmages

lastweek. Thursday,UnionPineswelcomedLee Senior to its practice field as theVikings got their first chance to hit againstan opposing team. Then on Friday night,UnionPinesplayedwhatRiggan referred toas a “dress rehearsal scrimmage” duringMeet the Vikings Night at Wilhoit Stadium.Senior Taylor O’Neil returns for his sec-

ond year as the starting signal caller forUnion Pines, and according to Riggan, hehas had an excellent offseason.“Taylor was 145 pounds at the beginning

of last season and has worked his way up toabout 170,” he said. “His strength gainshave been tremendous, and his armstrength has really gotten a lot better too.”O’Neil believes that he has gotten a good

feel for his receiving corps during presea-son, and has a firmgrasp of theUnion Pinesoffense.“With the opener coming up, I feel more

confident than last year, but I still get a littlenervous before every game,” said O’Neil.“As a unit, the offensive backfield has takentons of reps, so we have grown very com-fortable with each other and also developedsome good chemistry on and off the field.”Among the group of incoming JV players,

Riggan feels Josh Huskey and A.J. Ritterhave both made huge gains in the weightroom.“We really expect those two guys to be

major contributors on Fridays this fall,”said Riggan.Riggan has been quite pleased with the

progress his defense has made, feeling thegroup has done a great job this summer ofgelling as a unit. With the departure of RonDelusme,TerryGittenshascomeover fromPinecrest and will be coordinating the Vikedefense this season.“Coach (Terry)Gittensdoes a tremendous

job with the defense when he gets them inthe film room,” said Riggan. “The resultshavebeenapparent out on the field lately, asthe defense is playing faster and has a bet-ter understanding of where they need to beandwhat they need to do in any given situa-

see VIKINGS, page 9

Date Opponent Site8/20 Red Springs Home8/27 Pinecrest Away9/3 Chatham Central Away9/10 North Moore Home9/17 Cardinal Gibbons Home9/24 Overhills Away10/1 Gray’s Creek Away10/8 Western Harnett Home10/15 Westover Home10/22 Southern Lee Away11/5 Douglas Byrd Home


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BY JOHN KRAHNERT IIIStaff Writer

100 percent. 100 percent of the time.If you check out a North Moore football

practice these days, you’ll see that mottoemblazoned on the coaches’ T-shirts, andyou’ll hear it chanted in the huddle. It’s amentality that new head coach GregSimmonswants his kids to apply not only tofootball, but to all aspects of their lives.“I always tell themthat therearevery few

things in your life that you can control,” hesaid, “but you can always control youreffort. You can always control your enthusi-asm.”Simmons is theman chargedwith turning

around the Mustangs, who are coming offback-to-back one-win seasons and have justfive victories in the past four years. Thatprocess will require a complete culturechange in the program, and Simmonsmadeit clear that he and his staff are changingeverything.“If they walked with their left foot first,

I’m teaching them to walk with their rightfoot first,” he said.The players have taken notice.Senior Tyler Wallace is known for his

prowess on the baseball diamond but decid-ed toplay football for the first time sincehisfreshmanyear.He said there’s a completelynew atmosphere — a liveliness and passionthat hasn’t been there in a while.“Everybody’s passionate about it, and

Coach is enthusiastic, and he’s really want-ing to get it done,” Wallace said. “I want tobe a part of turning the program around,starting that off right with CoachSimmons.”Junior offensive lineman and defensive

endMitchell Wright added, “It’s like every-body wants to be out here. It’s actually feel-ing like a team this year.”The players appear to be responding to

Simmons’ energetic coaching style.Simmons said the effort he’s seen in prac-tice so far has been “phenomenal” and ispleased with how hard his players havebeen working. The kids are starting to seethat hard work paying off.“I’ve heard a lot of people say they’re a lot

more in shape than they were last year,”said junior wideout and cornerback BillyPerson. “Flipping tires, carrying water,pushing sleds — whatever it takes to getbetter. We need to be more conditioned andplay thewhole game instead of just quittingin the third quarter, and we have to go inwith the mindset that we’re going to win.”Two challenges that North Moore could

face this year is a lack of depth and inexpe-rience. Simmons said he’s had around 40kids out at practice so far but would like toget those numbers up into the 50s. Simmonssaid he has been impressed with a group of

younger players that have been committedall summer long, but if possible, he’d like togive them time to develop at the JV level, asopposed to “throwing them to the wolves”right away.“We’re hoping thatwe can keep our fresh-

men and sophomores at a place where theycan have some success and play with eachother so when they’re juniors and seniors,they’ll be used to playing with each otherand they’ll be used to success,” he said. “Butif ournumbersdon’t comeup, someof theseyounger guys are going to have to step up.And I think some of them are ready for thechallenge.”NorthMoore beganpracticing in full pads

last week, and Simmons said he wouldn’tdecide starting positions until he saw theguys hitting and could determine who arethe most aggressive players. He’s going tocount on a core group of 15 guys makingplays on both sides of the ball.Offensively, the Mustangs will run a

spread option. Simmons said he’s got somegood athletes, and the coaching staff willlook for creativeways to get the ball in theirhands.“We’re going to be a zone read team,”

Simmons said. “We feel like we’ve got somepretty good quarterbacks and some prettygood tailbacks, some pretty decent-sizedyounger offensive linemen. We’re going totry to keep things simple and give thoseguys the opportunities to make plays.”One of those guys is senior Xavier

Scotton, who started at quarterback lastyear. His knack for making big playsaccounted formuchofNorthMoore’s offen-sive production last year. While he will con-tinue to see time under center, Simmons

said hewill move him around in the offenseandplay himas a tailback and out of the slotas well.Look for theMustangs tobeaggressive on

defense. Simmons, the defensive coordina-tor at Northwest Guilford before coming toNorth Moore, said he will use multiplefronts and won’t hesitate to bring the heat.“We’re going to try to disguise things, and

we’re going to bring stuff from differentplaces and different areas,” he said. “Wewant people to understand that we’re notgoing to be afraid to blitz on first or thirddown, and we’re going to bring pressure,and we’re going to get in people’s faces.“Defensively, I want to see us become a

team that people recognize. I want us tobecome a team that teams don’t want toplay. We’re planning on hanging our hat onour defense over the next several years.That’s going to be kind of where we put ourbest players andwherewe’re going to cause

themost havoc.”The Yadkin Valley 1A Conference is tra-

ditionally a tough league, but Simmons saidthat’s the least of his concerns. Instead, heand his players are focused on taking careof their own business.“We’ll cross those bridges when we come

to them,” he said.The Mustangs kick off their season at

home on Aug. 27 against Princeton.Simmons understands the key to sus-

tained success is continuity, and he knowsthat’s going to take a while. Rebuilding theMustangs will be a process, and it’s a chal-lenge that Simmons is enjoying.“It’s fun tobuild something,” he said. “I’ve

got a lot of pride, and I’ve got a lot of pridein the kids that are out here right now. Ican’twait to showthemoff. I can’twait untilthey get the opportunity to prove to peoplethat North Moore’s not the same NorthMoore.”


