While the New Year’s holiday is a wonderful time to make plans or find ways in which we can improve ourselves, as noted last week, it also provides us with a chance to consider what’s gone on around us, and over the course of the last year in particular.
Thusly, a brand new 2008 seems like a good time to count the blessings and successes of 2007. After all, new beginnings are often filled with reflections, and I figured it’d be as good a time as any to take a look back at how things went for the county’s teams and athletes last year.
January started the year off with a bang, as teams from all three high schools found success in tournaments. West Stokes finished third in South Stokes’ annual Rick Williams Invitational Wrestling Tournament, while the Sauras finished sixth and North Stokes grabbed seventh place. West Stokes also finished third in the Montgomery Duals and won the Magna Vista (Va.) Border Clash. Sydney Doyle, now a senior at North Stokes, was named the best female youth soccer referee in the state
While the Wildcats were winning on the mat, they also had some success in the water. West Stokes’ swim teams finished third in the North States 2-A and sent several athletes to the state meet. Benjamin Goldbach, David Garcia, Kody Kinzer and Austin Jarvis qualified for the state meet in the 200-yard medley relay, and Goldbach also qualified in the 500-yard freestyle. Meanwhile, Justine Goldbach, Victoria Goldbach, Brett Benson and Lauren Miller qualified in the 200-yard freestyle medley, and Justine Goldbach also qualified in the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly.
In community sports action, Jeb Trucking and Dairi-O fought atop the SCYBL’s fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade boys’ standings, with Jeb Trucking earning a 16-poing win over Dairi-O for sole possession of first place. In other news, Ryan Mothorpe became the first student to earn a black belt at King’s Martial Arts, and Sensei Curtis Tillman earned his fourth-degree black belt.
February was one of the busiest months of the year for the county, but it was also one of the most successful.
West Stokes finished second in the North State 2-A in wrestling and dropped out of the playoffs in the first round at home. However, Mitch Overton, Chris Fulk, Dustin Lassett, P. J. Morrison and Andrew Luter won their weight classes in the conference.
South Stokes also had more success on the mat, and the Sauras advanced to the regional final of the team dual playoffs. The Sauras fell to Alleghany in Sparta 59-16 and finished in the top four in the state.
Eight wrestlers qualified for the state meet – six from West Stokes and one each from
North Stokes and South Stokes. Jay Rose, Fulk, Overton, Lassett, Morrison and Luter represented West Stokes, while Joe Orito and Jacob Lewis represented the Vikings and the Sauras, respectively.
However, only Fulk and Overton placed at the state meet. Fulk finished fourth in the 112 lbs. weight class, while Overton was sixth in the 103 lbs. bracket.
West Stokes also had success in indoor track, with Fredia Love and Drew Tucker placing at the state meet. Love finished sixth in the 55-meter dash in 7.44 seconds, and Tucker was sixth in the 1,000-meter run in 2:41.37.
South Stokes’ basketball teams, as well as North Stokes’ men’s team and West Stokes’ women’s team, made the playoffs and exited in the first round.
North Stokes and South Stokes combined to place 13 athletes on the winter All-Conference teams in the Northwest 1-A.
In community news, Jeb Trucking wrapped up its SCYBL schedule undefeated to claim the regular season crown. The Walnut Cove Warriors also captured their regular season title in the fifth- and sixth-grade division of Community Basketball League by finishing 7-1. The U11 Strike Force swept through the Jack Frost Tournament in Trinity, and Don Lewis was inducted into NC USSSA Softball Hall of Fame.
In March, North Stokes’ softball team and West Stokes’ JV baseball team jumped out to hot starts. The Lady Vikings fought their way into tie for first place in the Northwest 1-A with East Surry and West Wilkes, and the JV Wildcats started 9-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play.
Love, who represented West Stokes at the state indoor track meet, won fifth place in the Young Women’s (ages 17-18) High Jump at the 2007 AAU Southern Indoor Track & Field Championships. She also competed in the 55M, 200M and triple jump.
