Middle Creek, even without its best player, came out on top of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A volleyball championship — more than enough reason to take home the No. 1 spot in the final HighSchoolOT statewide top 25 rankings. Green Hope, the 4A East runner-up to Middle Creek, was second, followed by fellow 4A East team Chapel Hill in third. Kings Mountain, the 3A champ, was fourth followed by Cardinal Gibbons in fifth. Please click here for more.
Category Archives: High School Sports
Beginning in 2025-2026, NC high schools will double the number of classifications from four to eight
The N.C. High School Athletic Association will move to eight classifications beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. During the NCHSAA Board of Directors meeting on Wednesday, the board voted unanimously to adopt a recommendation from the realignment ad hoc committee to move to eight classifications in the next realignment. Please click here for more.
High School football state championship schedule set
The N.C. High School Athletic Association has released the schedule for the 2023 football state championship games. The state championship games will be played on Dec. 8 and Dec. 9. Two games will be played at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, with two additional games at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh. Please click here for more.
Leesville Road has 6 in double-figures in close win over Panther Creek
Leesville Road’s boys basketball team claimed a lead in the final two minutes of the game en route to an 85-81 win over Panther Creek on Tuesday night. Panther Creek led by as many as five points in the fourth quarter, but a late jumper by Arnav Shah put the Pride up by one point — and they never lost the lead after that. Please click here for more.
Cardinal Gibbons tops Rolesville in playoff thriller
Cardinal Gibbons scored late to beat Rolesville 28-21 in the NCHSAA football playoffs. Watch WRAL Football Friday here to view highlights of this and other playoff games. Read about the Cardinal Gibbons-Rolesville here.
South Meck beats Apex Friendship in penalty kicks to claim 4A soccer title
South Mecklenburg’s Cinderella run concluded with the words “happily ever after” as it became the lowest seed in N.C. High School Athletic Association boys soccer history to win the state championship. The 24th-seeded Sabres defeated Apex Friendship 1-1 (6-5 PKs) on Friday. Please click here for more.
UNC’s defense handcuffs Highlanders, 77-52
North Carolina kept UC-Riverside scoreless for nearly 10 minutes to start the second half as the Tar Heels eased by the visitors 77-52. (11/17)
Carolina had a tough time from the three-point line but the 19-0 second half run that opened the game up featured threes from RJ Davis and Jalen Washington, who hit his first two threes as a Tar Heel in the game.
It was the inside game, or more specifically Armando Bacot, that got Carolina out to a commanding 30-9 lead midway through the first half after a 17-0 run.
The Highlanders, who shoot a load of threes, popped in three late in the first half to chip the deficit down to 37-26.
“That 17-0 run or whatever it was was fun to watch,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “We were locked in defensively and we got out into transition offensively.”
However, Coach Davis said he was disappointed in the way the Tar Heels finished the first half. “We lost the momentum,” he said. “I was proud of the way we came out defensively in the second half. It’s tough to play them because they have a lot of ball movement and everybody on their team can shoot the three.”
While Carolina didn’t shoot as well as Coach Davis thinks they can, defensively the Heels held UC-Riverside to 30.5 percent from the field.
Four UNC players – two starters and two subs – finished the game in double figures led by Bacot’s 21 points. Fellow starter Harrison Ingram had 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Subs Seth Trimble and Jalen Washington each scored 11 points.
Two of Trimble’s points were undoubtedly the play of the game. Up 22-9, Davis whipped a three-quarter court bounce pass to Trimble who went in without dribbling and slammed a two-handed dunk over a taller defender.
UC-Riverside, 1-3, was led by Ben Griscti’s 14 points.
The Tar Heels, 3-0, travel to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament to face Northern Iowa Wednesday, Nov. 22.
For a boxscore and more analysis of the game, please click here.
Cleveland sets school record for wins with playoff victory over New Bern
The Cleveland Rams, seeded No. 2 in the N.C. High School Athletic Association 4A state playoffs, won their 13th game on Thursday night with an impressive 56-13 victory over No. 10 New Bern. Cleveland quarterback Jackson Byrd threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two more in the win, while running back Tyson Stokes rushed for three touchdowns. Please click here for more.
Apex Friendship delivers shutout at Cardinal Gibbons to advance to 4A soccer championship
Carter Eckel scored two goals and Hayden Joyce scored another as the Patriots defeated Cardinal Gibbons 3-0 to advance to the 4A state championship this weekend. Please click here for more.
Cardinal Gibbons rolls while Apex Friendship falters in football playoffs
Cardinal Gibbons struck early and often in beating Millbrook at home in the NC high school football playoffs. Apex Friendship’s run ended in a loss at home against Wilmington Laney. Please click here for playoff scores.