‘Not the Same North Moore’


New head coach Greg Simmons is trying to change the culture around North Moore football.

Date Opponent Site8/27 Princeton Home9/03 SW Randolph Away9/10 Union Pines Away9/17 Jordan Matthews Away9/24 West Montgomery Home10/01 South Davidson Away10/8 North Rowan Home10/15 East Montgomery Away10/22 South Stanley Away10/29 Albemarle Home11/05 Chatham Central Home


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PAGE 8 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2010

On the Cover:CCeenntteerr:: Pinecrest senior Damion Pride.

CClloocckkwwiissee ffrroomm ttoopp lleefftt:: North Moore seniorXavier Scotton; North Moore senior CarolineChilders; Union Pines head football coachRyan Riggan; O’Neal senior Bryce Baldelli;Union Pines sophomore Melissa Tally;O’Neal School junior Tori Fedder, juniorClaire Russell and senior KellyAnn Miller.

About This Issue:CCoovveerr DDeessiiggnn

Martha J. Henderson, Page DesignerSSuupppplleemmeenntt DDeessiiggnn//LLaayyoouuttPatrick Love, Sports Editor

CCoonnttrriibbuuttiinngg WWrriitteerrssCharlie Bergmann, John Krahnert III, F.W. Manning II

PPhhoottooggrraapphhyyDonna Ford, Philip Taylor, Patrick Love

For advertising information, contact Pat Taylor at(910) 693-2505 or e-mail [email protected]

145 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines, NC 28387(910) 692-7271 • thepilot.com

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

and Fall Sports Preview2010


Pinecrest girls’ tennis coach Gail Deeserecently welcomed back four of the sixplayers who qualified for last year’s EastRegional Girls’ Tennis Championships.The Patriot squad that won the 2009

Southeastern Conference regular seasontitle didn’t lose a match until it was defeat-ed by J.H. Rose in the second round of the4A state dual team championships.Graduated from that Patriot team are the

state qualifying doubles duo of BrookeMcLean and Hailey Cioccolanti. “Brooke and Hailey were strong, and

we’ll miss them,” Deese said during arecent practice. “I feel we’re working thegirls hard to get them good and strong. Weshould do well in the conference.”Junior Ally Parziale, the conference run-

ner-up in singles, is expected to retain herposition as the Patriots’ No. 1. A state qual-ifier as a freshman, Deese is looking forParziale to return to that level.Senior Mariotti Meyers and sophomore

Chrissy Nurnberg, who came on strong

toward the end of last year, will be lookingto move up from the fourth and sixth spots,respectively.Senior Caroline Hudson earned all-con-

ference recognition in 2008 and 2009, asdid Parziale and Meyers. She and Meyerswere conference runners-up in doubleslast year. Hudson, senior Allyson Grine,sophomores Karen Smith and Casie Jingleand freshman Caroline Decker are amongthe others vying for regular singles anddoubles action.Deese has coached the Patriot boys for

five seasons and began her third year withthe girls with a home match against NewHanover yesterday. She looks for Scotlandand Lumberton to again provide thestiffest competition in the conference.A few more dates are expected to be

added to the schedule shown below.

Schedule (* conference): Aug. 17 - New Hanover; 25 – Cardinal Gibbons; Sept.2 – Lumberton*; 7 – Scotland*; 9 – at Purnell Swett*; 14 – at Richmond*; 16– Hoke*; 20 - at East Montgomery; 23 – at Lumberton*; 24 - at New Hanover;28 – at Scotland*; 30 – Purnell Swett*; Oct. 5 – Richmond*; 7 – at Hoke*; 11– Conference tournament; 19 – First round state dual team; 22 - East Regional;29 – State championship

Pinecrest Girls’ TennisEyes Repeat Performance

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2010 THE PILOT — SOUTHERN PINES, N.C. PAGE 9


The O’Neal girls’ tennis team has a lot ofexperience to work with in 2010.VeteranheadcoachDonWoodfieldhas six

players who lettered last year, includingfour seniors, coming back for this year’steam. Three of those seniors played in theteam’s top six last season.Last year’s squad posted a 10-5 overall

record and went 6-4 in the Cape FearIndependence Conference. Woodfield isexpectinganother solid season this year andwould like to increase the win total.“My goal is to have them have a better

record this year than last year,” he said.Cape Fear Academy, which Woodfield

described as a “powerhouse,” is the peren-nial favorite in the conference. But heexpects his girls to finish near the top.Senior Brianna Ek, who was the Falcons’

top singles player last year, should continueher strong play. Other top returnees includeAmelia Schirmer, Mary Garner, VictoriaScarpa and Jordan Fisher. Woodfield saidthat eighth-grader Greyson Keel could alsohave the opportunity to be a starter afterher solid play at the varsity level last year.Ek, Scarpa, Schirmer and Garner all

played in the top three doubles as well.“It gets down to working real hard and

getting into the state tournament and play-ing well there,” Woodfield said.Woodfield said he’s excited about the solid

participation his program enjoys. O’Nealconsistently fields rosters of 14 to 16 girls.“That’s why we built these courts a few

years ago,” he said, “so we could get a niceprogram going. And I think we have that,and the kids like it.”

Schedule: Aug. 19-St. David’s; 26-at Flora MacDonald Academy; 27-29 MyrtleBeach Tournament; 31-Cape Fear Academy; Sept. 2-at Cary Christian; 7-atWestchester Country Day; 9-Flora MacDonald Academy; 13-at St. David’s; 14-at Harrells Christian Academy; 16-at Fayetteville Academy; 27-at FayettevilleChristian; 28-Village Christian Academy; 30-Harrells Christian Academy; Oct. 5-Fayetteville Academy; 7-at Cape Fear Academy; 12-at Fayetteville Christian;14-at Village Christian Academy; 15-Westchester Country Day.

Falcons LookFor Improvement BY F.W. MANNING II

Special to The PilotTheUnionPinesgirls’ tennis teamenters

the 2010 season as the five-time defendingCape Fear Valley 3A Conference champi-on.According to Viking head coach John

Frye,UnionPines fully expects to competefor conference, regional and state honorsagain this year.“Our team should be among the early

favorites for the Cape Fear ValleyConference championship,” said Frye.“With Melissa Tally and Madison Kramer,who were state doubles qualifiers, bothreturning, the squad looks to challenge inthe state playoffs.“There is no denying the graduation of

our 3A singles state champion, NeenaWanko, and conference singles runner-upJordan Smith has left a sizable void.However, we do return four all-conferenceplayers, three of whom are sophomores,which gives the team quality and depth.”Shannon Simpson is the Vikings’ lone

senior. She will be joined by BrittanyJones, an all-conference selection last yearas a sophomore, along with fellow juniorsVirginia Priest and Gabrielle Roback.Simpson is 12-7, Jones 23-9 and Priest 7-3on the career wins list, while Roback joinsthe team for her initial season.