Kasey Smith, a South Stokes graduate, finished second in the 3,000-meter run and in the distance medley relay for her 13th and 14th All-SoCon awards. Smith also finished fifth in the 1,600-meter run and fourth in the 5,000M. Her 25 points made her the top scorer at the Southern
Conference Indoor Championships, and Smith became the first Appalachian State University athlete to race in four events of 1,200 meters or more.
In community news, Jeb Trucking topped Stokes Realty and Auction for the SCYBL tournament title in the fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade boys’ division. Moorefield’s Automotive won SCYBL’s seventh- and eighth-grade boys’ tournament after finishing second in the regular season standings.
Sandy Ridge won the boys’ tournament in the fifth- and sixth-grade division of the Community Basketball League over Lawsonville Gold, and Walnut Cove won the girls’ tournament over Germanton.
The 12U Breakers basketball team finished second in the Fifth Annual Mayberry
March Madness (Bronze division), and the 15U team finished second as well.
A Walnut Cove girls’ team finished second in a boys’ basketball league.
Action picked up again in April as the spring season found its stride.
The South Stokes Sauras won their third straight Northwest 1-A track title. Rashad Gray won shot put and discus with throws of 42-08 and 129-05, respectively, and Dewayne Ashburn won the high jump with a 6-02 effort. The Sauras swept the top three spots in the 110M hurdles, with Bam Hairston winning in 15.2 seconds. Jedrick Morris was second in 16.7, and Josh Tucker was third in 16.9. The Sauras also places three in the top six in the 300M hurdles, with Will Bennett winning in 41.8. Ricky Rivas won the 3,200M in 11:11.3, and South Stokes also won the 4X400M relay in 3:40.3 and the 4X800M relay in 8:35.5. In all, the Sauras won eight events and placed 30 athletes.
North Stokes’ Josh Wilmoth cleared 12-00 to win the pole vault and give the Vikings their only conference champion. The Vikings placed 13 athletes.
Neither of the ladies’ teams won a conference crown, but several individuals did. North Stokes’ Salina Tate won the 100M in 13 seconds and Nikia Simmons won the shot put with a throw of 31-03. North Stokes also won the 4X100M relay in 54.9 and the 4X200M relay in 1:51.2. Meanwhile, South Stokes’ Joanna Davis won the 100M hurdles in 15.7, and Chelsea Mudd won 400M in 1:01.5. Michaella Phillips won the discus with a throw of 90-04.
In all, South Stokes won three events and placed 16 athletes, and North Stokes won four and placed 19.
South Stokes won the regular season title in the Northwest 1-A, and North Stokes finished fifth. The JV Wildcats finished 18-3 overall and 8-0 in the North State 2-A.
Jessica Seaman threw a perfect no-hitter for West Stokes in a 22-0 win over Atkins, and she tallied nine strikeouts in the game. Laurin Carter also threw a no-no for West Stokes, though she did it for the JV Lady Wildcats. Carter no-hit Eastern Guilford, and the JV Lady Wildcats finished 13-1 overall and 4-0 in the North State 2-A. The varsity and JV Lady Wildcats each won the conference title.
Former county athletes were also making headlines in April. Dustin Ackley was in the middle of exploding for UNC in the ACC, and Jacob Lane won the shot put and finished seventh in the discus at Tri-Conference Championships/Bobcat Open at Lees-McRae. Both are former Sauras.
Chestnut Grove won the girls’ track title in the Foothills Conference. Piney Grove finished fourth, and Southeastern was seventh. The Warriors were second in the boys competition, and Piney Grove followed closely behind in third and fourth.
In community news, the Sandy Ridge Bulldogs won the YMCA’s first county boys’ tournament over Walnut Cove, and Germanton’s girls defeated SCYBL’s Ann Chilton Realty for the girls’ title.
The 12U Piedmont Panthers won the April Fool’s baseball tournament in Thomasville.
May was perhaps the busiest month of all for the county’s athletes.