The Lady Vikes’ sophomores includeTally, Kramer and Laura Cameron.“These girls are a talented trio of all-con-

ference performers and were each keyplayers in 2009 as freshmen,” said Frye.In addition to their state tournament

qualification, Tally and Kramer wereregional semifinalists and conference dou-bles champions.Tallywas29-4,Kramer30-3 and Cameron, who teamed with Jonesand reached the conference doubles finals,19-5 last season.Other sophomores are Elena D’Argenio

and Maddie Walden. D’Argenio was 7-1and Walden 3-3 as freshmen a season ago.They will be joined by incoming freshmenCeline Bullock andMichelle Shireman.“Following a summer of extensive work-

outs, the girls are playing with composureand confidence,” said Frye. “So the chal-lenges to determine the team’s lineupshould be spirited.”Frye admitted that the greatest area of

concern for the Lady Vikings will be howbest to determine the most advantageouscombinations for doubles.“WithoutWanko and Smith, theNo. 1 duo

in 2009, the team will be challenged at allthree positions,” said Frye. “If the squadadapts well to higher levels competition, itcould go deep into the state playoffs.”Union Pines finished its 2009 campaign

witha teamrecordof 12-1.TheLadyVikes’only loss on the year came via a 5-4 defeatagainst the Rocky Mount Gryphons in ahighly competitive second-round dualteam playoff match.The Vikings open the 2010 season today

at 4 p.m. on the road against Scotland in anonconference tilt.

Vikings Hope to Add More Titles


Madison Kramer

tion.”Last season, Union Pines yielded 318

points, an average of 28.9 points per game.Seniors Cameron Person and Garrison

Peele have been consistent standouts ondefense. Person is the strongside line-backer coming off a junior year where hewas among the team leaders in sacks,forced fumbles and solo tackles.

“As a team, things have gone well sofar,” said Person. “The guys are comingout to practice ready to work. CoachGittens has come over and helped us a lotwith our conditioning, as well as helpingus realize defense is not all about howstrong or fast you are, but also how awareyou are of what’s going on during eachplay so you can anticipate rather thanreact.”Peele, a converted quarterback, has

proven to be a savvy player over the pasttwo seasons. This year, he will anchor thesecondary as a safety making all the on-field audibles.

“This defense seems to be much morecomplete than it was last season,” saidPeele. “We don’t really have any holes outthere on the field, and as a group, we seemto have much more confidence. At thesame time, we are displaying someaggressiveness in our play, which is a newand welcome trend.”More so, the players emphasized that

there is a different feeling among teammembers this season.“It’s a new season, and as a team it

seems like we have all been movingtogether from day one with a commonpurpose in mind,” said Peele.

VikingsFrom Page 4



The difficult 2009 season is firmly in therear-view mirror for The O’Neal Schoolboys’ soccer team.Last season saw the Falcons go winless

over 17 games, but instead of the hangoverthat one might expect, head coach TedHassenfelt has seen a determined group ofplayers ready to move forward this year.That was evident in a dramatic 3-2 victo-

ry overGraceChristian to kick off the newseason on Aug. 10.“It’s tough when you go through some-

thing like that from last year,” he said. “It’sthe mental side, the confidence side. Ithink it’s in the past. I think they reallyhave put it behind them.”The coaching staff has been focusing on

developing mental toughness and a posi-tivemindset with its players to keepmem-ories of last year from creeping into thisseason. Despite 2009’s 0-17 record,Hassenfelt said the team competed in a lotof games but couldn’t close them out.This season, Hassenfelt has an older

team, but not necessarily one with a lot ofexperience. The Falcons are senior-heavy,but some of them are newcomers. He saidthey’re solid players, and this team couldhave the pieces to make some noise.“I thought this might be more of a

rebuilding year, waiting for some of theseyounger guys to come up,” he said, “but I

think that with the seniors that have comeout, I think we can compete this year.”Some players to watch are senior striker

Bryce Baldelli, senior center back ColinJameson and sophomore outside midfield-er Jacob Talbert. Senior Brandt Davisreturns as goalkeeper.Hassenfelt is also looking for big things

from freshman center midfielder J.R.Moore, who was an honorable mention all-conference player as an eighth-grader.In preseason practice, Hassenfelt has

placed an emphasis on defense. The teamhas worked on defensive shape, defensiveresponsibilities and defending as a team.The Falcons are expected to play a posses-sion-style of soccer.“We’re going to attempt to possess the

ball, move it into the attacking third, getsome opportunities on goal and see whathappens,” Hassenfelt said.But the biggest key to success is getting

the boys to come together as a unit.“Without a doubt, they have to gel as a

team,” he said. “I think that we haveenough talent, enough athletes to competethis year. If they come together as a team,I think theymay surprise a lot of people.”

Schedule: Aug. 10: Grace Christian School; 12-at Lee Christian School; 18-atNorth Moore High; 20-at Gaston Christian School; 21-at First AssemblyChristian School; 24-Scotland High; 26-at Carolina Friends; 31-Cape FearAcademy; Sept. 2-at Flora MacDonald Academy; 7-St. David’s; 9-FloraMacDonald Academy; 16-at Fayetteville Academy; 27-Fayetteville Christian;28-Village Christian; Oct. 5-Fayetteville Academy; 7-at Cape Fear Academy;12-at Fayetteville Christian; 14-at Village Christian Academy.


The O’Neal School cross-country teamwill continue its quest to develop a newidentity this fall.Head coach Josh Roberts said he wants

to build a “new kind of program” at theschool, and a young, raw core of runnersshould help that process along.Roberts has had a consistent group of 10

runners during the preseason and expectsto have 17 to 18 join the team by the firstmeet on Aug. 19. Without any seniors oneither the boys’ or girls’ teams, Robertswill rely on a group of juniors to lead.The top returning member of the boys’

squad is junior Austin Puleo, who comesfroma family of runners.Roberts said thatPuleo is hoping to continue to attain per-sonal records below the 18-minute mark,with the ultimate goal of breaking 17 min-

utes by the season’s end.“(He’s) certainly the anchor that we will

be rallying around for a good example forstrong performances,” Roberts said.Junior Evan Davies is another name to

watch, as Roberts said he continues toshave time off his personal best.Both Puleo and Davies have been in the

program since the seventh grade andshould provide valuable leadership to a tal-ented group of seventh-graders joining theteam this year.On the girls’ side, the Falcons will get

some help from overseas. Junior TheresaBerg, an exchange student fromGermany,looks to make an immediate impact on thesquad and could be the girls’ top runner.“I think she’ll be a very strong finisher

for us,” Roberts said.Junior Alana Godbey, who was the girls’

No. 2 or 3 runner last year, returns.

Roberts said she brings a lot of effort tothe program, and he expects her to haveanother strong season this fall.The Falcon Harriers have stiff competi-

tion in the Cape Fear IndependentConference (CFIC), and Roberts hopes histeamwill continue to aspire to beat its con-ferencemates.“It’s been good for us to be able to run

against schools who challenge us, maybeasopposed tobeing inanevensmaller con-ference if we were on top, where weweren’t necessarily that good,” he said. “Iwould rather bewherewe are as anunder-dog against great schools than on top of asmaller heap somewhere else.”

Schedule: Aug. 19-at Pinecrest High; Sept. 1-North Moore High; 8-at VillageChristian Academy; 15-at Cape Fear Academy; 18-Wolfpack Invitational inCary; 29-at Fayetteville Christian; Oct. 2-Hagenstone Classic; 7-at CaryChristian; 20-CFIC Conference Championship at O’Neal.


Communication is the operative word forthis year’s O’Neal School volleyball team,according to head coach Kendall Harper.The Falcons are coming off a strong 2009

campaign, which included a Cape FearIndependent Conference (CFIC) champi-onship, four all-conference selections andcoach of the year honors for Harper. Withsix seniors departing, it would be easy tocall 2010 a rebuilding year, but Harper isconvinced her squad is talented.Harper has 11 players on the roster, five

ofwhomare seniors.But only twoplayedonthe varsity team last year. Two have comeback to O’Neal from public school, havingplayed with Harper in the past.“They’re experienced as far as practicing,

stuff like that,” she said, “but as far as play-ing time, not as much. Not that it’s going tobe a rebuilding year, but it’s going to be ahard-working year. They’re going to have towork extra hard.”Harper said the Falcons have great

servers but lack the power hitters that she’shad in the past. She said it would take a lit-tle more time to develop that.Harper said senior setterKellyAnnMiller

is expected to assume a leadership role andpraisedherpositive attitude andworkethic.Harper is also expecting big things out ofsenior outside hitter Katie Tighe, who addsgreat passing and digging.Big-hitting freshmanKaitlynHuntwill be

stepping right onto the varsity squad.“She has a tremendous amount of power,

we just gotta learnhow to control it as far asher hitting,” she said, “but she’s going to beone of our strongest hitters this year.”One of the biggest challenges the Falcons

face is learning to play together.Manyplay-ers in the past have come up through theranks together, but this year’s teamfeaturesa “mixed and matched” group comingtogether from different schools and levels.“They have not played together and don’t

have that experiencewhere they knoweachother, so communication is going to be thebiggest key,” Harper said. “They’re notcomfortable with each other yet.”Harper expects that to happen, but it will

take time. But the objective remains thesame—win the conference title.“That’s the big goal for us,” she said.

“We’re going to be the underdogs this year,and I think they’re going to underestimatethese girls that are coming up.”

Schedule: Aug. 10-Grace Christian School; 12-at Lee Christian School; 17-UnionPines High; 24-at Union Pines High; 26-at Carolina Friends; 30-at CaryChristian; 31-Cape Fear Academy; Sept. 2-at Flora MacDonald Academy; 7-St.David’s; 9-FloraMacDonald Academy; 14-at Harrells Christian Academy; 16-atFayetteville Academy; 27-Fayetteville Christian; 28-Village Christian Academy;30-Harrells Christian Academy; Oct. 5-Fayetteville Academy; 7-at Cape FearAcademy; 12-at Fayetteville Christian; 14-at Village Christian Academy.

Lady FalconsLook to Surprise

Young Harriers to Compete With the Best

New Season, New Outlook2009 in O’Neal’sRear-View Mirror

PATRICK LOVE/Sports Editor

O’Neal coach Ted Hassenfelt has placed a premium on team chemistry in 2010.


DONNA FORD/Special to The Pilot

Richard Palmer is one of the few returnees with notable varsity experience for Pinecrest’s boys’ soccer team.


Successful athletic programs like thePinecrest boys enjoy in soccer have acommon characteristic. When graduationlosses are heavy, they have the capacity toreload and continue their winning ways.Six of last year’s seven all-conference

players, and all fivewho earned all-regionhonors, graduated from the squad thatmade it to the 4A state semifinals for thefirst time in the program’s history. CoachToddAbbey’s team finished the season 17-5-1 and ranked No. 4 in the state.One of the returnees is senior Gray

Anderson, who scored the dramatic over-time goal against New Hanover that putthe Patriots within one match of playingfor the state title. New Hanover also pro-vided the opposition for yesterday’s sea-son opener, played at a neutral site atFayetteville Academy.Even with the turnover in players and a

tough nonconference schedule to getthrough, all-conference right backPatrick White is optimistic about theteam’s chances to make another strongplayoff run.“We still have a solid corps from last

year, andwehave our chemistry,” the sen-

ior said before a recent practice. “We’vepicked up a lot of good kids, so we knowwe still have the talent. We’re expectingbig things this year.”The returnees are pretty well spread

out all over the field. Juniors Morgan VanCamp and Nick Kruyer, who came upfrom the jayvee team for the state play-offs, are the other players with experi-ence in the back. Juniors Richard Palmerand Barrett Goulden bring two years ofvarsity experience to the midfield.“I have Richard back, which is a huge

plus,”Abbey said. “I feel in theplayoffs, hewas the best player in the midfield, espe-cially the last two or three games we had.”Anderson, the leading goal scorer

among returnees (10), senior forwardKevin Grasso and junior forward-mid-fielder Dane Nelson also bring varsityexperience to the table.“Gray has a unique ability to shoot from

anywhere within 30 yards and hit theframe,” Abbey said. “The guys used tocall it luck, but once you do it as manytimes as he’s done it, you’d have to say hehas a knack for it.”The source of the reload is mainly a

jayvee team thatwas undefeated last yearand lost only twice the season before.

One of those promoted is juniorMitchell Dotson. He is expected to be thestarting goalkeeper. Other potential con-tributors in the defensive end include sen-iors Chris Sanders, Brendan McKinleyand Karon Kennedy, junior Chris Potterand junior goalkeeper J.T. Stillwell.Midfield newcomers in the 3-5-2 Abbey

favors include seniors Blaine Little andWill Price, juniors Jimmy Casey,Makonnan Clare, Justin Mace and JordanBeck, and sophomore Hunter Oliver.Sophomores Hayden Little and TaylorMorton will see action at the forward ormidfield positions.Abbey succeeded Larry Martin as the

Patriot boys’ and girls’ coaches in 2009.Martin led the Patriots boys to 12 confer-ence titles in a row and 14 straight playoffappearances.“Tome, they were brand-new last year,”

Abbey said of the players. “I think lastyear was a much bigger challenge withme being a totally different coach andbringing in a new system.”While Palmer has more new teammates

to adjust to than the previous year, hethinks the familiarity the team now has

Pinecrest Soccer Looks to Reload

see RELOAD, page 15


North Moore head boys’ soccer coachMichael Shamberger expects his club to bein themix in the Yadkin Valley Conference.Shamberger returnsasheadcoachafter a

one-year hiatus to attend graduate school.Last season, he turned the reins over to hisson, Ben, and served as an assistant.The elder Shamberger says he has an

experienced and resilient squad. Most ofthe players that bounced back from an 0-6start last season to finish 10-10 (9-7) areback, and out of the 17 players that havecome out, eight are seniors.“I’m expecting us to be competitive,” he

said. “This will be the first time in a longtime we’re going to be senior-dominated.”Shamberger expects that experience to

give this teamknowledge ofwhat it takes tocompete against some of the strongerteams on the schedule, like Albemarle,Gray Stone andEast Montgomery.In addition to experience, the Mustangs’

strength is their defense. Shamberger saidthe team’s forward line is probably itsweakness, and because the team doesn’thave a lot of natural scorers, scoring willhave to come from the team as a whole.Captain Noe Ramirez returns after a bro-

ken collarbone forced him to miss most ofhis sophomore season and all of last year. Aformer goalkeeper, he’ll be a center mid-fielder who will play some striker too.Shamberger describedhimas an “excellentathlete” with good speed and good height.Another captain is Jared McNeill, a for-

ward whose growth as a player since hisfreshman year and confidence on the ballcontinues to grow.Anchoring the defense is Junior Lopez,

who Shamberger described as a “quietassassin” because of his reserved natureand ability to kill an attack.In goal is Jose Peralta.“He can sling his body and make stops

that you’d absolutely think he would nevereven get to,” Shamberger said.If the team comes together like

Shamberger hopes, it could be good enoughto make a deep run into the playoffs.“We just have to wait and see how our

chemistryworks out, which is always a keyingredient,” he said.This season features the first Friday

home game in the history of the boys’ pro-gram—Aug. 20 against Jordan-Matthews.