The South Stokes Sauras and North Stokes Lady Vikings each finished third at the Midwest 1-A track regional. The Vikings and Lady Sauras each finished sixth. Gray won the discus with a throw of 137-08, and finished fourth in the shot put with a throw of 41-00.25. John Mitchell was third in the shot with a distance of 41-07. Ashburn (second in pole vault, 6-4; third in triple jump, 42-02.5; fourth in long jump, 20-06), Rivas (fourth in 1,600M in 4:40.64 and 3,200M in 10:41.24), Bam Hairston (second in 110M hurdles in 15.84) and Bennett (fourth in 300M hurdles in 41.64) qualified for the state 1-A meet. South Stokes also qualified its 4X400M and 4X800M relay teams.
Wilmoth set a new personal record in the pole vault when he cleared 13 feet for the regional title. Robbie Tate was fourth in the event after clearing 10 feet. Justin Simmons (second in triple jump, 42-10), Noah Swanson (fourth in 800M, 2:03.04 personal record) and Randall Woods (fourth in 400M in 53.54) also qualified for the state meet.
Mudd (400M, 1:03.74) and Davis (110M hurdles, 16.54) captured titles and helped anchor 4X400M relay team for South Stokes, and Phillips (second in discus, 93-09) and Tiffany Williams (third in shot put, 30-08) qualified for states, as did North Stokes’ Mary Vangaasbeck (second in 800M, 2:31.34), Courtney Goin (tied for second in pole vault, 8-0), Simmons (second in shot put, 32-10.5), Brittany Smith (third in long jump, 15-10) and Whitney Dalton (fourth in 3,200M, 12:52.44). North Stokes also qualified its 4X200M and 4X800M relay teams.
Davis, Mudd, Simmons, and Wilmoth went on to win state titles in Greensboro. Davis won the 100M, and Mudd won the 400M in the final stretch. Simmons won the shot put by nearly two feet, and Wilmoth won the pole vault.
Davis and Mudd also anchored South Stokes’ 4X400M team and shattered the school record, though they finished second.
Among other results in the ladies’ competition, Phillips was second in the discus for South Stokes, and Goin was fifth in the pole vault for North Stokes. Vangaasbeck finished fourth in the 800M for the Lady Vikings, and North Stokes also placed in the 4X200M (sixth) and 4X800M (fourth) relays.
Among other results in the men’s competition, Robbie Tate set a new personal best in the pole vault en route to a seventh place finish for North Stokes. Swanson was fifth in the 800M, and Woods was sixth in the 400M. Gray finished third in the discus for South Stokes, and Ashburn was fifth in the long jump and tied for seventh in the high jump. Hairston took sixth in the 110M hurdles, and Rivas was seventh in the 3200M and eighth in the 1600M. The Sauras finished sixth in the 4X800M relay.
West Stokes also had success on the track. The Lady Wildcats finished second at the North State 2-A meet, and the Wildcats were fifth. Love won the 200M in 26.0 seconds and the triple jump with a jump of 32-11. Love was also third in the 100M in 12.7. Megan Childers (6:03) and Lizzy Luper (6:13) took the top two spots in the 1,600M and flip-flopped in the 3,200M (Luper 14:22, Childers 14:37). Courtney Hayes won the 400M in 59.9 and finished third in the long jump. Ashley Ulsenheimer won 100M hurdles and finished second in the 300M hurdles. Kristien Mitchell finished third in the high jump, and Christine Tillman was second in discus and third in shot put.
The Lady Wildcats also placed in the 4X400M and 4X800M relays.
Tucker led the Wildcats with a win in the 400M in 49.4 seconds, and he was second in the 800M in 2:04. Jared Jones won the 300M hurdles and finished third in the 110M. The Wildcats also placed in the 4X400M and 4X800M relays.
In all, West Stokes won seven events and placed 18 athletes.