Schedule: Aug. 18-O’Neal; 20-Jordan-Matthews; 23-at Overhills; 25-atAlbemarle; 30-West Montgomery; Sept. 1-at East Montgomery; 13-SouthDavidson; 20-Gray Stone; 22-at South Stanly; 27-at North Rowan; 29-Albemarle; Oct. 4-at West Montgomery; 6-East Montgomery; 13-at SouthDavidson; 20-at Gray Stone; 25-South Stanly; 27-North Rowan.

NM KickersExperiencedAnd Resilient


The North Moore volleyball team is looking to rebuildafter a solid 2009 campaign.The Mustangs saw 10 seniors graduate this spring, cre-

ating a big void that younger players will now have to stepup and fill.Second-year head coach Melissa Powers, however, is

enthused about the 2010 edition of her club. After a fewdays of tryouts, she completed cuts on Aug. 10 and is wel-coming 14 girls to this year’s team.“I’m really excited,” she said before a practice lastweek.

“They’re a great group of girls. Obviously, it’s going to bea rebuilding year. We lost a lot of seniors last year. But I’mexcited. They’re excited. They have a great attitude. So,we’re looking forward to a good year.”Last year, the Mustangs finished third in the Yadkin

Valley 1A Conference.“We had a really good year, but like I said, we lost about

10 seniors,” she said.Powers likes what she sees from her new crop of seniors

this year, saying that they all have positive attitudes andpush each other. Two of them are Jamie Garner andRachel Garner, and they are expected to make a bigimpact this season.“They’re two players that I’m so excited about, because

it’s not about them, it’s definitely about the team and that’sthe most important thing to them,” Powers said. “They’ve

been big leaders forme, and so I’m excited to see this yearhow they lead the team.”Senior Jennifer Ryan and hard-hitting junior Shakorya

Brower are a couple of other players to keep an eye on.The Mustangs are without both of their starting setters

from last year’s team, so that’s one area thatwill have to beaddressed as the season progresses.“Our setting position is going to be something. They

know they have to step up,” Powers said. “Hitting and set-ting is mostly what we’ve got to work on.”As far as season expectations, Powers said the team

would take things one day at a time.“It is a rebuilding year, so they’re just hoping to take it

day by day and put all of what they’re learning together,”

she said.Powers has been impressed with the team’s attitude and

communication in practice so far, assets that should helpthem throughout the season.“They’re talkative on the court,” she said. “I told them

that’s something they can’t lose. The communication isvery good, and they’re very supportive of each other.“They’re a great group of girls, and I’m excited to work

with them.”

Schedule: Aug. 17-at Albemarle; 19-West Montgomery; 24-at East Montgomery; 26-Chatham Central; 31-South Davidson; Sept. 7-Gray Stone; 9-at South Stanly; 13-Jordan-Matthews; 14-at North Rowan; 16-Albemarle; 21-at West Montgomery; 23-East Montgomery; 28-at Chatham Central; 30-at South Davidson;Oct. 7-at Gray Stone; 12-South Stanley; 14-North Rowan.



When Pinecrest senior AshleighMcKenzie took her position on the volley-ball court last season, shewas often accom-panied by three freshmen.The young squad didn’t do too badly, fin-

ishing at 7-3 in the SoutheasternConference and 11-11 overall. Now goinginto a season that has coach Barbara Foxxclosing in on 600 career victories atPinecrest, the prospects for improvementare good.“We didn’t lose that many players, and

everybody hasmatured and gotten better,”McKenzie said.Along with the left-handed swinging

McKenzie, the Patriots should be verystrong at the net. Senior Addey George (6-foot) and sophomores Janae Williams (6-2)and Felicia Painter (6-0) are tall and athlet-ic. George was an all-conference pick lastyear and Williams was an honorable men-tion selection. The four players accounted

for 91 percent of the team’s kills.Senior Uniqwa Morrison, who moved up

from junior varsity late last season, isanother force to be reckoned with at thenet, as is freshmanMollie Maples.There is plenty of competition for the job

of setting up the deep front line. MeganThomas, another of last year’s freshmenstarters, was second to the graduatedPaigeHorne in assists. JuniorCallieBoone,sophomoreKeeganLynch and the versatileMcKenzie are alsoworking out at that posi-tion.“I just like to win. I hate losing,”

McKenzie said when asked about herexpanded duties. “I’m going to do whatev-er I have to do to win.”The position of defensive specialist is

without an incumbent and is shaping up asa competition between senior SarahHarrison and juniors Addison Nelson andAshleigh Welton.In her 33rd year at Pinecrest, Foxx will

go into the Aug. 17 opener at Western

Harnett seeking her 592nd career victory.Even though Scotland County had heavygraduation losses from the team that haswon four league titles in a row, she expectsthem to be strong again.“I don’t expect them ever to have a down

year,” she said.Pinecrest alumni Toni Boney, Dawn

Bright, AshleyCraven andMelWatsonwillagain be assisting Foxx. The Patriot coachthinks accuracy in passing and consistencyat the serving line will be keys to a suc-cessful 2010 season.“We’ve got talent, and basically this year

we’re looking for more consistency,” shesaid. “Hopefully this will be a real goodyear for us.”

Schedule (*conference): Aug. 17 at Western Harnett; 19 – at Overhills; 24 –Western Harnett; 25 – at E.E. Smith; 31 – at Union Pines; Sept. 1 – at LeeCounty; 2 – Jack Britt; 7 – Lee County; 9 – Lumberton*; 11 – at Laney; 14 –Scotland*; 16 – at Purnell Swett*; 21 – at Richmond*; 22 – Union Pines; 23– Hoke*; 27 – E.E. Smith; 29 – at Jack Britt; 30 – at Lumberton*; Oct. 5 – atScotland*; 7–Purnell Swett*; 12–Richmond* (SeniorNight); 14–atHoke*;18 – First round conference tournament; 23 – First round state playoffs


Pinecrest volleyball coach Barbara Foxxhas 591 career victories entering 2010.

Young Patriot Netters Showing Progress

North MooreVolleyball inRebuilding Mode

Second-year coach Melissa Powers will have to replace 10 graduated seniors off last year’s team.



The Union Pines volleyball team features a newlook and attitude as the Lady Vikings prepare tobegin their 2010 season with high hopes.“There is certainly a different vibe with this

group,” said head coach Leslie Fish. “They are notout here just going through the motions. Instead,they are focused on improving in certain areaswhere it is needed,while also shoring up the thingsthat we already do well.”That look features some formidable size on the

front line, a speedy and veteran backline, alongwith true depth in the form of a 12-player roster.Fish said theVikings firstmadeacommitment to

improve their overall fitness level starting last sea-son but put even more emphasis on that area inpreparation for this year’s campaign.“Our eight juniors have now really bought into

this, and the results have showed this summer,”said Fish. “Those girls took a weight trainingcourse last semester, which really helped them,and thenwe hit theweight room three days aweekall summer, and I feel they realize just how impor-tant that aspect is in our overall development.”Union Pines has eight juniors, including Crystal

Hicks, Morgan Bridgers, Lexi Byrd, Anna Sadler,Amanda McCoy, Chantele Carr, Cassidy WalkerandMeredith Campbell.

Hicks echoed the sentiments of her coach aboutthe benefits of hitting the weight room.“The strength training has helped this team a

lot,” said Hicks. “We were in the weight room allsummer and entered preseason in excellent shapeand stronger as a group.”Hicks, Bridgers andByrd are returning starters,

while Sadler was a key situational sub last year.Although the Vikes began the season 1-6, they fin-ished third in the final Cape Fear ValleyConference standings with a league mark of 8-4and an 11-11 overall record, before falling in thefirst round of the state playoffs.In addition, sophomore Tyler Ross returns after

a stellar freshman season as a frontline force. Shewill be joinedbyHicks at thenet alongwith incom-ing freshmanTiffanyHicks, Crystal’s younger sis-ter, who stands close to 6 feet, 2 inches tall.Sophomore Zazil Porras, who has a long, leanframe, also figures to see some time up front.Fish feels another key addition forUnionPines is

sophomore transferBrittanyErickson,whowill bea libero.“Brittany has a no-nonsense approach that has

spread through this entire squad,” said Fish. “Shebrings so much communication and game knowl-edge to the table that it gives the girls more confi-

Not SettlingLady Vikings Think This Is Their Year


TheUnion Pines boys’ soccer teamhas beenworking outthis preseason without a head coach.Jeremy Blake, who was the head coach the past three

years, resigned back in June, opting to focus on the LadyViking soccer program. During his three-year stint, UnionPines went 38-21-5 with a Cape Fear Valley Conferencerecord of 31-9 and qualified for the postseason in all threeyears.In 2008, the Vikings reached the third round of the state

playoffs for only the second time in school history. Lastseason, Union Pines finished 9-9 overall and 8-4 in leagueplay to place third in the final conference standings beforefalling to Cardinal Gibbons in the first round of the 3Aplayoffs.Senior standout Allen Cha was a freshman when Blake

took over the Union Pines’ program. Subsequently, he hasseen both the best and worst of times as a Viking soccerplayer.In a recent interview, Cha, who led Union Pines in goals

and assists last year as a junior, admitted that it has beena tough ride thus far in 2010 but was still confident in his

fellow players and their prospects for becoming a com-petitive team.“Summer workouts have been rough,” said Cha. “At

first, the guys all thought wewere doomed becausewe didnot have a coach and things were not how it used to be.There was a lack of hope I had never seen before as aViking that made me feel like our soccer program justdoes not have much support and is not truly appreciated.”But all was not lost. Cha says the team reached a point

where it just had to put the adversity aside and focus onimproving.“We decided to place all our focus on our progression as

players in order to show that if we continued to worktogether to improve as a team, that we will be OK, nomat-ter what,” Cha said.Cha said that a big lift came for Union Pines when they

attended an 8-on-8 preseason tournament at Pinecrest.“That event was our first real chance to come together

and play as a team,” he said. “We started off playing veryshaky, but throughout the day, I began to see the fire andpride in the team come through, and our game started toshow.”Union Pines was down 3-0 to Jack Britt at the tourna-

ment but managed to fight back to earn a 3-all tie, as Chafinished with a hat-trick“Right then, I saw how much our team was willing to

fight till it was over,” said Cha. “The going is still tough,but that is always to be expected. Nothing comes easy, andhard work is always needed.”Union Pines has made the playoffs the past five years

while contending for the regular season league champi-onship late into each season. Despite all the uncertaintysurrounding the program, Cha likes Union Pines soccer’schances this year.“The old UP spirit is always there,” he said. “Once the

guys settle in and we get our feel, that spirit will comeshining through. This ismy senior year. It’s all out there onthe table, so you can never count us out.”Union Pines has not won the Cape Fear Valley

Conference regular season championship since 2006.Despite everything, that is one thing Cha hopes to change.“I honestly feel like we have a good chance of capturing

the conference title this year,” he said. “We have not doneit my first three seasons at Union Pines, so that is what Iam trying my best to accomplish along with my team-mates.”

UP Kickers Prepared for Season Despite Adversity


Crystal Hicks is one of eight juniors on the Vikings’ volleyball team. see VOLLEYBALL, page 14


dence, because they know we have anotherstrong passer now to go along with Lexi.”Fish has made it clear to her players that

the expectation level for Viking volleyballhas reached a new level.“I told the girls that we are not rebuilding

anymore,” she said. “This season, we aredetermined to be competitive and play the

way we knowwe can.“The best way I can explain it is that we

mean business, and the girls have enthusias-tically embraced that concept.”Hicks was the glue that held last season’s

teams together, consistently filling the statsheets with high numbers in kills, servicepoints and digs as a sophomore.“I thinkwe are going to do really good this

year and have built great chemistry duringpreseasonpractice,” saidHicks. “Ourexpec-tations are to win conference this season,and I think we can do it.”Meanwhile, Bridgers was the team’s

assists leader and court-general. She alsoracked up a high serving-point percentage.“I am so ready to get the season under

way,” she said. “Last year, we were young,and it feels so nice to have an experiencedand deep group of girls who all have a greatfeel for individual roles and talents.“Everything has come together nicely in

terms of strategy. Our fundamental skillsdevelopment is much improved, so as agroupweareoptimistic about ourprospects.I am just excited for the season to start andhave the opportunity to be a leader on such agreat team.”