Five Wildcats qualified for the 2-A track meet. Tucker won the 800M at the regional in 1:54.24, and Jones finished third in the 300M hurdles in 41.54 seconds. Lauren Miller cleared seven feet to take second in the pole vault, and Courtney Hayes set a new school record in the 400M in 59.1 in the qualifying heat and finished third in final in 59.94. Love finished third in the 200M in 26.04. Miller, Hayes and Love teamed with Ulsenheimer for second in the 4X400M relay in 4:20.04.
Tucker defended his 800M title in 1:54.21 at the state meet, and Love finished third in the 200M in 25.9, a personal record. Hayes finished fourth in the 400M in 59.02 for a new personal record and new school record, and the ladies’ 4X400M team finished third in 4:16.33.
In other sports, South Stokes defeated East Surry 15-10 for the Northwest 1-A tournament title, though East Surry came back to defeat the Sauras in the fourth round of the playoffs. North Stokes beat Jordan-Matthews 10-8 in 10 innings in the first round and fell to South Stanly in the second. West Stokes fell to McMichael in the North State 2-A tournament championship game and to Orange in the first round of the playoffs.
The West Stokes Lady Wildcats won the North State 2-A softball title with an undefeated season, going 10-10 overall and 10-0 in conference. The Lady Wildcats also won the conference tournament. However, they fell to Bunn in the second round of the playoffs.
Ashley Spalding was selected to the All-State team, while Brandi Ingram and Samantha Wilson each earned honorable mentions. Each was named to the All-District 5 team, and Brandi Holmes earned an honorable mention. Ingram set a new state record with 10 stolen bases in a game, and West Stokes broke the team record with 36 in a game. The Lady Wildcats also had 29 in a game to take the top two spots. Wilson tied for second all time with four doubles in a game, and Wilson and Spalding tied for second with 14 doubles in a season. Wilson also holds the longest consecutive games hitting streak (24).
North Stokes advanced to the third round of the softball playoffs, while South Stokes fell in the first.
The South Stokes Lady Sauras advanced to second round of the soccer playoffs, and the Lady Wildcats fell in third round in overtime.
The Wildcats earned a share of the North State tennis title, and Matt Green became the school’s first conference champion in the sport. The Wildcats fell to Cardinal Gibbons in first round of the playoffs.
South Stokes finished fifth in the Northwest 1-A golf standings and just missed the regionals, though Mitch Montgomery and Jon Montgomery played in the individual regionals. West Stokes’ Josh Hudgins tied for 12th at the 2-A golf championship.
A couple of athletes also made some noise at college. Ackley wrapped up a stellar season and was showered with awards. Ackley was named the ACC Rookie of the Year, the National Freshman of the Year, the District IV Player of the Year and the Tar Heels’ MVP. He helped Tar Heels to the finals of the College World Series and the ACC crown. Ackley was named to the College World Series and ACC Tournament all-tournament teams, and he was a First-Team All-ACC selection. Meanwhile, Jeremy Kent became only the second Viking to complete a collegiate football career when he graduated from Wingate University.
In middle school action, Chestnut Grove won its fourth straight baseball title, finishing 15-1 overall and 13-1 in conference. Piney Grove won its first conference golf title by 22 strokes.
In community news, several soccer teams won tournaments to lead the action. The U10 Rapids won their KYSL/NTSC tournament, and the U10 NTSC Spirits won their first tournament title at the Beat the Heat tournament. The U11 Strike Force won the regular season title in the Triad Challenge League’s Blue Division, and the U12 team won the Beat the Heat tournament.
The Breakers won the 13U-Silver Division of the Battle on Tobacco Road basketball tournament, and Living Word Ministries Church won the YMCA church league tournament.
Caleb Shelton won his division of the Elkin Jr. Features tennis tourney, and Emily
Tucker finished second in her bracket. Meanwhile, Darle Shouse and Margaret McClanahan won gold medals in the Piedmont Plus Senior Games. Keith Bowman won a first place prize in a division and second place overall at the World Taxidermy Championships.
See part two next week.
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