VolleyballFrom Page 13


The Pinecrest girls’ cross country teamis a good bet tomake it 19 conference titlesin a row this fall. Winners of 15 leaguetitles in the last 16 years, the Patriot boysshould have little trouble wrapping upanother one.The goals always go beyond that for one

of the region’s top programs. The girls andboys will try to improve on their third- andfourth-place finishes, respectively, at lastyear’s regional meet.The new season begins on Thursday at

5:30 p.m. at the Elks Course in SouthernPines with the Patriot Challenge. UnionPines, The O’Neal School and East ChapelHill are the other schools scheduled to par-ticipate.The Patriot girls’ top two runners from

last season have graduated. Columbia-bound Lexie Schustrom won theSoutheastern Conference and EastRegional titles. She also holds the schoolrecord of 18.37 in the 5-kilometer run.Ashley Brock, another spring graduate,was very often the second Patriot to finishthe races.The reasons to be optimistic about this

year’s prospects begin with sophomoreJennie Cunningham, who finished first inthe 800-meter run at the conference andregional meets last spring. Then, she set anew school record in the event while com-ing in third at the state meet.Cunningham and senior Lauren Bonville

both have personal best times under 20minutes. Seniors Haley Germain, AlexaZoellner andMadisonHart and sophomoreSarah Pressley have all gone under 21, giv-ing the team a good foundation fromwhichto start.Seniors Beth Hieronymus and Brittany

Sayers, juniors Katana Lemelin and JennaWoronoff and sophomores Kara Zoellner,HanaBornhorst andHaydenRudd have allearned points in meets for the Patriots.Ten freshmen girls have come out for the

team so far, including Mulloy Manning,who recorded a time of 21:57 last year at

O’Neal as an eighth-grader. That was thesecond-best time on the school’s all-timelist.The graduation losses were heavier for

the Patriot boys coached by JeremySwofford. Among those they will miss areconference runner of the year CraigBaggett and brothers Dalton and JacobAllen. It also appears that two of the poten-tial top returnees will not be running thisseason.Swofford has a talented returning trio in

seniors Tyler Clark, Connor Kelly andLandon Sherwood. Senior George Hayes,junior Garrett Williams and sophomores

Graham Hawes, Jacob Troutman andBecket Killam are among the hopefuls togive the boys a strong top seven.Highlights of this year’s schedule include

the evening Jungle Run at South View onSept. 4 and the conference meet at the rig-orous Elks Course on Oct. 19.

Schedule: Aug. 19 – Patriot Challenge (Elks); 28 – East Wake Invitational(Wendell Park); Sept. 4 – Jungle Run (South View); 7 – Hoke, Richmond(Hoke)*; 14 – Scotland, Purnell Swett (Elks)*; 18 – Elon Invitational; 21 –Swett, Richmond (Swett)*; 26–Hagan Stone Invitational (Hagan Stone Park);28 – Lumberton, Richmond (Lumberton)*; Oct. 5 – Lumberton, Hoke (Elks)*;9 – Beeson Park Invitational (Kernersville); 12 – Scotland, Richmond(Scotland)*; 19 – Conference championship (Elks)*; 30 – Regional (WendellPark); Nov. 6 - State Meet (Beeson Park)

Lady Pats Thinking 19 in a Row

DONNA FORD/Special to The Pilot

By the end of the spring track and field season, Jennie Cunningham (left) was finish-ing in front of Columbia-bound senior Lexie Schustrom.


North Moore cross-country coachChris Coble thinks both sides of histeam should be competing near the topof the Yadkin Valley 1A Conferencethis season.Coble returns almost all of his run-

ners from last year on both the boys’and girls’ teams. Though theMustangscompete in a competitive conference,Coble’s very optimistic about theirchances.“If everybody can stay healthy,

we’ve got the pieces in place that wecould definitely, on both sides of ourteam, be in the top half of the confer-ence,” he said. “That’s our goal. Younever knowwhere it’s going to fall, butwe definitely want to have some all-conference runners and be in the tophalf of the conference, both boys andgirls.”Seventeen boys have come out this

year, giving him “easily” the deepestboys’ team he’s had at the school. Hesaid the guys have a really good oppor-tunity to make some noise in the con-ference.Top runners on the boys’ team are

Jonathan Gomez, Kenny Bales, AlexLanders, Justin Marley, Cody Aklus,Jeremiah Wofford, Nick Renzi andnewcomer Dillon Dunn.“We got a whole host of guys that

could really make a push on it,” hesaid. “We’ve been running strong.”Coble said the girls also have an

opportunity to be strong. PaigeGarner, the girls’ best runner statisti-cally last season, is back this year.Other top girls include MadisonSewell, Abigail Avalos, JordanWofford, Bethany Robbins, EsterPascual and Laura Lambert.There’s a lot of parity among the

runners on the girls’ team, Coble said,so they’ll be focusing on pack runningthis season.In preseason training, Coble has

stressed a theme of showing a lot ofheart and working hard.“This is a very hard sport, and men-

tally, it’s draining,” he said, “and wejust gotta have a lot of toughness men-tally and physically about this year.”

Schedule: Aug. 24-preseason meet; 31-at Chatham Central; Sept. 1-atO’Neal; 7-at East Montgomery; 14-home meet; 21-at Chatham Central;28-at North Rowan;Oct. 5-atWestMontgomery; 12-at EastMontgomery;19-Conference meet.

MustangsEye TopFinishes


with Abbey is a plus.“It’s going to be a lot easier this

year, because we know him betterand understand how he wants us toplay,” Palmer said.Last year’s squad hung onto its goal

ofwinning a state title even after get-ting shut out three times by teamsfrom Raleigh in the first five match-es. Two of those, Sanderson and

Cardinal Gibbons, are early oppo-nents again along with another quali-ty team from that area in LeesvilleRoad, Thursday’s opponent at home.In the Southeastern Conference,

Abbey expects Hoke County, theteam that ended the Patriots’ 67-match unbeaten streak in league playlast September, to be a strong con-tender.“Our schedule will show, and I

believe, we’ll take our lumps gettingready,” the Patriot coach said. “But,it’s the same philosophy we had lastyear. I scheduled the toughest teamsI could possibly get.

“This is a good group, and they’revery talented. They have to under-stand the record doesn’t mean any-thing. Where we are in the program,one thing matters, something we’venever accomplished, a state champi-onship.”

Schedule (*conference): Aug. 17 – New Hanover (at FayettevilleAcademy); 19–LeesvilleRoad;25–atUnionPines; 28–atBrittanyTournament; Sept. 2 – at Sanderson; 11 – Hoggard (at FayettevilleAcademy); 13 – at Cardinal Gibbons; 15 – Lumberton*; 20 –Scotland*; 23 – Jack Britt; 27 – at Richmond*; 29 – Hoke*; Oct. 5– at Lumberton*; 11– at Scotland; 12– at Terry Sanford; 14– EastChapel Hill; 18 – Richmond*; 20 – at Hoke*; 25 – First round con-ference tournament; Nov. 3 – First round 4A state playoffs

ReloadFrom Page 11


The Union Pines boys’ cross-coun-try team will enter this season withsome high expectations.NCrunners.com has the Vikingsranked eighth in its preseason Class3A poll.Last season, Union Pines was the

undefeated Cape Fear ValleyConference champion and also cap-tured the league championship meetto run its record to 22-0 before plac-ing seventh at the Mid-EastRegional.The 2010 Vikes return five of their

top seven runners from that team,including seniors Trevor Morris,Joseph Morris, Brandon Berry andDaniel Deardorff, along with juniorDylan Blue.The five Vikings earned all-confer-

ence honors by placing in the top 12at the conference championshipmeet.However, this did not stop head

coach Nat Carter, who was the con-ference boys’ and girls’ coach of theyear last season, fromdescribing thepreseason as “helter skelter.”“We did not go to a running camp

this year, and it has been hard to getall the kids training at the same timewith summer vacations and that sortof thing,” saidCarter. “So itwill prob-ably be mid-season before we willreally get a true picture of how weare going to be.”Back for her senior year, Brittney

Stevens is theLadyVikes’ top runnerand was the only all-conference per-former for Union Pines last season.Carter feels that Stevens has a

chance to be the top runner in theconference this year.“Brittney had a bit of an off year

last season,” said Carter. “Even still,I believe she can contend strong for

that top spot in the league if she canmaintain the focus and dedicationshe has displayed so far this sum-mer.”Courtney Voss, also a senior, was

the inaugural winner of Union Pines’Hannah Gibson Spirit Award.Selected as the most dedicatedfemale cross-country athlete duringher junior campaign, Carterwill lookto her to be a vocal leader on and offthe course.“To have someone as inspirational

as Courtney working with all thegirlswill really help this teamrealizeits full potential,” said Carter. “She is

a natural leader and the best team-mate an athlete can have.”Junior Carly Lively will return to

the team after playing volleyball hersophomore season. Other runnersreturning for the Lady Vikes includejuniors Savannah Mangrum andAlyssa Radel, along with seniorsTyesha McLean and JocelynRodriguez.The LadyVikeswent 19-3 last year,

finishing second in the conferenceregular season standings and at theleague championship meet beforeplacing seventh at the Mid-EastRegional.


The North Moore girls’ tennis team features a youngsquad but has a familiar face as its new head coach.Cheryl Brewer — the former athletic director and long-

time coach at the school — has stepped in this season andwill continue to build the girls’ program, which wasrestarted last fall after a two-year hiatus. The team is com-ing off a one-win season in 2009.Brewer said that she’s got a mix of returners and new-

comers this year but is still getting to know her team. Sofar in preseason practice, they have been focusing onlearning fundamentals. She said her girls are working andseem to be having a good time, which is important.It’s difficult to make predictions about this year’s team,

given its youth, and she’s unsure what to expect.“You always want to set goals of having a winning and

successful season,” she said.Brewer said that returners Shannon Marley, Camilla

Cockman, Maria Urquiza and Clarisa Gomez could besome of the players that feature in the team’s top six thisseason.Brewer said she should begin to have a clearer picture

of her team when it starts playing this week againstAlbemarle and East Montgomery.

Schedule: Aug. 16-Albemarle; 20-at East Montgomery; 23-Chatham Central; 25-South Davidson; 30-GrayStone Day; Sept. 1-at South Davidson; 8-at North Rowan; 9-at Albemarle; 15-East Montgomery; 20-atChatham Central; 22-at South Davidson; 29-at Gray Stone Day; Oct. 4-South Stanly; 6-North Rowan.


Sandy Sackmann begins her 10th season as coach of thePinecrest girls’ golf teamwith uncertainty about howmanyschools in the Southeastern Conference will field a squad.That means the schedule is still a work in progress, but

the 2009 conference champions have two all-conferenceplayers back in sophomores Haley Crider and HaileyRobinson.Crider, who is currently recovering from knee surgery,

finished just 0.6 strokes in back of teammateElizabethHallfor conferenceplayer of theyearhonorswithan83.8 strokeaverage last season. She also qualified for the state cham-pionships. Hall has since transferred to The O’Neal School.Also returning is senior Keri Harbour, who will be the

team captain.The other two members of the five-girl squad are fresh-

men Savannah Thompson and Elaine Kearney. Thompsonhas been gaining experience in Tin Whistles Junior Tourevents this summer. She also finished third in the juniordivision of the WCGA Junior Girls Championship held atWhispering Pines Country Club last month after postingscores of 85-85—170.This year’s 4A regional tournament will be held at

Pinehurst No. 6. Pinehurst No. 1 will be the site of the 4Astate championship.

Familiar Face at HelmFor North Moore Tennis

Pinecrest GirlsThe SEC Favorite

High Expectations for UP XC


The Union Pines boys’ cross-country team, including senior Trevor Morris,pictured, is ranked eighth in one preseason poll.


Senior running backs RaphaelAlston andDamion Pride should beable to relieve some of the pres-sure on the quarterback. The paircombined for over 1,200 yardsrushing and 11 touchdowns in 2009.“Raphael and Damion are two

special individuals,” Metzger said.“They wouldn’t care if they scoreda touchdown or gained a yard ifwe’re winning.”Juniors Bryan Van Cleave and

Dee Kilpatrick and sophomoreZach Strickland are among theother running backs.Senior Kyle Ocheltree is the

back-up quarterback, and alongwith senior Patrick Moore, one ofthe two returning wide receivers.Senior Marshall Smith was ajayvee standout at the position, andsenior Steven Dean and juniorMichael Johnson are the tightends.“We’ve been practicing all year

long for this, and we’re prepared,”Kyle Ocheltree said. “I think we’relooking at a much better running

game than last year, and I believewe have a corps of receivers thatwill take us farther.”Missing from the passing game

are the 48 catches and nine touch-downs made by the graduatedJames Baldwin III. A film reviewindicated that he caught 95 percentof the fades thrown to him by lastyear’s quarterback, Ben Williams.“That’s not normally a high per-

centage throw,” Metzger said.“He’s the best wide receiver I eversaw catching the ball.”The offensive line is all new.

Juniors Bryce Kennedy (6-4, 275)and Jerod McKenzie (6-3, 220) arethe tackles with junior OctaviusRouse (6-1, 255) and senior BrettHeimrich (6-4, 245) at the guards.Junior Steven Pollard (6-3, 245) isthe center with juniors MattMonska, Joe Santos and AlexAnderson among the reserves.“They are hard-working, blue-

collar kids,” Metzger said.Two-time all-conference selec-

tion Dillon Maples should helpmake the Patriot punting and kick-off defense units special. The sen-ior averaged 43 yards per punt andalso converted eight field goals and25 extra points last season. His 51-yard winning field goal against the

wind in the win over Purnell Swettwas of legendary proportions.

‘Something Special’Metzger came to Pinecrest in

2007 following an 0-11 season. ThePatriots finished 3-2 in the confer-ence last year but grabbed the sec-ond seed for the state playoffs viaa tiebreaker. The 10 wins were themost in a season in school history.The poll of the conference coach-

es projected this year’s order offinish to have Richmond Senior ontop followed by Scotland County,Hoke County, Lumberton,Pinecrest and Purnell Swett.A Pinecrest home football game

is now a major happening, withseveral games last year drawing4,000 fans and the RichmondSenior game attracting more than5,000. The new 2,000-square-footrefreshment and restroom build-ing is expected to be ready for theopener.“We’re excited about Friday

nights and the support we get fromthe community and the love thereis for high school athletics in thistown,” Metzger said. “It’s becomesomething special, and obviouslywe want to make it special by giv-ing them a good product.”

PinecrestFrom Page 2


Senior safety Hunter Ocheltree looks up after making an inter-ception during a Pinecrest scrimmage.

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Football and Fall Sports Preview 2010